Bebe Zito - Pistachio Almond

Pistachio Almond - Pistachio Almond with Almond Marzipan.

 

Today I return to Bebe Zito of south Minneapolis for their Pistachio Almond flavor.  I bought it at their scoop shop on 22nd & Lyndale.  According to their flavor page, the pistachios are from Bronte, Sicily which is on the west-northwest slopes of the Mount Etna, Volcano.  These growing conditions give the pistachios a greener color.  Instead of almond pieces, the almonds are delivered in the form of marzipan -- a sweet confection made with crushed almonds and/or almond extract.  I have not had pistachio in a while so I am looking forward to this.

Opening the pint, the pistachio has a very bright green color.  It is almost fluorescent.  They were not kidding when they said the pistachios from Bronte were greener.  Digging in, this is a sweeter than usual pistachio ice cream.  There are no mix-ins, so it looks like the marzipan has been ground up and fully blended into the pistachio base.  The pistachio/marzipan blend is still quite delicious, though.  The marzipan adds sweetness and a bit of aroma but it is still primarily a pistachio flavor.

I enjoyed this pint.  I have not had pistachio ice cream in a while, so this was fun.  People should be aware that despite the flavor name, there are no crunchy nut mix-ins.  Pistachio with crunchy almonds would make for a fun flavor (surprisingly I can't find that flavor in my archive) but that is not this.  What the blended marzipan here does is create a twist on the usual pistachio flavor.  This is sweeter than the usual pistachio.  With those caveats out of the way, this is well-done and delicious.  If that appeals to you, check it out.