REVIEW: High Road Strawberry Shortbread (Private Reserve)

After stumbling upon Peanut Butter Brittle and discovering how heavenly High Road ice cream could be with mix-ins involved, I jumped at the opportunity to review this Private Reserve pint of Strawberry Shortbread. I've yet to find a really well-executed version of anything involving strawberries, but I have high hopes considering High Road is at the helm.

The description above makes this strawberry-based flavor actually sounds alluring. Blue Bunny's Strawberries are Forever Shortcake and Blue Bell's Summer Strawberry Pie had both fallen well below this blog's standards, but after reading words like macerate, slow reduction and jammy syrup I think High Road may have this figured out. Pulling off the lid allows the slightly-sweet smell of strawberries and cream to escape. At first glance this looks like your standard vanilla, but the remnants of strawberry seeds in the base give away it's true identity. Scooping out my first bite, I'm immediately impressed with the quality and taste of this super-sweet strawberry ice cream.

Although not disclosed in the description, I assume High Road has mixed their macerated strawberry reduction with their incredible sweet cream mix to produce the ice cream packed in this pint, much like they did in Peanut Butter Brittle. The majority of the strawberry slivers were the ideal size. These barely-there bits of berry were few and far between, and because of their small stature, lacked the ice-cube consistency of larger pieces found in other flavors. Complex enough to keep me interested, the combination of ice cream and bits of strawberry have created a capable base to show off this shortbread.

The first few fragments I scooped out secured this flavor's fate. This is exactly how a high-grade strawberry shortbread ice cream should taste. These chunks of cookie cover all the textural aspects this ice cream had previously been missing. Adding a slight grit, as well as an initial crunch, these pieces of shortbread break down into chewy morsels that add some serious sweetness. Just when I thought I had reached the peak of this pint, I unearthed this mammoth of a mix-in.

Nearly spanning across the diameter of the container, this colossal chunk was almost too big to fit in one bite. Unhinging my jaw, this singular bite of shortbread, dripping in sweet, slightly-fruity ice cream ended up being one of the the best strawberry experiences I've ever had.

Where I Found It: Whole Foods Market
Grade: B

REVIEW: High Road Bourbon Burnt Sugar

French Toast and Caffeine & Cacao had peeked my interest. Peanut Butter Brittle had forever secured a spot for High Road in my freezer. Despite seeing how effective their flavors with chunks of mix-ins could be, that didn't stop me from continuing to sample some of their unique base flavors. Claiming to be their most popular flavor, Bourbon Burnt Sugar sure sounds enticing.

The above description tries to persuade me that this could easily be substituted for a nice, after-dinner glass of high quality Bourbon. Tending to form my opinions through taste, I waste no time tearing off the top. What the manilla-colored ice cream lacks in looks, it makes up for in aroma. The overly sweet smell has an underlying alcohol scent that discloses the adult beverage lurking inside this batch. The impressive fragrance has me forecasting some serious complexity.

Digging my spoon deep into the container, my first impression has to do with the density. Much thicker than I had assumed, I'm surprised this selection tipped the scales at under 200 calories per serving. As soon as the first bite of Bourbon Burnt Sugar hit my tongue, I could tell that complexity wouldn't be an issue. This dense, velvety blend of flavors started with strong hints of butter and the ideal amount of alcohol, but ended with the overly sweet sensation of torched sugar.

One thing I've learned about High Road through my previous taste tests is that you can never be too sure about whether or not their flavors are going to meander towards mild or blow you away with boldness. This does neither. Beginning with a buttery base, toting notes of vanilla extract, High Road added the exemplary amount of top-notch Bourbon whiskey. The taste of choice Bourbon is chased away quickly by the perfect parting note, crème brûlée'd sugar. Not overly sweetened like Ben & Jerry's Crème Brûlée, Bourbon Burnt Sugar has just the quintessential amount of all ingredients, but knowing how incredible this could be with some additional mix-ins, a serious ceiling has been imposed.

Where I Found It: The Fresh Market
Grade: C

REVIEW: High Road Sticky Toffee Pudding

We've had somewhat of a frustrating experience with High Road Craft Ice Cream on this blog. They're creativity and willingness to experiment seems is only rivaled by a few other companies, but in today's time of ice cream buying a seven dollar plus pint of ice cream without any mix-ins is hard to swallow. The times they do include large, gaudy bits of additional goodies typically receive a very high rating, but when we open up a pint like French Toast and only get a simple base ice cream, we can't help but want a little more. We had the same initial excitement about Sticky Toffee Pudding which High Road had this to say about, "This is an homage to a culinary classic; where jammy dates are mashed with dark brown sugar, plenty of butter and a good pinch of salt before being spun into a luxurious ice cream."

Dates aren't something we typically see in our everyday eating and especially not in ice cream, so we were interested to see exactly what this one would taste like. Our first bite was full of the brown sugar, buttery flavoring explained on the side of the carton, and even though each bite was complex, that didn't equate into a flavor we were crazy about; especially when offered at such a high price. This wasn't bad by any means, but we were just expecting a bit more.

