Ice Cream Connections

New and old fashioned Ice Cream in San Fran

admin — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:28:19 +0000

San Francisco CA – Here’s an ice cream shop where the future meets the past.

Classics like “Under the Boardwalk” and “Dance with Me” play in the background, while a fog of liquid nitrogen turns the simplest of ingredients into an individual serving of ice cream in about a minute.

Customers sit on benches and eat their made-to-order scoops, sundaes or cones, alternating between silent rapture and enthusiastic analysis. On a recent evening, one customer enjoying a vanilla scoop was so effusive in his praise that it cannot be reprinted for a family audience.

The seasonal rhubarb crisp, made with organic dairy and cooked rhubarb, delivered a tangy punch of flavor without any bitterness. The chunky bits of cinnamon cookie sprinkled throughout made it an even more indulgent dessert. The salted caramel was so buttery that it quickly reminded me of a childhood love for the chewy candies made of delicately burnt sugar.

For more on this story see – http://www.today.com/food/high-tech-trend-behind-magical-made-order-ice-cream-6C9628035

LA Shop Boasts Bike Powered Ice Cream

admin — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:18:04 +0000

Los Angeles CA – Last year we reported that Peddlers Ice Cream was gaining momentum in the LA Market as the ultimate green ice cream.

After getting a year-long rolling start with a mobile unit, Peddler’s Creamery has just opened a storefront outlet in downtown L.A., where they’re dishing out frozen goodies that are not only made from organic ingredients, but are also processed entirely by human power.

It might sound impractical at first, but according to owner Edward Belden, it only takes about 3-4 miles of pedaling (aboard an old Schwinn bike mounted on rollers) to freeze a 5-gallon batch of Mexican chocolate ice cream, salted caramel non-dairy vegan dessert, or strawberry-basil sorbet. If you’re going at a decent clip, that’ll take about 15 minutes. Belden says it’s no problem, for now, to keep his freezers stocked.

For more on this story – visit http://brighamyen.com/2012/09/14/peddlers-creamery-coming-soon-to-historic-core-in-downtown-los-angeles/

Little Babys Ice Cream – Philadelphia PA

admin — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 03:56:40 +0000

On a recent layover in Philadelphia PA, I conducted a quick Google search for “best ice cream in Philadelphia” as I am wont to do in nearly every city I visit.

Right at the top of the list was Little Baby’s Ice Cream, and my mind was caught back to the creative yet creepy you tube video of the ice cream lady eating her own ice cream head.

I had to stop in. Just about 10 minutes from the airport in a very eclectic and renewing neighborhood based in the Franklin Ave area you will find Little Baby’s. It is right next door to Pizza Brain, another fascinatingly unusual pizzeria that hosts the worlds only pizza museum. More on that in another post.

Little Baby’s owner Martin Brown seemed very familiar to me. We had in fact meet previously at the Penn State Ice Cream Short Course in 2011. In fact when I approached the counter he exclaimed “hey…you’re an ice cream guy right?” Heck yes I am!!

Little Baby’s is a very cool blend of uniqueness and ice cream whimsy. First opened in August 2012 the retail store has indoor seating, a shower head that plays music and an “ice cream in space” bathroom which is worth the visit alone.

The menu is simple, easy to read and chock full of “not your Granny’s ice cream”. On my visit I could select from Plum Rum Raisin, Butterscotch scotch, Pizza, Cardamom caramel and many other unique flavors.

Not being able to decide, I went the easy route and chose the tasting flight which allowed me to sample 6 smaller scoops of my choice.

All of the ice creams are made on site using a base from a local PA dairy. There is also a range of Vegan and Non Dairy Flavors for those so inclined.

I had to ask Martin about the video that has shot Little Baby’s into the viral spotlight recently. The video was shot on the west coast after Martin approved the treatment. The video of an ice cream being eating her own head is close to 3 million views on you tube and counting.

