The end of summer is approaching, and we're trying not to take the hot golden August weather for granted. We think it's time for one more ice cream party, and we stuffed our freezer with seasonal flavors to try. We're going to check out Jeni's Ohio Sweet Corn with Blackberries and Sweet Basil and Honey, and maybe make another flavor or two ourselves.
So we want to do a little lunchtime survey: What's your favorite summer ice cream flavor? We took a friendly poll among our editors - our picks below the jump.
Chris: Cherry Vanilla is my favoite. Sid's Chocolate from Ronnybrook Farms and blood orange gelato are close runners up.
Sara Kate: At an ice cream counter, I'm a sucker for mint chocolate chip. At home, I like ice cream made out of herbs: basil, lemon verbena, whatever's wild in the garden that I can stew with the milk before making the custard. I also like really well-done chocolate ice cream. A friend recently made me ricotta ice cream out of Gourmet that was amazing.
Faith: Salted caramel. Southern lemon buttermilk sherbet. Anything with fruit and chocolate, like Graeter's raspberry chip.
Christina's here in MA makes an amazing Carrot Cake ice cream which I adore: sweet cream with cinnamon, shredded carrot, walnuts and raisins. I'd love to recreate that if I had an ice cream maker!
view SisterRae's profile
Mint chip, hands down!!!
view charise's profile
I'm boring. I prefer creamy, fruit-based flavors, so always go for classic strawberry. The best is Maggie Moo's when they fold the strawberries in on the cold stone. Not a big fan of nuts & chunks & such.
Runner-up would be vanilla gelato -- just discovered Trader Joe's version and it's especially delicious with fresh, sliced peaches!
view 2T's profile
I absolutely loved the 'limited edition' Häagen-Dazs Amaretto Di Sarano - no longer available - now I'm in love with the homemade connoli gelato from our neighborhood gelateria :)
view Lenny's profile
Oh wow, SisterRae, I've never had Christina's carrot cake ice cream! I'm going to have to head over there and try it. Christina's also has an incredible Fresh Mint that tastes almost herbal. I also love mint chocolate chip, a good chocolate with fresh cut-up stawberries or raspberries, and J.P. Lick's Kahlua. Not all together.
view vera in dc's profile
I love Jeni's and, thankfully, I live in Columbus so I can get it anytime. My favorites are Butterscotch w/ cocoa nibs and Strawberry Buttermilk. I may have to stop by after work.
view earlybird's profile
My husband and I just made a watermelon sorbet--fresh watermelon, a little simple syrup, the juice of half a (small) lemon and little zest. Like summer in a bowl.
view ricestein's profile
I love making cardamom ice cream with rosewater. The carrot cake ice cream sounds wonderful, maybe I will try making that next!
view Soph983's profile
A big DITTO for Jeni's Ice Cream (no relation ;) ). My good friend lives just down the block in the Short North, it's always a stop on our visits from Pittsburgh! The salted caramel and backyard mint are incredible, as is the buttered brioche with raspberry jam ice cream. :D ooooh boy, it's a good thing -I- don't live down the block!!
view Jeni_Rae's profile
My fave ice cream flavor is undoubtedly mint chocolate chip, narrowly beating really freakin' good vanilla. Some people mock me for loving vanilla so much, claiming it's not really a flavor; I suspect these people are secretly Communists or something.
view Jim of ChewOnThat's profile
A friend of mine is a pastry chef and has an ice cream shop, and so when we were living back home, we would cart home quarts of her ice cream all summer long.
My favourite was lemon, which I find to be sublime as an ice cream. Lemon sorbet is often either too sweet or too tarrt (often bitter), but when combined with cream in the form of ice cream is just perfect...
Other favourite flavours included strawberry sour cream, banana skor walnut (until my daughter was diagnosed with a nut allergy), and chocolate (the best one I have ever tasted). CraftBar makes a wonderful burnt caramel ice cream to go along with their apple fritters, and last week, I had almond milk sorbet, which was to die for (with poached flat peaches).
Mind you, I am now desperate to try the salted caramel, ricotta, carrot cake and cardamom rosewater...
view mschatelaine's profile
national brands/general flavors: [breyer's] coffee ice cream (with chocolate sprinkles if i can get them.)
specifics: i grew up around DC, and there's an ice cream shop on wisconsin ave. at calvert called max's best. they have the standards, but they have some really interesting flavors like "apple pie" and "mexican chocolate" which they alternate throughout the year. my favorite, though, is "mozambique." creamy vanilla base with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice.
view samantha9484's profile
Oh! in a few weeks you'll have to try the beet & chocolate sorbet from jeni's! It's really incredible.
view lisa the waitress's profile