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.