Talenti - Pumpkin Pie (Layers)

 

Pumpkin Pie (Layers) - Layers of Pumpkin Gelato, Pie Crust Pieces, Brown Sugar Sauce, Pumpkin Gelato (2) and Pie Crust Pieces (2)

Talenti Gelato has released a new Layers flavor for the Holidays called Pumpkin Pie.  This is a little confusing for me because I have already reviewed a flavor from them called Pumpkin Pie.  Today's flavor is a "layers" flavor while the older pint was a regular flavor.  Both contain pumpkin-spice flavored gelato and pie crust pieces.  Today's layers pint adds brown sugar sauce into the mix.  Checking their website, it looks like the old flavor is being retired and replaced by this one.  Anyhow, even though it has the same name, I think it deserves a new review.  I added the parenthetical "(Layers)" to the flavor title to avoid confusion.  I believe I bought this at the Target in the Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul.  Because it is a brand new seasonal flavor, I expect it's availability to become more widespread as we go further into the fall.

On to the ice cream!  Like all of the other layers pints, I see only the top gelato layer when opening the pint.  It's the same orange color as the non-layers pint.  Little specks of what I presume are spices (cinnamon and nutmeg) can be seen.  Next I cut out a slice of the pint so that I can see the layers.  The pie crust pieces are almost color as the pumpkin base and the brown sugar sauce forms a central darker brown syrupy layer in the middle.  Digging in the pumpkin gelato is flavorful and delicious and spice level is noticeable but relatively mild.  It's like a slice of pumpkin pie.  Occasionally, I get a little bit of the brown sugar sauce into my spoon and it has a mildly sweet, earthy brown sugar flavor to -- similar to pecan pie with the pecans.  It added a little bit to my overall enjoyment, but it did not take over.  This is still primarily a pumpkin pint.

This is a solid implementation of a pumpkin pie flavor from Talenti Gelato.  For the most part, it is very close to the previous non-layered implementation.  The fact that the pie crust pieces are the same color as the pumpkin sort of adds to that impression -- those two ingredients do not appear as visually distinct so whether this is layered or non-layered is not as significant.  The main addition here is the brown sugar sauce which I liked but played a supporting role.  It's quite good though and I do like this implementation a bit better than the previous one.  So, enjoy if you are looking for a mildly-spiced pumpkin flavor for the holidays.  As mentioned in the previous review, for spicier Pumpkin flavors, try Jeni's or Sweet Science.

 

Bebe Zito - Peanut Butter Puppy Chow

 

Peanut Butter Puppy Chow - Peanut Butter Malted Base with Chocolate Covered Peanuts

The next flavor comes from Bebe Zito of south Minneapolis.  This one is called Peanut Butter Puppy Chow and it is one of their regular flavors.  I bought it at the scoop shop on 22nd Avenue South and Lyndale.  The flavor name reminded me of the old Purina dog food commercials from when I was a kid, but googling for videos of the old commercials led me to a ton of videos for a snack which is called puppy chow -- basically rice chex cereal (or something similar) which is first coated with a chocolate-peanut-butter sauce and then coated with powdered sugar.  Looks a bit messy to make, but it does look tasty once it's done.  How will this translate into an ice cream?  The flavor description paints this as a classic peanut-butter-and-chocolate combination some minor twists -- malt in the peanut butter base and the chocolate is covering peanut mix-ins.  Let's see how this turns out.

Removing the lid, I see a light-colored peanut-butter base with lots of chocolate-pieces drizzled on the top.  Bebe Zito likes to add toppings to the top of the pint right before placing the lid.  I like this idea.  Digging in, the peanut butter base is quite delicious without being too heavy.  I do not specifically taste the malt, but I think this is a case where the malt is used to mute the flavor of the base.  The result is good peanut butter flavor, but not too rich.  Digging in, the chocolate-peanut mix-ins are more complex than I was expecting.  It is not a simple chocolate-covered nut such as in a flavor like Vanilla Swiss Almond.  The nuts also have a caramel-like syrup on them.  I don't if it is caramel or a melted toffee.  Anyhow, the taste is great.  Like the base it creates a sweeter and less rich mix-in than I was expecting.  There is some chocolate in the mix as well, but the caramel/toffee surrounding the nuts is the more predominant flavor in my opinion.  The nuts themselves provide quite a bit of crunch.

