New Orleans Ice Cream Co. Mint Chocolate Cookie

One of the difficult things about being a critic of anything — whether it be sports, food, fashion, awful fall TV shows — is that you sometimes have to say less than stellar things about people and companies. Go ahead and paint corporations or certain people as selfish, greedy, and blah blah blah, but having come from a background in writing, I’ve come to understand that most people are, well people. And after several life-changing experiences with many different kinds of people, including a Church mission trip to help rebuild homes — and peoples’ lives — destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, I’ve steadily come to believe most people are fundamentally good.

Kind of like how, despite being let down by a lackluster showing by their Mississippi Debris flavor, I’m coming around to the idea that New Orleans Ice Cream Company’s flavors are fundamentally good. Very good.

One of my major gripes with Mississippi Debris was that its many mix-ins detracted from the texture of the ultra-premium chocolate ice cream, leaving me with no coherent sense of a complete bite. It’s a problem, because for someone who doesn’t want to down more than 2-3 scoops at a time, it adds up to getting an incomplete texture and flavor experience. With an ice cream philosophy forged in the simplicity of fresh dairy exposed by the Utah State Creamery and Aggie Ice Cream, I lean towards flavors that maximize mix-ins to provide coverage for each spoonful, while at the same time appealing to a classic flavor and textural contrast which still allows the ice cream base to shine.

Mint Chocolate Cookie not only embodies this philosophy, but it does so for a great cause. You see, not only is New Orleans Ice Cream Co. working to bring great taste to ice cream lovers across the country, but they’re giving back to real people who need real help by donating a portion of their sales to the Make it Right Foundation. That Foundation is working to help rebuild the city of New Orleans from the devastation experienced during 2005′s Hurricane Katrina. And as someone who is only six months removed from visiting and working to rebuild that devastation on the Gulf Coast, I can tell firsthand that there are still a lot of people in need of any and all the help they can get.

So let’s talk about this ice cream then, and why, just seconds after my trying a spoonful it for the first time, I was ready to proclaim it the best tasting mint flavored ice cream I’ve ever had. It starts, obviously, with the cream itself. It’s smooth and sumptuous, with a texture that slowly melts in your mouth with the bright and herby essence of mint. Sweet and floral, rich and creamy, there are no off flavors or ice crystals to stand in the way of the milky fresh flavor.

If the cream is good, the mix-in is great. The use of mint cookies in place of the classic mint chocolate chips can’t be overstated in terms of creating an effective and tasty contrast. The cookies themselves are crunchier than any cookie I’ve ever encountered in ice cream, with an exterior snap and sweet-floral flavor which  could have come out of those iconic green Girl Scout cookie boxes themselves. The pieces are large and dispersed with adequate frequency, ensuring each spoonfuls gets a piece of the mint cookie action. I did notice the cookies lose the distinctive snap after a few days in the freezer, but such is the cost of moderation.

If you’re a fan of Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream you’re going to love this flavor. It’s base is as good as they come, while the mix in of thick and crunchy chocolate-mint cookies really sets it over the edge. Just keep out of the reach of your local neighborhood Girl Scout leader. This is one ice cream that can’t be good for their business. That’s OK. It’s good in my belly, and it’s good for the people of New Orleans. Win-win, anyone?

Ranking: 9/10.

‘Nutty Nanna from Turkey Hill

Can we talk about two of my favorite things for a second? No, not Star Wars or Rex Burkhead, but rather I speak of Bananas and Pajamas Ice Cream. We’ve already seen Rita’s Italian Ice and Breyer’s launch Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Creams in recent weeks, and now, it looks like Turkey Hill is getting in on the bandwagon. I consider this only a positive, because thanks to all the potato chips I’ve been eating in recent weeks, I could use some freaking potassium in my life.

One of the things I like about Turkey Hill is that I can consistently buy their ice cream for $2.50 per 1.5 ounce quart. When you’re part of a family which goes through ice cream like it was calorie free, this kind of economic sense just makes sense. But the other thing I love about Turkey Hill is that they devote quit a bit of energy into developing Limited Edition releases that correspond to the seasons.

