Chow Time: Luxe Ice Cream for Anytime of the Year
It maybe getting cooler… but artisanal ice cream is the perfect dessert year-round. And as my close friends know, I never considered myself a lover of ice cream even in the summer. I’m generally a warm food person and will take a slice of chocolate cake right out of the oven over a bowl of ice cream any day. But recently my indifference for ice cream has morphed into pure passion. How did this happen? I have a handful of skilled and incredibly talented ice cream makers to thank.
My good friend Natasha introduced me to Jeni’s and the unconventional flavors available with artisanal ice cream. Up until my Jeni’s experience in 2010, I didn’t realize you could put sea salt, cayenne, chili, pepitas, olive oil, or curry in ice cream.
Don’t turn up your nose to savory flavors in your dessert until you give Jeni’s a try. You’ll find yourself wondering why you hadn’t thought of it yourself!
My favorite flavors: Bangkok peanut pint & Wildberry Lavender Pint
Where to buy: Grocery stores, speciality shops, and online
Milk, cream, egg yolks, sea salt, and cane sugar are the primary ingredients to this to-die-for ice cream by Batch. Every spoonful envelopes your tongue and explodes with taste and with flavors like ginger, salted caramel, and cinnamon with chocolate bits, why would you ever go back to the mass produced stuff again.
The owners, Susie & Veronica, pride themselves on using “real ingredients,” many of which are local or Fair Trade. You’ll never see the likes of guar gum, corn syrup, extracts, or flavorings, but you will taste real cinnamon, vanilla beans and their own handmade caramel.
My favorite flavors: Salted caramel & Green Tea
Where to buy: Grocery stores & speciality stores in Massachusetts
A family friend and ice cream connoisseur said Graeter’s makes the best ice cream he’d ever tasted. The best ice cream? Yes. I was told that the 140-year-old American company produces the crème de la crème of frozen decadence. Well, who could resist such a recommendation?
CEO Rich Graeter (a descendant of the founder) explained what makes his ice cream unique is the process. The company makes all its ice cream in small 2-gallon batches using a French Pot process that was used by the founding Graeters. The result is a richer, creamier ice cream.
My favorite flavors: Pumpkin (seasonal), Black raspberry chip, and Coconut Chip
Where to buy: Grocery stores, speciality shops, online
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