Ice Cream – Page 56 – The Impulsive Buy

REVIEW: Baskin-Robbins Movie Theater Popcorn Ice Cream

Adam / January 14, 2014 / Reviews / 4 Comments

Lights! Camera! Popcorn! Ice Cream?

Wait a second there, Spielberg. I get that with the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, and Critics’ Choice awards packed into a two week span, January has become the de facto tie-in month for food branding to take a stroll down the red carpet. But you do realize, don’t you, that it’s January. As in, we just had a freaking polar vortex January. You’ve got to have something unique and unbelievably tasty to get me to put frozen stuff into my already frozen body in January.

Well, at the risk of also making January the de facto month for predictable food blogging puns, this year’s award for the best new ice cream flavor undoubtedly goes to Baskin-Robbins’ Movie Theater Popcorn Ice Cream.

I’ve got to give Baskin-Robbins credit. They do this whole “Flavor of the Month” and it’s usually something we’ve seen before – another Marvel comic book movie, if you will. A little chocolate here, some crushed up cookies there; sometimes, when they really go out on a limb, they might even add some fruit or fudge (edgy, I know.)

There’s nothing wrong with these flavors, but then again they’re hardly game-changing. Spider Man saves the world again but loses MJ? Bah! Seen it. Throw in the fact that my local Baskin-Robbins employees seem to take it as a personal insult when asked to walk the three steps from their station on the Dunkin’ Donuts side of the store to scoop ice cream on the Baskin-Robbins side, and it takes a lot for me to really get excited about their Flavor of the Month.

This month has been different. Between my unbound love of all things salty and sweet and my own experiments making kettle corn ice cream at home, I was cautiously optimistic that the film-inspired flavor would deliver just the right balance of sweet, salty, crunchy, and creamy – the fantastic four of texture and flavor, if you will.

The off-beat flavor not only delivered that elusive combination, it embodied it almost as well as Tom Hanks captured Richard Phillips in Captain Phillips. It all starts with the popcorn pieces, which, interestingly enough, are made from rice. Weird, right? Well, they don’t exactly look like perfectly popped and fluffy pieces of popcorn (actually, they have a stained gold color that familiar to those who drown their popcorn at the theater’s butter dispensers), but they sure have that buttery corn taste.

For you popcorn aficionados, consider these almost like little glazed nuggets of kettle corn, except with more butter. And more butter is always better, even in the case of ice cream. It’s almost toffee-like in its effect, providing a sweet crunch that stays remarkably brittle even in the extra creamy ice cream.

What’s more, there were no signs of ice crystals or other textural defects that sometimes come with larger mix-ins. About the size of a penny, the already salty-sweet popcorn flavored crisps get an extra shot of salty-sweet from the salted caramel swirl, which also adds an element of smooth dulce de leche-like viscosity to the ice cream. The whole flavor profile, with a depth of sweetness and hint of browned butter and salt, even elevates the lowly cake cone. Like a nominee for best supporting actress or actor, the cone actually takes on an element of – and I realize this sounds weird – pound cake flavor when eaten with the creamy, buttery ice cream base.

Granted, I like ice cream. But it takes a lot to get me to really, really, really like ice cream in January. But, as Brooklyn Nine-Nine pulled out a stunning surprise as the best new comedy at the Golden Globes (hilarious show, by the way), so Baskin Robbins’ Movie Theater Popcorn ice cream steals the show amidst over some otherwise worthy ice cream flavors. I just hope they bring it back in, shall we say, more conducive months for ice cream eating.

(Nutrition Facts – 2.5 oz scoop – 170 calories, 80 calories from fat, 9 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 95 milligrams of sodium, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 0 gram of dietary fiber, 15 grams of sugars, and 3 grams of protein.)

Item: Baskin-Robbins Movie Theater Popcorn Ice Cream
Purchased Price: $1.99
Size: 2.5 oz Kid’s Scoop
Purchased at: Baskin-Robbins
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Crunchy, buttery, salty-sweet popcorn pieces have a toffee-like effect. Plentiful salted caramel swirl. Creamy, clean mouthfeel. Raising the mere cake cone to the herculean dessert height of pound cake.
Cons: Eating ice cream in January. Predictable film puns. Awesome source of saturated fat.

REVIEW Ben & Jerry’s Limited Batch Ron Burgundy’s Scotchy Scotch Scotch Ice Cream

Jasper / November 7, 2013 / Reviews / 5 Comments

The first Anchorman movie – technically, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy – came out the summer of 2004. The world was a very different place back then.

