Milkjam Creamery - Cap'n Crunch and Berries

Cap'n Crunch and Berries - Cap’n Crunch Ice Cream with All Berries Treats and Berry Jam

 

The next flavor in the Minneapolis-based Milkjam Creamery's April line of Childhood Cereal Flavors (instagram link here) is called Cap'n Crunch and Berries (instagram link here).  This features a Cap'n Crunch flavored base ice cream with All Berries Treats as mix-ins along with a berry jam.  I did not know what All Berries Treats was before this review.  I guess it's another Capn Crunch product.  There is the original Capn Crunch which is the hard cereal.  Here they steep the base milk and cream in the original Capn Crunch to let it absorb the cereal flavor before straining out the cereal and churning.  Then there is Capn Crunch Berries (not used here) where they add these colorful berry-flavored puffs to Capn Crunch.  These puffs were evidently popular enough that they created a flavor called Oops All Berries which include only those puffs.  Here these berry puffs are used as a mix-in.  Milkjam also adds a berry jam into the mix.  Let's check this flavor out!

Removing the lid, the base ice cream has an off-white color and there are plenty of colorful mix-ins to see.  I see some of the "all berries" treats as well as some purplish sections which I believe are hints at the berry jam swirl (sometimes jam swirls bleed into the base).  Digging in, I taste quite a bit of berry right away.  I wish I knew which berries were in the jam.  It does not taste like any specific berry, so it is probably a blend.  I am guessing raspberry and strawberry, but many other berries could be in the mix.  The flavor of the berry blend is good.  The treats provide some sweet berry-flavored things to chew on.  Being soaked in cream for so long, they are not as crunchy as they'd be when french but the texture is not too bad.  The base itself has a mild flavor.  The flavor of Capn Crunch is not too obvious but I'll admit that I am not a sugar cereal connoisseur.  It is not bad, though and the purpose of the base here is just to serve as a vehicle for the mix-ins and swirl.

This is a fun and interesting berry cereal flavor from Milkjam Creamery.  If this type of cereal was your favorite as a kid, then this will take you back.  The berry jam adds extra berry flavor.  It's not quite as singularly amazing as the previous Cinnamon Caramel Toast Crunch flavor, but it is still a lot of fun.

Van Leeuwen - Pizza

Pizza - Cream Cheese and Mozzarella Ice Cream with a Tomato Jam Swirl and Basil Crust Cookies

 

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream of Brooklyn has partnered with Walmart this spring to stock seven exclusive flavors.  See instagram link here and news story link here.  I have already tried two of the flavors:  the surprisingly agreeable but rather tame Kraft Macaroni and Cheese that made national news last fall and the excellent Royal Wedding Cake.  That leaves five more me to try.  I picked them all up at the Walmart in Roseville on Cleveland and County Road C.  The first flavor I decided to try is the boldest:  Pizza!  (instagram link here).  It features a mozarella and cream cheese base with a tomato jam swirl and basil crust cookies.  So, it is mainly the tomato jam which gives it the pizza theme with some mozzarella and basil also included.  