It caused so much traffic at the store after a local paper picked up the story, that some emergency ice cream making time was had to keep up with the opening traffic.

Other interesting elements if the store was the pay it forward board where customers could Pre pay a cone, sundae or shake for a friend or lucky stranger, and the selection of LB merch. I left with a LB coloring in book, and a mix tape which I am dying to play If I could just find a cassette player.

Little baby’s ice cream is definitely worth a trip on your American ice cream travels.

For more details go to www.littlebabysicecream.com

Chefs Bowled Over by Cereal Flavors Moving into Ice Cream, Pastry, even Vodka

admin — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 22:12:19 +0000

Breakfast cereal flavors are jumping out of the box. Milk, ice cream, baking mixes and more are getting infused with the flavor of the classic childhood treat. There’s even a line of lip balms and a cereal-flavored vodka.

Snap, crackle, what?

The trend ties into a broader hankering for retro foods and flavors, heavy on the comfort factor, says Cathy Nash Holley, publisher and editor-in-chief of the trade magazine Flavor & The Menu.

Chefs have been using cereal for a while as crusts and coatings on savory items. What’s new is that cereals are being used in a more whimsical sense, even calling out the brand name for an added sense of playfulness. So you have desserts like the Shaved Ice Sundae with a topping of Cap’n Crunch at Talde in New York City or the Rice Krispies that top a flourless chocolate cake at Morimoto NY.

Looking beyond restaurant menus, there are lip balms that come in the flavors of Trix (Silly rabbit, lip balm is for kids!?!), Cocoa Puffs and Count Chocula, among other flavors. Betty Crocker has cereal-flavored muffin mixes including Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

And Three Olives released a cereal-flavored vodka called Loopy with a strikingly Froot Loops-style motif on the bottle. A fruity delight in every… er… shot?

But it’s possible that may have been a little too spirited an attempt at the trend. After first pitching a story on the product to the AP, company representatives suddenly went radio silent, and ultimately declined to comment on their own story. A query to Kellogg’s, makers of Froot Loops, also netted a “no comment.”

On the restaurant scene, Christina Tosi, founding chef of Momofuku Milk Bar, a bakery in New York, is a pioneer in cereal creations, an obsession that began in 2007 when she was developing a panna cotta for the opening menu of chef David Chang’s Momofuku Ko restaurant.

There were two problems. One, the dessert menu was a blank, and two, the new freezer that was supposed to hold ice cream for that nonexistent dessert menu was on the fritz. Panna cotta seemed like a good idea, but it needed to be something a bit more interesting than the regular version of that dessert.

So Tosi, who had been experimenting with versions of steeped milk for some time, ran to the store and bought every powdered and dried thing they had and made several milk-infused flavors, including cereal milk. It was a hit and at Chang’s suggestion she took things a little further, making cereal milk ice cream as well as a line of cereal milk.

Tosi’s cereal milk is a little more sophisticated than the stuff you slurp up after indulging in a bowl of, let’s say, Cocoa Pebbles, having more in common with steeped milk, a staple of traditional cuisine. But it taps into the same themes of comfort and nostalgia as that bowl of flakes enjoyed as a late-night snack.

Cereal milk is “relatable and fun,” Tosi said in an email interview. “Making a connection with something you eat is what we believe really strikes a chord, sparks a memory and keeps you obsessed.”

Today, Momofuku Milk Bar sells cereal milk ice creams, including a soft serve cereal milk ice cream. Also available is a cereal milk mix that contains toasted cornflakes, light brown sugar and salt for those who want to whip up a batch at home.

“There’s no end to what can be done with cereal milk. We love finding new ways to tap into the memory sensor of people’s minds and stomachs, and cereal is so broad in flavor, texture and possibility,” Tosi says. “Currently, cereal milk soft serve is our favorite, combining the love of breakfast cereal with the guilty pleasure of ice cream, though late at night, a cereal milk White Russian also does the trick.

