READER REVIEW: Elliot's Review of New Orleans Ice Cream Co. Cafe Au Lait & Beignets

You have to hand it to the folks at New Orleans Ice Cream Company. Their vision to leverage the storied New Orleans food culture to produce creative and fun ice cream flavors is brilliant. Café au Lait & Beignets is the iconic French Quarter breakfast. Enjoying piping hot beignets covered with a mountain of powdered sugar alongside café au lait is part of the definitive New Orleans tourist experience. Café au Lait & Beignets (the ice cream) has garnered much attention from it's acclaim on this very website.

Creating an excellent coffee flavor was personally important to Adrian, one of the founders of NOICC, who has a background in the coffee industry with New Orleans Coffee Co. For the café au lait base, a chicory-coffee blend is cold brewed and married with scalded milk. Beignet dough pieces are spiced with cinnamon and liberally scattered throughout the base. Cinnamon is not traditionally found in beignets, here the spice is added to provide depth of flavor. The flavor is finished off with a powerful sugary swirl, adding tremendous sweetness, as powdered sugar does in the real thing.

For those who like sugar on their sugar, this saccharine, caffeinated pint delivers all the sweetness you need. The beignet pieces are more akin to "beignet dough" than beignets. The chewiness the beignet component provides is enjoyable, and while non-traditional, the cinnamon spice works well with the sugared coffee flavor and keeps things interesting. Coffee and donut themed ice cream is one that several companies have tried, and this one is at the top of the heap when it comes to that flavor profile.

New Orleans Ice Cream Company has been expanding distribution, and is becoming more widely available throughout the country. As more people try their ice cream, while some will be motivated to do so by their recollection of the great taste of the real thing, I wonder if the ice cream will inspire those who haven't made it to NOLA to head down south.

Where Elliot Found It: Straub's Market
Elliot's Grade: A

READER REVIEW: Jim's Review of Holey Cream Strawberry Dipped Donut with Red Velvet Cake, Moose Tracks and Long Island Raspberry Ice Creams

After profiling the New York based, Holey Cream Outrageous Ice Cream & Bake Shop a few weeks ago, I was able to encourage a fellow ice cream enthusiast to go check it out for himself. Here's how his experience went:

This was the inside, its pretty small; but that is to be expected. I can't imagine Manhattan is a cheap place to own property. So what you do is go in, look at their ice cream selection (which was quite large I have to say), order a Donut, a frosting for the donut, and your ice cream(s). I picked Red Velvet Cupcake, Moose Tracks, and Long Island Raspberry.

I'll start off with the donut. The donut was still warm when I got it. It may have been freshly made, but I didn't really notice. The options for icing are Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry. I thought Vanilla would be boring and Chocolate would be overpowering, so I went with Strawberry. The icing was delicious and coated the donut perfectly, but didn't overpower the rest of the creation. The donut was very light and worked great with the rest of the ice cream.

Moose Tracks: Vanilla ice cream, fudge swirl, and peanut butter cups. The vanilla ice cream was great and there was enough going on for it not to be boring. The swirl was thick and abundant and the peanut butter cups were more like little peanut butter truffles.

Long Island Raspberry: I normally don't go for fruity flavors, but it just seemed super refreshing because it was very warm, I had been walking for a while, and I would still be walking for a while. I'm not entirely sure what it was because I can’t find a description. I just know that it was tasty.

Red Velvet Cupcake: Ok this is the one that surprised me the most. I have had a few Red Velvet Cake ice creams in my day, but this just destroyed them all. The Red Velvet Cupcake pieces were chewy, abundant and stood out from the base very well.

Where Jim Found It: Holey Cream Outrageous Ice Cream
Grade: A

Holey Cream Outrageous Ice Cream & Bake Shop

(Image found on FlickR, courtesy of CarbZombie)

A few nights ago while watching one of the food-oriented cable channels, a small New York business called Holey Cream Outrageous Donuts & Ice Cream was explored. Not only are they known for their hand-dipped donuts like the Fruit Loop and Gummie Bear Delight, but they also scoop homemade ice cream flavors such as Peanut Butter Caramel Cookie Dough and Red Velvet Cupcake. I’m sure the Big Apple has plenty of places to get a donut or some ice cream, but Holey Cream’s Famous Original Donut Ice Cream Sandwiches are what sets them apart from the rest. For $7.25 you can customize your own crazy creation by following the directions below:

(Image found on Google, courtesy of duchessinbrooklyn.blogspot.com)