This is the first time that I have had tomato in a pint before.  The tomato is a New World species and was brought back to Europe by returning Spanish explorers.  So, its ubiquity in Italian cuisine dates back only a few hundred years.  Botanically, a tomato is an edible berry, but the fruit contains a high amount of glutamic acid which gives it a much more savory umami flavor than most other fruits.  Because of this, the tomato is usually considered a vegetable for culinary purposes.  This umami flavor is also the most likely reason why I have not had it in an ice cream yet.  Tomatoes do not tend to go well in sweet things such as desserts.  It will be very interesting as to how Van Leeuwen blends this flavor in here.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid and peeling back the protective foil, I see mainly the off-white yellow color of the cream cheese mozzarella base.  There are a couple of small red streaks indicative of the tomato jam swirl.  Digging in, I taste mostly cream cheese.  If I focus, I might be able to detect a hint of mozzarella flavor, but mozzarella is a fairly mild flavor so it is not strong.  Occasionally, I encounter a small streak of tomato jam.  If I strategically lick, I can taste a little bit of tomato flavor but it is quickly overwhelmed by the cream cheese flavor in the rest of the spoonful.  This seems to be a common strategy in some of these bold, savory ice cream flavors.  Overwhelm the pint which a soothing flavor like cream cheese and then just dole out small doses of the bold flavor.  It is a lot like a cold, creamy 'cheese plate' that you might get as an hors d'oeuvre.  Occasionally, I run into some basil cookie pieces.  These aren't bad, but they played it safe again and were very easy on the basil.  Basil has been shown to work well in ice cream (see previous review), maybe they did not need to be so cautious.  I continue to eat my way down.  At the very bottom of the pint, I ran into a larger dollop of tomato jam.  It tasted too ketchup-y to me and made me wish I had saved more cream cheese base to balance it.  All in all, though, it was not as bold and daring as I had feared.

This is an interesting savory pint from Van Leeuwen.  I think it appeals mostly to the curious who want to see if a tomato-based mix-in could be incorporated into a pint.  In that regard, it was successful.  If you keep your eye out for larger sections of the tomato jam swirl and make sure you always have enough cream cheese to balance it, then it's pretty edible, but I doubt this would be anyone's favorite flavor.  At any rate, I can now add the 'tomato' tag to my side bar and say that I've tried it.

Bebe Zito - Lunchbox Hero

Lunchbox Hero - Vegan Peanut Butter and Coconut Base with a Vibrant Plum Jam Swirl

Today, I return to Bebe Zito of south Minneapolis for their Lunchbox Hero flavor.  This is a vegan (non-dairy) flavor with a peanut butter and coconut base and a swirl of plum jam.  Right now, it is only available in pints and I cannot find an instragram link with a more detailed description of the flavor.  The 'lunchbox' theme seems straightforward.  This is a non-dairy ice cream version of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid the top of the pint shows an extra dollop of plum jam on top.  The peanut butter base is light in color.  Digging in, there is so much plum jam on top that it is the first thing that I taste.  It's pretty good.  Then peanut butter coconut base does a good job of holding the pint together.  As I have written before peanut butter and coconut both make for good bases for a non-dairy flavor because they each contain their own source of creaminess -- peanuts contain enough oil to be made into a 'butter' and coconut milk is also high in oil and can be processed into a cream.  I can still tell that it is non-dairy.  It's a bit denser and a little grittier than a dairy ice cream, but it is quite good.

This is a very good implementation of a non-dairy peanut-butter-and-jelly flavor from Bebe Zito.  I have had several peanut butter and jelly implementations from Milkjam, Graeter's, McConnell's, Ben & Jerry's and Ample Hills.  I believe this is the first one which is non-dairy, though.  That and the unique plum flavored jam make this a unique twist on the flavor.  When this flavor is available in scoop shops, Bebe Zito adds crushed potato chips to the top (a bag of chips is often included in lunchboxes).  They don't include those in pints as when stored for long periods in cream, the chips will get soggy.  I didn't add crunched potato chips to my bowl when I ate this, but perhaps I should have.  Enjoy.

Milkjam Creamery - Sarah

Sarah - Croissant Ice Cream with Black Currant Jam, Cream Cheese Mousse, and Brown Butter Streusel

 Milkjam Creamery of Minneapolis honors Women's History Month (March) by renaming all of its flavors after important women -- including their monthly specials.  The first monthly special is called Sarah (instagram link here) after the Minneapolis baker Sarah Botcher who runs the Black Walnut Bakery on Hennepin.  What is in this flavor?  It has a croissant-based ice cream with a black currant jam, cream cheese mousse and a brown butter streusel.  I have never had a croissant flavored ice cream before.  I'm guessing they soak croissants in the milk and cream to infuse it with the flavor and then strain them out.  Otherwise, it looks like and interesting and eclectic mixture of ingredients.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid, I see quite a bit of the black currant jam right away.  A couple of darker globs but a lot of it has half-blended into the base.  Digging in, the blackcurrant flavor is quite good.  The croissant flavor in the base is not obvious -- especially with the streusel mixed in there as well -- but it goes well with the jam.  The cream cheese provides extra thickness which also compliments the jam.  Overall the flavor is quite good.

