Coolhaus - Bananas Foster

Bananas Foster - Banana Ice Cream with a Rum-Spiked Dulce de Leche Swirl

I am continuing to reap the benefits of the new flavors I discovered at Whole Foods a few weeks ago.  Today's review is for the Culver-City-based Coolhaus brand's implementation of Bananas Foster.  Bananas Foster is one of those desserts whose origin is precisely known.  It was invented by the chef Paul Blange at Brennan's Restaurant in New Orleans in 1951.  It is named after Richard Foster, a local awning maker, friend of the Brennans and a frequent customer of the restaurant.  The desssert was a hit and its popularity quickly spread.  Over the years, that original Brennan's restaurant has undergone a series of renovations and relocations, but as of right now there is once again a restaurant with that name in the French Quarter run by members of the Brennan family.   Bananas Foster is on the dessert menu there and the original recipe is available online.

As mentioned in previous reviews, Coolhaus is the brand which is "architecturally inspired" so every flavor has its own architectural mascot.  The flavor nickname for this pint is "Norman Bananas Foster" after the British architect Norman Foster.  Foster is quite well known and has designed some iconic structures across the world such as the new dome on the refurbished Reichstag in Berlin, the distinctive Hearst Tower near Columbus Circle in New York and the great Millau Viaduct in the south of France.  He has also one of the architects of "Modern London" --  designing the new city hall, the Millennium Bridge and the Gherkin.  

On to the ice cream!  Removing the lid shows the off-white color of the banana-flavored base with hints of the swirl on top.  Eating my way into the pint, the banana flavoring is quite strong.  I love banana, so this is good for me, but some people may prefer a milder banana flavor.  As I ate my way down, I had trouble finding the swirl.  I think there was a slight mixing issue with this particular pint.  I eventually found the swirl but you'll notice the pictures below are a bit further down than usual.  The first third of the pint was all banana.  The swirl was not a thick milky caramel like previous dulce de leche's I've had, it had a pasty consistency like a burnt brown sugar.  That makes sense as Bananas Foster is often done as a flambe.  There is a slight bite to the swirl from the rum flavoring.  

I did enjoy the pint.  Banana is one of my favorite flavors and the strong banana flavoring did not disappoint.  As much as I liked the pint, though, it actually made me want to have a real order of Bananas Foster, instead.  If that is not available , then this flavor is a decent substitute.

  

Jeni's - Brown Butter Almond Brittle

Brown Butter Almond Brittle - Buttercream Ice Cream with Brown Butter Almond Candy Pieces

We return to Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream for her Brown Butter Almond Brittle flavor.   As mentioned in the previous review, Jeni's is the premium ice cream from Columbus, Ohio created by Jeni Britton Bauer.  Today I notice that the packaging of the pints is incredibly simplistic.  It is as if Jeni wants us to think that she hand-packed the pints at the scoop shop and then hand-wrote the flavor name on the side with an orange Sharpie.  The list of ingredients with nutritional information on the back destroys that illusion a bit, but they still look hand-made when you first see a line of them in the freezer case at the store.

Removing the lid shows a fairly white base ice cream with some of the almond brittle pieces visible.  The first spoonful had a strong almond flavor.  I had to check the ingredient list and there is indeed almond flavoring included in the base.  Its quite aromatic and flavorful.  Sometimes too much almond extract can be a bad thing -- creating a taste more like medicine instead of marzipan -- but that didn't happen here.  It was just the right strength to be strong yet still delicious.  As I ate deeper into the pint, I encountered the brittle pieces.  They were about pea-sized and of a nutty texture.  The Jeni's website describes them as 'candy pieces' but I thought they had more of a nut-like consistency to them.  I think I actually prefer that, so no complaints from me.  I did not notice the brown butter flavoring in the pieces.  That might have been too subtle for me.  Though, as I continued eating the pint, I did notice the butter flavoring in the base.  It was similar to the base of a butter pecan flavor -- except of course here it is almonds instead of pecans.

This pint was very well done and I enjoyed it, but it is a relatively simple flavor and someone buying a premium brand like Jeni's may prefer to get something a bit more exotic for their money.  That said, butter and almond is not a combination I've seen before, so there is some novelty here.  If you'd like an almond version of butter pecan, then give this one a try.

