New Orleans - White Chocolate Bread Pudding

White Chocolate Bread Pudding - Sweet Cream with Cinnamon Bread Pudding Pieces and White Chocolate Chips

Today we review a new brand!  New for me, at least.  The New Orleans Ice Cream company founded in 2006 by Adrian Simpson, an English-born resident of New Orleans.  Simpson liked New Orleans' rather unique and distinctive menu of desserts and came up with the idea of using each dessert as a basis for an ice cream flavor.  Browsing the list of flavors at their website, it looks like they do indeed have a lot of flavors that are not implemented by other brands.  Today's flavor is White Chocolate Bread Pudding.  This is the first time I have seen bread pudding as a mix-in.  I can't wait to dig in.

Opening the pint shows the white color of the base ice cream.  The label does not call it sweet cream, but I assume that is what it is because I do not see vanilla listed as an ingredient.  A couple of bread pudding pieces are visible from the get-go.  Digging in, the base ice cream is quite thick.  I encountered the bread pudding mix-ins right away.  They are quite doughy with more than a hint of cinnamon evident.  Enough cinnamon was included that I adjusted the flavor description above to include it.  I like cinnamon, so this was good.  Mixed in amongst the numerous bread pieces were the white chocolate chip.  There were not as many chips as bread chunks but they were not scarce.  The chips were OK, though as mentioned in previous reviews I do not get much out of white chocolate.  It is not bad, but it doesn't have a strong flavor for me.  They did provide the occasionally crunchy texture.  White chocolate in bread pudding is a popular New Orleans recipe, I wonder what it is like in non-ice cream dessert form.

This was an interesting flavor.  If I had to go with a flavor with a spiced doughy mix-in, I might stick with Cinnamon Buns but this was still good.  If you want a variation on that or if you appreciate white chocolate more than me, you could check this out.  This new brand does sound like a lot of fun, though.  I am looking forward to trying out some of the other flavors.

  

Ben & Jerry's - One Love

One Love - Banana Ice Cream with Caramel & Graham Creacker Swirls & Fudge Peace Signs

Ben & Jerry's has a new limited batch flavor for the summer called Bob Marley's One Love.   This reminds me a lot of a Ben & Jerry's flavour I had when I visited London called Satisfy My Bowl which was also based on a Bob Marley song.  Checking the ingredients list, it might be the same flavor.  Banana, caramel, chocolate peace signs.  This has graham cracker while the UK-version has cookies although that might be a difference in translation as the graham cracker is an American invention.  Despite inevitable sense of deja vu this pint will bring, I am very much looking forward to eating it.  I load up the appropriate eating  music on youtube and I'm reading to go.

The top of the pint shows the off-white yellow of the banana base which quite a big hunk of caramel swirl visible right away.  Digging in, the base is a sweet banana.  In the past, I've noted the difference between the sweet banana of a banana pudding and the more earthy flavor of a banana bread.  This is the sweet kind. Rereading the review above for the UK flavour reveals the more earthy variety of the banana was used there so that is an interesting contrast.  Eating further down, I encounter the two swirls of caramel and graham cracker.  The caramel was quite good and complemented the banana well.  The graham cracker had only a slight textural effect from time to time.  The fudge peace signs were dispersed generously through the pint and they were basically thick pills of chunky fudge.  They were fun to bite into and provided a lot of chocolate flavor.  I cleaned off one of thoses pieces in one of the pictures below to verify that they were indeed peace signs.

I quite enjoyed this flavor.  It reminded me of my fun trip to London a couple of years ago.  For everyone else, it is basically a sweeter version of Chunky Monkey with a bit of caramel swirled in.  If you like Chunky Monkey, check out One Love this summer.

