Jeni's Ice Creams are Truly Splendid, as Advertised

My sister knows I'm trying to lower my fat intake but still helpfully sends me this photo from the grocery store:

Yup, all-butter cookies. I think I'll pass on those. Jeni's Ice Creams, however, are another story.


I read so many food blogs that I don't remember where I first learned about Jeni's. One day this spring I noticed Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge started carrying this new ice cream line, but didn't think much of it. Only recently Formaggio tweeted that they had a new batch of Jeni's ice creams in that I coincidentally read a review that raved over the the unusual flavor of Strawberry Buttermilk. The artisanal quality behind its production is apparent on their website:

"Each batch of Jeni's ice creams is carefully tended to; each flavor artfully achieved with fresh ingredients found in the Ohio countryside as well as responsibly-raised exotics from around the world. All of Jeni's ice creams, sauces, pralines and marshmallows are handcrafted in Jeni's production kitchen in Columbus, Ohio."

It was enough to convince me to try it, so off we went to Formaggio. The selection wasn't quite this bountiful (this picture is from Jeni's blog http://www.saltycaramel.com/), but there were enough flavors for my husband and I to become indecisive. We settled on both a signature ice cream flavor (Salty Caramel) and the Riesling Poached Pear sorbet.

It was an indulgent decision to go with two pints, and I'm glad I didn't know the price beforehand because they ended up being $13 each!!! I don't think we've ever paid that much for ice cream. It's a good thing we're not the type of people who can eat a carton in one sitting (my husband is very good at rationing a half cup for each of us to eat or whatever the recommended serving size is) because that is one expensive dessert. I do think it's worth it - the Salty Caramel is a little stronger tasting of burnt sugar than I expected but not offensively so. The pear sorbet is to die for though - intense pear flavor with a creamy consistency, not icy and grainy as is the case with many sorbets. I think it has to do with the tapioca in their recipe since there's no dairy. This is probably going to become my low-fat treat, and to heck with the expense.


P.S. As a side rant, I am a really sucky computer programmer. It took me forever to get this formatted the way I wanted, thank goodness for web forums. Is it just me or is Blogger not the most intuitive? In any case, please click the photos above to take you to the linked websites - that was the technical challenge of the day.