Homemade Hard Ice Cream Hotlist
Soft serve ice cream seems to get most of the love around these parts. That’s why last summer we went on the Tour de Soft Serve. But for anyone who loves ice cream, I mean really loves ice cream, they know the hard stuff is the only way to fly. And what’s amazing is that there are so many places in the region that go through the trouble to make their own.
So last Saturday a group of 23 adults and two children set off to try and find the best place in the region to go for this summertime treat. But these tours are arduous, and not everyone makes it through. In the end I received 21 completed scoresheets.
Each participant had their choice of six different flavors that were available that day from each of the five ice cream stands. They were Butter Pecan, Chocolate, Coffee, Maple Walnut, Strawberry and Vanilla. And everyone stuck to their flavor as we made our way through The Farmer’s Daughter, The Ice Cream Man, The Snowman, Mac’s Drive In, and Moxie’s.
Evaluating the ice cream back to back to back to back to back was illuminating. Here’s what we learned.
Sliders, Oysters & Ice Cream
Don’t have a heart attack. That’s both my advice to my mother in addition to my mantra. It’s good to keep things like mantras simple. I don’t want a stroke or gout either. But if I start listing all the medical maladies I don’t want, I’ll never get anywhere.
Despite how it may sound on the blog, I have not completely abandoned my newfound healthy diet after having my blood drawn for the follow-up lipid panel. That would be the test which will tell me if the draconian diet I put myself on had any effect on my blood cholesterol numbers.
The scheduling of the test and the follow up appointment were quite clever though. The test was the morning of the All Over Albany Burger Lab, so those five mini-sandwiches, which included two with fatty pork belly, wouldn’t erase months of cleaner living. And my appointment to discuss the test isn’t until I return from San Francisco. So I’m enjoying a few weeks in this lovely little gray zone.
Granted, I’m leaning a bit on the decadent side of moderation, but that may just be in comparison to my many months of self-denial. I’ll give you a bit more data, and you can tell me (and my mom) what yout think.
Sell Out Sunday – Go Fish
Are you really reading blogs on Memorial Day weekend? I think I may have completely failed you by not writing about things to eat and drink or reiterating the difference between grilling and barbecue. Here is all of that in two lines.
If you having burgers and chicken cooked over hot charcoal, you are attending a cookout and not a barbecue. And if you want a cocktail, grab some lemons, gin, sugar and seltzer for this. No, you can’t make it with vodka.
My excuse for leaving you in the lurch is that I was focused on the Tour de Hard Ice Cream, which more than two dozen people showed up for yesterday. Including a few who had never participated in one of these events. It was a great time, even if some of the ice cream was a bit underwhelming.
And now having completely ill prepared you for the holiday tomorrow, I have the gall to write a post that is entirely composed of only lightly-edited press releases that I’ve gotten from the past week? Well, yes. Especially because one is for a good cause and the other sounds like a remarkable piece of good news in the realm of sustainable food in supermarkets.
But just remember, it’s a press release. So the whole truth may look a little different. Still, I’m cautiously optimistic.
Hard Truths About Hard Cider
Cider can be made from a variety of fruits. Not only am I a purist at heart, but the vast majority of cider is made with apples, and we’ve got some great regionally produced versions of this fermented beverage. Two of which were even mentioned in an article on Esquire.com.
But on a recent trip to a local beer store, I found something troubling.
32 Flavors and Then Some
Most likely if you aren’t attending, you just plan to sit back, relax and wait for the results to come in next week. And that’s totally fair. It’s exactly why we do these ridiculous outings. If you are only going to have a handful of ice cream experiencesover the summer, will it be worth your while to drive out of your way to get something that people say is fantastic.
Because there are a lot of foods people clamor over that aren’t really special.
But today we’re going to talk more about ice cream. Because these tours are fun, but they are also serious business. Each participant will be choosing a flavor at the beginning of the day, and trying as much as possible to faithfully stick to that flavor across all five venues. I’m hoping that we get results across a broad array of flavors, because each one reveals different truths about the ice cream maker.
Ask the Profussor – Spring Showers
Having a farm share means being happy when it rains. Because water makes the crops grow. And the crops at Roxbury Farm have been growing so well, they are going to start this season’s delivery a week earlier than scheduled. Bonus greens.
Too bad I’m going to be away, but I’m hopeful my mother-in-law will take advantage of these great greens.
Spring is also the time for new things. So I’ve got new shoes, a new computer, a new grill, a new book about gin, and a renewed commitment for staying on top of reader questions. At least insofar as that means catching up on them every two weeks instead of letting them slip even further into the abyss. Remember that I am committed to making sure every question receives an answer, provided it is asked with proper punctuation.
Now without any further ado, let’s get on to your questions.
Slider Soiree
For today, I’m going to let that go. But officially, I think “sliders” has become a totally overused word and sadly rendered meaningless. In this case, it refers to a mini-sandwiches with a hot meat filling, and not the gloriously greasy burger.
But it was not just a feeding frenzy, there was also serious work to be done.
Over thirty AOA readers submitted their best ideas for a slider using one of four proteins and a laundry list of toppings. I along with Jerry and Janie (aka The Judges) got to determine the five finalists. And on the night of the event, the three of us sat around a table and sampled those creations to determine which one might go on the Central Steak menu.
I’ve been dying to write about this ever since the contest started, to go on the record with what I think makes a great mini-burger. But by waiting, I’m also going to be able to share the valuable lesson I learned at Judges Table.
Coffee Can Can
You know what else it’s time for? Iced coffee. If you recall, last year I got the right tool for the job, a cold brewing rig. And at the time I was eager to give it a go using really good coffee. But I was still curious about how it would perform with lesser beans. Well, I have finally found out.
Bad Dad
Before we get to New Business, we need to start with Old Business thanks to a recent comment from Burnt My Fingers. And I hope that we are not too late.
The Tour de Hard Ice Cream is next Saturday, May 26. The original date was changed and I tried to make sure everyone was aware of that with a massive call out header at the top of the post. Hopefully there is no confusion. And if you can come, please go to the post and RSVP in the comments.
Any other Old Business? Okay. Seeing none, we shall move onto New Business.
If my memory is right, there was some kind of scuttlebutt around these parts involving lying to your kids. Well, I have a story to share where I was busted doing just this by two of my local blogger friends: Michele and Leah.
Here’s what went down.
Fading Fast
I’m officially off the wagon. Yesterday morning, after months of eating well, I had my blood drawn to see if I could indeed lower my cholesterol using just diet alone. My appointment to review the numbers is still a few weeks away.
So now I’m enjoying a bit of a grace period.
That’s probably a bad idea. And I’m not going to go crazy. But I may do just a little bit of celebrating. In fact much celebrating has already occurred. And it’s going to be great to be able to participate on the Tour de Hard Ice cream without a lick of guilt or regret. Plus I won’t have to second-guess the foods I eat on my West Coast vacation next month.
Yesterday’s celebration the end of the “fast” really was three separate treats strung together with a bit of a bonus treat on the side for good measure. However it’s the first stop after the phlebotomist that may be the most surprising of all.
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