Nancy's Fancy - Butterscotch Budino

Butterscotch Budino - Butterscotch Gelato with a Caramel Rosemary Swirl

Today, we return to the Los Angeles-based Nancy's Fancy brand for their implementation of a Butterscotch Budino flavor.  Nancy's Fancy is a premium gelato brand created by an LA restauranteur -- I went over this brand's history in a previous review.  Before today, I did not know what a budino was.  I guess it is an Italian custard or pudding.  Makes sense for a gelato flavor.  Italian custard for an Italian ice cream.  This is also the first time I have seen rosemary in a flavor.  I am looking forward to checking this out.

Opening the pint shows the beige color of the butterscotch base.  It looks like the color of butterscotch.  As I dig into the pint, it has a strong butterscotch flavor.  The texture of the base is a bit different than usual.  Oftentimes the texture of an ice cream will vary from creamy to icy, but this is not on that scale.  I think I would call this pasty.  Tastes good, though.  The caramel swirl was hard to find.  I could see it occasionally -- I tried to get a picture of it below -- and the taste wasn't always evident.  I think what happened is the caramel got blended in with the butterscotch.  I did not taste the rosemary.  The side of the pint says there was only a hint so perhaps its affect is there but too subtle for my taste buds.  The whole combination was quite good, though.

I did enjoy this pint.  This is basically a super-premium butterscotch gelato.  It should be treated as a homogeneous pint, though.  The swirl becomes part of the blend.

  

Izzy's - Blue Mountain Spice

Blue Mountain Spice - Tea Flavored Ice Cream infused with Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg & Cardamom

It is my last day in Minnesota, so one last Minnesota flavor before I go. It is the Izzy's brand again with their Blue Mountain Spice flavor.  I think this is my first tea-based flavor but it isn't just tea, it is also loaded with spices.  These are spices that I really enjoy in cookies and sweetbreads, so I have high hopes for the flavor.

Removing the lid shows the light color of the tea base.  A close look shows a lot of small specks visible which is probably the spices.  With the first spoonful, I get a nice mouthful of spicy flavor.  It isn't super strong, but with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, a little bit of spice goes a long way.  It is a flavorful blend.  As I have mentioned before, cardamom to me does not have a strong flavor by itself but it tends to accent the other flavors in an aromatic way.  I can see some of that effect here.  The tea is quite mild.  I am not a tea aficionado so I am not sure what a good tea flavor would be, but the mild tea definitely served as a nice base for all of the spices.  The ice cream was homogeneous (no mix-ins) and had a really nice texture to it.  I don't usually notice this type of thing but I really enjoyed the way my spoon cut through this particular pint.

This pint was quite good.  Even though I'm not a regular tea drinker, I would definitely get it again for the spicy blend.  Check it out.

Coolhaus - Salty S'Mores

Salty S'mores - Salted Tahitian Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with a Graham Cookie Butter Marshmallow Swirl & Dark Chocolate Squares

I am still in Minnesota, but my sister bought me a pint of the Culver City-based Coolhaus brand.  She knew I had not been able to find this flavor in California yet.  Isn't she a great sister?  The flavor is called Salty S'Mores. Checking the website, it looks like they've recently renamed it "Campfire S'Mores" -- that sounds like a more appetizing name actually.  It is not uncommon to base an ice cream flavor on the s'mores dessert -- Ben & Jerry's has a S'mores-themed flavor -- but this implementation is a bit different than expected.  Here, there is a salted vanilla base and the chocolate is isolated into a chunky mix-in.  Plus, the graham cracker is turned into a cookie butter which is then mixed with the marshmallow which is then added as a swirl.  Sounds interesting.  

As mentioned in previous reviews, Coolhaus is the brand which is "architecturally inspired" so there is always a famous architect who serves as a mascot for each flavor.  Here, it is Julia Morgan ("Julia S'More-Gan").  Julia was a well-known architect in the early 1900s in Northern California.  She designed a lot of buildings in the Bay Area, particularly at Mills College, but she is most famous for her work on the Hearst Castle in St. Simeon.  I have been there and it is quite amazing.  If you are on the central coast of California, it is worth a trip.


