Jeni's - Wedding Cake

Wedding Cake - Vanilla Cake with Lemon, Blackberries and Buttercream Icing

 

I made on online purchase from Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream of Columbus, Ohio!  Thankfully, for myself, they have released a bunch of new flavors all at once so I can fill an online purchase without having to pad it with repeat flavors.  For this summer they have released Ice Cream Truck Collection containing five new flavors  (one of them, High Five Candy Bar, was released early to Whole Foods early this summer) the rest of them are not available in local grocery stores.  Today's pint is actually a sixth flavor which was new to me.  It is called Wedding Cake and it is also not available in local grocery stores.  This Wedding Cake features a buttercream-flavored base with vanilla-flavored yellow cake pieces, lemon sauce and blackberry jam.  Sounds very appetizing!

After removing the lid, the extra seal has a nice Lord-of-the-Rings reference on it.  Fun.  Peeling that back, I see a white base ice cream with a thin double-swirl visible.  By double-swirl, I mean that it looks like the blackberry and lemon are back-to-back.  Digging in, the buttercream base has a simple flavor -- like a creamier sweet cream --  but I still find it quite delicious.  Quickly I run into the yellow cake pieces, these are soft and delicious.  The swirls are the star of the show here.  They don't stick out much visually, but these are the types of swirls where a little bit goes a long way.  The blackberry is tastes like a dark berry, of course, and the lemon swirl is quite well done -- it has a great sweet lemon flavor and a bit of a goopy texture which is similar to the filling of a donut.

This is an excellent piece-of-cake pint from Jeni's.  One of the the best of this kind that I have had.  I liked it quite a bit better that their recent Buttercream Birthday Cake flavor.  I cannot compare it directly to most of the other birthday cake pints because it has unique swirls (lemon & blackberry instead of just frosting and sprinkles).  I think it is actually those unique swirls that gives this flavor the edge.  The cake pieces are large enough to be recognizable as pieces are cake and remain soft and fluffy underneath all the ice cream.  Check it out if you can.

 

 

 

Milkjam Creamery - Mint Chip

Mint Chip - Salted Fresh Mint Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips

 

Today, I move onto the third flavor in Milkjam Creamery's American Classics series (instagram link here).  It is Mint Chip (instagram link here).  Long time readers may remember that Mint Chip is my favorite flavor, so I am always excited when I can review a new pint of Mint Chip.  Actually, I'm not even 100% sure if this is a new flavor because I did review a flavor from Milkjam a few years ago called True Colors which was basically Mint Chip.  So, this might be breaking my rule of not having a repeat review, but there is a chance that it might be different and of course, I do want my mint chip.  Let's dig in!

Removing the lid, it is a green base with a dense amount of chips.  It does resemble the photos I took in my True Colors review quite a bit.  Digging in, the chips have that crumbly-flakey crunchiness which I like and they deliver quite a bit of chocolate.  The mint tastes a little bit different from last time.  This almost tastes like a mint liqueur.  There's no alcohol in it, but it has a bit of that creme de menthe aftertaste to it which I did not taste last time.  Both the instagram link above and my old True Colors review mention that it is made with large amounts of fresh mint lives rather than a peppermint oil.  This explains the color and it's possible that the liqueur like flavor may very from batch to batch when using fresh mint leaves while you wouldn't get much flavor variation when using a peppermint oil.  Overall, it is good.  I really like mint chip and this hits the spot.

This is a fun implementation of mint chip from Milkjam Creamery.  It's basically the same flavor as their old True Colors flavor but more of an aromatic liqueur-like flavor here than in the previous batch.  I still would probably go with Graeter's and McConnell's for my favorite Mint Chip pints but those are both peppermint-oil implementations and it is fun to see a mint-leaf implementation as a variation.  Enjoy!

 

Dolcezza - Stracciatella

Stracciatella - Sweet Cream Gelato with Stracciatella-style Chocolate Chips

 

Today, I return to the Dolcezza Gelato for their implementation of a Stracciatella flavor (instagram link here).  I have had chocolate Stracciatella once before from Sweet Science with an explanation of what stracciatella is in an earlier review of a white-chocolate stracciatella.  The word is Italian for "little shreds" and was originally used to describe the web-like suspension of an egg-drop soup.  Gelato makers have adopted this term to describe a way of created a web-like suspension of chocolate shreds inside a base gelato.  It is basically an exotic way of saying "chocolate chip".  The earlier Sweet Science pint was excellent, but it had a twist of raspberry flavor in it.  Not that I didn't like the raspberry, but today's flavor might be a simpler implementation.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid, there are a lot of chocolate chips visible right away and the base gelato looks very white.  Digging in, the shreds of chocolate are quite good.  They have a crumbly-flakey texture to them and provide a lot of chocolate flavor.  The base is simple and creamy.  They call it a sweet cream, but I checked the ingredients and see that vanilla is included as well.  If it is a vanilla it is not a strong vanilla.