I really enjoyed this pint.  I was expecting a simple peanut-butter chip implementation, but the mix-ins were more interesting than I was expecting.  The melted-toffee-chocolate-nut combination was delicious and went well with a muted peanut butter base.  If you'd like a lighter, sweeter twist on peanut butter and chocolate, give this one a try.

 

 

Talenti - Strawberry Hibiscus

 

Strawberry Hibiscus - Strawberry Hibiscus Sorbet with a Hibiscus Swirl

Today's flavor comes from Talenti Gelato and is called Strawberry Hibiscus.  This is a sorbet and is a relatively new flavor as it was introduced earlier in 2020  I have had hibiscus in ice cream once before from McConnell's.  It has a cranberry-like or elderberry-like flavor which surprised me a bit because it's a flower and not a fruit.  Here it is mixed with strawberry so maybe like a berry-blend flavor-wise.  Let's see how this turns out.

Unscrewing the lid, I see a three spokes of red mix-ins against a pink base.  I have seen this pattern before from Talenti -- it looks like the flux capacitor from the back to the future movies.  I will make sure not to exceed 88 mph when eating this ice cream.  Digging in, the sorbet has a good texture.  I can tell it does not contain cream, but it still has a good texture.  The flavor is mostly strawberry to my taste buds, but I can tell that it is not just plain strawberry.  Even though there is a swirl, it's hard for me to isolate the hibiscus flavor exactly because it is also a berry-like flavor but it blends well with the strawberry.  The blend has a deeper and slightly more tart flavor than the usual strawberry base.

This is fun and interesting sorbet from Talenti.  If you have never had hibiscus before, don't be afraid, the hibiscus just provides an interesting twist on the strawberry flavor.  Fruit sorbets always make me feel like summer and with fall upon us, I suppose we are entering the wrong season for this.  That said, with winters so long in Minnesota, a little reminder of summer is sometimes in order.

 

 

Sebastian Joe's - Swiss Almond

 

Swiss Almond - Vanilla Ice Cream with Chocolate Covered Almonds

 

Today's flavor is from the Minneapolis-based Sebastian Joe's Ice Cream and is called Swiss Almond.  I bought it at the scoop shop on Franklin near Hennepin in the Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis.  This looks like an implementation of one of Häagen-Dazs most popular flavors: Vanilla Swiss Almond.  It is a relatively simple flavor -- vanilla ice cream with chocolate covered almonds -- and I am a bit surprised I have not seen any other copycat flavors yet.  Let's check it out!

Opening the pint, I see a lot of chocolate covered almonds right away!  They are small too.  So this is slightly different than Häagen-Dazs in that these are not full almonds.  Digging in, the vanilla base is quite tasty.  It's a bit more memorable than the usual vanilla base.  A little creamier and more fragrant.  I will have to try their simple vanilla flavor one day.  The mix-ins are indeed chocolate-covered almond pieces and additionally, they appear to be crushed so that the inner almond is exposed on most pieces.  They are crunchy and nutty and tasty.

This is an interesting twist on the classic Vanilla Swiss Almond flavor.  I like the mix-ins from the Häagen-Dazs a little better (chocolate-covered whole almonds are so good) but I do enjoy that Sebastian Joe's did not try to make an exact copy of the original.  Check it out.

 

 

Pumphouse Creamery - Salty Peanut Butter with Chocolate Chips

 

Salty Peanut Butter with Chocolate Chips - Salted Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips

 

Today's flavor comes from the Pumphouse Creamery in South Minneapolis.  It is called Salty Peanut Butter with Chocolate Chips.  It's one of those flavor names which is the same as a flavor description.  Their flavor description (scroll down on link above) states that this is their best-selling "year round" flavor.  I read that to mean that some of their seasonal selections (like Fresh Rhubarb) might be more popular but this is the most popular of the ones that is always available.  Let's check it out!

Cracking open the lid, the peanut butter base has a light color and many of the chocolate chips are visible right away.  Digging in, the peanut butter flavor is not as strong as some implementations, but it has a "nuttier" than usual and with a hint of saltiness as well.  I like it.  The nuttiness is delicious and it's not a heavy flavor that weighs me down and I am able to eat the entire pint in one sitting.  The chocoalte are of variable size and are dispersed throughout the pint.  They complement the peanut butter quite well.

This is a very simple, but successful implementation of a peanut-butter chocolate chip flavor.  It is more peanut butter than chocolate and it is not as rich as some flavors, but still quite tasty.  Check it out.

