Midweek Marvels - Peanut Butter Jam Session

So I realize that this is probably cheating but... I found a new Ben and Jerry's flavor that I just have to share with you. It's called Peanut Butter Jam Session, and it's a deceivingly simple combination of flavors in a simply gorgeous way. Peanut Butter Jam Session combines Ben and Jerry's already wonderful peanut butter ice cream with swirls of crunchy peanut butter and an intensely flavored raspberry jam. This combination ordinarily wouldn't spark my interest, (What's so exciting about peanut butter and jam, right?) but it's executed in such an elegant way that the flavors hum together with the harmony of an old standard.
It's hard to pin down exactly what it is about this flavor that makes it such a hit,( is it the just right level of tart-sweet from the raspberry jam? Is it the perfect bite of salty crunch from the chunky peanut butter? Is it the possibility of secretly added narcotics?) but something in the combination is sooo satisfying.

I was really surprised by how much I loved this flavor, I typically rate fruity desserts lower just based on personal preference, but here... I'll even be so bold as to add it to my top 10 favorites. (What? Wut?!) I may be 77 flavors in, but I'm happy to find that every once and a while Ben and Jerry's can still produce a flavor that will dazzle and delight even the oldest of fans. Give it a try!

"Rocky Road-ish" or "Life These Days"

~ no expensive textbooks were harmed in the making of this photo~

Hello Blogosphere it is I, your dear old friend/freshly minted culinary student/Kermit the frog!

Things have been a bit congested on my to-do list lately but, as usual I have my priorities straight and there is a brand new Ben and Jerry's flavor that we NEED TO TALK ABOUT. It's called Rocky Road-ish and it is a delight!

~Toasted Marshmallow Ice Cream with a Toasted Marshmallow Swirl & Fudge Covered Almonds~

It starts out like your basic Rocky Road ice cream,  savory-sweet chocolate covered almonds (my favorite!), marshmallow swirl, buuut it takes a little turn and swaps out the chocolate ice cream for marshmallow. It was a strange surprise. I'm not one to reach for much over chocolate but this was one keen decision the boys made. It tickles the mind grapes in this tantalizing way so that even though you're expecting chocolate ice cream, and you still sort of want it, the fact that it keeps being absent with every bite you take is kind of fabulous. It's like tantric eating.

Yeah, I went there.

What makes the experience feel even more scandalous is chowing down on pints of Rocky Road-ish in-between classes about potion sizes, well balanced meals, and how many teaspoons of sugar it takes to kill a person (or something like that). It's enough to make you want to close the door and put on some slow jams.

Well done boys. Very well done.

"Oh Snap It's That Time Again" or "# 62... Schweddy Balls"

Vanilla Ice cream with a hint of rum and loaded with fudge covered rum and malt balls

I was ten in '98 but don't judge me. There's a 90% chance that the night the Schweddy Balls/Delicious Dish sketch (Season 24 Ep 9) originally aired I was fast asleep in a bunk bed, completely unaware of Snl or double entendres or Alec Baldwin. But believe me I caught up. If you fast forward four years you'll find me deep in a Jimmy, Tina, Lorne obsession that dominated my Saturday plans for the duration of my teens. The fact that NBC made the glorious decision to air dusty reruns of SNL late into the wee hours only fueled the fire and eventually I had watched the entire back catalog of SNL episodes all the way to the start in 1975. Weirdo? Me? Totally.


Ben and Jerry's lately has been in my brain, it's almost like they've sent spies out to follow me and suss out just what exactly would be the perfect new flavor to make my heart flip flop. If they come out with a Doctor Who flavor, you'll know for a fact that this is exactly what's going down, until that day this is just a theory.

But back to the Schweddy Balls.

"They're made from a secret Schweddy recipe. No one can resist my Schweddy balls."

Usually when there's a new B&J flavor I have some advance notice, like an email, or a facebook notification, or a ray of light from heaven letting me know that my life's quest may continue. But this time, nothing. In fact I wouldn't have known about this flavor at all if hadn't been standing behind a guy with a fresh icy pint of it sitting in his grocery cart at my job. I totally geeked out. Like full on. I had to stop myself from snaking this guys ice cream as he left by telling myself surely there was more left in the store and p.s. stealing a customer's ice cream is probably a really embarrassing way to get fired. And arrested.