Customers pick their donut, decide which icing to add, choose the toppings to sprinkle over the fresh icing and then select three heaping scoops of homemade ice cream to stuff in between. These extra large ice cream sandwiches are served in a big plastic to-go bowl that barely contains their super-sized offerings. According to their website, “Holey Cream is well known in Midtown for offering unique and outstanding sweet treats. Holey Cream is open late so that no matter what time you’re craving a delicious treat, they can always satisfy your hunger. The Specialty Sundaes, Ice Cream Donut Sandwiches, and Milk Shakes are all prepared quickly and delivered to you right away. Holey Cream uses only the freshest ingredients around, ensuring that every dish is of the highest possible quality. Be sure to try the best selling Fat Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Ice Cream and see why customers are always coming back for more. Order online or stop by Holey Cream today!"

(Image found on FlickR, courtesy of CarbZombie)

With the seemingly endless possibilities available, I'm sure I'd have a hard time deciding on what exactly to go with, but after browsing their menu for a few minutes I think I'd go with this combination: Nutella dipped donut with graham cracker crumbs, a scoop of their Homemade Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, a scoop of their Homemade Pretzel and a scoop of their Midnight Cookies & Cream. If anyone has ever been to this magical sounding place, or indulged in one of their incredible donut ice cream sandwiches, please share your experience!

(Image found on FlickR, courtesy of andrewkok)

2013 Ice Cream of the Year: Cafe Au Lait & Beignets from New Orleans Ice Cream Company

Near the end of May 2012, I made the life altering decision to start The Ice Cream Informant. From then until now, I’ve reviewed over 250 different ice creams from major ice cream conglomerates to local gelato joints, posted tons of news about flavor releases and even made the journey to ice cream mecca at the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Vermont. I never expected to stick with this “project” for such an extended period, but I found myself really enjoying what I was creating and that others seemed to be enjoying it as well. A few months back I decided to start giving Ice Cream of the Month Awards, but seeing as how this is the blog’s one year anniversary I’ve opted to go ahead and give out The Ice Cream Informant’s Ice Cream of the Year for 2012-2013. It should come as no surprise that the award goes to the flavor sitting atop my overall rankings list: Café Au Lait & Beignets from New Orleans Ice Cream Company.

Click here for the full review!

This famous taste of the old New Orleans French market, with cold brewed coffee and the toasty flavor of scalded milk that is loaded with real beignet pieces and finished with a sugary swirl was able to beat out all the others. Even though I tasted a pint for the first time way back on August 27th, I recently procured a few more pints and the experience was just as incredible as I had remembered. The smooth, full bodied coffee ice cream, big beignet pieces and a stiff sugary swirl combine to create an ice cream that must be experienced first hand. It’s a shame that offerings from New Orleans Ice Cream Company aren’t more readily available because they’ve created an impressive selection of 23 unique flavors. If you’ve ever contemplated ordering ice cream on the internet, this Louisiana-based company should be incentive enough to pull the trigger.

Enjoy pictures of the Ice Cream of the Year for 2012-13!

REVIEW: Steve's NOLA Coffee & Donuts

When scanning over all the selections available from Steve’s Ice Cream, NOLA Coffee & Donuts definitely stood out. My infatuation with the combination of creamy coffee and fried dough has been a long standing one, so the description of New Orleans style Blue Bottle Coffee ice cream with Pies “N” Thighs donut pieces seemed like a sure thing. The Brooklyn based creamery doesn’t stray far from home when sourcing ingredients and reaches out to small-scale, local businesses to create this flavor.

Blue Bottle's preparation method for their New Orleans Style Iced Coffee (Actual Photo: Adam Goldberg)

Blue Bottle Coffee has multiple locations across California and New York, but the Berry St. Brooklyn store sits closest to Steve’s. This artisan coffee roasting company brews a variety of different blends nearly every way imaginable. For their ice cream, Steve’s has opted for the Iced New Orleans Style with chicory. The preparation method and finished product are both pictured above.

(Photo: Buck Ennis)

For the donuts they’ve decided on another Brooklyn institution: the hip, Southern restaurant referred to as Pies “N” Thighs. The three female owners serve up fried chicken and waffles, collard greens and biscuits but also fry up a few different donuts as well. Steve’s Ice Cream chooses the old fashioned, cake kind. I can’t speak on the deliciousness of their donuts, but according to an article from New York Magazine, who awarded them the Best Donuts in all of New York for 2007, “They’re crisp-edged and properly dense, spiced with nutmeg, and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. Buttermilk and sour cream give them a subtle tang, and, because Pies-n-Thighs partner Sarah Buck, in her delightfully quirky way, cuts the batter with a large biscuit ring, each one is about the size of a Texas grapefruit or maybe an undersize boccie ball—which, unlike big bagels, isn’t a bad thing in our book.”

