Salty Caramel

Jeni in Ohio: Meet the Author & Sample the Good Stuff

Above: Jeni's personal sample distribution center/book-signing headquarters, soon to be on tour in Ohio.

Here in Ohio, Jeni is set to participate in a number of great home-state happenings, including the fabulous Mint Fest Sunday afternoon at Jorgensen Farms.

Have a question about a recipe? Crave a sample of ice cream? Want to have your copy of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home autographed?

Come on out any and all of the events. Jeni would love to meet you and share some ice cream.

Mark your calendars. Here's the run-down:

AUGUST 2012

Aug. 26

What: Jeni's Backyard Mint Fest at Jorgensen Farms in Westerville.

When: 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sun. Aug. 26.
Tickets: $10-$15 at jorgensen-farms.com.

• During an afternoon of great family fun down on the organic farm, Jeni will show you how to make peppermint-infused chocolate milk and peppermint-infused whipped cream. Read more about the super-cool fest — and Val Jorgensen, who grows the peppermint we use in our Backyard Mint ice cream.

SEPTEMBER 2012

Sept. 5

What: Ice Cream Social/Book Signing at the Upper Arlington Public Library

When: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday Sept. 5.

Tickets: Free and available at U.A. Pub. Library; you must have a ticket to attend.

• Come out, enjoy some ice cream, and listen to Jeni talk about writing the first drafts of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home in the U.A. Library in early 2010.

Sept. 14

What: Country Living Fair at Ohio Village (at the Ohio Historical Society).

When: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Friday Sept. 14.

Tickets: $13 (one-day) and $15 (weekend—Sept. 14-16); $16/$20 at the gate. Info here.

• During Country Living magazine's 5th-annual gathering of vendors and exhibitors antiques, vintage furnishings, crafts, gifts, and collectibles, learn how to make a pioneering new ice cream flavor, Chamomile Chardonnay and pick up a copy of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home (or bring your own) and have it signed by Jeni. 

OCTOBER 2012

Oct. 6

What: Cooking class at Sur la Table, Easton Town Center.
When: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday Oct. 6.

Tickets: $69 at Sur la Table.

• Meet Jeni and learn how to make ice creams with the perfect balance of taste, texture, consistency, and finish.

Oct. 13

What: CSG Jubilee! at Columbus School for Girls.

When: 10 a.m. to noon. Saturday Oct. 13.

Admission: Free.

• During the school's annual shop-a-thon/fundraiser, Jeni give a breif talk, answer questions, and sign copies of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home. It's a great way to do your holiday shopping early while raising money for the Columbus School for Girls Scholars Fund.

Oct. 20

What: Book signing at Walt Churchill’s Market, Maumee.
When: Noon to 4 p.m. Saturday Oct. 20.

Admission: Free.

• At the superb Toledo-area gourmet grocery store, have samples of the good stuff, meet Jeni, ask questions about recipes, and go home with your signed copy of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home.

 

NOVEMBER 2012

Nov. 3

What: 25th annual Buckeye Book Fair, Fisher Auditorium in Wooster

When: 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday Nov. 3

Tickets: TBD.

• Join Jeni and nearly 100 Ohio-bred authors and illustrators during the long-running book sale and autograph session.

 

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Available Now: Sweet Corn & Black Raspberries

Above: A Spoonful of summer—Sweet Corn & Black Raspberries ice cream. 

What a glorious Friday, ladies and gentlemen. The perennial superstar, Sweet Corn & Black Raspberries ice cream, has returned to shops and jenis.com. (We'll begin shipping the flavor to select groceries next week.)

The summertime fave features sweet corn cut from the cob and a made-from-scratch, sweet-tart black raspberry jam that's as gorgeous as it is delicious.

The sweet corn comes to us (500 pounds at a time) from Hirsch Fruit Farm (just south of Columbus), while the bushels of intensely flavorful berries are the product of Champaign Berry Farm (just west of Columbus).

When the corn and berries are hauled into kitchen, the team gets down to labor-intensive business of shucking, chopping, brushing, boiling, and so on. We're putting 60 to 70 ears' worth of freshly creamed sweet corn into each batch of ice cream, and the flavor—one Jeni has made for years—has never been better.

So, what's it taste like? In a word: Summer.