On to the ice cream!  Removing the lid shows all the ingredients visible on top -- the vanilla base, the dark chocolate squares and the the graham-marshmallow swirl almost looks like caramel.  As I ate my way into the pint, the vanilla is actually quite good.  It is soft with lots of bean specks visible.  The Coolhaus brand specializes in ice cream sandwiches so it makes sense that they would have a good vanilla.  The graham marshmallow swirl not only looks like caramel, it actually tastes a bit like caramel as well.  Perhaps a bit salty as well?  The label says the salt is in the base but I am so used to getting salt from the caramel that maybe my mouth is playing tricks on me.  It was good, though.  The dark chocolate squares are a little small but since it is dark chocolate, each one packs a lot of chocolate punch.  The combination of all of the flavors worked really well.  It seemed to get better as I continued eating.  When I got to the bottom, I wanted there to be more.

I really enjoyed this pint. It is a fun and unique twist on a s'mores flavor.  I definitely liked it better than the Ben & Jerry's flavor although their flavor is a lot more chocolatey.  Here the winner for me was graham-marshmallow blend in the swirl.  That may not be what everyone expects, but it was really good.

Grand Ole Creamery - Black Hills Gold

Black Hills Gold - Caramel Ice Cream with Crushed Cookies and Praline Pecans

I am still on my trip for the family reunion, so Saint Paul's Grand Ole Creamery gets the call.    The flavor I selected was Black Hills Gold.  The Black Hills are a famous area of neighboring South Dakota and General Custer's expedition did indeed discover gold there in 1874 which started a mini-Gold Rush at the time.  When I did a quick google for 'black hills gold' and found that there is a whole type of jewelry branded as made with Black Hills Gold..  So, that explains the pun and references of the flavor name.  Looking at the flavor description, it looks like it is a blend of cookies and cream and pralines and cream.  Those are both popular flavors so this is a promising combination.  Indeed when the cashier at the local market rang me up she told me "this is the best flavor".  So, with that testimonial I was looking forward to giving this a go.

Opening the pint, the top of the pint had a white color with some of the cookie mix-ins visible right away.  I was actually initially concerned upon examination that perhaps the pint was mislabeled.  This looks just like cookies and cream!   I was expecting a more caramel-like color.  Eating into the pint, the base ice cream is quite soft and creamy and the cookie mix-ins were of the Oreo sandwich cookie variety, but they were softer and chewier than Oreos.  They were quite good.  Once I got a couple of spoonfuls in, I started to encounter the praline mix-ins.  They provided a decent contrast to the cookie mix-ins.  Overall, the pint had a bit of a home-made scoop shop feel to it and the ice cream stayed rich and creamy as I neared the bottom of the pint.

This was a successful pint.  My favorite pint from the Grand Ole Creamery so far.  Don't expect caramel flavor in the base but the blend of cookies and cream and pralines and cream is a successful one.  If you like either of those flavors and are in Saint Paul, then give Black Hills Gold a try.

Izzy's - Church Elderberry

Church Elderberry - Raspberry, Blackberry, Blueberry and Strawberry Ice Cream With Elderberry Extract

I am back in Minnesota for a family event, so that means that it is time to check out the local brands.  Izzy's is one of the more famous shops close to where I am staying so as soon as I got off the plane, I dropped in for a visit.  A flavor called Church Elderberry caught my eye.  Looking at the ingredient list, it appears to be a blend of all the major berries: blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, plus a bit of elderberry which is a new berry for me.  The elderberry is not as common as the other berries on the list.  Many people know it more for its non-culinary qualities (medicinal, ornamental, attraction for birds and butterflies) but a quick google search shows that many elderberry recipes exist for jams, pies and syrup.  I am looking forward to seeing if it has an impact mixed in with so many other berries.  The flavor name is of course a pun on 'church elder' but it is also a play on the Hamline Church Dining Hall at the Minnesota State Fair.  Dating from 1897, Hamline Church is the oldest dining hall at the fair and Izzy's Ice Cream has been featured there in recent years.