This is a solid "berry crumble" ice cream done with extra fancy ingredients -- black currant, croissant, brown butter, etc.  It is done very well, though and I enjoyed it quite a bit.  The use of black currant reminds me of a couple of Jeni's flavors (Brambleberry Crisp and the limited-batch Clare's Cabinet).  It will be fun to see if this flavor returns next year.

Milkjam Creamery - Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

Peanut Butter Jelly Time! - Salted Peanut Butter Ice Cream, Red Berry Jam, Cookie Dough Brownies

 

Milkjam Creamery of Minneapolis has flavors for January (instagram link here) and today's flavor is Peanut Butter Jelly Time! (instagram link here).  This is a peanut-butter-and-jelly flavor.  Peanut butter ice cream, red berry jam for the "jelly" and they've also got cookie dough brownies.  Maybe the cookie dough brownies represent the bread of the PB&J sandwich?  I have had several PB&J themed flavors from Graeter's, McConnell's (also includes a 'bread' mix-in), Ben & Jerry's and Ample Hills.  Let's see how this Milkjam flavor compares.

Removing the lid, the peanut butter ice cream has a light color and I can the jam swirl and the cookie dough brownie clumped together in the middle.  Digging in, the peanut butter base is a bit lighter than I expected.  Milkjam is actually well-known for their non-dairy peanut butter bases, so a dairy peanut butter is an interesting change of pace.  It's pretty good, but I can tell that the main purpose of this base is to serve as a vehicle of the mix-ins.  Soon I encounter the red berry jam.  It has a good flavor.  None of the instagram posts say which red berries are included.  I assume one of them is raspberry, there could be some strawberry and/or cherry I suppose.  It is a good blend.  The cookie dough blondie pieces are not as numerous as I expected but they provide some thicker texture to chew on.

This is a fine peanut butter and jelly flavor from Milkjam Creamery.  It's fun to have these monthly experimental flavors.  I would rate this in the middle of the pack compared to the other PB&J flavors I listed above.  I think McConnell's is my favorite.  That was a limited batch flavor as well. 

OddFellows - Mandarin Jasmine Brulee

Mandarin Jasmine Brulee - Jasmine Tea Ice Cream with Mandarin Orange Marmalade Jam and Coconut Sugar Crunch

The next pint from my recent shipment from the Brooklyn-based OddFellows Ice Cream is called Mandarin Jasmine Brulee.  Another interesting blend of flavors!  Jasmine tea ice cream, a marmalade jam and a coconut sugar crunch.  Again, I was drawn  As usual with OddFellows, I'll add a note to local readers that I bought this online and it is not available in local grocery stores.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid, the ice cream has a yellowish color and I see lots of little yellowish-orange specks in it.  Digging in, I taste the orange right away.  The orange specks are chunks from the marmalade jam mix-in.  In the background, I do taste some tea flavor.  My palate is not refine enough to specifically recognize jasmine, but I do taste tea and the jasmine is likely adding to the overall flavor mix.  The coconut sugar crunch described on the carton blended in with the orange chunks in my pint.  Again, I did not specifically notice a coconut flavor but knowing that this is in there, I can see how it probably added chunky/crunchy texture to the marmalade.

Another fascinating and eclectic blend of flavors from OddFellows.  Not every listed flavor was specifically recognizable to me, but I don't doubt their contribution to the overall blend.  What I did taste was a sweet orange against a tea background which is quite delicious.  It is almost like an inverse Earl Grey flavor -- orange with a twist of tea instead of tea with a twist of orange.  If you have this flavor available to you and are curious, then check it out.