Update: Either I missed it before or the website has been updated, but the mix-ins here are based on a Scandinavian dessert called krokan.  I am of three-quarters Scandinavian descent myself (50% Norwegian and 25% Swedish) so that makes this brittle a little more interesting to me than just any old butter-almond brittle.  I feel like I should seek out some krokon now!

Coolhaus - Balsamic Fig & Mascarpone

Balsamic Fig & Mascarpone - Balsamic Glazed Figs Swirled in Italian Mascarpone Ice Cream

We return to the Culver-City-based Coolhaus brand for a review of their Balsamic Fig & Mascarpone flavor.   I must admit I did a complete double-take when I saw this pint in the freezer case at Whole Foods.     I simply did not imagine this combination of flavors would ever appear in an ice cream.  For one thing, I've never seen figs in ice cream.  Growing up in the Midwest, I was not exposed to figs outside of Fig Newtons -- and I never particularly cared for those.  Now that I live in California, there is much easier access to fresh figs.  In fact, one of my friends has a fig tree in his yard.  Fresh figs are much sweeter and juicier than I had previously thought they'd be, so I now enjoy them when they are in season.  Mixing figs with balsamic vinegar is a sauce that is commonly used for glazing meats or accompanying cheese on a plate of appetizers.  Are these flavors going to make for a good ice cream?  I am interested to find out.

Before we get to the ice cream, I am reminded that Coolhaus is the brand that is "architecturally inspired".   Coolhaus dubs this flavor "Eric Owen Moss-Carpone" after the architect Eric Owen Moss.  Moss is a living architect (b. 1943) with a decidedly modern feel.  Some examples of his works are available at his company's website.  He has devoted a significant chunk of his career to revitalizing Culver City.  Since Coolhaus Ice Cream is itself based in Culver City, it makes sense that they would honor Moss with a flavor.

On to the ice cream!  Removing the lid reveals the off-white color of the mascarpone base along with a bit of the brown balsamic fig swirl.  I got a bit too much of the balsamic fig swirl on my first spoonful and it was noticeably sour and acidic -- not what I usually experience when eating ice cream.  I wondered what I was getting myself into.  Thankfully, the mascarpone base was thick, creamy and delicious and provided a good complement to the complex flavor of the swirl.  Eating my way further down, I encountered the occasional chunk of fig.  The balsamic vinegar prevented these pieces from being as sweet as the fresh figs that I'd eat at my friend's house, but the chunks provided a good textural difference.  As startled as I was by the bite of the flavor in the first spoonful, I got used to the flavor and did not have any problems finishing the pint.  That could be a testament to the mascarpone.

This was one of the more interesting pints I've had.   I am not sure how much I liked it, but it is nice to try something different.  To tell you the truth, I'm still floored by the idea of this flavor.    The Coolhaus website boasts that this flavor is "like a frozen cheese plate!"  If you are in an adventurous mood and wonder what your favorite cheese plate would taste like in ice cream format, then give this pint a try.

 

Jeni's - Brambleberry Crisp

Brambleberry Crisp - Vanilla Ice Cream with Brambleberry Jam and an Oat Streusel

  
I have been getting requests for reviews of pints of Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream for quite a while but I  haven't been able to find any pints at the grocery stores that I frequent.  After another request last week, I checked online for where in San Diego to get it.  It turns out the only place near me that carries Jeni's is Whole Foods.  I don't usually find myself at Whole Foods.  First, they don't sell Diet Coke there and second, I associate Whole Foods with things such as hummus and organic rutabaga -- not tasty desserts.  Anyways, off I went to the Whole Foods this past weekend and I was pleasantly surprised at what I saw in the freezer case.  A whole row of Jeni's ice cream flavors as well as some Coolhaus flavors I hadn't seen before and a couple of Three Twins flavors as well.  Whole Foods is now in my rotation of places to check for ice cream.

Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream was founded in Columbus, Ohio by Jeni Britton Bauer in 2002.  She focuses on creative flavor combinations using high quality ingredients.  Just the type of thing that makes for interesting reviews.  What appears to set her apart from other ice cream makers is her choice of thickening agent.  Many brands use either egg yolks or guar gum to give their ice cream the right consistency -- thick without being icy.  Jeni's uses tapioca.  I like tapioca, so that sounds intriguing.  

