Worst ice cream flavor of the month, and best jellybean ever
Zabar’s is offering chocolate matzoh ice cream for Passover:
The limited-edition Passover flavor is available through April 13 when Passover ends and is sold by the pint for $20, but there’s a lot to go into it for the price. This ice cream is as decadent as can be, starting with a house-made matzo, and a vanilla base, paired with homemade caramel and tempered chocolate and house-roasted almonds.
Some people like matzoh. I don’t count myself among them. And of course, I can’t eat chocolate because it gives me migraines. I love caramel, but have you ever noticed (and unless you can’t eat chocolate I don’t see why you would have) that caramel ice creams very often contain chocolate? That makes them verboten to me.
I realize, from earlier in my life before I had to banish chocolate, that caramel and chocolate is a very tasty combination. But caramel alone is very nice, too, and it is very rare to find it. Take it from me; I often look. Salted caramel, which is a somewhat different taste, had a brief but boring time in the sun (is that a bad metaphor for ice cream?). But I’m not all that keen on it.
For observant Jews, the Zabar’s offering has another drawback:
It’s important to note this flavor, while being offered for Passover, is not a pick for those strictly observant of the dietary laws of the holiday. It is not certified kosher for Passover.
By the way, speaking of holiday flavors this time of year, those Russell Stover pectin jelly beans I love were nowhere to be found this year. Not even on Amazon or the mothership itself, the Russell Stover website. However, the latter had a little notice that asked for your email address if you wished to be notified when they became available. Of course I signed up. A day or two ago I was informed they’re back in stock, and I quickly put in my order. You can, too.
Will the ice-cream-loving dementia-patient at 1600 be giving this a taste? If he does and is queried, will his response even be coherent? The famous gelateria in Venezuela has some flavors suggesting meat and fish.
Viva dulce de leche! (Long live sweet milk!)
This beloved Latin American caramel sweet can be spread on crackers or churros, used as a desert topping or filling or, less often, eaten alone.
There are many sensible, safe recipes, but I stick to the one I learned in my hippie days.
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Ingredients:
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 pressure cooker
Put can in pressure cooker.
Fill cooker with water until can is covered by 1″ of water.
Bring up to pressure.
Cook for 30 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Allow pressure to come down.
Allow to cool.
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Enjoy!
(Oh, you didn’t hear this from me.)
Try Goetze’s caramels (they used to be labelled “Goetze’s Chews”), they’re my favorite inexpensive caramels and their sugar centers add a sweet touch.
Am I alone in missing supermarkets featuring the Brach’s pick-your-own bins? Those bins had plain caramels, caramel rolls with variously flavored centers, and an assortment of other Brach’s candies.
Neo – I, too, began having chocolate-induced headaches and had to give it up. Then someone told me that Belgian dark chocolate wouldn’t have that effect. Don’t ask how or why!
So I gave it a try. And, so far, so good! No headaches. The link for what I ordered: https://www.amazon.com/Bouchard-Belgian-Dark-Chocolate-Ounce/dp/B08MN45KKZ/ref=sr_1_14?crid=2UFQKRHUM78MB&keywords=belgian%2Bchocolate&qid=1680550251&sprefix=Belgian%2B%2Caps%2C116&sr=8-14&th=1
If you don’t want this posted here, please delete….not sure what your policy is.
Note that the 2-pound bag is cheaper than the 1-pound, so that’s what I bought. It came on a warm-ish day, nicely insulated with a cold pack.
It is dark & supposedly healthy….but not obnoxiously so! My husband will eat it.
So, use your own judgement. I thought it was worth experimenting…and it was.
Auntie Analogue, no, you are not alone. I need a certain number of caramels for a recipe I make at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but now have to purchase bags to get what I need.
Neo–I LOVE jelly beans but have never tried the Russell Stover’s. I just ordered two bags! Thanks for the recommendation.
Ruth:
Interesting, thanks!
But I never did especially like dark chocolate, so I probably won’t try it. Plus, I even get headaches with white chocolate, so I’m extremely sensitive. Last time I ate chocolate I got a migraine for 3 weeks, so I’m not inclined to experiment.
this guys fun to watch…..Chef Jean Pierre making caramel
https://youtu.be/pv88bo9PQU4?t=32
Here’s a treat: https://blaircandy.com/nonpareils-mini-32oz.html
For the longest time I thought that the combination of alcoholic beverages and sweet desserts gave me a headache. More recently, I’ve discovered that it is sweet chocolate desserts or snacks that does it. My recollection is that Neo does not drink, so that’s not an issue for her. Generally, my headaches are modest and easily treated with naproxen.