 

 

Bebe Zito - Berry Queen

 

Berry Queen - Black Raspberries, Blueberries, with Strawberry Cookies. Topped with Strawberry Cookie Crumble and Snozzberries Sauce
 

Today's flavor comes from Bebe Zito scoop shop that opened this year in the Lowry Hill/Wedge neighborhood of Minneapolis.  This one is called Berry Queen.  It looks like a berry blend.  Black raspberries and blueberries in the base and strawberry cookie mix-ins.  The flavor page also mentions snozzberries which is a Roald Dahl/Willie Wonka joke.  In the 1971 movie, Veruca Salt argues that there is no such thing as snozzberries, but Willie (Gene Wilder) assures her that they do and that they "taste like snozzberries".  Googling gets me other theories based on other more mature Roald Dahl books, but that's beyond the scope of this blog.  This looks like a 'berry blend' ice cream which I have had with Izzy's Church Elderberry and Four Berry flavors and Jeni's Wildberry Lavender which include orange in the mix.  Let's check it out!

After removing the lid, the top of the pint has a list pink color with a few dark specks in it.  The first spoonful is very berry as expected.  I can specifically taste the black raspberry the most, but I do taste some blue berry as well.  The ice cream has a bit of bit of a gritty texture to it.  It looks like the strawberry cookies have been crushed into fine crumbs which are dispersed evenly throughout the ice cream.  Focusing in, I believe they do add a little bit of strawberry flavor into the mix, but honestly one on the fun parts of a berry blend flavor is how the individual flavors get lost and you end up with a big mouthful of berry-ness.  It is quite delicious!

This is a fun and appealing blended berry flavor from Bebe Zito.  It's hard to compare it directly to other berry blends because they are all a little different in their ingredient rations, so I will just tell you want sticks out as different here.  I believe black raspberry is the largest contributor to the over all blend and the cookie mix-ins are crushed into crumbs creating almost a homogenous blend with a gritty texture.  If you are in a berry mood, give this one a try.

 

 

Sweet Science - Peanut Butter Pretzel

Peanut Butter Pretzel - Salted Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Chocolate-Covered Pretzels and Chewy Dark Chocolate Ganache Squares

Today we cover the fourth and final of the "State Fair" flavors from the Saint-Paul-based Sweet Science Ice Cream.  This flavor is called Peanut Butter Pretzel (instagram link here).  It's a peanut butter base which chocolate-covered pretzels and dark chocolate ganache.  Whenever I think of this flavor combination, I immediately think of Ben & Jerry's famous Chubby Hubby flavor.  That's actually a vanilla-malt base with peanut butter swirls.  Here, the base is peanut butter.  Checking my archive for similar flavors I see pints from Talenti and the Museum of Ice Cream.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid shows a lot going on.  I see quite a few mix-ins right away in the light-colored peanut butter base.  I see sizable chunks of chocolate ganache and some smaller chunks of what are probably chocolate-covered pretzels.  I also see a few small strip-like chunks of peanut butter.  That's an unexpected bonus!  I figured the peanut butter would only be in the base, but it appears there are also some small swirls of peanut butter in the mix as well.  Digging in, I like the peanut butter flavor of the a little mild, but extra flavor is delivered by the peanut butter swirls.  The chocolate-covered pretzels are not as crunchy or as numerous as I expected, but they are tasty and insert a bit of salt into the mix as well.  I've seen the chocolate ganache squares in other Sweet Science flavors (here and here).  These are soft, but chewy squares of chocolate rather than a thick sauce.  It is quite tasty and it goes very well wit the peanut butter.

I enjoyed this Peanut Butter Pretzel flavor from Sweet Science quite a bit.  It was not as pretzel-ly as I was expecting, but the excellent peanut butter base/swirls and chocolate ganache more than makes up for that.  For a more pretzel-heavy implementation, I'd go with Talenti, but otherwise, you can't go wrong here.

This completes the State Fair from Sweet Science.  This was problem the one that could slide into the main menu the easiest -- the other three had a bit of a fair-food novelty slant to it.  My favorite of the four flavors was Tipsy Cherry Pie, the mini-pie pieces with tangy wine-cherry filling and excellent crust worked really well as a mix-in.  Today's flavor was my second favorite.  I enjoyed the other two (Caramel Caramel Corn and Animal Circus) but I think they'd work better at the fair where you are more inclined to embrace quirky fair-food ingredients.

