Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream
Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream, based out of Columbus, Ohio, blends French patisserie technique with American farm to table sensibilities and the results are delicious. Focussing on flavor rather than sugar, each of Jeni's ice creams are hand crafted with seasonal ingredients from local purveyors or with responsibly produced exotic spices and produce. Everything going into her ice cream is top notch, so you can look forward to a delicious mouthful every time. Luckily for me, Jeni ships her ice cream domestically! Yay for a full freezer! Her ice cream hardly lasted the shoot, let alone the weekend, so I'll be replenishing soon. Enjoy!
Queen City Cayenne
The most famous of their flavors, Queen City Cayenne is a silky milk chocolate ice cream with a hint of cinnamon and a big fat punch of cayenne on the finish. The spice is surprising but addicting, and you'll find yourself spooning through a pint in no time. Look below for a recipe for my own Milk Chocolate Cayenne Ice Cream, enjoy!
Gooey Butter CakeA mid-western staple, this cake is a Frankentstein mixture of yellow box cake batter, cream cheese, and a ton of powdered sugar. Your teeth will hurt, but you'll suffer through it for another bite. Jeni's version is soaked in a brown sugar caramel sauce and blended in a honey butter ice cream, so it's a decidedly sophisticated twist on the bake sale classic.
Roxbury RoadA sleeker version of Rocky Road, Jeni's is made with rich dark chocolate ice cream, the classic marshmallows and toasted almonds, and a ribbon of brown sugar caramel.
Wildberry LavenderWhen I first bit into this, I was expecting a burst of berry tartness followed by the lavender sneaking in at the end, instead, I got citrus. Lots and lots of citrus. Which isn't a bad thing, just unexpected when you're bracing for berries and flowers. I checked the ingredient list. Orange. So the next time I took a bite, it wasn't like missing that last step on the staircase. It was bright, flavorful, and delicious. Perfect with mixed berries and stone fruit in the summertime.
Milk Chocolate Cayenne Pepper Ice Cream
8 ounces dark milk chocolate (at least 35% cacao) or a combo of semi sweet and milk, chopped
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks, lightly stirred
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a saucepan or double boiler, melt the chocolate. Separately, warm the sugar, honey, spices, salt and milk over medium-low heat. Taste it to make sure the spice combo is to your liking. It should taste a little too spicy because the chocolate and cream will mellow it out. Don't let it boil. Pour half of the milk mixture into the yolks, stirring to combine. Pop it all back in the milk mixture and heat until the mixture, now a custard, coats the back of a spoon. Strain it directly into the melted chocolate. Add the cream and vanilla, and stir to combine. Completely chill in the fridge then add to your ice cream machine and freeze following your manufacturers instructions. Pop in your freezer and enjoy!
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