Flavor of the Month: Stone Ridge Creamery's Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream

Yes, I'm cutting this "Flavor of the Month" a bit close for making it into April, but I'm doing it! 

A couple of weeks ago I finally posted a review about some samples we got in the mail from Stone Ridge Creamery. Shortly after, there was a comment from "Lucky" asking why we had not yet reviewed Stone Ridge's Amy's Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream...why not? Because I didn't even know it existed. Well, Friday I stopped at Shaw's to pick some up and all I have to say is "Thank you, Lucky!" Oh, and "It's a good thing I am pregnant and due in August because these elastic waisted pants are serving more than my baby belly!"

So I have a major complaint before I go into detail about how much I loved this ice cream -- if only the Stone Ridge Creamery website were even HALF as good as their ice cream. Their website is simply an image. You can't click on anything, you can't get more information. I suppose you could call Customer Service for more information at 1-877-932-7948, but picking up a phone and calling is so old school.

I can't even get you any pictures so you know what to look for in your grocer's freezer...I'll have to post a picture of my crushed carton...


NOTE: As I attempted to finish writing this post today, however, cooincidentally I recieved an emailed press release about this ice cream (as well as the two others that were introduced along with it) and the super cool story about how the ice cream flavors came to be -- a companywide contest! See below for a quote from the SUPERVALU press release:

If you think you can’t lick a prize like this one, ask three SUPERVALU® (NYSE: SVU) associates who were named the winners of the company’s employee “Stone Ridge Creamery® Name Your Dream Flavor Sweepstakes.” In addition to receiving free ice cream for a year and a $500 gift card, the winning associates will have their dream flavors added to the Stone Ridge Creamery lineup and their caricatures featured on the carton.

Thanks Amy Youngblood, "senior business support specialist at SUPERVALU’s innovation center in Minneapolis," for your "Red Velvet Cake" suggestion! Here's her story with how she came up with the flavor:

Red Velvet Cake has long been a favorite family dessert for any celebration — from birthdays to weddings,” Youngblood said. “I also thought this flavor would be a great choice because Red Velvet Cake itself is a classic, nostalgic flavor that would be a natural addition to the retro feel of the Stone Ridge Creamery lineup. However, it still feels modern and innovative since it’s a flavor not commonly found in ice cream.

Amy, I love your retro with a contemporary feel!

Flavorwise, I found this ice cream to be very rich and creamy and the carton was polished off long before this post was finished. I loved the swirls of vanilla ice cream in the chocolate, but more than Red Velvet Cake, this ice cream actually reminded me of Hoodsie Cups I loved so much as a kid. Who am I kidding? I still love them! Haha! Anyway, this ice cream takes me back to elementary school when on a hot day we'd be surprised with the personal cups of creamy goodness and our own little wooden paddle spoon!

Back to the product at hand, though. I find this dessert to be the adult version of Hoodsie Cups -- comforting and wonderfully tasty. The packaging is fun as well, with Retro Amy holding a huge red velvet cake. My one complaint is that I didn't LOVE how the cream cheese swirls didn't swirl so well into the ice cream -- it seemed to be more of an afterthought you were left over with rather than being so well integrated with the ice cream. It acted like a mix-in rather than a swirl that melted with the ice cream on your tongue. But that certainly wouldn't be enough to keep me from buying it again!


Stone Ridge's other winner's were:

• Tom Lindberg, retail technology specialist for SUPERVALU’s supply chain services northern region in Minneapolis, for his “Twisted Pretzel” flavor
• Joe Agrusa, direct store delivery receiver at the Albertsons store in Chula Vista, Calif., for his “Italian Kiss” flavor 

Congrats Joe and Tom! Can't wait to try, especially if they are as tasty as Amy's dream ice cream!

Stone Ridge Creamery Frozen Yogurt (Part 1)

Lucky you, readers! I am catching up on a bunch of posts that have been queued on my agenda for a while -- posts to which I haven't had the time to commit the full focus they deserve.

Mid last summer, I got an email from a PR firm that represented Supervalu. They asked us if we wanted samples of Stone Ridge Creamery Tart Frozen Yogurt and Culinary Circle Chocolate Truffle Gooey Fudge Brownie Ice Cream Dessert. Um, yeah!

