Milkjam Creamery - Diane Moua

Diane Moua - Pandan Ice Cream with a Coconut Pandan Jam Swirl

Today's flavor is from Milkjam Creamery in Minneapolis.  I bought it at their scoop shop on Lyndale.  Since I bought this, there have been a lot of closures due to the virus, but last I checked the World Street Kitchen next door still has takeout/delivery and since they are under the same ownership as Milkjam, you can get pints of ice cream when you order from them.  I don't want to dwell too much on current events because I still plan on eating whatever ice creams I can get a hold of, but just leaving a note for local readers about the current flavor availability.

The flavor is called "Diane Moua".  March is Women's History Month and Milkjam renames their flavors each year after famous women.  "Diane Moua" is a new flavor this year and as far as I can tell this is its original name (it is not renamed just for this month.  Diane Moua is the Executive Pastry Chef at Spoon and Stable, Bellecour and Demi in Minneapolis.  An Instagram link to the flavor release from Milkjam is available here.  This flavor features pandan as the primary ingredient.  Pandan is a tropical plant common in southern and southeastern asia which has fragrant leaves which are frequently used in cooking.  Here the base ice cream is flavored with pandan and there is also a swirl which contains a coconut pandan jam.  I am looking forward to trying this out.

Popping off the lid, the ice cream is an off-white yellow color with a slight greenish tinge to it.  Digging in, it has a bright, herbal and fragrant flavor.  It is a bit familiar, but I can't quite place it.  It is not very intense -- most of the flavor comes from its fragrance -- but it is sweet and pleasant.  Looking for the coconut pandan jam swirl, I see some sections which are a little denser than the rest but no distinct swirl.  I think it got mostly blended into the base.  That is OK as the flavor is good.

This is a very interesting pint from Milkjam.  Pandan is a new flavor for me, so I am not sure what to judge it against, but it has a pleasing flavor.  I follow Milkjam's twitter and it looks like they are still selling pints for pickup.  If you like pandan -- or feel like trying something new -- give it a try.