For more info- Read here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/chefs-bowled-over-by-cereal-flavors-moving-into-ice-cream-pastry-even-vodka/2013/02/26/a4e423c6-802d-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_story.html

Netanyahu Causes Uproar Over Ice Cream Budget

admin — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 23:49:10 +0000

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu caused an uproar over ice cream. Netanyahu was accused by critics of dipping into government funds for a $2,700 per year ice cream budget.

Netanyahu’s love of pistachio ice cream has come under scrutiny after a Hebrew financial newspaper. It then made the front page of a popular mainstream Israeli newspaper.

The Prime Minister’s $2,700-per-year ice cream budget equates to $225 per month, a number that doesn’t sit well for critics, reports The New York Times.

At a time when Israel is facing severe government spending cuts and has a struggling middle class, the news that the prime minister was using government funds to fuel his sweet habit was less than pleasing to critics.

Netanyahu’s foreign minister has already resigned over fraud accusations. His government has also been criticized for its handling of the mysterious Prisoner X, who committed suicide in prison.

In light of the publication, however, it appears Netanyahu has decided to freeze the ice cream budget, notes The Associated Press. The prime minister’s office issued a statement on the budget request, saying that Netanyahu ordered the contract to stop once it came to light.

He also called the contract to purchase ice cream from his favorite parlor in Jerusalem “excessive and unacceptable.” The news didn’t stop the shop from getting businesses though. Israelis flocked to the parlor, called Metudela, to check out his favorite flavors.

Netanyahu’s office added that the cost also included what it would take to host high-ranking officials at the official residence of the prime minister. It also offered a peek into the personal life of Israel’s leader.

For more info- Read here: http://www.inquisitr.com/531866/netanyahu-causes-uproar-over-ice-cream-budget/#CagQ3elp4dtO0Wi3.99

Restaurant Rewards Well-Behaved Kids with Free Ice Cream; Gesture Stuns Mom

admin — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:57:20 +0000

Sometimes it’s a challenge bringing young children to nice restaurants, but listen to this. One mom brought her three kids – age 2, 3, and 8 … to a fancy Italian restaurant in Washington State. The staff was so impressed with the way her children behaved, they got a free ice cream.

The mom didn’t even notice the waiter gave her a four dollar discount for “well behaved kids” until she got home. That’s when she posted this photo to Reddit, and it’s gone viral.

For more info- Read here:

http://pix11.com/2013/02/11/restaurant-rewards-well-behaved-kids-with-free-ice-cream-gesture-stuns-mom/#axzz2KiCs4HxS

Strickland’s Introduces Rose-Flavored Ice Cream for Valentine’s Day

admin — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:44:30 +0000

Strickland’s Ice Cream, a winner in way too many of our Best Of issues and other listicles, is at it again. It’s doing what it does, which makes us like it so much: introducing a cool new flavor. Just for and only during Valentine’s Day, it will be churning out rose ice cream.

A few months ago for Christmas, it did a limited-edition Peppermint Bark. The flavor was divine, with shards of peppermint candy that crunched and chunks of milk and white chocolate that melted in silken vanilla ice cream.

The maple-bacon ice cream it tried didn’t turn out nearly as well, but I give Strickland’s props for trying as well as for using real bacon!

How will the rose flavor turn out? Well, the fun is in the trying!

For more info- Read here:

http://blogs.ocweekly.com/stickaforkinit/2013/02/stricklands_introduces_rose-fl.php

Ice cream shop holds Second Amendment Day

admin — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 20:29:18 +0000

SOUTH OGDEN, Utah — An ice cream shop owner in South Ogden is showing his support for gun rights by giving customers who bring in their concealed carry permits a $1 discount.

The Farr’s Fresh location at 4013 Riverdale Road is the only Farr’s location offering the discount. The store is run by Ronald Young. Young said he is doing a discount for those with concealed weapon permits because he feels like gun owners get an unfair reputation, and he sees this as his way to send a message.

