After nearly a 300-day hiatus from High Road Craft Ice Cream, I was able to locate one of their flavors that I hadn’t seen before. Although their base only offerings such as Bourbon Burnt Sugar and French Toast were interesting, I was particularly fond of their mix-in filled flavors like Peanut Butter Brittle and Strawberry Shortbread. Since my last review of a High Road product, they’ve expanded their selection with a handful of different collections. Perhaps the most interesting of their new options comes from their Southern Series, which includes Bourbon Burnt Sugar, Mixed Berry Buttermilk, Peach Fried Pie and the pint I picked up. High Road has this to say about their Brown Butter Praline, “The term "brown butter" seems to be popping up everywhere these days, but the technique has been around for as long as we've known butter. The French call it beurre noisette, noting its similarity to the aroma of freshly roasted hazelnuts. We blend it into a slow cooked cream caramel and ribbon it into our sweet cream ice cream while we "make it rain" with sugar roasted praline pecans.”
With a description like that you’d assume this to be packed to the brim with calories as well, but High Road manages to keep Brown Butter Praline to just 200 calories per serving. After removing the lid, the first layer approaches beige in color and shows plenty of the aforementioned caramel and praline pecans. According to the carton, “slowly toasted brown butter makes our caramel deep, rich and nearly savory. Sweet cream and Georgia pecans make this flavor a true Southern gem.” The ice cream, although not as heavy as some super-premiums, is absolutely packed with flavor. The base is full of notes of butter, caramel, and pralines; all arranged in a way that maintains balance.
After wrapping my head around the complexity of the ice cream, I start running into the heavy concentrations of butter-infused creamed caramel and praline pecans pieces. The liquid swirl builds on the bold flavors found in the base and brings another element of richness to the equation. High Road finishes off Brown Butter Praline by tossing in some Georgia sugar roasted praline pecans: a smart decision. These soft pecan halves have cooked just long enough to release the nutty flavors inside and are the perfect compliment to the other components. It seems the new look High Road has some serious ice cream in store for us.
Where I Found It: Whole Foods
Grade: A