Like many readers, she was taken with the guest post by my husband, Kevin, who had written about his astronaut ice cream.

I told Kev we would be getting samples in the mail, but since he was such a hit as a writer and analyst, he would have to co-write this blog with me. However, since we can't seem to coordinate our schedules, he'll be following up with Part 2 in the near future).

Coincidentally, the samples arrived on a Thursday that kicked off a long weekend in Vermont with my parents, my older sister and her husband. I packed up the frozen treats and the dry ice in a cooler and we drove up to Vermont. When we got to Vermont, we opened the door and flipped the light switch. Nothing. My first concern was in fact, my cooler of ice cream and no power. We decided to put the frozen goodies in the freezer along with the dry ice and hope for the best. When my sister and brother-in-law arrived, we thought that it would be safer to break out the Culinary Circle Chocolate Truffle Gooey Fudge Brownie Ice Cream Dessert. Yum. The power came on as we took our first bites. Ah, the magic of ice cream.

We saved the frozen yogurt for the next day -- a treat we would enjoy with my parents when they arrived the next day. With four quarts of frozen yogurt, we were quite sure there would be enough for all six of us to enjoy. With spoons in hand, larger spoons in the carton, and large dishes, we proceeded to taste and discuss.

We ranked our favorites (from favorite to least favorite)

• Brother-in-law, Liam: vanilla, strawberry, pomegranate blueberry, peach
• Dad: vanilla, peach, strawberry, pomegranate blueberry
• Kevin: peach, strawberry, vanilla, pomegranate blueberry
• Mom: vanilla, pomegranate blueberry, peach, strawberry
• Sarah: vanilla, peach, strawberry, pomegranate blueberry
• Me: vanilla, peach, strawberry, pomegranate blueberry

I have to say, the biggest surprise was the number two ranking of the peach fro yo by my father. Below is a scenario that used to take place when I was younger:

There's been a middle school concert and on the way home, the family stops at Friendly's. I don't remember what anyone orders, except my older sister, Sarah. Peach. As is tradition, we pass our cones around, tasting each others' flavors, just to confirm we chose the right flavor...the chunk of conversation I recall ensues.
Dad: "Lemme try peach, Sarah..."
Sarah: "Ok. Here."
Dad: "It tastes like dirty socks." (Clearly, this is not a reflection of Friendly's but of my dad's own taste buds, because people ordered it enough to put it on the menu, and Sarah certainly enjoyed it.)
From the peanut gallery of the three of us sisters: "Ewww!" "Dad!" "How do you KNOW what dirty socks taste like? Gross, Dad!"

To this day I can't see peach ice cream without automatically thinking of a pair of dirty socks. Thanks, Dad.

Here are some thoughts from the night:

• It has a cultured taste
• Kevin: "I'm eating strawberry, but it tastes like lemon."
  Dad: "No, strawberry tastes like strawberry...I like the strawberry."
• Dad: "I like the tartness of it, Bethany." (As if I were the one who whipped it up.)
• Kevin tastes tart. He comments that he can't really taste the difference in the flavors, he can only taste the tartness. (I'm wondering if we should count his ranking above...?)
• Dad: "I like the vanilla."
• Dad: "Peach is the most distinct."

Overall, there was a feeling of liking it, though no commitment to buying it in the future (with one exception, to be discussed below), but this is perhaps because I do come from a family of ice cream purists, who would choose ice cream over frozen yogurt any day. Besides, the dirty sock review from years before kind of ruins my dad's taste bud creds.

Sarah and I (who have never once compared any frozen treat to dirty socks) polished off the vanilla over the weekend, with a promise of buying Stone Ridge Creamery Vanilla Frozen Yogurt again in the future. We had made a fruit salad earlier in the day, and fell in love with the vanilla topped with a mix of peaches, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, and cherries. Summertime perfection.

Additionally, all agreed that any of the above flavors tasted good topped with the family tradition of sugared summer berries.

Looking out the window at the rain that has been falling heavily for the past three days, it's hard to imagine spring is days away, but since it's not snow, the future looks warmer. This being the case, I see cartons of Stone Ridge Creamery Vanilla Frozen Yogurt piled high with fruit just around the corner.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this review by Kevin, the newest member of our blogging team!