On to the ice cream!  Removing the lid shows the bright pink flavor of the berry base. It is quite a sight.  It is much deeper and glowing of a pink flavor than I expected.  The first spoonful is quite flavorful.  There is lots of berry naturally, but there was something familiar about the mix.  I think it reminded me of a flavored yogurt that I'd had before -- and I mean that in a good way.  The strong berry flavor persisted as I ate my way through the pint but it never got to be too much.  It was well balanced that way.  Could I taste all of the different berries?  I'm not sure.  I'm certain I tasted strawberry and raspberry, though I do not doubt that the others were in there as well.  The berries were well blended so there were no chunks of berry immersed in the pint, though there were some small seed pieces that provided some textural variety from time to time.

This was an excellent pint of ice cream.  You certainly have to be a fan of berry but if you do then this delivers quite a lot of it without it being too strong, too tart or too sweet.  It was in the Goldilocks Zone of berry combinations.  Because of the blend, it does not serve as an ideal representation of each individual berry -- I'm still not really sure what elderberry tastes like by itself.  That said, berry fans can't go wrong with this flavor.  Check it out the next time you are at the Minnesota State Fair.

Honeymoon - Blueberry Lavender

Blueberry Lavender - Blueberry Ice Cream with a Hint of Lavender

It is time for another Honeymoon flavor.  This time it is their Blueberry Lavender flavor.  This is the first pint I've reviewed which includes lavender.  Lavender is a flowering herb of the mint family which is native to the Mediterranean region, the Middle East and India.  It's use is as old as civilization itself.  The name has become synonymous with the color of its flowers and also the aromatic flavor of the herb.  Mixing it with blueberry is a good match color-wise, we'll see if it is a good match flavor-wise.

Unscrewing the lid of the distinctive mason jars shows the, um, lavender color of the ice cream.  Most of the color probably comes from the blueberry, but it is cool that it matches the lavender as well.  With the first spoonful I did notice the aromatic lavender flavor right away.  It does not overpower the blueberry but I certainly noticed it.  The blueberry was good.  Honeymoon bases always have a soft and creamy texture.  This is a super-premium brand and you do get the feeling that they put a little more care into crafting their bases.  As I ate my way down into the pint, the lavender faded a bit but I that's just that my mouth had reached saturation.  They did advertise it as a 'hint' of lavender and a little bit was enough.

This is a fun flavor.  It is a simple and homogeneous flavor but it well done and contains the lavender herb which is hard to find in pre-packaged pints (though I have seen in appear in scoop shops from time to time).  Honeymoon has a knack for giving you flavors that you cannot find elsewhere, whether it be lavender here, or bay laurel, tarragon or plum from previous reviews.  This one a bit more subtle than those, but it is still well done.

  

Häagen-Dazs - Dulce de Leche

Dulce de Leche - Caramel Ice Cream with Ribbons of Caramel

I decided to return to one of the more basic and classic Häagen-Dazs flavors:  Dulce de Leche.  I must admit that I had been eyeing this one for a while.  I think I must be in the mood for caramel.  As has been mentioned in previous reviews, dulce de leche is a Latin American dessert which translates roughly as 'sweet milk' or 'milk candy'.  It is made by heading up milk and sugar until the maillard reaction turns it brown.  It is very similar to caramel which is also made by heating up sugar -- usually in the presence of more processed dairy products such as cream or butter.

On to the ice cream.  Opening the pint shows the creamy beige color of the caramel base with some darker sections for the swirl.  The first spoonful had a mild caramel flavor and some of the swirl.  The caramel swirl was thicker than the usual caramel swirl.  It was almost like a denser version of the base.  Sometimes dulce de leche and caramel are used interchangeably in ice cream ingredient descriptions but I think dulce de leche is actually a very appropriate name here.  It was a bit like sweetened condensed milk which had been gently caramelized.

This pint was fairly good, but this is a very simple flavor.  It is not quite homogeneous, but close.   To tell you the truth, I was in the mood for something with more of a gooey caramel like the Caramel Cone flavor without the cones?   But this is advertised as dulce de leche and it delivers in that regard.