Flavor Review: Blue Bell 'Banana Pudding'

   As stated in a prior post, I will post my thoughts on the commercial stuff found at local stores in case readers out there want to try them out, but are wary. I am here to ease that fear. I tastes all things ice cream.

   My quest brought me to a safe haven this week, and I had the fortune to trod on familiar grounds. I was intrigued by this flavor after falling in love with Banana Creme Pie ice cream. Blue Bell usually does well with creating flavors; though at times, it can taste cheap and manufactured. I enjoyed Banana Pudding. It was creamy, but not quite as creamy as I think gourmet ice creams should be. The banana flavor was startlingly huge. Blue Bell nailed that fake banana flavor found in banana puddings, especially the Jell-o mixes. I personally like that fake taste.
   My brother and I were talking the other day about certain flavors, strawberry to be exact, and how often the real flavor loses us. Real strawberry ice cream made from fresh strawberries is good and natural, but it's only good, not great. It can get icy faster than you can say Millennium Falcon, and is a bit bitter. Then we got to talking about how good the strawberry shakes are from Burger King, which we used to slurp down in our childhood. They weren't made from fresh strawberries; rather, they were made by blending a syrup into ice cream. This, people, can be done if it's worth it, meaning it produces good results. I'm all for natural ingredients, but if there is another alternative that creates a better flavor, then I will look into that too.
   All this to say, the fake banana taste is great, and I am all for it.

   Blue Bell improvised the meringue topping by creating a sugary cream swirl that was spot on. It tasted like frozen meringue. Brilliant. In my Banana Creme Pie I use a marshmallow swirl to emulate this, but what they did works too. It was copiously swirled in, which gave the ice cream a nice balance of banana flavor and meringue flavor.

   The highlight of the ice cream was the chunks of vanilla wafers. They were of varying sizes, but all were spots of buttery, bread-y goodness that punched a whole in the wall of texture (as seen in the photo to the right where a bold wafer juts out like the bastion of the Citadel in Minas Tirith). It's good to have that opposite texture balance. The banana ice cream and meringue were smooth and creamy, but the wafers offered a much needed oasis of soft chewiness.

   This flavor was great. I wouldn't change anything from what they did to recreate the classic banana pudding dessert. Well done Blue Bell. You provided blissful rest in my enduring quest. After a few days with your best flavor to date, I must plunge back into the frozen world in search for true, gourmet ice creams. Farewell.

-Reese O'Shirey Esq.

 

Homegrown Alabama

Alas, I have returned mid-week to pay tribute to my latest discovery: the Homegrown Alabama's Market in Tuscaloosa. It is tantamount to a Farmer's Market, save for the fact that about two-third of the venders do not run farms. I went for the first time last week in search of fresh peaches to incorporate into last week's hit, Fuzzy Wuzzy. I was successful, and purchased a box of extra-ripe peaches from the friendly farmers from Burnette Farms. This week I found something else...

In the late afternoon sun, Homegrown Alabama was bustling. It seems to be the "new" "hip" place in town, where you might find Down-to-Earths, Hipsters, Musicians, Alternatives with their wacky tees and skinny jeans; you know, the people who swoon over organic food, and anything pulled out of the ground. Despite Tuscaloosa rivaling Hades for its spot atop the throne of Hottest Place in All Creation, I strolled (with my skinny jean cut-offs, and Canon hanging around my neck) down Hackberry Lane toward the distant, mellow music emanating from the market.

It did not take me long to see the sign "homemade ice cream". It was practically a bullzeye. But, as I should have suspected, no one there takes plastic, it's not biodegradable or natural. So, I had to hustle back to the ATM, and print out some cash. Finally, I returned and was able to purchase some of the advertised ice cream. I needed to see what the competition was like.

After visiting last week, I had a strong desire to become a vender at Alabama Homegrown because no one there was selling ice cream, but to my highest disappointment there were two selling my favorite food this week. By the time I got back, one vender, AA Farm Creamery from Millbrook, had already sold out. I was left with only one option: Todd's Produce. But this place looked promising, with a creatively colored sign, and another one boasting Chilton County peaches, and we all know Chilton County is the peach capital of the South. They offered two kinds: peach and strawberry. It was $3 for a cup, and I bought both.

Peach: upon first bite I could tell it was most likely made Philadelphia style--a term in the ice cream world used to describe egg-less ice cream; essentially it was not a custard base (French Style). I use a custard base. It was creamy, but it lacked the density of a French Style. It had a decent peach flavor, and miniscule spots of the actual fruit. It tasted similar to those old Flintstone push-pops I used to eat as a child. That was cool, but weird coming from a peach flavor. Overall, it was good, but let's be honest, it's hard for ice cream not to be good. However, my senses for ice cream have been honed with years of vigorous training, and I could tell it was homemade. It didn't have that "ice cream shop" taste or texture. It tasted like something often found at a church picnic.

Strawberry:  I am not a huge fan of fruit ice creams; I prefer more substantial ingredients like peanut butter. This one, again, was easily discernible as homemade. Unlike the peach, however, the strawberry was much icier. It seems as though my arch-enemy, Isie, is spreading his aqueous fingers toward other ice cream makers. In fact, it was very icy. Although the fires of Tuscaloosa did weaken his (Isie's) strength, the photos clearly show the extent to which he can prevail amidst any element or climate. If you look closely you can see him rearing his frozen head amongst the pools of strawberry cream. I was not completely pleased with the strawberry. It was good, but, like the peach, not what I am searching for, not gourmet ice cream.

My quest is on-going. Tis a arduous task, this ice cream-tasting, but I shall press on. I do not know where my quest will lead to next, but I do know that Maple (Bacon) Walnut is this week's flavor, so check back on Sunday for the analysis of experimentation and fun reading. Until then, happy eating.

-Reese O'Shirey Esq.