I've eaten a lot of ice cream lately.
No, check that: I have eaten a lot of "frozen dairy dessert" lately. (Yes, Dreyer's/Edy's, I am mocking you.) And part of the reason for that is because it's just perfect ice cream weather...not too hot, not too cold.
So I figured it was time to add something "exotic" into the mix. What's more exotic than mango and mochi? (OK, probably everything else you can think of, but we'll allow me my delusion.)
Mochi, in case you're not sure, is a ball of ice cream -- or ice milk in some cases, but not this one -- that is encased in a thin dough made from pulverized sticky rice. But trust me when I say it tastes much better than it sounds.
The outer rice layer is sticky and kind of sweet. It doesn't have much flavor of its own. I think it's mostly there for texture -- and maybe as a kind of ice cream containment field. To describe the shell, I could tell you to imagine a gummy bear that's more gummy and less bear. Or a really thick Vietnamese spring roll wrapper.
The mango ice cream is the best part. The mango flavor is more sweet than tart. This version reminds me almost of a mango/pineapple blend. Any of the sour piney notes that mango can sometimes have are missing from this version. It's mango-lite, but in the best possible way.
The texture is smooth and creamy. While it is technically ice cream, it's not the highest fat most premium ice cream you've had in your life, so it doesn't have a very rich mouthfeel. If the pieces were bigger or if it was a scoop portion, that might be an issue...but in this case it's not a problem.
I really liked this flavor. Again, not the most complex or true-to-life mango, but overall it's very, very good. Definitely something I'll buy again.
PURCHASED FROM:
Trader Joe's
Actually, the mochi is the outer glutinous rice stuff. (I've had fried mochi in Honolulu, and packaged bean-flavored mochi brought from Japan. I still wouldn't call myself an expert.)
ReplyDeleteFantastic writing, by the way. I found your blog when looking for someone on the Web who shared my disappointment in Dreyer's/Edy's continued retreat from the ice cream market. (The latest "Fun Flavors" travesty at my local market: Rocky Road, in a bowl of which I lost my second tooth at age six and which the company's customer support assured me last year that they "would never touch." So much for my hometown "ice cream" company.) Come for the support, stay for the spot-on reviews, stellar writing and kickass rating system...
Thomas:
ReplyDeleteThank you for the clarification on the rice (serves me right for using Wiki!)
I have really lost respect for Dreyer's/Edy's for the continued cheapening of what was otherwise a good product. I understand in these economic times that making actual ice cream may cost the company more- but at least make it REAL ice cream. It seems like the path they followed was first to raise the price. Then they cut the portion size and now the bulk of the line isn't even real ice cream!
This years Peppermint version is out... wanna take a guess what it isn't?!
Thank you for your compliments. My ego is now occupying multiple rooms in my apartment!