With the exception of the Alphonso Mango sorbetto, Southern Butter Pecan is the third and final gelato flavor recently released by Talenti. The beautiful marbling that can be seen through the transparent pint looks much more appealing than either German Chocolate Cake or Argentine Caramel and displays plenty of dulce de leche pressed up against the plastic. Described as a new take on a classic, this gelato combines a delicious, buttery background with butter-roasted pecans, and a ribbon of Talenti’s signature dulce de leche, this is much more complicated than most. After recently sampling Graeter’s well-executed example of Butter Pecan ice cream, hopefully this gelato version can keep up with the super-premium competition.
After the twist-top is removed, the first layer shows off all three components: the buttery base, the swirls of caramel and portions of the pecans. With all the incredible ingredients swirling about, the 210 calories per serving this gelato will set you back doesn’t sound all that devastating. Following a few minutes of thaw time, my spoon glides across the first layer with ease and was only halted by one of the larger pecan halves. This buttery gelato is velvety, rich and, as far as feel is concerned, comes the closest to their famous caramel. The smooth flavoring is mild for the most part and includes enough sweetness to remain relevant all on its own; but Talenti adds some of their signature dulce de leche caramel for good measure.
The super-sweet, sticky swirls of caramel effectively compliment the base in Southern Butter Pecan and really ramp up the texture of this already-smooth gelato. Much like I found myself doing with their other flavors featuring this gooey caramel, my spoon seemed to gravitate towards the golden sauce. The final component, the butter-roasted pecans, finishes off this flavor nicely. These have been cooked just enough to give them a soft, easily collapsible consistency that add a nice, nutty flavor to the bites they become a part of. If you can’t get your hands on Sea Salt Caramel or their new Argentine Caramel, this would be a worthy substitute.
Where I Found It: Ingles Markets
Grade: A
