I confess: when it comes to ice cream, I’m the demanding kind. When Monsieur comes back with “frozen dessert” instead, he gets a class on the nature of real ice cream, not ice milk, not milk by-products, real cream… hello! I even saw him once take forever in a depanneur as he tried to make sense of the ingredient list on a container of ice cream, with the help of the cashier who somehow couldn’t understand the inherent danger of coming back with some fake wannabe ice cream. He came back empty-handed and wild-eyed. That time, I was the one subjected to a soap-box speech on the inconvenience of living with a food writer slash foodie.
At the supermarket, I’ve been a devoted Häagen-Dazs fan, a brand of ice cream made in the US whatever the name may suggest (it’s called an advertising gimmick). Mostly though, I would buy homemade ice creams and sorbets at this little neighbourhood chocolate store that closed last year. Drats.
So when Essence Maître Glacier, a Québec ice cream maker, offered to send me a few of their new summer 2015 flavours, I was not about to deny myself the pleasure. I even shared it, with pure greatness of soul no less, if you ask me. As expected, everyone picked a favourite. Kiddo surprisingly went for the new Raspberry, litchi and rose sorbet. Dad dove into the Alphonso Mango sorbet. And while no one was looking, I made short work of the Québec Maple ice cream, a locally-made masterpiece. The flavours were all intense, the ingredients natural and the combinations unexpected.
Of course, quality of the kind offered by Essence comes at a price, but their ice creams and sorbets are so tasty you can just savour them slowly, a little at a time. (Okay, not the maple one, that’s one jar you’ll empty in one sitting with a glazed atavistic mien. You of course, not me. Never me.) In the end, it pays to eat less but better, as much for your taste buds as for your wallet…and your love handles. Plus, you can shop Essence in supermarkets, which means one less stop for pastry-shop dessert. Worth noting: stores choose flavours they favour only, so for the whole line, you’ll have to visit the Essence factory. That sounds dangerous.
Who, what, how much, where
Who: Essence Maître glacier
What: 17 flavours of artisan ice creams and sorbets
How much: $9.99 for 500 ml
Where: IGA, Métro and fine food stores
Je me ferais tellement une bonne crêpe avec une boule de glace à l’érable. Ca a l’air dingue.
Je n’ai jamais payé aussi cher pour acheter de la crème glacée et c’est la PIRE que j’ai mangée.
Désolée que vous n’ayez pas aimé… Quelle saveur avez-vous essayée ? C’est très sérieusement la crème glacée préférée de mon fiston, et de sa maman aussi. Ça ne bat pas une crème glacée maison, je l’accorde, mais ce n’est pas demain matin la veille que je vais acheter une sorbetière 🙂