Steve Carell was still a correspondent on The Daily Show. Adam McKay and Will Ferrell were just beginning their comedic partnership. And I was constantly saying, “I love scotch, scotchy, scotch, scotch, here it goes down, down into my belly” despite having consumed alcohol just one single time in my life. (Bacardi 151 in my friend Josh’s basement before a Sweet 16 party. I couldn’t believe alcohol tasted that awful and swore that I’d never touch the stuff again.)

Things have certainly evolved since then. Steve Carell is a bona fide movie star. The McKay/Ferrell team has created Ricky Bobby, the Funny or Die website, and that video of the adorable little girl cursing out Will Ferrell. Single malt scotches are now my drink of choice – I’m writing this review with a bottle of Glenlivet 15 year on my desk.

One thing that hasn’t changed: I still routinely say “scotchy scotch scotch” whenever I drink anything out of a whiskey glass. More generally, I’ve probably never gone a week without quoting Anchorman at any point in the last decade, and, for a certain demographic, phrases like “I’m in a glass case of emotion” and “60% of the time, it works every time” are now among the most recognizable idioms in the American lexicon. (Full disclosure: I just spent 30 minutes deciding which Anchorman quotes to use in the previous sentence. I imagine that’s what picking your favorite child is like, if all your children were hilarious, perfectly delivered, and always extended you invitations to the pants party.)

All of which is to say, we are long overdue for a new Anchorman movie. With Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues coming out soon, I am absolutely willing to support any and all Anchorman-related promotional tie-ins, especially if they callback my favorite quote and incorporate my favorite liquor. (I’m also planning to test drive a Dodge Durango this weekend.) Last night I purchased a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Ron Burgundy’s Scotchy Scotch Scotch ice cream with great excitement.

In preparation for eating some scotch-flavored ice cream, I had created a whole list of moderately pompous scotch-related adjectives to use in this review. (In my mind, that ice cream’s late palate was going to be complex and peaty, with an oaky yet balanced finish.) Alas, Scotchy Scotch Scotch actually has no scotch flavoring; rather, it’s butterscotch ice cream with butterscotch swirl. I got over my initial disappointment and tried a couple scoops anyway.

Scotchy Scotch Scotch is very tasty in small servings but likely too rich to be enjoyable in larger doses. The butterscotch ice cream base was extremely creamy, sweet, and flavorful. That base by itself would have already done butterscotch proud, but then I got a taste of the crunchy ribbons of candy and, boy, that escalated quickly.

The experience was almost nostalgia-inducing, given how much the ice cream tasted like a Werther’s Original butterscotch. I really liked the textural contrast between the cream and the butterscotch candy bits, but altogether it was relentlessly sweet. I could’ve used some saltiness or sourness to add a little balance, à la Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby or Cherry Garcia.

I wouldn’t recommend you buy a whole pint, but if you happen to be near a Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop, you should definitely drop by and try a scoop of Ron Burgundy’s Scotchy Scotch Scotch. In small servings, it’ll take you to Pleasure Town. (Yes, I really had to drop in one last Anchorman quote. Don’t act like you’re not impressed.)

(Nutrition Facts – 1/2 cup – 280 calories, 150 calories from fat, 17 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 70 milligrams of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 29 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 27 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.)

Item: Ben & Jerry’s Limited Batch Ron Burgundy’s Scotchy Scotch Scotch Ice Cream
Purchased Price: $6.50
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Ice cream base was flavorful, sweet, and creamy. Crunchy candy swirl provides great textural contrast. Tastes just like a butterscotch hard candy. Single malt scotch. Those Dodge Durango commercials. Anchorman 2 is coming soon!
Cons: Relentlessly sweet. Could’ve used some saltiness or sourness. Not actually scotch flavored. Scotch-related pomposity. Picking your favorite child. Bacardi 151. Using Anchorman quotes way too frequently.

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream

REVIEW: Coolhaus Louis Ba-Kahn Ice Cream Sandwich

Margaret / October 22, 2013 / Reviews / 5 Comments

In 1992, my mom fell into the craze that was the Bacon Wave, and when you have a dishwasher-friendly, $19.99 reusable rack specifically devoted to making pork products in 60 seconds, there is no reason not to have pounds of crispy pig belly coming out of that microwave as often as possible.

It was during these breakfasts that Cupid struck my knees, knuckles, and toes with 28 arrows, all of which were directed at ways to enjoy bacon. I had it on sandwiches, astride pancakes and waffles, with syrup, without syrup, in grilled cheeses, between Pop-Tarts, chased with eggs, covered in cinnamon roll goo, and in its simple, unmasked, curvy-crispy form. Yes, I had bacon in all these ways, but never in an ice cream sandwich.

Until today.

