By now we all know that I am an egg nog addict. I love to drink it, I love things flavored with it, and I am glad for the sake of my weight -- I kinda like going through doorways without having to butter my hips first -- that it is only available once a year.
Egg nog ice cream is one of my favorite applications. I still remember the first time I had it: Winter of 1985, at a Baskin Robbins in Scottsdale, Arizona with my childhood best friend (a shout out to Mystery -- yes, that was really her name -- wherever you may be). It was love at first lick.
In my adulthood, my hands-down favorite version is the one made by Haagen-Dazs. But for some reason that can only be described as a major disruption in The Force, Haagen-Dazs didn't put out an egg nog this year. Quelle horreur! While my thighs may thank them, the rest of me is pouting.
Dreyer's, however, stood up and give us a Slow Churned light ice cream version. (Yes, they also did a full fat version. But it's a so-called "Fun Flavor," and we know how I feel about that...)
Anyway, it's only a week down to Christmas (and by proxy, two weeks to the end of egg nog season) and I am trying to get in as much 'nog as possible.
So, does this qualify as a decent application of egg nog? Let's find out...
First off, the smell is reassuring. It smells just like a freshly poured glass of the good stuff. But sadly, that is the highlight and it is all down hill from there. Yes, the smell is indeed a dead ringer for "real" egg nog. As for the flavor? Well, it's sort of like they tried to make a nutmeg-flavored wine cooler. And yes, that's every bit as bad as it sounds.
There's no custardy base. There's no vanilla sweetness. It's all spice...and a hint of what I can best call a faux-alcohol sensation of "warmth."
The flavor reminded me of egg nog only in the loosest possible sense. I am again going to fall back on nutmeg-flavored wine cooler as the best description. I couldn't finish my bowl, to tell you the truth.
The texture is perfectly smooth. Like the rest of the Slow Churned Light Ice Cream line, the mouthfeel is not the same as a full fat ice cream. You don't get that richness that coats your mouth. This is more like the texture of soft-serve. Airy and fluffy. But I happen to think that is the better way to go with light ice cream, and that is one of the things I think Dreyer's has nailed with the light line in general.
Too bad they've made such an unholy abomination of this particular flavor.
PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket
I agree - this stuff sucks. Bought it last year, never happening again. Ever.
ReplyDeleteHeh, I wish you had reviewed this before I bought it a few weeks ago, because I totally agree with you. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting since I don't drink eggnog very often but this was definitely not what I was hoping for. For the most part I have enjoyed what I've tried of the Slow Churned Light Ice Cream line, but the flavor on this just didn't seem all there. I ended up giving this to a friend, although I would probably consider it to be more of tricking them into taking it...we are no longer speaking. :(
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