So skip ahead, this ice cream? Delicious. It tastes like a Dairy Queen dipped cone deconstructed, only nix the cone and add malted milk balls. What's that you say? Barftown?  I know. I'm pretty sure the world is divided on whether or not malted milk balls are the most disgusting thing on this planet or the most delicious. But if you think that they're gross I'm totally with you. But don't worry, something about being frozen and surrounded with ice cream and rum infused chocolate globs makes them about a 1000% less grody. In fact they seem a bit more crispy, and almost toffee like. If that still doesn't float your boat,  there's not a ton stuck in there, they're intermixed with these little boozy hunks of chocolate shell that are almost like junior mints or milk duds without the filling inside.

Final words, I dig this flavor.  It might not make my top ten but even with the malted milk balls it passed the test and didn't last more than two days in the freezer.
And P.S. if in the future they come up with a flavor for Schweddy  Wiener they just might win my life long admiration.

"Fair Goodness Cake!" or "What Will Surely Be The Cause Of My Death"

Chocolate Ice Cream with German chocolate cake pieces, and coconut caramel swirl.

I want to write a love sonnet to this ice cream. I honestly do. I had time to take about four bites on this fabulous new flavor before I headed off to work and I loved it so much that I made a point of picking up a second pint on my way home just so I wouldn't run out. It is FANTASTIC, and a wonderful return to form after a few sort of 'meh' flavors Ben and Jerry's has put out lately. I'm not even a supreme fan of German chocolate cake and it still made me consider putting this flavor on my list of top ten favorites. In a way, it's like the Inception of ice cream flavors. It's an ice cream that is German chocolate cake flavored, with chunks of German chocolate cake inside. Dream within a dream. Taking this one too far? Maybe.

There are aspects of this creamy delight that really just make me feel like I'm eating all my favorite flavors at once. Like Karamel Sutra/Phish Food/Oatmeal Cookie Chunk/ Brownie Batter swirled together in a magnificent orgy of flavor.Yes I said orgy of flavor . Go with it.

Try this flavor! It is the poop of angels. The poop of angels.

Ben and Jerry's Run Down

I don't think I need to tell you that April was no friend of mine. Unlike the pizza wielding plucky news hound she was in the 80's the April of 2011 was pretty much a giant whore. A wellspring of natural disasters, cold snaps, wasp attacks and dead hard drives... thank god it's finally May.

Skipping to the good parts here are the unblogged ice cream flavors for April.

Ben and Jerry's Flavors # 57-60

Blueberry Cheesecake

Blueberry and cheesecake ice creams with a thick graham cracker swirl

 Blueberry Cheesecake, unlike it's sister flavor Strawberry Cheesecake this flavor didn't really hit all the notes like it could have. Not much blueberry in there besides the color and other than a tasty little graham cracker swirl, not much cheesecake flavor either. Definitely not terrible, but the boys have done better.

Red Velvet Cake
Red Velvet Cake batter ice cream, with Red Velvet cake pieces and a cream cheese frosting swirl

An instant favorite with me (though probably not for the intended reason) it tastes just like Strawberry Jello Cake! I don't know that die hard red velvet cake fans would truly like this flavor since it's not exactly spot on, but whatever it's trying to be I certainly wouldn't kick it out of bed.

Clusterfluff
Peanut butter ice cream with caramel cluster pieces, marshmallow swirls & peanut buttery swirls

Ever put chunky peanut butter directly on a bowl of vanilla ice cream? It is amazing! And that is exactly what this flavor is like. I know Fluffernutters aren't exactly everyone's cup of tea (in fact it makes some people want to vom) but even if that's true for you, you should still give this flavor a try. It lacks some of the bigger ick factors of a marshmallow cream sandwich, and it is way way too good to miss out on.

Bonnaroo Buzz
Coffee and malt ice creams with whiskey caramel swirls and English toffee pieces

Okay I'll admit I was a little skeptical about the flavors they picked for a Bonnaroo themed ice cream. A coffee based ice cream for a hellishly hot summer festival just seemed like an odd pick, and really I'd still be thinking that if it didn't turn out to be a whiskey caramel ice cream with coffee as the backup dancer. Whiskey ice cream for a music festival held in the home state of Jack Daniels is a genius stand in  for the more accurate Bonnaroo Buzz flavor of weed and beer (an ice cream sold only in back alleys and/or California). The funny thing about it though is for an uppity stand in, the boozy cloud that hits your nose when you peel back the lid is unmistakable. I had the misfortune of finding this out while at work and tried to shove it back in the freezer before anyone else caught wind.(It turned out okay... I think)

 It doesn't taste boozy though, there's just enough of that whiskey funk to put an interesting edge the the sweet ( and enormous!) English toffee pieces and a frozen coffee base to make for one truly unique ice cream. It's intoxicatingly good, and just like the festival it's named after, it's quirky charm will worm it's way into your heart and call you back for more. Definitely added to my favorites list.