Lo and behold, a company has mass-produced an ice cream sandwich that a) is roughly the size of a mastadon’s kneecap and b) contains bacon. Yes, indeedee, smashed in those two giganto-mongous discs is Coolhaus’s Louis Ba-kahn, an ice cream sandwich composed of chocolate chip cookies and brown butter and candied bacon ice cream.

Cue the trombones and the trumpets. Heck, pull out the entire wind orchestra, because this ice cream sings. If Ben and Jerry’s could be considered super premium ice cream, this stuff would be ultra super mega platinum premium ice cream (or some other absurdly adjective-filled variant thereof). This softball-sized scoop melts slower than me on the way to a dentist appointment, allowing the consumer to take his/her glorious time. Taking a bite sans bacon, this crème de la vache has a presiding taste of sweet, sugary cream with a backdrop of vanilla.

Tasted on its own, the brown butter flavor of the ice cream eludes me, but when eaten with the brown sugar chocolate chip cookie, the nuttiness of the butter smooshes with the brown sugar in the cookie to create some nutty, sweet gastronomical frenzy. It is here that I realize I am embarking on an ice cream frontier not even Bear Grylls has trekked before. Every bite highlights the thick custard. This is not made by a waif Skinny Cow. This must be a Paul Bunyan cow: a big, friendly bovine living a happy life munching on daisies in a field somewhere.

But brown butter bacon ice cream cannot live without its Porky Pig compatriot. Luckily, small crispy bacon speckles are given a generous showing. These little dots of joy retain the look and feel of sprinkles, adding salt-and-smoke speckles throughout. It’s magic. I’m convinced this is the stuff Peter Pan’s pixie dust is made of.

And let us not forget the vessel of delivery: the chocolate chip cookies. This particular riff has a soft crumb, yet remains pliable, sturdy, and doughy enough to hold the mini mountain of ice cream inside (no small feat). Unfortunately, the chocolate chips in the cookie are too scarce to contribute their cocoa glow, but the vanilla bacon brown sugar combination is enough to make up for the loss.

Is this a good ice cream sandwich? You bet, but, considering the price tag, I’d encourage it to push itself just a smidge further. Bacon, while beautiful, can be an assertive flavor and, at times, I found it overshadowing the sensitive vanilla and brown butter, which made me sad. There is no need for sadness here. Something to bring back the sweet nuttiness, maybe a peanut butter swirl or a cinnamon sugar cookie, might’ve kept the sweet-and-nutty flavors in check with the bacon.

But I’m nit-picking here. In the end, Coolhaus delivered a solid, innovative showing. At over 500 calories, my doctor might dub this a, “sometimes food,” but you know what they say: live life to the fullest because you never know when you’ll get smooshed by a display of canned tuna. So go out there, avoid getting smooshed, and maybe eat some bacon brown butter ice cream while you’re at it.

(Nutrition Facts – 520 calories, 250 calories from fat, 26 grams of fat, 15 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 0 milligrams of potassium, 62 grams of carbohydrates, 4 gram of dietary fiber, 46 grams of sugars, and 8 grams of protein.)

Item: Coolhaus Louis Ba-Kahn Ice Cream Sandwich
Purchased Price: $4.89
Size: 1 sandwich
Purchased at: Whole Foods
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Loads of ice cream. Bacon sprinkles. Nutty, salty vanilla cream. Cookies actually hold giganto scoop of ice cream. Innovative. Made from happy cows. Reasons to buy a Bacon Wave.
Cons: Brown butter flavor can get muddled. Cookies could use more chocolate chips. Pricey. Getting smooshed by canned goods. Dentist appointments.

Coolhaus Ice Cream

QUICK REVIEW: Mikawaya Lychee Exottics Gourmet Ice Cream

Marvo / October 15, 2013 / Reviews / 1 Comment

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Nijiya Market
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Spot on lychee flavor. Not overly sweet. Wonderful way to enjoy lychee when it’s not in season. Airiness makes it easier to scoop. If I had no willpower, it would be gone in 15 minutes. Oh wait, I don’t have any willpower. Will someone please take this pint away from me?
Cons: Why are there two T’s? Why aren’t there three X’s? Not as creamy as premium ice cream, like Häagen-Dazs. Airiness gives it a texture similar to frozen dairy dessert. Its bright white color may blind you if the sun hits it at the right angle. Might be difficult to find.

Nutrition Facts: 1/2 cup – 150 calories, 70 calories from fat, 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 50 milligrams of sodium, 13 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar, 3 grams of protein, 6% vitamin A, and 10% calcium.

Ice Cream Mikawaya

REVIEW: Taco Bell Chocolate Taco Dessert Kit

Marvo / September 19, 2013 / Reviews / 6 Comments

Holy (insert here favorite/most used way to express excitement or surprise)!