Van Leeuwen - Bourbon Cherries Jubilee

Bourbon Cherries Jubilee - Sweet Cream Ice Cream with Swirls of Bourbon Cherry Compote

 

The next pint in my recent shipment from the Brooklyn-based Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is called Bourbon Cherries Jubilee.  This is a limited edition which I bought online so I do not believe that any local grocery stores stock this brand.  This is an implementation on a "Cherries Jubilee" flavor which I have seen before from the New Orleans brand and from Izzy's scoop shop days.  The Van Leeuwen implementation features a sweet cream base with swirls of bourbon cherry compote (a compote is like a thicker and chunkier jam).  Let's check it out!

Opening the lid and peeling back the protective seal, the base has a light pink color indicating that some of the cherry compote got blended into the sweet cream upon mixing.  Sections of the cherry compote swirl itself are also visible on top.  Digging in, the cherry flavor is quite good.  The added bourbon is not at all 'boozy' but creates a darker cherry flavor.  As I dig further down, I start to encounter larger chunks of cherry from time to time.  I guess this is the difference between a compote and a jam.  I also encounter some whiter, more sweet-cream-like sections where the swirl had not blended in.  This creates an 'a la mode' type effect which I really enjoyed.

This is a very enjoyable cherries jubilee flavor from Van Leeuwen.  It does not compete with the more boozy and larger cherry chunks Izzy's scoop shop flavor, but for a factory-made pint this is pretty good.  Enjoy. 

 

 

McConnell's - Peanut Butter & Jelly Sando

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sando - Sweet Cream with Chunks of Salty Peanut Butter, Swirls of Strawberry Jam and Hunks of House-made White Bread

 

The fourth and final pint from my recent shipment from the Santa Barbara-based McConnell's Fine Ice Creams is called Peanut Butter & Jelly Sando.  The flavor is a limited batch flavor that has been rotated off their menu since I ordered it, but here is a link to a California TV station's article about the flavor.  I bought it online and it is not available in Minnesota grocery stores.  The flavor has a sweet cream base with swirls of peanut butter and strawberry jam and pieces of white bread.  I have had a few peanut butter and jelly themed pints from Graeter's, Ben & Jerry's and Ample Hills -- all either limited-batch or merchant-specific releases that are no longer available.  Today's flavor from McConnell's is also a limited release and it's the first one to actually include bread with the PB&J.  I can't want to see how that turns out.

Opening the lid and peeling back the seal, I see big sections of the swirl of strawberry jam on the top of the pint.  Beautiful.  Digging in, I quickly encounter the peanut butter chunks as well.  These chunks are small in size but deliver quite a bit of salty peanut butter flavor.  The strawberry jam is delcicious.  It tastes a lot like the strawberry used in their recent Seavee's Sprinkled with Pride flavor.  The white bread mix-ins are quite interesting.  The bread is very soft and blends in with the base flavor-wise but provides a bit of a soft and chewy texture.  Checking the ingredient list, it looks like cream-cheese is in in the bread which I am guessing helps give it its fresh and doughy texture?  Anyhow, it's quite good.

This is an excellent peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich flavor from McConnell's.  Peanut butter and jelly go really well together and the delicious strawberry jam here complements the strong-flavored peanut butter chunks quite well.  The hunks of white bread I find to be quite a fun addition to the mix.  They don't provide a lot of flavor (neither does white bread) but it's adds a bit of authenticity to the mix.  Like all the other peanut butter and jelly flavors, this flavor has been rotated off the menu already.  It is an appealing combination, though.  Someone should make this a regular flavor.