# 55 Crème Brûlée

If you've ever had real crème brûlée (and I'm hoping you have) you know it's a thing of beauty. A custardy cup of heaven with a caramelized sugar top that's fun to crack with your spoon (just ask Amelie).

Crème Brûlée ice cream with a caramelized sugar swirl is a wonderful fantastical idea. If the dream were to work out in reality it would be the stuff of legends. Angels would sing. Grown men would weep. Gas tanks could run on hopes and dreams... This little pint sadly does not live up to the fantasy. To put it briefly this tasted like chalk. Or rather, very nice vanilla ice cream with something strangely chalky about it. Ever eat one of those pepto bismal chewable tablets that coat your tongue on the way down? It was like that. I know I'm making it out to be the worst thing in the world, when really it isn't, but I'll say this much. I couldn't finish it. I ate about a third of it and let it sit around in my freezer for a while ( some weeks) until it  started to form ugly ice crystals. My boyfriend thought he would sneak and grab a taste while I wasn't looking, but he took two bites and decided it wasn't worth his time either. The cold truth of it is that I doubt the world is truly ready for creme brulee ice cream. I don't think we could handle it. Maybe someday, when we're ready... When we've grown, seen things, learned to truly love each other. Crème Brûlée ice cream will be there.

The Fab Four

New this week, er or rather last week, four new Ben and Jerry's flavors;

Late Night Snack, Bonnaroo Buzz, Clutsterfluff, and Red Velvet Cake

#54 Dulce Delish

Dulce Delish is every bit the heavenly caramel experience you would expect from the diabolical minds at Ben and Jerry's. Its creamy, swirly, golden morsels have been carefully and scientifically refined to strum all the perfect cords on the instrument that is your pleasure center. It will lull your mind and body into a state that can only be described as the glow of true love. It is seductively dangerous perfection. Beware.

#53 Peanut Brittle

When I was six or seven years old my grandma (on my dad's side) came all the way from Utah to visit and she brought a friend. The friend she brought with her ( a woman whose proper name is completely botched in my 7 year old memories) was completely obsessed with making peanut brittle. They stayed with us an entire week and I don't remember a single time out of those seven nights where she wasn't either standing over a stove stirring, or sitting cross legged in the floor eating, peanut brittle and I loved it. It was a complete novelty to me, I'd never even heard of peanut brittle, and I certainly had no idea you could make candy at home! Who knew?! The only thing I was sure of what that it was sinfully delicious. All that lovely golden corn syrup, and a salty crunch! Mmm mmm!

#52 Snickerdoodle Cookie

 Mmm mm mmm

Number 51 Maple Blondie

This flavor came out a while ago but I've always ignored it for some reason, maybe because for years I always thought of blondies as the less fun sister of brownies. Brownies were heaven's perfect chocolate square like cake and fudge come together with a decadent flaky layer on top. And blondies were pale baked squares without a ounce of chocolate in sight. It wasn't until I was much older that I even bothered to try a blondie and realized not only how good they were  but  that I even sometimes liked them in place of brownies especially when it comes to added ingredients like butterscotch chips, pecans, etc. 
 

This however did not taste like a blondie to me, at least not most of the time. What this really reminded me of was pancakes with whipped cream and really good maple syrup. You know, the expensive kind. Which I'll tell you isn't a bad thing. In fact it was amazingly good and not way too sweet either (unlike pancakes with whipped cream). It has just the perfect balance of bits to smooth ice cream so you're not fishing around for the good parts or chewing on too many hunks of pancake...er... blondie.

Despite its' perplexing name (I guess if they called this flavor "Pancakes with Whipped Cream and Syrup" nobody would buy it? Okay, maybe I would but really, would you?)I'm definitely diggin with this one. Love!

