New Orleans Ice Cream Company

Way back in October or November I got samples from the New Orleans Ice Cream Company. Then I had a baby. Then it was the middle of winter and even though I am a New Englander who likes ice cream year round, I thought it would be more appropriate to write about it in the spring when people really started to get in the mood for ice cream. Though I might argue that with NOICC's unique flavors, you'd probably be in the mood year round.

I have to say of the samples I received my favorite was by far the Baked Alaska (vanilla bean ice cream with meringue pieces, strawberries, cake pieces, and meringue swirl -- what's not to love?) In fact, I was a little bummed it was also my dad's favorite because we kind of had to fight over it!

Some of the other flavors were a bit more intense for me and made me realize I wasn't probably the best tester because I don't like alcohol flavors or coffee flavors too much, but the good thing is that I have great friends and family who are much bigger fans of alcohol and coffee and they were more than willing to try these flavors for me.

In fact, one couple we had over tried some of the ice cream and walked off with the Cajun Rum and Raisin, the Brandy Milk Punch, and the Mississippi Debris. (Although I have to say, I was hesitant to let that Mississippi Debris go -- it was a a close second, full of everything and anything chocolate...)

My mom loved the Coffee and Chicory and the Chocolate City. I knew I wouldn't be a fan of the Coffee and Chicory, since I don't like coffee, but I was disappointed to taste coffee in the Chocolate City, which gave no indication in it's description that it too contained coffee and chicory. (For those of you wondering what chicory is, as I was, basically chicory has a similar flavor to coffee and is used as a coffee flavoring or as a coffee substitute.) Nonetheless, my mom was delighted in both flavors as she loves coffee and chocolate.

The Red Velvet Cake was one I really wanted to like, and while the description sounded so promising, there was something in the flavor that just wasn't working for me. The only thing I could think was the creole cream cheese ice cream.

The Toasted Coconut was light and yummy, but nothing as unique and outstanding as some of the other flavors in their line up. (Though the Toasted Coconut did come in their unique limited edition packaging done by a local artist, I believe, which made it stand out...)

A freezer case full of New Orleans Ice Cream Co.
Oh to be so lucky to have this near me...

Would I buy from the again? Yes, in a heartbeat.* The ice cream is rich and creamy, not at all icy. And this company has got to have the most unique flavors of cartoned ice cream I am aware of. In fact, I have a list of flavors I want to try: Lemon Doberge Cake, Mardi Gras Pie, Peach Melba, and Satsuma Dreamsicle. As well as have a taste of my heavenly Baked Alaska again.

*Why the asterisk? Because New Orleans Ice Cream Company products aren't even available within 1,000 miles of me! I love it but I don't know if I can afford the high price of shipping every time I want to eat it. But maybe for a treat or a birthday present? Husband? Yes? Thanks, New Orleans Ice Cream Company for the AWESOME samples, I just wish you hadn't turned me onto a product that's now so hard for me to get! Heehee!

Images courtesy of New Orleans Ice Cream Company.

Hood's Greek Frozen Yogurt

As I mentioned in our Scooper Bowl post, a month or so ago, the folks at Hood sent over some samples of their new Greek Frozen Yogurt.

What a treat!

Before tasting it, I was weary about the Double Chocolate Chip. I like chocolate yogurt, but never as much as fruit yogurt. I was very pleasantly surprised once I tried it. It was so good!

To me, honey and Greek frozen yogurt are a given. Honey and Greece just go hand-in-hand in my mind. I'm not sure why. Is Greece known for its honey? I don't know. But never mind that. I wasn't surprised buy the honey but the Honey Vanilla was my least favorite. Maybe it's because I don't actually love honey. This one was very honey-y! But this isn't to say it was bad. I enjoyed it. It just wouldn't be my "vanilla" of choice if faced with a variety of vanillas. But if I were offered it, would I turn it down? Never!

My favorite though? I brought the Raspberry Granola over to a friend's house when our kids had a playdate. What a mistake. As a good guest, I couldn't take the leftovers home. But I wanted to! The granola crunch was perfect paired with the raspberry swirl. (On a related note, I hate when my posts make me want to go out right away and buy the product in question...)

Lucky for me, as I write this, I still have an unopened quart of the Hood Greek Frozen Yogurt that I was able to bring up from the basement that I can review on the spot. Just a hit of the "soften ice cream" button on my microwave and we are good to go. (Yes, my microwave does have a "soften" button and ice cream is option number 2.)

Anyway, verdict is in: though I would have preferred to have the Raspberry Granola sitting in my freezer, the Blueberry that I just softened is quite good. It's refreshing. I have to admit though, it pales in comparison to one of my favorite flavors: Hood's Maine Blueberry and Sweet Cream. It's not the poor Greek Frozen Yogurt's fault -- Hood just already had a blueberry frozen treat that can't be topped!

A couple of years ago we were getting a lot of samples of tart frozen yogurt. I wasn't a huge fan. But this Greek frozen yogurt is something I can get on board with. It's rich, creamy, and sweet (not tart!) as I like my frozen treats to be. Hood's Greek Frozen Yogurt is definitely a treat and something I would most certainly buy again. Thanks, Hood!

