Guest Review: Caramel Hazelnut Fudge Truffle (Kroger's Private Selections)

We have a guest review today, so welcome Christina Franke, who blogs at A Reader of Fictions. This ice cream sounds fantastic, and I'm pretty sad we don't have Kroger in my neck of the woods.

 

I love ice cream like whoa. I know, I know. So does everyone. I do not, however, eat ice cream all that often, largely because I hate exercising and vegetables, so if I go nuts with it, I will not be happy with my weight. Besides, ice cream is pretty expensive.

The one exception to the not eating much ice cream rule was when I went to Italy. While I was there, I ate gelato AT LEAST once a day, sometimes twice, because that was so delicious, and there was a ton of walking. I just want to live in Tuscany, so I can walk everywhere, drink wine and eat gelato all the time. Too much to ask? Anyone in the interwebs want to hire me for a job there? No?

Okay, I should probably stop talking about gelato and focus on the ice cream I’m visiting to discuss. Here’s how I lost my will power: I follow Kelly Jensen on Twitter. Since she started blogging for Scooped, she’s been posting about delicious ice cream CONSTANTLY. So, of course, I have been craving ice cream like Voldemort craves Harry’s demise. Then when I was in the grocery store, pints of ice cream just happened to be on sale. Clearly, I HAD to by ice cream. The fates WANTED me to eat ice cream, and you can’t piss off the fates, right?

So here’s what I bought, although in a smaller size:




Caramel Hazelnut Fudge Truffle. Sounds delicious, right? Private Selection is Kroger’s fancy brand. They have a ton of amazing sounds ice creams on offer, and I think I will have to try more, as this one was such a success. Also, please be proud of me that I actually made my pint last for FOUR sittings. This was nothing short of a miracle.

First, let’s discuss the ice cream itself before moving on to the additions. The chocolate hazelnut ice cream was delicious.  I would be pretty happy just eating the plain ice cream. Hazelnut is probably the best nutty flavor (the one that also brings us the taste sensation that is Nutella), and even the base of this ice cream is stellar.

Second, we have the addition of the caramel. The caramel is well-integrated. Although there is not caramel in every bite, they definitely did not skimp on it, either. There was even one vein of MUCH caramel, which I mightily appreciated. The caramel drizzle enhanced the flavor of the ice cream perfectly.

Finally, there are the fudge truffles. They were, in my opinion, the weak link of this ice cream. They weren’t bad, and they certainly were plentiful. (I love when ice cream makers don’t skimp on ingredients, don’t you?) However, they were not as delicious as I was anticipating. Some of them had what I think was caramel in the center, and those were more pleasant, but others were just chocolate. They were a bit too crunchy for the texture sensation I expected from this ice cream. I think this ice cream would have been improved by a softer truffle, or the use of fudge or brownie pieces instead.

All things considered, Private Selections’ Caramel Hazelnut Fudge Truffle was an utter delight for the palate. I eagerly anticipate more Private Selections in my future. Usually I am skeptical of store brands for certain products, but Kroger definitely delivers with their ice cream line.

Review: D’Ambrosio Gelato in Seattle, Washington (Guest Post)

Jackie Parker -- librarian, sometimes blogger, and foodie -- has submitted the first SCOOPED guest post, and it's a review of Seattle's D'Ambrosio Gelato.

When I first moved to my neighborhood the only ice cream to be found in this incredibly walkable local was an overpriced frozen yogurt shop that claimed to be green, but served the stuff in styrofoam. Since then, there’s been an explosion in tune with the rumored statistic of Seattle being the second highest ice cream consuming city. This had made me very happy. The newest shop is D’Ambrosio Gelato. I’ve eaten a fair amount of gelato in my life, but D’Ambrosio is easily the creamiest I’ve ever had. Every flavor I’ve tasted has been great. On this outing Kyle and I both got medium dishes. Medium comes with three options; I went with Pistacchio, Hazelnut, and Caramel & Figs. Kyle got Crunchy Biscotti and Lemon Ginger.

The hazelnut and pistachio where good representation of fairly standard flavors; sweet, balanced by nuttiness. The standout was the Caramel & Fig. People, this was caramel gelato swirled with a jammy fig compote - I had what must have been a half a preserved fig in my swirl. It also blended beautifully with the two nutty flavors.

Kyle was pleasantly surprised at how well the biscotti went with the lemon ginger. For the biscotti, don’t think those twice baked cookies you get in coffee shops, think of Biscoff cookies crumbled in a sweet cream gelato. The lemon ginger had a bright pop that faded into the vegetal spiciness of fresh ginger, tempering the sweetness of the biscotti gelato.
The store’s only been open for a couple months, but this was our third time there. It won’t be our last. 

I know where Jackie will be taking me next time I am in Seattle.