After Front Porch's Scarlett Red Velvet took me by storm, I was ready to further explore some of these Southern-inspired pints. Not putting too much thought into the matter, I grabbed the first flavor that caught my eye. After trying two unique offerings from Front Porch first, I'm looking forward to sampling more traditional ingredients like candy-coated nuts, creamy vanilla ice cream and a subtle caramel ribbon in their Praline Coastal Crunch.
The quality and taste of a creamery's vanilla can say a lot about a company, and with this being my first encounter with Front Porch's version, this should let me know a little more about this budding ice cream business. The first layer of off-white ice cream, darker caramel swirl and piece of praline looks promising.
Scooping out some of the vanilla by itself, this base wins me over immediately. Denser than the homemade vanilla from Blue Bell, this has a premium ice cream consistency without being too heavy. Short of a super premium vanilla like that of Graeter's, this is about the best you're going to find. Like the description states, the caramel swirl is certainly subtle. It runs really thin in some places, but really compliments the vanilla, no matter the size. Just don't expect the raging caramel rivers found in Ben & Jerry's, these are trickling streams in comparison.
The only thing missing at this point was a bit of crunch, but before long I found a lump of aromatic pecan pralines peering up at me. Unlike pralines from Louisiana, these lack the cream and soft texture, but instead combine pecans and sugar syrup to create a more traditional version. They add some much needed crunch, some chew and a sudden surge of sugar. I knew the vanilla would have to be viable in order to win me over and it certainly was. This, along with Scarlett Red Velvet, have me fighting the urge to fill my entire freezer with Front Porch ice cream.
Where I Found It: Ingles Markets
Grade: C