Milkjam Creamery - Fields Forever

 

Fields Forever - Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream

Today's flavor is from the Minneapolis-based Milkjam Creamery.  This is their Fields Forever flavor.  This is a strawberry buttermilk flavor and is a new flavor from them this summer.  See the instagram posting here.  The flavor name is, of course, a reference to the Beatles classic which is so well known that I doubt there are many people who have to ask if there are strawberries in this.  The use of buttermilk here is to cut or mute the strawberry which can be quite strong and sweet in isolation.  I have see the strawberry-buttermilk combination before from Jeni's.  See that review for a discussion of many other things that I have seen ice cream brands combine with strawberry (cream cheese, vinegar, rhubarb, etc).  Let's see how this flavor from Milkjam compares.

After opening the pint, the ice cream has the expected pink color with a little bit of roughness on the top from taking off the lid.  With the first spoonful, I taste the strawberry flavor and it is quite delicious.  I do not specifically taste the buttermilk (or its aftertaste) which tells me that the right amount has been used to blend with and partially mute the strong flavor of strawberry.  It's a very good blend.  The texture has a little bit of roughness that I saw on the top, but it is still soft enough to scoop easily.  I think it is just dense with strawberries.  This is a mostly homogeneous pint.  I do see a little bit of color variation from tiny pieces of strawberry, but I don't notice the pieces once they are inside my mouth.

This is a solid pint of strawberry ice cream from Milkjam.  The buttermilk here is just for flavor balance so don't be afraid.  It is still going to have "kid appeal" meaning that people that like less complex flavors would still enjoy it.  Check it out if you are at Milkjam and are in the mood for strawberry.

 

 

 

Sweet Science - Animal Circus

 

Animal Circus - Animal Cracker Ice Cream with a Pink Frosting Swirl and Sprinkles

Today's flavor is the third of the four "State Fair" flavors from the Saint-Paul-based Sweet Science Ice Cream.  This one is called Animal Circus (instagram link here).  This ice cream is based on the frosted animal cracker snack.  When I think of animal crackers, I think of the non-frosted version -- the ones that come in a box that feature lions and pants-wearing monkeys.  Here, the inspiration is kind with the white frosting and hard rainbow sprinkles (which in the list of ingredients is described as nonpareils).  I remember if I left them in the car on a trip to the beach that they would melt together in the bag.  They still tasted good, but eating them was much more of a challenge.  Anyhow, I am quite curious as to how this turns out.  Let's check it out!

Removing the lid, the top of the pint features a good chunk of pink frosting right in the middle against a yellowish white base.   This base contains animal cracker flavor -- the crackers themselves must be fully blended into the milk and cream so I cannot identify them as crackers by the texture, but it has a good dough-y flavor.  It is not too strong and I think that it serves mainly as a vehicle for the frosting and sprinkles.  The frosting swirl is creamier and not quite as sweet as I was expecting.  This is actually good.  I like frosting, but with as much as is present here, most frostings would be way too sweet.  The nonpareil sprinkles provide a little bit of crunch to offset this otherwise very creamy pint.

This is a fun flavor from Sweet Science.  It did remind me a bit of those frosted animal cookies,  although it might have been better with larger cookie chunks in there.  The nostalgia factor probably would have worked better if this was served at the fair itself but unfortunately the fair was cancelled this year.  Give this one a taste the next time you are at the scoop shop and see if you like it.

Graeter's - Madagascar Vanilla Bean

Madagascar Vanilla Bean - Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Today I return to the Cincinnati-based Graeter's Ice Cream for their Madagascar Vanilla Bean flavor.  It is the sixth and final flavor from my recent online shipment from Graeter's.  Although I bought this online, you can also find this at local grocery stores.  I have definitely seen this flavor at Whole Foods.  Kowalski's and Oxendales also stock Graeter's and since this is such a basic flavor you might be able to find it there as well.  I have mentioned this in previous reviews, but "Madagascar" Vanilla is the most common type of natural vanilla.  The vanilla flower is indigenous to Mexico, but its production thrives now in the islands off the coast of southeast Africa (Madagascar and Réunion/Bourbon).  Let's check this out!

Removing the lid, the base ice cream has the expected white coloring to it and I can see a handful of the bean specks immersed within it -- visually very good looking.  Digging in, the vanilla flavor is good.  I like the texture as well.  Not much else to say about it.  I was easily able to finish it in one sitting.