50

For the last five years of my life, I've had a little obsession with ice cream. It started the year I turned 17 when I spent a summer in San Francisco at art school. I didn't really spend much time paying attention in class or really making much art as I recall. When I think about San Francisco I really just remember laughing with my roommates, chasing boys, and eating good food.

shamelessly stolen from googlmaps

Between classes I usually didn't have more than an hour to find a place and eat so once I found Specialty's Cafe and Bakery I pretty much stuck to it. It was  right across the street from my Film class and in my memory it was a bakery but I don't remember them having more than cupcakes, cookies and cream sodas. Maybe because that's all I ever ate there.

also from googlemaps

Epplers Bakery is another place that stands out in my mind because they had the most delicious chocolate cake I've ever had in my life. No exaggeration needed I have yet to encounter (here five years later) another slice of cake that comes anywhere near what I tasted there. And the slices were as big as your head too. I used to get a slice on Sunday and make it last through the week. That cake was heaven, and if one day I ever make it back to San Fransisco it would be my pleasure t curl up with that cake and happily die.

Mostly though, when the sun set, the boys were chasing other girls, and I'd finished pretending to do my homework, I'd usually find a friend to go with me and wander around the corner to the Liquor Store/little quicky mart and buy some Ben & Jerry's.  It was pretty much the first time in my life that I had been anywhere that you could buy this decadent concoction. To me, little pint sized fancy ice creams were something that people ate in movies, in fact the only other place that I had ever even seen Ben & Jerry's in real life was when I was in New York for four days with my aunt (I was 15 and it was the biggest thrill of my life). And I tell you the second I saw it, I knew I had to buy it. The flavor was Pistachio Pistachio and I ate it for breakfast every single day we were there.

And now, here I was again in a big city and I swear to god this little quicky mart seemed to sell only beer, bananas and every flavor of Ben & Jerry's legally sold in the U.S. It was unreal. I remember staring at the freezer wide eyed plotting to try every single flavor before I had to leave this fattening utopia and go back home.I tried 12 flavors before I left for Nashville and later that fall, through the grace of god, my local grocery store started carrying Ben & Jerry's too. And there, that moment is when the sickness began.

At this point any time I'm anywhere outside my regular shopping area I'll check the freezer section of just about anyplace to see if they have a flavor I haven't tried yet. And like a freak of nature I have been keeping track all this time of each flavor. Which brings me to the purpose of this post. I have ladies and gentlemen reached a personal milestone, today, after trying both Pumpkin Cheesecake and Carrot Cake, I have officially tasted 50 flavors. If there was every any doubt of my foodie status, I think this display should pretty much prove my dedication.

1. American Pie
2. Americone Dream
3. Banana Split
4. Boston Cream Pie
5. Brownie batter
6. Carrot Cake
7. Cherry Garcia
8. Cherry Garcia {Body and Soul}
9. Chocolate chip cookie dough
10. Chocolate fudge brownie
11. Chocolate Fudge Brownie {Body and Soul}
12. Chocolate therapy
13. Chubby Hubby
14. Chunky Monkey
15. Cinnamon Buns
16. Coconut chocolate chunk
17. Dave Mathews Band magic brownies
18. Dublin Mudslide
19. Everything but the?
20. Fossil Fuel
21. Fudge central
22. Half Baked {Body and Soul}
23. Imagine Whirled Peace
24. In a Crunch
25. Jamaican Me Crazy
26. Karamel Sutra
27. Marsha Marsha marshmallow
28. Milk And Cookies
29. Mint Chocolate Chunk
30. Mint Chocolate Cookie
31. Mud Pie
32. Neapolitan Dynamite
33. New York super fudge chunk
34. Oatmeal cookie chunk
35. One Cheesecake Brownie
36. Peanut Butter Cup
37. Phish food
38. Pistachio Pistachio
39. Pumpkin Cheesecake
40. Strawberry Cheesecake
41. Sweet Cream & Cookie
42. S’mores
43. The Gobfather
44. Triple Caramel Chunk
45. Turtle Soup
46. Uncanny Cashew
47. Vanilla
48. Vanilla Heath bar crunch
49. Vermonty Python
50. Willie Nelson’s Country Peach Cobbler

I don't really know if I should be proud at this point but boys, you've stuck with me through diets, breakups, and though marathons. So Ben, Jerry, here's to another 50, it's been a wild ride.