Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream is a local ice cream shop run by Jeni Britton Bauer, who creates wonderfully unique ice creams. Her flavors range from Ugandan vanilla to goat cheese with red cherries, and are made by hand in her Columbus, Ohio headquarters. There's a Jeni's scoop shop only about two miles away from my office, and let me tell you, it takes a lot of restraint not to go there for a bowl on every lunch break. Below are my top 5 favorite flavors, at least to date. Who knows what she's going to come up with next?
Initial notes of burnt sugar give way to mouth-watering saltiness. A perfect salty/sweet balance.
This is Jeni's signature flavor, creamy caramel with a salty finish. It's great, but there are much better things to come!
4. Black Currant Frozen Yogurt
Puréed black currants blended with fresh cream and naturally tart yogurt tempered by a bit of sweetness. The rich, full, complex berry flavor melts with the tang of organic yogurt.
Black currant is one of my favorite flavors of anything (tea, jam, candy, it doesn't matter). It's popular in England but hard to find in the US - except at Jeni's, where it shows up every summer. It's wonderfully rich and tart, perfect for hot summer days.
3. Dark Chocolate Peppermint
A full-flavored, toothsome, dark chocolate ice cream with potent Oregon peppermint (essential oil). Flavor bursts open and cuts through very cleanly. A classic holiday chocolate and mint.
Oooh, this is one of the most decadent flavors ever created. It's so rich it's hard to eat much at a time. I found a pint at my local grocer after the holidays (score!) and it took me over a month to eat the whole thing.
2. Sweet Corn and Black Raspberry
A sublime summer match - initial hits of milky sweet corn give way to the floral nose of sweet
black raspberry.
When I was in Paris a few years ago we stopped at a lovely ice cream stand just across the river behind the Notre Dame, where I friend of mine ordered sweet corn ice cream. I was intrigued - she told me vegetable ice cream was popular in countries like China and she hadn't been able to get her hands on any since. When I heard Jeni's had summer sweet corn and raspberry flavor, I had to try it. It sounds bizarre but the creamy corn flavor is delicious.
1. Riesling Poached Pear Sorbet
Light but surprisingly rich with pure pear flavor and a pleasant grainy texture. Notes of sweet Riesling wine shine on the finish.
This might very well be the most perfect ice cream ever created. Caramel is nice, and dark chocolate is tasty, but you can't beat this pear sorbet. It's so fresh and light and flavorful that you think you've just bitten into a fresh Bartlett pear. And then, as the fruit melts on your tongue, you get a lovely Riesling wine aftertaste. I'm not even a huge wine fan but this flavor is absolutely divine. I can't wait to get a scoop the next time I'm at the shop!
Images via Jenis.com and Salty Caramel blog.
