Even though I’ve made it a point to stop by Publix whenever in the vicinity, I still haven’t managed to try the large amount of limited editions they’ve been unrolling. After recent releases like Lemon Sugar Cookie and Upside Down Pineapple Cake both received high marks, I was ready to see if some of the others could live up to the high standards set recently. After passing over options like Black Swamp Raspberry Cheesecake, I noticed another carton of Publix Premium I hadn’t seen before. New Orleans Caramel Praline combines brown-sugar flavored ice cream with swirls of thick caramel and crunchy praline and isn’t the first to focus on the Crescent City candy. What sets this apart from the competition is the same thing that sold me on this selection: the brown-sugar base.
This premium ice cream comes in at a reasonable 180 calories, which is pretty consistent with many of their other mix-in filled offerings. Although they weren’t easily visible from the first layer, as soon as I scraped my scoop across the surface, the thick stripes of golden caramel and single praline pecans revealed themselves. My first bite of the brown-sugar base is sweet as expected, but has a more intricate taste due to the molasses that remains in the sugar. Unlike a simple vanilla, this is more appropriate to mix with the thick caramel that Publix Premium swirled in. This rich, buttery sauce takes the taste of the brown sugar ice cream to the next level by not only enhancing the taste, but also building on the texture.
This flavor is finished with these small, but potent pieces of praline pecans that have been modeled after the world-famous New Orleans versions. These are just hard enough to add a little crunch before they break down and release all the sugar and nutty richness hiding inside. Although there aren’t enough of these to make their way into every single bite, the other components can hold their own when the praline pecans are missing. Like the others, I can’t imagine this half-gallon will last very long in my freezer.
Where I Found It: Publix
Grade: B
