Milkjam Creamery - Milkjam

Milkjam - Caramelized Goat, Cow and Condensed Milks

Today we return to Minneapolis' Milkjam Creamery for their namesake flavor:  Milkjam.  It is hard to believe that I've reviewed eleven of their pints but had not yet tried the flavor that gives them their name.  I guess I am more attracted to more their more eccentric flavors.  I guess this flavor is interesting in its own right though.  I have had one pint before from McConnell's that labels itself "milk jam".  There they describe the milk and cream being simmered and reduced in the pan before churning.  There is often a heating step in the normal process of making ice cream, but it is a lower heat (around 170 F) -- just enough to help blend in the flavors and pasteurize -- but a simmering implies a higher heat for a longer period of time.  This pint is mum on the details (I would love if this brand included ingredient lists) but the label does describe a caramelization occurring.  That sounds similar to how dulce de leche is made, though since this is still labeled a 'jam', perhaps not as far.  Also, this pint describes three different types of milk being included.  Goat milk, cow milk and condensed milk.  So, lots of different milks are being cooked into a caramelized jam.  Let's dig in!

Removing the lid, the ice cream is a light gold color.  As expected, some caramelization has occurred, but not so much as to turn it into dulce de leche.  Digging in, the base ice cream has a nice thick and creamy texture.  The flavor is bright and sweet -- I can tell that there is sweetened condensed milk in there.  It is not too sweet though.  It's good.  Simple yet good.  It tastes like a really good whipped cream in ice cream form.  There is a hint of caramelization to make the flavor interesting, but it's only a hint.  As for the inclusion of goat's milk.  I did not know what to check for.  There is a description here of the differences between goat milk and cow milk.  Goat milk is supposed have a little less lactose (but not lactose free) and a little more protein and calories.  The biggest difference is a strong and distinctive flavor that many have said takes some getting used to.  I didn't notice anything distinctively odd, so if you have any trepidations about the inclusion of goat milk, have no fear.  Overall, the flavor is quite tasty, so the chefs at Milkjam did a great job of balancing the three different kinds of milk and determining how long to cook it to form the right level of "jam-ification" and caramelization.

I enjoyed this pint.  It is a very simple flavor but unique and well done.  This seems like a great flavor for accompanying things.  A scoop to balanced one of their bolder flavors (like their Black chocolate).  It would also go very well with a slice of cake or pie.  Of course, you could eat it straight too as I just did.