Häagen-Dazs Artisan - Spiced Pecan Turtle

Spiced Pecan Turtle - Chocolate Ice Cream with a Caramel Swirl and Chocolate-covered Spiced Pecans

Trying a new brand for the ice cream reviews -- the "Artisan Collection" from Häagen-Dazs.  Much of the regular Häagen-Dazs line is dominated by simple flavors (chocolate, vanilla, etc).  In the "Artisan Collection, they commissioned six different bakers invent their own ice cream flavor.  These six flavors contain eclectic mixtures of ingredients which make for interesting reviews.  Today's flavor is Spiced Pecan Turtle which was developed by Christopher Elbow an Artisanal Chocolate specialist in Kansas City.

The first thing I noticed about the pint is that it is a little smaller.  At some point in their history,  Häagen-Dazs switched to a 14 oz 'pint' as a way of raising their price without the number on the price tag.  This is more than a little devious, but its not uncommon.   Half gallon jugs of orange juice generally contain 59 oz and cereal boxes have been shrinking for years.  The second thing I noticed opening the pint is a plastic wrapper across the top.  This is the first brand I've reviewed which has this.  Easy enough to peel off.    This reveals the chocolate base which is a more lighter shade of brown than I was expecting.  Some specks of chocolate are also visible.

Eating into the pint, the chocolate base is quite good by itself.  Ben & Jerry's has a fairly mild chocolate base (their specialty is the mix-ins) but I could tell that a little more care is put into the base flavor here.  The mix-ins here are the caramel swirl and the chocolate covered spiced pecans.  The caramel swirl is tasty though I suppose there could have been a little bit more of it.  The best part of the pint is the pecans.  There really is a bit of a spicy kick as you bit into one.  I checked the ingredient list on the side of the pint and all I could find was "natural flavor" -- sounds like Mr. Elbow doesn't want to give away his secrets.  It was a ginger, nutmeg or cinnamon type of spice.  It was good.  My first thought was that there could have been more pecans but since there was such a nice kick when you bit into one it might have actually helped that there weren't too many of them.  Plus it allowed for more enjoyment of the chocolate base. 

I did enjoy the pint (or almost pint).  If spiced pecans in chocolate intrigue you, then give this a try.