My name is Bob. (Hello Bob)
I am an ice cream-junkie. Mine is the addiction that consumes half-gallons in record time.
I can stop. It's easiest to stop when the half-gallon is empty. I make promises to myself. No more. Give it a rest. Time out.
But then... it HAS been hot and I just crave something cold and sweet. I concoct some rationalization that I DESERVE ice cream.
And so, having lived all over, having eaten ice cream all over, and having a passion for the subject, here is my ice cream breakdown. Ice cream is basically several elements mixed in various combinations: sweetness, creaminess, airiness, and strength of flavor.
Sweetness.
This is the jolt of sweet you get. It can lean sugary or syrupy. I can't remember the name of the company, but in Buffalo you could get this WONDERFUL sweet ice cream. Very sugary and a great combination of everything else. Less creamy than the creamiest, which is good, because you don't want a fight to break out between a snap of sweetness and creaminess.
Creaminess.
You'd expect creamy to equate with cream a la cow, but it is more. Emulsifiers or other chemical treats can make things froth, and have the touch of creamy, but it ain't.
It's better when the creaminess is bovine.
The difference between custard and ice cream is because custard has more butter fat, which is like cream, but is a part of cream.
Airiness.
More air = less weight = less stuff = more profit. Really ruins the taste. Haagen Dazs, for example, is dense, probably at one end of the scale of dense to light 'n' airy. Store brands seem to tend to airy. I think it's the mark of cheapness. More air, less cow.
Suddenly, it's ice MILK as the butter fat drops and there seems to be a watery consistency.
Strength of Flavor.
Blue Bell, here in Austin, is made just down the road in Brenham, is world class to my taste, and slightly muted in flavor. That can tease you into having seconds and even thirds because it's not as an extreme sensation as it'd be if the flavor was more amped up. Baskin-Robbins is stronger. I think Blue Bell is very close to as good as it gets.
I once had home-made pepper ice cream. A dry dry moisture content complimented the peppery overlay perfectly. The moisture approached Gelato, but dry. Maybe it was colder.
Various brands vary in their flavor strength. Baskin Robbins is stronger than Blue Bell.
I like ice cream hard, but then I let it melt and eat the melt first.
I am addicted. (Hello Bob)
About nuts.
Nuts are not ice cream. They take up space that could be ice cream. Put em on if you like at home, but leave nuts, marshmallows, ball bearings, marbles and bbs out of ice cream you are selling me.
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