I have a bit of an ice cream hoarding problem, as evidenced by the current jam-packed state of my deep freezer. In fact, I recently promised myself I'd refrain from purchasing any more ice cream until I managed to work my way through at least a decent percentage of my stash. But when I spotted a seasonal pumpkin offering from Adirondack Creamery while doing some last-minute Thanksgiving shopping, the aforementioned deal somehow went right out the window.
Although I've had mixed experiences with Adirondack, I'm pretty much in love with pumpkin in ice cream form, and so I had fairly high hopes that my $5 investment would end up being well worth my while (and well worth the struggle of having to cram yet another pint into my poor, overloaded freezer).
When I first peeled back the lid, I was neither overwhelmed nor disappointed. I mean, the ice cream looked like pumpkin, plain and simple. And really, that was fine in my book. Then I decided to dig in, and after a couple of spoonfulls, I was already regretting not having picked up a second pint.
For a flavor devoid of mix-ins, this ice cream is really darn tasty. The base is rich and creamy, and the spice level is absolutely spot-on. I find that some companies tend to go overboard with their pumpkin offerings, and as a result, those brands wind up tasting somewhat artificial to me. But Adirondack nailed the pumpkin flavor perfectly.
Having that said, I still find myself missing the contrast a mix-in would've offered. This ice cream would really benefit from some crunch, and given the price tag, I think Adirondack could've splurged for some crushed-up pecans (or, you know, pie pieces, as the name suggests) to complement the flavor while adding some texture. But all in all, I'm definitely a fan, and in the grand scheme of pumpkin ice creams, this is one I'll be sure to add to my "must hoard" list for next fall.
Where Mo Found It: Sickles Market (Little Silver, NJ)
Mo's Grade: B