 

 

Milkjam Creamery - Smoked Peach Crisp

Smoked Peach Crisp - Smoked Peach Ice Cream with Peach Jam Swirl and Oat Crumble

 

August is here and that means new flavors from Milkjam Creamery of Minneapolis.   They call the monthly flavors the Summer Cookout Series (instagram link here).  I reviewed one of the flavors (Gimme S'more) a few years ago, so I only need to review three flavors this month.  The first of those is called Smoked Peach Crisp (instagram link here).  They are collaborating with Animales BBQ of Northeast Minneapolis on this flavor.  I have had several peach flavors, but this is the first time that I've had the peaches smoked.  The inclusion of oat crumble make otherwise feel like a standard peach cobbler or slice-of-peach-pie flavor.  It will be interesting to see what difference having the peaches smoked makes here.

Removing the lid, the top of the pint has a lot of textured colors to it.  The base is not all that dark of a color, but the mix-ins are darker in color than I expected.  This does not have the bright orange color than I have seen in some other peach ice creams.  Digging in, I taste the peach flavor right away.  It tastes like the cooked peaches that you sometimes see in pie fillings.  I do taste a bit of the 'smoke' flavor which I have never tasted in a fruit flavor before.  It is quite interesting and unique.  I like it!  Swirls of peach jam are half blended into the base and provide extra peach flavor.  The oatmeal crumble adds the expected crunchy texture and is well done.

I liked this flavor very much!  I have been writing these reviews for quite a while and I appreciate when a pint brings me a new concept.  Smoked fruit can be quite delicious!  Animales BBQ does a great job of applying their skills to the peaches here.  Roasting and caramelizing add complexity to the flavor palate and they're very careful not to overdo it here.  It still tastes like peach!  Check it out if you are a fan of peaches and want a unique implementation.

 

McConnell's - Seavees Sprinkled with Pride

Seavees Sprinkled with Pride - Strawberry Ice Cream with Shortcake Pieces, Strawberry Jam and Rainbow Sprinkles

I made an online order from Santa Barbara's McConnell's Ice Cream!  It has been a while, but I was surfing the web for ice cream one day and found that they had enough new flavors for me to purchase a shipment.  The first flavor is called Seavees Sprinkled with Pride.  

Seavees is a shoe company which like McConnell's is also based in Santa Barbara.  It has an interesting history.  It started in the 1960s as a casual sneaker company, first as a subsidiary of BF Goodrich and then as a subsidiary of Converse.  In the early 1970s, a court ruled that Converse controlled too much of the sneaker market to also own Seavees, so Converse discontinued the brand.  Fast-Forward to 2008 and the brand is relaunched -- this time as an independent company.  They've teamed up with McConnell's to sponsor this LGBTQIA+ themed flavor with 5% of the proceeds going to the Pacific Pride Foundation.  

What is in the flavor?  It's a strawberry ice cream with shortcake pieces, a swirl of strawberry jam and rainbow sprinkles.  I have had strawberry shortcake-themed pints before from Ben & Jerry's (limited batch no longer available), Tillamook and Talenti Layers.  This is the first with sprinkles, but sprinkles are mainly a cosmetic addition so it should still be easy to compare.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid and peeling back the foil, I see the pink color of the strawberry base and lots sprinkles.  Digging in, the strawberry ice cream is very good.  McConnell's has just about the densest ice cream around while still being cream-based.  The swirls of jam add additional strawberry flavor.  I worried a bit that the jam might be frozen it softens up very quickly in my mouth the shortcake pieces are scattered throughout the pint.  The spoon cuts through them very easily, they provide a little bit of a change in texture as I eat it.  The pieces are not as gritty in texture as the ones in their Earl Grey & Shortbread Cookies flavor, so it does appear that this is a different mix-in.  The difference between shortbread cookie and shortcake I suppose.  The sprinkles are a nice visual touch.  I notice that some of the sprinkles have a darker color than I expected.  I checked the ingredient list and sure enough some of them are chocolate sprinkles.  I don't find that sprinkles add much flavor but your palate may be more sensitive than mine.

