Eager to try out some more offerings from High Road Craft Ice Cream and Sorbet after trying Caffeine & Cacao, I opted for their French Toast flavor. I've heard some feedback, mostly consisting of comments depicting this ice cream of being too boring and somewhat bland, but peering at the pile of warm french toast, drowning in maple syrup and dolloped with butter on the exterior of the pint, I just had to try this out for myself.
You'd be hard pressed to find someone that doesn't enjoy French toast to break their fast, so I'm surprised this flavor hasn't been attempted more often. Few things make me feel the way cinnamon and maple syrup can, but when combined with a sweet cream butter ice cream? There's no way I won't like this. The chips of ice floating on the first layer are a little concerning, but the speckled layer beneath it looks luscious.
The ice quickly dissipates and I can't help but notice the concentrated flecks of cinnamon careening about as I scoop out my first bite. Sharing the same light and fluffy consistency as Caffeine & Cacao, it lacked the mildness of the coffee and instead brought along a bold and complex base full of French toast flavor. Notes of cinnamon and sweetened eggs flood my taste buds before being bombarded with an onslaught of maple syrup to finish me off.
Very rarely can a pint containing only ice cream and no mix-ins hold my attention for very long, but that's not the case here. The complexity of each bite, coupled with my love for the breakfast food, keeps me coming back for more. But that's not to say that this flavor couldn't be enhanced with the addition of some chunks of moist chewy French Toast. Because it certainly could.
Although you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover, it's safe do so here. Frozen French toast is exactly what you're getting. A more accurate base ice cream can't be created. It's hard to believe that this flavor was created on accident while attempting to make Malted Maple Cinnamon. Breakfast lovers should be grateful.
Where I Found It: The Fresh Market
Grade: C
