August was the third month of Bobtail Year 2, during which I receive two pints of homemade ice cream a month from Bobtail.
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Apple Crêpe ice cream is apples in a cream cheese ice cream. Sounds like apple cheesecake, right? That’s what I thought, but the flavor isn’t as heavy. But with no pastry mixed in, can it actually be described as being crêpe-flavored?
The answer is yes and no. The flavor suggests many of the
things crêpes also suggest. For example, crêpes are light, yet dense; when
eating crêpes at home, it is easy to eat a large quantity, only to realize
later that they were not as light as they seemed. Also, crepes have a touch of
sour that highlights the dominant flavors; in crepes the sourness comes from
lemon, while in this ice cream it comes from the cream cheese base.
But it is hard to make apples work in an ice cream flavor.
Apple-flavored ice cream bases often taste both artificial and gross. And apples
as mix-ins seem texturally strange, being neither crunchy (like a fresh apple),
nor firm and chewy (liked baked or fried apples). The mix-ins in this flavor
are icy and frozen, yet soft enough to bite through. (This could possibly be
the result of Bobtail choosing the natural route with their flavors.) I’m happy to
say that this typically undesirable texture, somehow works in the nuanced ice
cream base.
Though named “crêpe,” the base reminds me of the vanilla
sauce that was served with the apple strudel I ate in Berlin. The sauce, a staple in Germany, is lighter
than custard, but not airy like whipped cream. It is rich, yet subtle.
Similarly, the cream cheese ice cream that enrobes the frozen apples is both
dense and light. It offers a touch of sweetness that is enough on its own,
complementing the tartness of the apples. All in all, delicious.
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