Today I stared through the freezer door in the grocery store, trying to decide on a pint of ice cream to take home. My gaze quickly passed over the air-filled tubs containing ingredients that I can’t pronounce and fell on the small pints of better made ice cream. As I tried to decide what looked appetizing I realized that I had never reviewed one of the big names in “gourmet” ice cream – Häagen-Dazs. How could this be? I quickly grabbed a pint and headed to the check out.
I enjoy a scoop of Häagen-Dazs every now and then. It is an easy choice when I don’t have time or energy to make my own ice cream. Even though it is mass produced, I feel like the creators have stayed true to the real ice cream ingredients – milk, cream, eggs, sugar, and mix-ins like fruit or chocolate. That is pretty much it. I noticed that this pint also contained baking soda, which is still natural and likely added for freshness.
Dulce de Leche became my choice of flavor today because it is my brother’s favorite. He has been known to finish an entire pint in 20 minutes. Until today, I had never bought a pint myself so I thought I’d give it a try. As expected, the texture of the ice cream was smooth and creamy, dense with flavor and not air. The caramel flavor was pronouced and very sweet; I prefer caramel a little more dark or burnt, but then I guess it wouldn’t be like most dulce de leche. Given its richeness, I could only eat one small scoop (sorry bro) but even a small scoop was satisfying.
Thanks again, Häagen-Dazs, for an indulgent scoop.
auntie lenie says
Was looking through your past blog posts and came across this one. Thought I would comment that the baking soda is most likely used in the preparation of the caramel. I have enjoyed your recipes and sorry I haven't commented sooner. Keep on chillin'.