Brigham's: Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

As you can see from my post on Sunday, my Sundae-in-a-Box arrived from Brigham's last week and with coupons and toppings, so I told my daughter (V) we were having sundaes for dessert and we headed to the store to pick up ice cream.

I really like Brigham's ice cream, despite the fact that they keep getting rid of my favorite flavors.

Vanilla Bean, plain and simple. And that's not a bad thing.

What I don't like is the limited stocking at my favorite stores. I went to my local Shaw's and I had the following flavors to choose from: Chocolate, Vanilla, Vanilla Bean, Mocha Almond, Coffee, and Peppermint Stick. My husband went to our local Price Chopper and he found Chocolate, Vanilla, Vanilla Bean, Salty Caramel Crunch, Coffee, and Peppermint Stick. Yes. Seven limited flavors total in two stores -- only one flavor wasn't the same in each store. I don't like coffee flavoring and I don't really like candy canes, so that left me with vanilla, vanilla bean, and chocolate to choose from on my trip.

At the store, I knew I was on a mission to write four flavor review posts, so I bought three of the flavors, just in case I didn't get out in the next couple of days to buy more ice cream (the horror!). I chose Vanilla Bean and then, being the good wife that I am, Coffee and Mocha Almond for my coffee loving husband. (He has to review them though!)

I guess truth be told, I think vanilla is the best base for a sundae.

First I tried the Vanilla Bean alone. It was nice and light, and had a nice vanilla flavor. It was creamy and had the beautiful specks of Vanilla Bean in it. It did not compare to my favorite vanilla ice cream...Brigham's no-longer-existing French Vanilla. It did not have that rich custard flavor I loved in the French Vanilla. But that aside (since it's not one I can bring back with Brigham's flavor contest) the Vanilla Bean was really a nice flavor and made an excellent base for sundaes.

V was not complaining. (See her sundae at left)...

Nor was I when I had it plain or a few days later topped it with peanut butter sauce and whipped cream.

Well done, Brigham's!

Want to try this flavor or another Brigham's favorite? Head over to our post from Sunday and enter to win your own Sundae-in-a-Box from Brigham's!

Look what I got for xmas

The fun begins and I say fun because I think my addiction is more in designing than popsicles. The Zoku popsicle maker instantly freezes liquid and you can make really cool designed popsicles. Well so the recipe book shows at least but honestly I am not sure if I will ever achieve this after my first take. 

Cherry and Grape Koolaid

Vanilla and Fudge with cookies in the middle

I've only tried this thing out once and think its going to be a playdate staple...that is how this got its first test run. The girls thought it was so cool to instantly make popsicles. Mom thought it was cool to make fun designs or at least attempt because really these aren't so cool! 

All in all I think its a fun product but I am sure the novelty will wear off. Or hopefully not. I know Bethany got one, had issues, got another, had more issues and finally threw the towel in and Zoku then sent her a free one. Wow...a company that really stands behind their product with customer service. So they get an A for that. Mine worked totally fine out of the box. Oh and they get an A for a nicely designed product too. It's pretty sleek and very compact. It makes three pops at a time (7-10 minutes per 3) and you can get about 9 pops before they just won't freeze anymore. It's probably the size of a Turkey Hill quart.

Expect to see future posts with my creations!

Happy Vanilla Ice Cream Day!

Happy Vanilla Ice Cream Day!

The most popular flavor of ice cream in the United States is said to be vanilla. Honestly, it's not what I ever choose first when there is a big list of choices, but it is familiar and simple and at the same time it's the only flavor I will ever have in a sundae.

I'd have to say my two favorite vanilla ice creams are the now non-existent Brigham's French Vanilla and Carvel Vanilla (but this might not even count since 1. It has to be covered in rainbow sprinkles and 2. It might just be for sentimental reasons). I do recall once having an amazing vanilla gelato at Papa Razzi years (maybe 15 or so years) ago, but this could be a glorified memory and/or maybe it was a one time thing. I don't know enough to really count it among my favorites.

Above all, it's not that I don't like vanilla, or even that I haven't enjoyed the vanilla that I have had -- the thing is, I just don't think I have been blown away by any vanilla -- there aren't many vanilla's (see exceptions above) that really stand out and make me want to order vanilla above all other flavors.