This is a solid implementation of a vanilla bean flavor from Graeter's.  Since vanilla is such a basic flavor, it is hard for me to rank it against other brands without a direct side-by-side tasting but this is quite good.  Graeter's is usually a reasonably priced mid-premium brand (~$5/pint) so if you feel like splurging and not using a budget brand to accompany your next slice of pie, this is a decent suggestion.

One final point, whenever I do a review of a vanilla pint, it often means that I am completing my survey of a particular brand and that is the case here!  This shipment included both of their sorbets (raspberry and lemon) and now their vanilla, so I have now completed a survey of their standard menu of flavors.  I always have a bittersweet feeling for me when this happens.  I do feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, but I also know that online shipments require six pints so going forward it is going to get a lot harder to fill out my order with flavors that I have had before.  Graeter's still comes out with new and/or limited-batch releases, but not usually six of them at a time.  I do love Graeter's, if three or four new flavors come out I might be tempted to order from them and pad the order with a couple of pints of Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip to give away to family members and friends.

 

Sebastian Joe's - Bananas Foster

Banana's Foster - Banana-Caramel Ice Cream with a Hint of Rum Flavor

Today, we return to the Minneapolis-based Sebastian Joe's Ice Cream for their implementation of a Bananas Foster flavor.  I bought this at the scoop shop in the Lowry Hill neighborhood.  Bananas Foster is a popular dessert invented in New Orleans involving banana, ice cream and a caramelized liqueur sauce (often served flambé).  Several brands have implemented Bananas Foster flavors including Coolhaus (my first banana's foster review so includes more historical discussion of the dessert), Tillamook,  Izzy's, and New Orleans Ice Cream as well as similar flavors from Lick and Jeni's.  Let's see how this flavor from Sebastian Joe's compares.

Removing the lid, the ice cream has a beige color.  It's browner than you'd expect the usual banana base, but lighter than the usual caramel base.  Checking my archives, it is similar in color to their signature flavor Pavarotti which also has a banana/caramel base (plus vanilla).  Digging in, I taste the banana right away and it is delicious.  I can also taste the caramel in the mix.  It is quite delicious.  Unlike other Bananas Foster implementations, though, there is no swirl or mix-ins delivering the caramel -- this is a homogenous  pint with all the flavors blended together.  Bananas Foster usually has a bit of rum in the mix and I think I taste a bit of it.  I'll rum tag because it's probably in there, but this is mainly a banana caramel blend.

I liked this pint.  It is basically a banana-caramel blend with perhaps a smidge of rum.  This is a very agreeable flavor combination. That said, I did not like this flavor as much as other Bananas Foster implementations because the flavors were fully blended together.  I remember thinking something similar with Sweet Science's Ashlee's Birthday Celebration flavor a couple of months ago.  That was also banana and caramel (and also coconut) and was also fully blended.  This could be a personal preference on my part.  I think I prefer a caramel swirl.  Also, this Sebastian Joe's flavor is quite close to Pavarotti without the chocolate chips.  Perhaps I am being too picky here -- it's still a very agreeable flavor -- but it is also quite close to flavors I like a bit better.

 

Graeter's - Lemon Sorbet

Lemon Sorbet - Lemon Sorbet

Today is another sorbet from Graeter's Ice Cream of Cincinnati.  This is Lemon Sorbet.  This is the fifth pint from my recent six-pint shipment from Graeter's.  A note to local readers that although this is a standard pre-packaged pint from Graeter's (and not a limited release),  I bought it online and I am not aware of any local grocery stores that stock this flavor.  Lemon is a favorite flavor of mine and it is a natural choice for a sorbet because lemon juice is so acidic and does not naturally mix with dairy.  Let's check it out!

Removing the lid, the sorbet has a blindingly white color.  Digging in, the white color does not mean that it lacks lemon flavor.  It is a very delicious lemon flavor which is a bit tart but not overly so.  The consistency of the sorbet is also excellent.  It almost feels like I am eating shaved ice, yet my spoon is still able to scoop through it without too much effort.  Continuing down the pint, the flavor and texture stay good and I finish the pint quite easily in one sitting.

This is an excellent lemon sorbet from Graeter's -- probably one of the best sorbets that I have ever had.  Perhaps I am biased because lemon is one of my favorite flavors, but this is an ideal sorbet for me both in flavor and texture.  Now, sorbets may not be for everyone -- sorbets do not have any dairy or dairy substitutes -- but if you like sorbets and you like lemon this is the one to get.