The first Jeni's flavor I am trying is Brambleberry Crisp.  "Bramble" is a vague term usually associated with blackberries, raspberries or other cane berries.  Here, Jeni's specifically uses a jam make with blackberries and blackcurrants.  The crisp means that oat streusel has been mixed in to give the sensation that you are having a slice of berry pie with vanilla ice cream.

On to the ice cream!  Opening the pint took a bit of effort because the jam had formed a bond with the lid.  The vanilla base is visible with golden colored oat specks visible.  If you look really close you can see vanilla bean specks as well.  The swirl of jam is thick and off to one side of the pint.  The vanilla & streusel base was delicious.  I didn't taste the tapioca but it did its job of keeping the ice cream both thick and soft at the same time.  I briefly wondered if the ice cream would even melt if I left it out on the counter but I ate it fast enough anyways.  The jam was tasty, not too tart and not too sweet.  The fact that the jam was isolated to a swirl on the side was worried me at first after the mixing issues that I encountered in a similar Steve's flavor, but it was very easy to get a little bit of jam into every spoonful.

A very successful pint.  One of the best pints I've had in terms of quality and combinations of flavors.  A word of warning, though: Jeni's is not cheap.  This pint was ten dollars at Whole Foods.  In the past, I'd occasionally get double-takes from cashiers while they rang up eight dollar pints of McConnell's -- Jeni's is even more than that.  Once you get past the sticker shock, though, it is very good ice cream.  I will be looking forward to reviewing more Jeni's flavors in the future.

McConnell's - Churros Con Leche

Churros Con Leche - Cinnamon Vanilla Ice Cream with Churros Pieces

Today's review is the Churros Con Leche flavor from the Santa Barbara-based McConnell's brand.  There's a few non-homogenous flavors of McConnell's that I haven't reviewed yet but I'd been having trouble finding grocery stores that carry them.  This particular pint was found at Ralph's last week.  The use of churros as a mix-in looks interesting.  I associate Churros with Mexican Food but it appears to have originate in Spain.  It is basically fried dough extruded through a star-shaped die and is typically covered in cinnamon and sugar.  The con leche modifier simply means "with milk" or in this case with ice cream.

Romance copy on McConnell's pints is always fun

Removing the lid of the pint shows the beige color of the cinnamon base.  The cinnamon is fully mixed in and is not a swirl.  The first spoonful tasted like cinnamon as expected but not in a spicy way.  I could also taste a little bit of vanilla in there.  Usually vanilla is hard for me to pick out when there are other flavors present but there it was.  At first I thought there wasn't going to be any mix-ins but a few spoonfuls in I started encountering them.  The churro pieces had a flavor that blended into the base rather than contrasting it, but it did provide a mild crunchiness to the spoonfuls that contained it.

A simple well-implemented flavor.   The Cinnamon Buns flavor from Ben & Jerry's is a bit similar -- caramel instead of vanilla, dough instead of fried dough.  I guess it depends on whether you are in the mood for a churro or a cinnamon bun.  If you're in the mood for a churro, then this pint replicates that flavor quite well.

Graeter's - Mint Chocolate Chip

Mint Chocolate Chip - Peppermint Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips

Today's review is of Graeter's Mint Chocolate Chip flavor.  Loyal readers know that Mint Chocolate Chip is my favorite ice cream flavor.  Graeter's is the Cincinnati-based ice cream shop known for its 19th-century "french pot process".  Since Southern California is a long way from Ohio, it is not a brand carried in most grocery stores.  I've only been able to find it at Ralph's and even then I can usually only find two or three flavors of it in the freezer case.   Last week, I went a different Ralph's location than usual and was very pleased to find a pint of Mint Chocolate Chip -- so I scooped it up.