“I really think that the average man is getting beat up pretty good today simply because he owns a gun,” he said. “Every time somebody, some wacko, goes on a shooting spree, top leaders of our country decide it’s time to take guns away from everybody who didn’t do it, and I personally think you need to stand up and say something about that.”

For more info- Read here: http://fox13now.com/2013/02/05/concealed-weapons-net-discount-at-ice-cream-shop/

Peters Ice Cream to Relaunch KISS Thunderbolt Ice Block for Tour

admin — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 20:50:40 +0000

Australia- KISS fans are lapping up the relaunch of an 1980s ice block, raiding stores and auctioning off merchandise on eBay before the product has even hit the shelves.

Peters Ice Cream has re-issued the 1980 KISS “Thunderbolt” ice block, named after 1976 hit God of Thunder, to coincide with the KISS Monster Tour later this month.

Paul Stanley said the original “popsicle”, launched to coincide with Unmasked tour (See video below), was an indication of how big they were at the time.

“When we first came to Australia we knew we were big,” Stanley tells fans on YouTube. “Kissteria had gripped the nation and we heard about how massive we were and we had this huge following and we were a phenomenon, this was the sign of a real phenomenon, that we also had popsicles named after us.”

While the Thunderbolt is a replica of the original, it has been updated for today’s tastes. In the 1980’s the black tip was grape flavour, now it’s cola.

Rumours started among the Kiss Army about the Australia-only ice block two weeks ago. Micro-blog and fan sites started talking about the product when a grainy picture of a Caltex catalogue revealed the icy pole would be sold in StarMarts in February.

Despite being a huge Kiss Fan, Peters’ Ice Cream route service team manager Mark Garrett had to keep the secret, despite having to organise the delivery of the ice blocks.

“My first concert was in the 1990s so I missed the initial Kissmania. They were unmasked at the time I saw them and they were probably not in fashion at all but there was something about them. The image and the music … it just drew you in,”he said.

One point-of-sale advertising stand is already on Ebay for an asking price of $50.

Kiss is one of the most successful bands when it comes to marketing and merchandising selling everything from hats and T-shirts to funeral caskets, gnomes and wedding party paraphernalia.

For more info- Read here: http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/food/peters-ice-cream-relaunch-kiss-thunderbolt-ice-block-for-tour/story-fneuz8wn-1226570956803#ixzz2K3jMs1U3

Ben & Jerry’s unveiling ’30 Rock’-themed Ice Cream

admin — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 22:05:20 +0000

For “30 Rock’’ fans bummed the show is coming to an end, its memory can now live on in your freezer.

Ben & Jerry’s has created some Liz Lemon-style comfort food for fans to celebrate the NBC comedy, whose series finale after seven seasons will air on Thursday. On that day, the company will unveil a special “30 Rock”-themed flavor of its ice cream at a party in New York City. Ben & Jerry’s has remained mum on what flavors will be featured in the new ice treat, which will be unveiled by co-founder Jerry Greenfield at the Latitude Bar & Lounge in close proximity to Rockefeller Center.

Ben & Jerry’s will officially unveil the new ’30 Rock’ ice cream at a party near Rockefeller Center on Thursday. The company has remained mum on the flavors of the new product.

New flavors are usually released in the spring, but the company churned this one out in time for the “30 Rock’’ finale. The ice cream will be in Ben & Jerry’s shops in February and then in grocery and convenience stores afterward, according to a company release.

Proceeds from the ticket sales to the viewing party on Thursday will benefit a non-profit organization that will be announced at the event. The company is urging crowd members to dress as their favorite “30 Rock’’ characters, with the crowd favorite earning a year’s supply of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and frozen yogurt. The new “30 Rock’’ ice cream also will be available for purchase online.

For more info- read here:

http://bites.today.com/_news/2013/01/29/16753074-ben-jerrys-unveiling-30-rock-themed-ice-cream