At 240 calories per serving, the Blue Bottle infused ice cream is high in butterfat and low in overrun. The slow-melting time of the potent base allows all the flavors contained inside to fully develop without dissipating too quickly. Iced coffee typically produces a bolder, slightly more flavorful taste when compared to hot coffee and this shines through in the ice cream; as well as the addition of chicory. After the first few layers were removed, I finally realized that the old-fashioned donuts from Pies “N” Thighs had been blended up far past what I had been expecting.

Even though the donuts pieces that have been swirled into the iced coffee ice cream remain small in size, this method also ensure that every bite gets at least a few crumbs. This gives the whole ice cream a unique texture that finishes with the taste and feel of authentic donuts. On a few occasions I found larger chunks that were able to fully showcase the feel of the cake. These weren't fluffy or weightless like the yeast-raised versions, but remain dense and chewy throughout. When combined with the super-premium base, the result is an effective combination of one-off ingredients that you literally can’t find anywhere else.

Where I Found It: Steve's Ice Cream Online Store
Grade: A

READER REVIEW: Bob's Review of Sam's Choice Coffee & Donuts

As I went into my super Walmart to grocery shop, I soon realized they moved everything in the ice cream row, and as I continued to venture further I noticed 2nd Street Creamery was now discontinued and replaced with a new brand called "Sam's Choice". After looking over the flavors and reading reviews online Coffee and Donuts seemed like a killer hit, so I had no second thoughts on picking up this quart and giving it a whirl.

Coffee and Donuts is labeled as coffee ice cream with swirls of icing and donut pieces. Upon lifting the lid you see a lighter and rich looking coffee base, small white glimpses of a glaze swirl and no donut pieces to be seen. Now as we all know upon taking a few bites you soon find landmines or small pieces of mix-ins for the most part. What shocked me most as this pint is labeled as 200 kcals per serving (9g Fat, 26 Carb, and 2 Protein). Normally super premium ice creams are a bit denser in caloric intake per serving, but this shocked me at the flavor and how well it replicated exactly what it claims.

Upon first bite the coffee ice cream is dense, and in my opinion, is better than Ben & Jerry's, while matching Cold Stone Creamery in richness/denseness when it comes to flavor. It reminds me of drinking a medium blend of coffee but has a nice, creamy flavoring to it. The key component of this pint is the swirl, and as you get into this pint, it reminds me of the thickness of the core in Ben & Jerry's for some bites because you get nothing but a thick, rich, and buttery glaze coming right off a glazed donut you would get at Krispy Kreme.

As you barrel down the quart (I split this into two pint containers) the donut pieces are very hit or miss. It reminded me of the only pint of Blue Bell I had when I was in Colorado where it lists a lot of mix-ins but they are very sparse in the pint. These very sparse donut pieces and soft/chewy in texture but are nice, these are much harder to find compared to the dominant glaze swirl. For the Kcal Amount, the amazing swirl give this pint a very solid score. This is a must pickup!

Where Bob Found It: Walmart

Bob's Grade: A

REVIEW: Sam's Choice Coffee & Donuts

While browsing the freezer aisle of my local Super Walmart, I stumbled upon a new brand. It seems Walmart is getting into the super premium ice cream game with their self-branded Sam’s Choice. Only available in one quart containers, twice the amount of most super premium pints, I grabbed the best sounding one: Coffee & Donuts. This coffee ice cream with swirls of icing and donut pieces sounded strikingly similar to that of our all-time favorite ice cream from New Orleans Ice Cream Co.: Cafe au Lait & Beignets.

At 200 calories per serving, the nutrition facts are certainly elevated to that of a super-premium. With the lid removed, it’s hard not to notice the huge concentration of icing sitting right on top. I collected some on my spoon along with the coffee ice cream and gave it a whirl. Far better than we were expecting. The coffee ice cream was dense, overly sugared and full of flavor. The swirl was thick, gritty, and tasted identical to the warm glaze you’d find paired with a donut, which gets us to the last ingredient.

The donut pieces aren’t as prevalent as the sugary swirl, but really elevate the effectiveness of Sam’s Choice first entry. These soft and chewy pieces of fried dough work perfectly with the coffee ice cream. Bites including all three components are enough to break this brand into our top 10.

Where I Found It: Walmart
Grade: A