Taking a look at their 2012 schedule, I noticed one of June’s offerings is ‘Nutty Nanny. A somewhat confusing moniker that shouldn’t be confused with the crazy grandmother from the Beverly Hillbilly’s, it’s actually “banana frozen yogurt with toffee-covered almonds.” Given my love of all things toffee, it was clearly game over when I noticed it at the grocery store the other day.

We’re all food people here so let’s skip to the point and assume the obvious. Banana is one of those tastes (like blueberry) which is exceptionally difficult to authenticate under the guise of “natural and artificial flavors.” It’s not only that it has cloying sense of artificial ripeness that more often than not does an injustice to actual bananas, but there seems to be an almost odor like ability of isoamyl acetate to hang in the roof of your mouth.

Some people find this taste and smell combination to be gag-inducing. Thanks to plenty of Runts as a child, I admit I’m somewhat fond of it.

‘Nutty Nanna’s base is both real and slightly artificial. Real in that you can detect the presence of pureed bananas in the texture of the frozen yogurt, but artificial in the sense that it tastes a lot sweeter and more assertive than any banana I’ve had recently. Given that I ate a banana while also eating this frozen yogurt, I have full authority to claim this. Still, the banana flavor is not distractingly artificial, and thanks to what can only be described as an asteroid field of toffee covered almonds, it can be endured even by the most artificial flavor phobic of ice cream eaters.

This is where the frozen yogurt makes its money. Forget peanuts, the toffee covered almonds have a crunchy and toasted richness that gets an interesting twist from a honey glaze, and given the sheer amount, there’s no way the fat content is as low on this as the container claims. Not that I’m complaining. On its own, the banana flavor is average, run-of-the-mill, and wouldn’t lead me to purchase this flavor again. But given the unique puree banana texture and the contrasting richness and crunchy almonds, you’re really getting one of the more unique frozen yogurt creations out.

I’m impressed. While a big downside is the fast melting process, there havne’t been any ice crystal pop-ups yet, and the texture remains gum-free to my senses. Solid job Turkey Hill. Now all they’ve gotta work on is coming up with some better names.

Turkey Hill Nutty ‘Nanna

• Price: $2.50 (On sale at Weis)
• Rating: 7.5/10
• Chances I’ll Buy Again: 60%

My First Taste of Talenti

My apologies if I don’t get around to responding to all your comments. It’s been a busy and stress-filled week here in the house, but know that I appreciate all the feedback!

There are many a consumer food trends that perplex me. The obsequious following Ben and Jerry’s has developed among the internet’s ice cream eaters among them, I typically look with intrigue on Super Premium ice cream with both a  hearty dose of skepticism and self-righteous sense of ice cream egalitarianism. It’s as if I turn my head to anything in the $3.50+ range for a pint, instead choosing the virtues of good old fashioned American industry. You know, like the kind they show on Modern Movels Food Tech. What can I say, I’m not like most food bloggers.

But I’m far from close minded in my exploration of the freezer aisle. Case in point, my first taste of Talenti Gelato.

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to win a contest through Talenti in which I received several coupons for their products. At first I didn’t know where to use them, but when my local Giant started carrying pints of Talenti, I knew a tasting was in order. My first purchase? Black Cherry Amarena.

The first thing I notice in the sweet taste of milk and the incredibly smooth texture. The sweetness is clean and bright, and despite a cherry “swirl” the flavor of fresh, juicy black cherries comes through in full force throughout the entire container. The cherries themselves are plentiful and slightly chewy, intensifying in flavor as the smooth and sweet gelato slowly melts around them. There’s no grit to speak of in the gelato, with each lick providing an incredibly rich mouthfeel that makes a few spoonfuls the perfect after dinner treat.

My only complaint is that the flavor is a little too sweet, but otherwise Talenti manages to provide a super premium frozen treat without the fat (only nine grams per 100 gram serving). It’s fresh, indulgent, and unbelievably smooth and creamy, and even without the coupon, probably worth a splurge purchase. Just so long as I keep it away from my ice cream devouring dad.

• Price: $4.99 (Giant)
• Ranking: 9/10
• Chances I’d Buy Again: 100%