It hasn't taken me long to look past the premium price tag and simply appreciate the opulent offerings available from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. They say the third time is a charm, but what if the first time and second time had already exceeded my expectations? Salty Caramel claimed the award for one of the best ice cream bases I've had and Hummingbird Cake was knocking at the door of my all time favorite flavor. I was tempted to pick up two pints and save myself a future trip to The Fresh Market, but couldn't overcome my frugalness to spend twenty plus dollars on two containers of ice cream. If Brown Butter Almond Brittle is anywhere as appetizing as my previous picks, I'll probably be contemplating the same decision next time.
Jeni's has summarized Brown Butter Almond Brittle by saying, "Based on the traditional Norwegian dessert krokan. Browned butter gives depth to salty, sweet almond brittle." A bit embarrassed, I headed to the world wide web to enlighten myself on exactly what krokan was. My findings were insignificant. The only thing I really ran across was a Norwegian wikipedia page that when translated read, "Krokan are caramelized sugar mixed with butter and almonds. Krokan used including hook anise, almond, where the pieces are small, brown spots, or filling and flavoring in sweets or cakes. The word comes from the almond croquant, which means "crunchy" in French." As usual with a pint of Jeni's, the ice cream is nearly spilling over the sides and holds the impression of the lid well after it's removal.
Much like the other flavors I've had, this one looks promising as soon as I see the first layer. The layout sported a few sand-colored splotches and bits of brittle that have broken through the lightly colored outer portions of the ice cream. After allowing this super-premium, high-butterfat ice cream to thaw out a bit, I was ready to slice my way through the luscious layers of this 340 calories per serving, brittle laden ice cream. I worked my way around the almond brittle debris to taste the base without obstruction. My first bite of this base packs some of the strongest butter flavoring I've ever experienced in ice cream. Jeni's doesn't attempt to hide the highlights of the butter with sugar, either. The white-most allotments of ice cream held only minimal amounts of sweetness, but increases incrementally as the ice cream and brittle became darker.
Independently, this ice cream probably wouldn’t satisfy anyone with a strong sweet tooth. The base is just too mild and lacks some of the complexity I’ve seen packed into other Jeni’s flavors, but she’s not a novice. When I stop steering around the brittle bits on purpose, the full potential of this pint comes to fruition. The fragments of almond brittle are sweet, crunchy and work well with the brown butter base. The syrup that usually pops and cracks when chewed in the classic candy remains sugary and stringy in the ice cream. The roughly chopped almonds are a step-up from the standard peanuts you’d usually find in brittle and as I worked my down this container, they grew larger in size. Each bite that included these high quality, gourmet mix-ins was better than the last. It's impossible not to appreciate the attention to detail, incredible ingredients and complimentary flavors captured in this container.
Where I Found It: The Fresh Market
Grade: A