This is a simple and delicious implementation of what is essentially a chocolate chip ice cream.  The chocolate is yummy and the base is clean and simple.  Don't be afraid of the fancy Italian name, this is a good and simple flavor.  Similar flavors that I have tried include Häagen-Dazs, Graeter's, Izzy's, Sweet Science and Jeni's.  Jeni's included cone pieces and Sweet Science contains raspberry, Graeter's has their signature large and chewy chips.  This Dolcezza pint holds up against the others.  This would actually be a good pint to try for those curious about the Dolcezza brand in general.  It was one of their original flavors and is featured on a lot of their social media posts.

 

 

 

Milkjam Creamery - Peanut Butter Moose Tracks

Peanut Butter Moose Tracks - Non-Dairy Peanut Butter Ice Cream with House-Made Peanut Butter Cups and Chococate Peanut Butter Fudge Swirls

 

Today's flavor from the south Minneapolis-based Milkjam Creamery is the second in the American Classics series (instagram link here) and is called Peanut Butter Moose Tracks (instagram link here).  From a previous review, "moose tracks" is what the Michigan-based Denali Ice Cream calls the way they do their chocolate chips.  Here, Milkjam puts their own twist on the flavor.  First, this is a non-dairy/vegan flavor.  It is a peanut butter, almond milk and coconut base.  Next they have house-made peanut butter cups -- not the standard one that other flavors use.  They also have chocolate-peanut butter swirls as an additional mix-in.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid, the non-dairy peanut butter base has a light beige color to it.  Digging in, I can tell from the texture that is is non-dairy -- it is not quite as soft.  Peanut butter is usually easier to implement as a non-dairy flavor because the peanut butter adds its own creaminess, but I can still tell the difference here.  The flavor is quite good.  It is mostly a peanut butter flavor, the almond and coconut flavors are mainly just accents here.  As I dig down, I encounter some chocolate pieces which are tasty.  Then I encounter some small peanut butter pieces and they are also pretty good.  Then I see what the source of these pieces are -- these really nice house-made chocolate-covered peanut butter "cups".  Unlike the traditional cups, they chocolate layer is a bit thinner and there is no emphasis on requiring that the chocolate completely cover the peanut butter.  That makes for a "cup" with a higher peanut-butter content.  They reminded me a bit of the excellent house-made cups in Ample Hill's PB Wins the Cup flavor which uses the same philosophy of extra peanut butter which is not completely covered in chocolate.  They are delicious.

This is a very well done non-dairy peanut butter and chocolate flavor from Milkjam Creamery.  For non-dairy fans who like peanut butter this is a must.  It is very delicious and these house-made peanut butter cups are excellent.  Dairy fans may quibble a bit with the slightly gritty sorbet-like texture of the base, but the flavor is still good and I would still recommend it for peanut butter fans.

 

 

Talenti - Vanilla Peanut Butter Swirl

Vanilla Peanut Butter Swirl - Vanilla Gelato with a Peanut Butter Swirl and Mini-Peanut Butter Cups

 

Talenti Gelato released several new flavors earlier this year.  I was able to find and review all of the new Layers flavors in fairly short order, but I have had trouble finding the two new non-layered flavors:  Honey Graham and Vanilla Peanut Butter Swirl.  I finally found the peanut butter one at a local Cub Foods (I have recently seen it again at Whole Foods in Saint Paul).  I think grocery stores have limited space in their freezers so maybe they cannot stock all the new flavors?  If anyone out there has seen the new Honey Graham flavor, let me know.  OK, on to today's flavor.  It's a vanilla gelato base with a swirl of peanut butter and chocolate-covered peanut butter cup mix-ins.  Let's check it out.

Unscrewing the lid, I see the vanilla gelato base has a white color and the machine they use to add the swirl creates this tri-lobed pattern on top -- see their Vanilla Caramel Swirl for comparison.  Digging in, the peanut butter swirl holds its integrity better than in previous Talenti swirl pints.  For example, in the Vanilla Caramel Swirl review that I just linked, I lamented that the caramel swirl ends up getting mostly blended into the base -- so the pint was not as caramel-ly as I expected.  Here, there are decent-sized chunks of thick peanut butter in the mix.  They taste excellent.  There are also mini-peanut butter cups in the mix.  Small peanut butter cups are more chocolatey than peanut butter (the surface to volume ratio goes up when things are small).  That's OK, because these are not the primary source of peanut butter in this pint.  The vanilla gelato serves to balance it all.  So, even though there is plenty of peanut butter flavor in the swirls, the flavor does not dominate or overwhelm the pint.