I imagine that’s what many will think loudly or yell in the middle of Walmart after seeing the Taco Bell Chocolate Taco Dessert Kit on the shelf. I yelled “Holy Tofu” when I saw a picture of them.

Sure, you could head over to the freezer aisle and buy a box of pre-made Klondike Choco Tacos, but there’s no fun in that. With this kit, you can let your inner fattie go crazy like she or he got dropped in the middle of Wonka’s chocolate factory. The box provides you with six chocolate taco shells, chocolate sauce, and colorful sprinkles; you bring the ice cream, whatever ingredients your sugar hungry-head wants, and the giddiness of making your own dessert taco.

I showed restraint and picked up just vanilla ice cream and whipped cream to replicate what’s on the box. However, I do have a second box and every time I think about what nasty things I’m going to do with that second set of chocolate taco shells my teeth and liver gets scared.

If you do pick up a Taco Bell Chocolate Taco Dessert Kit, you may end up with broken taco shells, much like other reviewers and I did (I ended up with four mostly intact shells). This, I imagine, will make some children cry, but it’s not a complete waste, because you know the old saying, when life gives you broken chocolate taco shells, make chocolate nachos.

I decided to use Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream because I thought it would be appropriate to use ice cream that’s not Danish with a taco kit from a company that’s not Mexican. If you have surgeon hands, stuffing ice cream into the taco shell will be easy peasy. If you’re naturally rough when handling delicate things, there’s a good chance you’re eating chocolate nachos, because the shells are quite fragile. An iced tea spoon is an ideal ice cream stuffing utensil to use, if your Rubbermaid utensil organizer happens to have one.

Biting into a completed dessert taco is very much like sinking your teeth into s’mores or human flesh–it quickly gets messy. Because of the very fragile chocolate shells and soft filling, one bite causes other parts of the shell to collapse. I estimate these dessert tacos are three or four times messier than eating a Taco Bell Crunchy Taco Supreme, so I’d recommend eating them over a large plate, in a shower, or sneak into a stranger’s house where you don’t have to clean up after yourself.

The chocolate shell’s color is a bit deceiving. With its dark color you might think it’s like eating a Cocoa Pebbles taco shell, but I have some bad news. There’s a sweetness to them, but the chocolate is hard to detect. Although, that’s not surprising since Taco Bell’s Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos also have shells with not much flavor. The dark brown shells also have a slightly stale texture, which seems strange for a product that just hit shelves, and a corn tortilla chip aftertaste.

When you’re making your dessert taco and squeezing out chocolate sauce from its packet, I recommend following the same instructions you’d find on a bottle of sunscreen–apply liberally. Doing so will help you not notice the corn chip aftertaste too often. As for the candy sprinkles, they give the dessert tacos color, texture, and partially hydrogenated oil.

A constructed Taco Bell Chocolate Taco mostly works. The taco shell’s crunch combined with the cool and creamy ice cream, gooey chocolate sauce, and airy whipped cream creates waves of textures. The chocolate taco shell could’ve used a bit more cocoa flavoring, but that one shortcoming can be hidden by adding a bit more chocolate sauce or stuffing the shell with an ice cream that’s a bit more exciting than vanilla.

Overall, I liked the Taco Bell Chocolate Taco Dessert Kit, even though, to be honest, the chocolate taco shells are the only thing special about it. It was fun to make and the end result was satisfying…and messy…but slightly more satisfying than messy.

Note: Thanks to Impulsive Buy reader Jonathan for sending me two Taco Bell Chocolate Taco Dessert Kits and one Taco Bell Cinnamon Nachos Dessert Kit. I really appreciate it. Well, my teeth and liver don’t, but all the other body parts do.

(Nutrition Facts – 1/6 package with 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream and 2 Tbsp whipped cream – 260 calories, 110 calories from fat, 12 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat*, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 24 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.)

*made with partially hydrogenated oils

Item: Taco Bell Chocolate Taco Dessert Kit
Purchased Price: $2.50
Size: 5.82 oz.
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Makes a decent dessert taco. The excitement of coming up with your own dessert taco idea. Enough sprinkles and chocolate sauce to apply liberally to six tacos. Chocolate sauce helps taco shell’s shortcoming. The different ingredients creates waves of textures. Being optimistic and making chocolate nachos when life gives your broken chocolate taco shells.
Cons: Taco shells are fragile and you may end up with broken ones after opening the kit. Messy to eat. The chocolate taco shells are the only thing special about the kit. Taco shell has a corn tortilla chip aftertaste and could use a bit more cocoa flavoring. A bit difficult to stuff shells with ice cream without the right utensils.

Ice Cream Taco Bell