Although not readily available through the American lineup, Ben & Jerry's has a slew of core creations available abroad. The only one currently available in the United States happens to be pint pictured above, Karamel Sutra. Featuring a core of soft caramel encircled by chocolate & caramel ice creams & fudge chips, this flavor is the first I'll be sampling with a solid swirl center. While I'm not really looking forward to the rock-hard fudge chips in the chocolate and caramel ice creams, the promise of a cylinder of soft caramel keeps me optimistic about the overall performance.
Karamel Sutra contains 260 calories, but I would soon discover that the liquid gold hiding beneath the surface of this super-premium ice cream would be well worth the sacrifice. The chocolate and caramel bases remain perfectly split in a straight line across the diameter of the pint. Sampling the chocolate side first, the full-bodied, dark brown base releases it's rich flavors, but is quickly forgotten when the buttery caramel base is also involved. The two combine in harmony to create a worthy foundation to feature the sinful sounding inner core to come. As you can see, they've inserted a cylinder of caramel that spans from the top of this pint to the bottom. Then comes the most interesting part of this pint: our free-spirited friends from Vermont leave the rest up to you.
Being the type that leaves the best for last, I find myself working my way around the core and just enjoying the ice creams and frozen fudge chunks. Then, when the core stands alone, I fill my spoon to the brim with that thick, sticky caramel sauce. It beams with notes of sugar, cream and butter. Independently it's incredible, but when combined with the two tremendous ice creams is where it really shines. The concept of inserting a considerable amount of caramel, surrounding it with luscious layers of chocolate and caramel chocolate chip ice creams, and letting those participating pick their personal paths is certainly an interesting concept, but after experimenting with Karamel Sutra, is one I thoroughly enjoyed. Although it didn't have big chunks of cookies or cake swirled about, the massive amount of caramel contained inside more than makes up the difference. Perhaps with a more creative combination of flavors, this one could have achieved the A-grade it was capable of.
Where I Found It: Ingles Market
Grade: B