This is a very good peanut butter in vanilla flavor from Talenti.  This is a case where a Talenti swirl works very well.  I've written before that their caramel and dulce de leche swirls tend to get blended into the base which greatly mutes their effect, but that is not the case here.  The peanut butter swirl is excellent.  I think my favorite peanut butter cup in vanilla pint is still Ample Hills' PB Wins the Cup, but a high bar for another brand to reach (and not available locally).  Fans of this flavor combination should check it out.  Hopefully, grocery stores will start carrying it more.

 

 

Milkjam Creamery - Butter Pecan

Butter Pecan - Brown Butter Ice Cream with Caramelized Pecans and Butterscotch Sauce

 

Milkjam Creamery's July flavors are out.  Their theme this month is "American Classics, Reimagined" (instagram link here).  I went down to their scoop shop on Lyndale Avenue in South Minneapolis to pick them up.  This will be interesting because Milkjam is one of those places which specializes in off-beat flavor combinations with interesting ingredients so although all four flavors this month are fairly standard at most other ice cream parlors, I don't think I've seen most of them at Milkjam.  The first flavor is Butter Pecan (instagram link here).  I just reviewed a butter pecan from Grand Ole Creamery last week (review here).  There, I briefly mention other butter pecan or brown butter pecan implementations from Graeter's, Talenti, Häagen-Dazs and Sweet Science.  Here, Milkjam jazzes up the mix by caramelizing the pecans and adding butterscotch sauce.  That reminds me of a butterscotch pecan flavor I had from the now defunct Three Twins a while back.  Let's see what Milkjam does with this classic flavor.

Removing the lid, the base ice cream has an yellowish-white color to it and I can see a couple of the the pecan mix-ins right away.  Digging in, I can taste notes of the caramelized flavors (brown butter and butterscotch) but it is fairly subtle.  The pecan mix-ins are dispersed throughout the pint.  These are crunchy and delicious.  They is a little bit of a coating to them, but like in the base the effect is fairly subtle.  These are not candied pecans and there's no ribbons of caramel here.  Still, the effect is delicious and this is a bit more flavorful than the usual butter pecan implementation.

This is a solid, implementation of a slightly jazzed up butter pecan ice cream.  The flavor description made it sound like the flavor is more exotic than it is.  The butterscotch is pretty well blended into the base and the caramelized coating on the pecans is fairly subtle -- though maybe this effect varies from batch to batch?  Traditional butter pecan fans will enjoy this flavor.

 

 

 

Dolcezza - Tramontana

Tramontana - Sweet Cream Gelato with Ribbons of Dulce de Leche folded with Dark Chocolate-covered Rice Crisp Pearls

 

Today, I am trying a new brand.  New to me, anyways.  This is Dolcezza Gelato of Washington, DC.  It was founded in 2004 in Georgetown by Robb Duncan.  I found some writeups on the company and its founder here and here.  Duncan was inspired by the local gelatos that he and his wife enjoyed when they lived in Buenos Aires.  The name Dolcezza is Italian for "sweetness".  Interestingly, I remember Talenti Gelato had a similar origin story.  See an early Talenti review where that brand was founded in Dallas by someone who had returned from Buenos Aires and had loved the ice cream there.  So, if you ever find yourself in Argentina, don't forget to check out their local gelato scene.

Today's flavor is called Tramontana (instagram link here).  I bought it at Whole Foods on Selby in Saint Paul.  I have also seen it at other co-op-style shops (such as Mississippi Market).  I was curious about the flavor name.   A tramontana (or tramontane) means a 'cold mountain wind' in Italian (or Spanish).  I checked to see if there is a gelato connection and found this note from the tourism board of Buenos Aires saying that it is one of the five ice creams to try when you are in town.  This implemention features a sweet cream base, ribbons of dulce de leche (caramelized milk) and dark-chocolate-covered pieces of rice crisp.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid, everything is visible right away.  The sweet cream gelato has a white color.  The large globs of dulce de leche are quite impressive and there are lots of dark brown dots in the mix which I assume are the chocolate-covered rice crisps.  Digging in, I taste the dulce de leche right away.  It is thick, gooey and has an excellent caramel flavor.  This is how I like my caramel and dulce de leche swirls!  Sometimes swirls like these end up half-blending into the base, but they did a good job of keeping them thick and distinct here.  It tastes like a regular caramel and not an overly salty caramel.  The rice crisp pieces have an airy crunchiness which I did not fully expect.  I guess rice crisps have this type of crunchiness so I should have expected it, but they look like little chocolate balls so part of me expected the texture of solid chocolate.  The sweet cream was pretty good, but it's purpose here is simply to serve as a vehicle for the mix-ins.

This is a fun and interesting pint from Dolcezza.  The thick globs of dulce de leche were some of the best I have seen in caramel or dulce de leche type of pint.  The rice crisps provided good chocolate flavor but part of me wanted them to be chocolatey-er and not the airy rice crisps that they are.  But if you expect that, then it won't be a problem.  I look forward to trying more flavors from this brand.