I want to know what you think. What's the best vanilla ice cream you've ever had? Was it in a carton? Homemade? At a stand? At a shop? Was it french vanilla? Did it have specks of vanilla bean? Please do tell!

Happy National Vanilla Ice Cream Day

For those of you who love a good old fashioned plain vanilla scoop...its your day to celebrate and indulge! It always intrigues me when I am waiting in line to order my ice cream and I hear people ordering vanilla. How can you choose plain old boring vanilla when you have the Double Rich Chocolate Chunk Caramel Fudge Swirled Mocha Almond Surpise to choose instead. What makes you want just a scoop of vanilla? Well plain and simple...because its simplicity at its best. It brings back wonderful memories of childhood. It satisfies without it being too much. Funny thing is I am totally in the camp of loving the flavored ice cream with something mixed in but once in awhile I really crave a cone of soft serve vanilla (with chocolate sprinkles of course) and I never regret that decision. It's easy, its good, its refreshing, and its pure.

If you are up for making some of yor own to celebrate National Vanilla Ice Cream Day check out Alton Brown's Serious Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe with  a 5 star rating I truly doubt it will disappoint. Interestingly it has Peach Preserves in it...wonder what that does. One reviewer says, "I find it to be perfect. I agree with other reviews that this recipe is a great "base" for other things. Just today I whipped up a batch of Chai Ice cream using these ratios. Full five stars. Every batch of ice cream I could ever want will be based upon this one." I am totally going to check this one out too. I am not usually a fan of bases without eggs but it got rave reviews its worth a shot.

Happy National Vanilla Day!

Perry's Ice Cream Introduces a Fresh and Delicious New Gelato Line

"Dear ______, We have a a problem here, don't we? I know I was supposed to wait for Tina, but I stole a taste of the cannoli and I LOVE it...but I don't think we can get it in the MA area, can we?! OMG, this is NOT good!..."

So starts my email to the wonderful person who sent me samples of Perry's Gelato...

Perry's Cannoli Gelato may be on my list of all time favorite ice creams and as with all Perry's Ice Cream treats, it can only be found in New York state. I have been sitting here for about five minutes trying to figure out to explain it. I can't. Let's just say it's way up there with the best and most authentic cannoli I have had on this side of the Atlantic (mind you, I have never been to Italy, so I'm only counting this side of the Atlantic)...those from Modern Pastry in Boston's North End. The gelato is sweet, creamy, with just the right amount of chocolate chips. It's sitting in my freezer right now and it's everything I can do to keep from eating it -- I don't want to destroy my friendship with Tina by not sharing, so I am holding off!

The other flavors were good as well, but it is the Cannoli I am constantly craving.

The Wild Berry was the least of my favorites, at least in texture. The flavor was very good -- a fruity contrast to all the rich other flavors was a nice break. However, like many fruit ice creams/gelatos, the berry chunks were icy, but I have come to learn that this is kind of the nature of naturally made fruity frozen treats.

The Tahitian Vanilla and Pistachio were both good as well -- creamy, and rich and admittedly, even for someone like me who often over does it on frozen treats, both were very good and quite enough in small quantities due to their richness!

The Tahitian Vanilla actually reminded me of butter cream frosting, of which I am a big fan...oooh, it's kind of like they managed to turn butter cream frosting into ice cream, without the extreme density of buttercream frosting.

The Pistachio was the most pistachio flavored ice cream I have ever had. Did you know many of the recipes for pistachio ice cream actually flavor the base with almond flavoring? This definitely was more pistachio than almond, and as much as I love almond-flavored pistachio ice cream, this pistachio-flavored pistachio ice cream.

I'm packing our bags. Someone please let Husband know we are moving to New York so we can get Perry's Gelato.

Mike Brown, Perry's Product Manager, shows us how to best enjoy Perry's gelato...but honestly, with these rich flavors, who can let the carton sit on the counter for five whole minutes to soften just a bit? Um, I can't!

What really stands out about Perry's is that it is all natural and you can tell. The flavors are fresh and definitely not artificial tasting.

This sample certainly was a tease since it is truly wonderful and very inaccessible to us in the Boston area.

New Yorkers/Pennsylvanians who have access to Perry's: I have some coupons! Let us know (by Friday, April 9, noon EST) what your favorite Perry's flavor is in the comments form (be sure there is a way to contact you) and we'll choose some readers to get some coupons in the mail!