Wow, Ruth, and those Belgian chocolates are labeled GF! I’m always on the lookout for GF things for my celiac daughter. This year, she’s coming for Easter, so we have Reese’s peanut butter cups, York peppermint patties, and Hershey’s milk chocolate kisses, all labeled gluten-free.
For myself, I eat Ghirardelli 86% dark chocolate, very low carb. But I dislike caramel. I have a chocolate-covered marshmallow caramel egg for my husband for Easter.
I can’t say that matzoh ice cream sounds attractive at all.
Neo, I’ve thought of you while grocery shopping quite a few times lately, because of the ubiquity of jelly beans in the stores. I love them. I want some. I think of Neo! But I cannot buy a full-sized bag or I will eat them all. (Don’t tell me I should show some restraint and throw out the rest, or something. I realize that. I don’t want to talk about it.)
Why why why don’t they sell little individual-serving sized packets of jelly beans so that I could indulge my cravings without outgrowing my jeans?? The local Tops used to have a bulk candy section where I could get myself a tiny packet of jelly beans — or candy corn or candy pumpkins at Halloween — but sadly it’s gone now.
Interestingly, it’s not the Russell Stover beans that I love best — it’s plain old Brach’s, maybe because that’s what I grew up with.
Edit: Oh, and about chocolate: I’m avoiding it most of the time too these days, not because of migraines but because I am apparently absurdly caffeine-sensitive. I find that there’s enough caffeine in most chocolate to keep me from sleeping the night after I eat some, and I guess I like sleeping better than eating chocolate — though it’s close.
“Put can in pressure cooker.”
Um, er…
I think ye’ forget to say… “AND STAND WAY BACK!!”
Re: matzoh ice cream
neo, Kate:
I can’t speak to matzoh ice cream, but I had a Jewish friend who was an excellent amateur cook (her brother was a real chef) who made matzoh-based Napoleons for one Seder.
She said they turned out well.
Whaddya say, gang, let’s shoot the works . . . ! . . . : https://www.oldtimecandy.com/
“I can’t say that matzoh ice cream sounds attractive at all.”
Well no; but it would probably help business if it were served together with a scoop a’ prune.
(Zabar’s might even think about throwing that in free of charge: “We truly care about the well-being of our customers, yadda, yadda…”)
OTOH, one wouldn’t want to encourage them. Before you know it, they’ll be offering smoked sable ice cream… or even bagels ‘n lox ice cream (but not over Passover, of course…)
Speaking as a Christian, I’m just glad Zabar’s didn’t come out with a ham-and-pineapple flavor for Easter (the traditional central course in the dinner that marked the end of the Lenten fast in my part of Pennsylvania). Although I suppose the company could experiment with an Easter egg or chocolate bunny flavor.
As for jelly beans, well, who can forget Ronald Reagan’s love of them?
“Throughout his political career, President Reagan continued to serve his beloved jelly beans at cabinet meetings, social events, and even important meetings with dignitaries from around the world. Photographs exist of the President meeting with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher over a jar of American jelly beans. President Reagan joked that you could tell a lot about a person from how they ate their jelly beans, so he always kept a jar handy.”
https://www.reaganfoundation.org/ronald-reagan/president-reagans-favorite-treat-jelly-beans/
Since going full carnivore, we’re at a loss for Passover. Just a lonely lamb shank for the Seder plate. We’ve got chicken soup (no matzoh balls), the lamb meat from a couple of shanks, and we can recline (without wine)…
We’ll think of something.
I am not Jewish, so my opinion matters not at all, but I think you could skip your dietary restrictions for one night for the Seder.
A blessed Passover to all celebrating!
i second dulce de leche, add this concoction
https://www.isabeleats.com/flan-recipe/
baklava, i’ve also found tasty
Blue Bell – still a full half gallon as advertised! – has had a number of “rotational” flavors over the years featuring caramel without chocolate. We tried a featured pecan pralines and cream a little while back and liked it. We also had a sea salt caramel before which was excellent.
Why not just break matzoh on the kosher l’peshach ice cream of your choice? Save big $$$$