P.S. While on the Hood site to link to their products, I got a little distracted by a giveaway so I went ahead and entered. I hope I win! I love Hoodsie Cups! I love the taste and the fond memories of kids bringing them in for their birthdays in elementary school, complete with wooden "spoon"!

Recipe Review: Kiwifruit Ice Cream

This summer I tried making kiwifruit ice cream. I altered the Kiwifruit Sherbet recipe in Ice Cream: The Perfect Weekend Treat. I didn't like it. It was so sour, maybe even bitter is a better word for it. I thought it was me, that maybe I didn't do a good job adjusting the recipe to my own needs. (I had added milk to the recipe because I like my sherbet to have some dairy in it, and the recipe only had sugar, kiwifruit and egg whites...but in the end, I had even added extra corn syrup before I froze it, because it seemed too sour...)

So when I had a bunch of kiwifruits from Costco ripening on my counter, and a new book (The Ice Cream Bible) with a kiwifruit ice cream recipe, I thought, "Hey, let's give it a shot."

Same sour result.

I have a friend that loves sour. I am interested to know what she thinks. I was not a fan.

I'll try other recipes from this book though -- it looks very promising. More reviews to follow. Thanks for the gift, Rach!

Schwan's Part Deux

I'm sitting here watching the rain pound down outside. (Is this now only a tropical storm and not a hurricane? Either way, it's quite a show, Mother Nature...) I'm craving ice cream. What's new? Unfortunately, I am not sure Schwan's delivers this quickly and I'll bet they aren't even delivering in this weather...I'm particularly craving Schwan's Loaded Waffle Cone Peanut Butter Swirl ice cream.

Back in June we got an email from Schwan's asking if we'd like to try some samples of their new summer flavors. Of course. I'd never heard of Schwan's before but Husband had. I think it's from Minnesota and that's why he is familiar with it. A quick check to their "history" page confirms I am correct:

It all started back on Tuesday March 18, 1952, when 23-year-old Marvin Schwan packed up his beat-up 1946 Dodge panel van with 14 gallons of his family's signature ice cream with a plan to deliver it to rural families in western Minnesota...

It has happened more than once than we have gotten samples from somewhere I have never heard of and Husband was familiar with them because they were a Minnesotan company. 

A couple of months ago, we got a package from Schwan's Home Delivery. They sent the ice cream cake that Tina wrote about and two cartons of ice cream.

I digress. So anyway we got a carton of the aforementioned Loaded Waffle Cone Peanut Butter Swirl ice cream as well as “Monkeying Around” Banana ice cream, "the winning flavor from [their] Facebook contest last summer." 

I liked the Monkeying Around, but I am not a huge huge fan of banana ice cream, and even the chocolate covered bananas and graham cracker swirl could convince me that it was going to be a favorite. Husband really liked it though, as did a friend who is a huge banana anything fan.

For me I was taken by the Loaded Waffle Cone Peanut Butter Swirl. I loved the peanut butter swirls and the fudge covered cone. I love in ice cream how the peanut butter hardens but isn't too hard...The fudge surrounding the waffle cone kept the cone from getting too soggy, as can be a problem with once-crispy mix-ins. And "loaded" it was. Schwan's does not skimp on the mix-ins.

I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed to be the polite daughter-in-law and tell my father-in-law he could finish the Loaded Waffle Cone Peanut Butter Swirl. But I was a great daughter-in-law, let him finish it, and I hope I get brownie -- er, um, ice cream -- points for that!

Since it's delivery, it seems like their prices are a bit on the higher side than you might find for a carton you'd buy at the store, but c'mon -- ice cream delivered to your door?! I think it's worth the extra buck. I'll definitely be hitting up Schwan's again sometime in the near future. 

Storm's letting up. Do you think they'll deliver in this wind!?

Review: Nudo, Newton, MA

My dear friend Nicole works in Newton. For the past few years we have been meeting pretty much weekly to go for a walk. Nicole is six months pregnant and keeps threatening to stop working when the baby is born. I am selfishly saddened by the fact that she won't be so close for our regular walks, and this was compounded when she took me to the new gelato place by her work. What?! We can't go for gelato weekly?!

Nudo is a small shop on Watertown Street in Newton. It's a small shop that has a European feel to it as well as a charming, friendly staff with a great sense of humor. Oh, and did I mention that their gelato is really good?

Nicole and I each ordered small raspberry blood orange gelato (I had still been deciding when she offered me a taste of hers and I was completely taken). It actually reminded me more of a very creamy sorbet, but who cared what it was or wasn't called? It was sweet, but incredibly refreshing -- perfect after our walk in the hot noontime sun.

Nudo is definitely worth more visits. Nicole, you can leave your job to have that baby of yours, but let's make the most of the next four months and make lots of trips to Nudo!

Photo of Nudo storefront from the Nudo website.

[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]