This is an excellent strawberry shortcake themed pint from McConnell's.  I love the thickness of McConnell's Ice Cream and the two strawberry flavors (base and swirl) are delicious.  Compared to the other strawberry shortcake implementations linked above, I liked the flavor of this the best which says a lot because I really enjoyed the Talenti and Tillamook flavors as well.  If McConnell's is available near you, check this out.

 

 

 

 

Milkjam Creamery - Toasty Strudy

Toasty Strudy - Puff Pastry Ice Cream with Strawberry Jam and and Icing Swirl

 

The next flavor in Milkjam Creamery's June Nostalgia series (instagram link here) is called Toasty Strudy (instagram link here).  From the link, it looks like this is based on Pillsbury's strawberry Toaster Strudel.  As far as personal nostalgia goes, my father worked for Pillsbury back when they were still an independent company (today, they are brand owned by General Mills).  That said, I haven't had one of these Toaster Strudels before.  It looks like a softer version of a pop tart.  The ice cream implementation features a puff pastry ice cream with swirls of strawberry jam and frosting.  I am looking forward to checking this out.

Removing the lid, I see a mostly white base on top.  I see some hints of strawberry around the rim plus perhaps a little hint of some white frosting in there as well.  Digging my spoon in, I start to see more of the strawberry swirl.  The swirl does taste like jam and not just a strawberry sauce.  It is not too sweet or too tart.  It is the type of jam that would go well on a piece of toast.  The base ice cream is good vehicle for the strawberry swirl, but I do not notice hunks of pastry in it.  Reading the instagram links above, it looks like they blend house-baked pastry into a custard.  It works.  There is not as much frosting in the mix as I was expecting but I do encounter a little bit of it from time to time which delivers a bit of extra sweetness.  The pictures below do not show a lot of strawberry, but a little bit of this swirl goes a long way and there was good strawberry flavor in just about every spoonful.

I enjoyed this strawberry-swirl based pint from Milkjam Creamery.  It is not as intense of a strawberry swirl as some other pints that I have had, but it is still quite a pleasant and delicious pint.  This reminds me of a muted and more balanced version of the pop tart-themed Strawberry Topped Tart pint which Ben & Jerry's released earlier in the year.  Both are delicious in their own way.  Ben & Jerry's was embracing the low-brow, candied and sweet nature of a pop tart.  Toasty Strudy is a more an implementation that you'd see in a cloth-napkin restaurant.

Pumphouse Creamery - Fig, Black Tea & Local Blue Cheese

Fig, Black Tea & Local Blue Cheese - Blue Cheese Ice Cream with swirls of Fig and Black Tea Jam

 

Today's flavor from the Minneapolis-based Pumphouse Creamery is called Fig, Black Tea & Local Blue Cheese.  This flavor looks very interesting!  It reminds me a bit of the one other time I have had fig in an ice cream before Coolhaus' Balsamic Fig & Mascarpone ice cream.  That flavor was billed as "like a frozen cheese plate".  I think that idea applies even more here with its use of blue cheese instead of mascarpone.  Black tea is also mixed into the fig jam here.  Let's check it out!

Removing the lid, I see that the blue cheese base has a thick and chunky texture and with thick sections of the fig and tea jam.  Digging in, this is not a sweet pint.  The fig tea jam swirl has a complex flavor similar to that of the filling of a fig newton.  The flavor of the blue cheese base is fairly mild.  It is not at all salty like some blue cheeses that I have had.  It is thick, but it is still scoopable like an ice cream.

This is a very interesting and eclectic flavor from Pumphouse.  This has more of a "frozen cheese plate" flavor to it than the Coolhaus pint linked above.  I did like it though.  Perhaps especially because I tend to appreciate out-of-the-ordinary flavors more than most because of all the different kinds of ice cream that I have had.  If you like fig newtons or if you are just feeling adventurous, give this flavor a try the next time it is available.