Where I Found It: The Fresh Market
Grade: C

REVIEW: High Road Peanut Butter Brittle (Private Reserve)

Other pints I've tried from High Road like French Toast and Caffeine & Cacao were both comprised of some impressive base ice cream, but I was looking forward to trying their most recent Private Reserve flavor. Their Peanut Butter Brittle will be be my first taste of the mix-ins High Road might have to offer. After reading the description below, I'm tempted to take a bite while waiting in the check-out line at Whole Foods.

Packing 280 calories per serving, this is a heavier than normal option from High Road, but fits right in line with other premium ice creams, especially those containing peanut butter. Discarding the lid reveals a lush layer of peanut butter infused sweet cream ice cream with thick stripes of that incredible peanut butter caramel. Dipping into the base, this is much more dense than the other flavors I've tried.

What they left to the imagination with Caffeine & Cacao, they make up for in Peanut Butter Brittle. The boldness of the peanut butter is unprecedented. The sweet and salty contrast is left at full potency. As a result of the all-natural peanut butter being blended with the sweet cream ice cream, the thicker mixture excels over their lighter feeling flavors. It doesn't take long before my spoon starts to slide into the peanut butter caramel careening about.

Adding a standard peanut butter swirl such as that in Ben & Jerry's What a Cluster would have probably been sufficient, but not for High Road. Instead, they fuse together organic peanut butter with their thick caramel to create this sinful swirl. It packs the punch of creamy peanut butter, but has the consistency of thick, melted caramel. A tremendous addition to the complex peanut butter base, they weren't done yet. The further down I dug, the bigger the peanut brittle got.

What started as single peanuts wrapped in sweet syrup, evolved into stone sized sections of brittle by the halfway point. The sweetness of the brittle exceeds everything else in the pint. The sugar penetrated deep within the peanuts, giving them a soft, moist texture. The chewy peanuts, coupled with the crunch of the hardened syrup, work side by side with the swirl and base to bombard your taste buds with all things peanut butter. If it weren't for the overly gaudy mix-ins in What a Cluster, this would have been my go-to pint when answering a peanut butter craving.

Where I Found It: Whole Foods Market
Grade: A

REVIEW: High Road French Toast

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

REVIEW: High Road Mr. Butterpants (Private Reserve Big Kid Series)

Despite the expensive price tag of High Road's ice cream, we couldn't resist picking up a pint from their Big Kid Series titled Mr. Butterpants. This whimsically titled creation takes dark chocolate chunks & lots of peanut butter in chocolate ice cream and comes in at a hefty 280 calories per serving.

Once the Private Reserve top was tossed aside and we took a look at the thick glob of peanut butter sitting right on top, we were hopeful this would be worth the price and calories. While the chocolate base wasn't anything out of the ordinary, any bite including the ribbons of peanut butter or a dark chocolate chunks were certainly above average.

Unfortunately for Mr. Butterpants, the chocolate and peanut butter combination category is perhaps the most competitive we have and this one couldn't quite make the cut; especially with flavors like Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter World and Haagen Dazs Peanut Butter Pie still on shelves.

Where I Found It: Greenlife Grocery
Grade: B

REVIEW: High Road Caffeine & Cacao

When I wander into a Whole Foods, it's usually to pick up some organic produce or some specialty item I can't find at a generic supermarket. On my most recent visit, and after racking up a beefy bill at their hot bar, I browsed the assortment of High Road Craft ice creams in their freezer isle before heading to checkout. With all the unique combinations and local appeal, I was in. After searching through some of their base-only offerings, I ultimately picking a pint that hit close to home.

As a bleary-eyed, frequently-hungover undergraduate student at the University of Georgia, a cup of Jittery Joe's coffee got me through many a painful morning. Three or four of these local coffee shops littered Athens, Georgia and I visited them numerous times a week throughout my college career. Owing my middling GPA to the jolt of java Jittery's Joe's provided me over the years, I felt it necessary to pay homage to my old caffeine dealer by choosing High Road's Caffeine & Cacao. Pulling off the charcoal top to the container, I uncovered an unassuming layer of light-colored ice cream with chocolate ganache cascading down the sides; all for only 190 calories per serving.

Securing a sizable scoop of the coffee-flavored ice cream, my first impression was a bit surprising. I was expecting an enormous rush of bold mocha flavoring, but instead I ended up with an overly mild, super-creamy base. Typically small-sized operations tend to be more robust with their flavors, leaving cautiousness to the major ice cream conglomerates. but that wasn't the case here. As I put a few more spoonfuls down, I was coming around. The taste was similar to that of a cup of premium roast that had been overly creamed. It wasn't something I disliked, just something I wasn't expecting. This would be the perfect coffee flavor for the non-coffee drinker. The sensation of cream and sugar come into play well before the bitterness and floral undertones of the beans ever have the chance to materialize. Then I encountered some of the chocolate ganache.