The pint's packaging features some green coloring, but removing the lid shows the color of the ice cream is white.  Graeter's follows the premium ice cream standard of avoiding the use of green food coloring in their mint ice creams.  Also visible on top are some of the chocolate chips.  As I ate my way into the pint, the mint flavor is quite delicious and had just the right strength.  The chocolate chips were excellent.  There have been chocolate chips in the previous two Graeter's flavors that I've reviewed but the chips came out beter in this pint.  I've read that there is some variability in the chips from pint to pint due to how the ice cream is made.  If you look at this video (around 40 seconds in), they actually pour liquid chocolate into the spinning french pots.  As the chocolate hardens, a paddle is used to break the chocolate up into smaller pieces.  There is another short video here.  The result from this method is chips of more variable size than if the chips were pre-crushed outside of the ice cream.  I got some small chips like what is visible on the very top but I also got a couple of chips that were quite large.  One was almost as big as the spoon.  It was fun, though.  The large chips were fairly soft and easy to bite into -- and delicious, too.

This was an excellent pint of ice cream.  Since its my favorite flavor, I like comparing all of the brands.  Before today, McConnnell's Mint Chip had been favorite, but this Graeter's pint is right up there and arguably better!  Graeter's has a more classic implementation, too, with its chunkier chips and white base.  This french-pot-process ice cream is thick stuff though.  I was very full at the end of the pint and skipped breakfast the next day.

 

Häagen-Dazs - Belgian Chocolate

Belgian Chocolate - Belgian Chocolate Ice Cream with Belgian Chocolate Chunks

Today we review of the last Häagen-Dazs Destination Series flavors:  Belgian Chocolate.  Previously, the Destination Series has taken us to the United Kingdom, Chicago, New Orleans, South America, Mexico, and Asia.  With this flavor we go -- of course -- to Belgium.  What makes a chocolate a Belgian chocolate?  Well, it has to be made in Belgium, but other than that there are only minor cocoa percentage guidelines.  Each individual chocolatier in the country has their own guarded recipe.  When cacao beans were first imported to Europe in the 1600s, the Belgians and the Swiss developed reputations for making the best chocolate from those beans and those reputations have held up to this day.  I'm curious to see how the Belgian Chocolate flavor differs from Häagen-Dazs' standard chocolate flavor.

Removing the lid, the difference is evident right away on the top of the pint.  There are a lot of chunks visible.  The chunks are very small and create a speckled appearance.  Digging in, the chunks are quite soft -- to the point where I did not notice much change in texture between the base ice cream and the chunks.  It is very tasty.  Häagen-Dazs does a base chocolate flavor quite well and here they've provided a double dose of it with the addition of the chunks.

I enjoyed this flavor.  It's not fancy -- just a simple chocolate flavor with a chocolate mix-in  -- but it had a unique texture and was quite delicious.  The flavor it reminds me of the most is Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Therapy and I enjoyed this flavor more.  If you're a fan of Häagen-Dazs' Chocolate ice cream, give this one a whirl as it's just a slight variation on that.

Häagen-Dazs - Mango

Mango - Mango Ice Cream with Mango Pieces

Today's review of Häagen-Dazs' Mango flavor.  Normally, I don't review the homogeneous flavors  -- I'm all about the mix-ins -- but I am committed to doing all of the new "Destination Series" line of flavors.  Where is Häagen-Dazs taking us with this flavor?  South America!  The mango is originally from the Old World, specifically the Indian Subcontinent, but they are now commonly grown in any frost-free tropical or subtropical climate whether it be parts of China, Southeast Asia, Central Africa, Hawaii, California, Florida, the Caribbean or South America.  This is my first flavor which contains mango so I'm interested in checking it out.

Removing the lid shows the yellowish color of the mango base.  Eating my way down into the ice cream, the ice cream is soft and creamy and it tastes like mango.  Its very tasty.  Sometimes tropical flavors can be overdone and come out overpowering, but not here.  It was light and refreshing -- sort of like what you'd want to eat to cool you off on a hot summer day.  There some small mango pieces dispersed through the pint.  They were cube-shaped and slightly smaller than a pea.  They provided the occasional textural variation but otherwise it was the same mango flavor.

A very simple but successful flavor.  Häagen-Dazs is very good with homogeneous flavors and base flavors which do not have mix-ins to hide behind and this is no exception.  Obviously, if you're looking for mango, this is the flavor.  I stated above that it was light and refreshing, but Häagen-Dazs also has a mango sorbet if you want something lighter.  That's probably good, too.