This luscious combination of milk chocolate and cream is flowing down the outer edges from top to bottom and you can taste the high quality chocolate. It's thick, rich and strings from the carton to your spoon with every bite its involved. It shared the same consistency of melted chocolate fondue, despite the fact it was surrounded by frozen ice cream. The intensity of the ganache isn't something I'd be able to handle in every bite, so their decision to relegate the rich drizzle to the outer portions of the pint was fine by me. The calm, coffee ice cream also included some crunchy pieces of chocolate-covered coffee beans that added another textural component. This 2011 Flavor of Georgia winner wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly pleased with the end result.

Where I Found It: Whole Foods Market
Grade: C

REVIEW: High Road Brown Butter Praline (Southern Series Limited Edition)

After nearly a 300-day hiatus from High Road Craft Ice Cream, I was able to locate one of their flavors that I hadn’t seen before. Although their base only offerings such as Bourbon Burnt Sugar and French Toast were interesting, I was particularly fond of their mix-in filled flavors like Peanut Butter Brittle and Strawberry Shortbread. Since my last review of a High Road product, they’ve expanded their selection with a handful of different collections. Perhaps the most interesting of their new options comes from their Southern Series, which includes Bourbon Burnt Sugar, Mixed Berry Buttermilk, Peach Fried Pie and the pint I picked up. High Road has this to say about their Brown Butter Praline, “The term "brown butter" seems to be popping up everywhere these days, but the technique has been around for as long as we've known butter. The French call it beurre noisette, noting its similarity to the aroma of freshly roasted hazelnuts. We blend it into a slow cooked cream caramel and ribbon it into our sweet cream ice cream while we "make it rain" with sugar roasted praline pecans.”

With a description like that you’d assume this to be packed to the brim with calories as well, but High Road manages to keep Brown Butter Praline to just 200 calories per serving. After removing the lid, the first layer approaches beige in color and shows plenty of the aforementioned caramel and praline pecans. According to the carton, “slowly toasted brown butter makes our caramel deep, rich and nearly savory. Sweet cream and Georgia pecans make this flavor a true Southern gem.” The ice cream, although not as heavy as some super-premiums, is absolutely packed with flavor. The base is full of notes of butter, caramel, and pralines; all arranged in a way that maintains balance.

After wrapping my head around the complexity of the ice cream, I start running into the heavy concentrations of butter-infused creamed caramel and praline pecans pieces. The liquid swirl builds on the bold flavors found in the base and brings another element of richness to the equation. High Road finishes off Brown Butter Praline by tossing in some Georgia sugar roasted praline pecans: a smart decision. These soft pecan halves have cooked just long enough to release the nutty flavors inside and are the perfect compliment to the other components. It seems the new look High Road has some serious ice cream in store for us.

Where I Found It: Whole Foods
Grade: A

READER REVIEW: Colby's Review of High Road Brown Butter Praline

High Road Craft Ice Cream & Sorbet is an Atlanta based company turning out high quality premium ice creams and sorbets since April 2010. While strolling through my local Whole Foods recently, I stumbled upon a nice selection of High Road ice creams. After several minutes of debating, I picked up a pint of High Road Brown Butter Praline and eagerly headed home to try this new treat. High Road provides a tastefully description of this ice cream: The term "brown butter" seems to be popping up everywhere these days, but the technique has been around for as long as we've known butter. The French call it beurre noisette, noting its similarity to the aroma of freshly roasted hazelnuts. We blend it into a slow cooked cream caramel and ribbon it into our sweet cream ice cream while we "make it rain" with sugar roasted praline pecans.

In 2012, High Road took home the “Flavor of Georgia” Grand Prize with their Brown Butter Praline Ice Cream, beating out 25 other competitors from around the state. The first thing I noticed about this ice cream was the consistency of the base. It melted almost instantly once taken out of the freezer. This had me slightly worried at first, but after several bites, I was reluctantly surprised. The “sweet cream” base is incredibly creamy and almost identical to that of the old fashioned homemade ice cream that I grew up eating every summer.

The brown butter caramel swirl was blended nicely into the base and present throughout the pint; adding even more sweetness to the ice cream. This might throw off others who don’t enjoy overly sweet ice cream bases, but the base is what saved this pint for me. High Road claims to “make it rain” with sugar roasted praline pieces. Well, they failed. Maybe I had a bad pint but the lack of actual praline pieces found in this pint really let me down. With the addition of larger, and many, many, more pralines, this pint could easily be elevated to an A. Even though the base was really creamy and tasted homemade, I unfortunately can’t rate this ice cream higher than a C. I would possibly consider rescooping this flavor in the future but definitely not anytime soon. All in all I was a little disappointed with my first High Road experience, but will give them another try in the future with a different flavor.

Where Colby Found It: Whole Foods
Colby's Grade: C