But, you be the judge. Stop by a shop and have a sample, or send yourself (or someone you like a lot) a pint or two.

Until then, here's a look at how we make each batch of Sweet Corn & Black Raspberries.

Above: Hirsch Fruit Farm's sweet corn upon arrival outside our kitchen in Columbus.

Above: Shucking the sweet corn, en route to the chopping block.

Above: Hand-eye coordination in full effect—slicing off the ends of the cobs before the bath. 

Above: Scrubbing away the corn silk, ear by ear.

Above: Corn kernels being removed from the cob with the help of a powerful Black & Decker drill and a wonderful tool known the world over as, yes, the E-Z Creamer.

Above: A de-kerneled cob of sweet corn, a tired drill, and a spent E-Z Creamer and we're ready to make some homemade creamed corn. 

Above: Sweet corn kernels boiling before the addition of grass-grazed cream (below)...

Above: Sweet corn and cream, aboil.

Above: Black raspberries from Champaign Berry Farm.

Above: Black raspberries cooking down into a loose jam.

Above: Black raspberry jam, gorgeous as it is delicious, and ready to be set aside to cool.

Above: We use one bucket of black raspberry sauce per bucket of ice cream (each bucket of ice cream yields 12 pints).

Above: Black Raspberry Sauce swirled into a bucket of Sweet Corn ice cream.

Above: Hand-pinting the good stuff.

Above: Sweet Corn & Black Raspberries ice cream, pinted and ready to go into the freezer—and eventually to you.

Sweet Corn & Black Raspberries—available in all scoop shops and ready to be shipped anywhere in the United States.

Enjoy.

 

Columbus Smoke Experiment: Sunday July 15

Central Ohioans, here's a cool event to check out this weekend:

The Columbus Smoke Experiment, 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday July 15 at Skully's Music-Diner in the Short North.

At the Columbus Smoke Experiment (part of a national tour put on by The Food Experiment in New York), amateur chefs from around the city will be offering up masterful smokey meats and such to win cash, prizes, and all the glory.

A ticket buys you the opportunity to sample some of the best food in the city, as well as a craft beer from Brooklyn Brewery. Judges include our very own Pete Wiseman, Bakery Manager at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, plus these esteemed culinary authorities:

G.A. Benton, restaurant reviewer at Columbus Alive/Under the Table

Kevin Caskey, executive chef of Skillet

Jim Ellison, food writer and blogger at CMH Gourmand

Bethia Woolf (Columbus Food Adventures)

See you there!

On Tap in E. Nash: Yazoo Sue with Rosemary Bar Nuts

Yazoo Sue with Rosemary Bar Nuts: chock full o' beer, cream, and, yes, nuts. 

Check it out. This weekend will mark the one-year anniversary of our East Nashville shop.

Short of the Black Keys jammin' on the patio, we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the birthday than by serving up a special new flavor: Yazoo Sue with Rosemary Bar Nuts.

A union of exquisite Ohio and Tennessee ingredients, it's made with luscious grass-grazed cream, the Yazoo Brewing Co.'s beer named Sue (a creamy, rich, cherry wood-smoked porter), and nuts, nuts, nuts, and more nuts. The delicious stuff is straight-up thick with toasted almonds, cashews, peanuts, and pecans that we've toasted with brown sugar, rosemary, and a dash of cayenne pepper.

Later this summer Yazoo Sue with Rosemary Bar Nuts will be available online and in all shops.

For now, East Nashville is the only spot with it in stock. We'll be scooping it beginning at 11 a.m. Friday and all through the weekend and 100 pints or so will be available to purchase. (Please note: When it's all gone, it's gone until it's available everywhere later this summer.)

See you there.

Yazoo Sue with Rosemary Bar Nuts: inspired by one of life’s greatest combinations, a craft beer and a side of salted nuts.

Jeni's at The Fresh Market

Great news, ice cream lovers.

See all the little tan dots on the map above?  Each one respresents a location of The Fresh Market where you can now buy pints of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams.

100-some stores in 21 states.

28 locations in Florida.

15 in North Carolina.

11 in Georgia.

Etc.

Click here to see if there's a location near you.

They're stocking six flavors to start, including classics like Salty Caramel, perennial favorites like Goat Cheese with Red Cherries, and limited edition releases like Hummingbird Cake.

It just got a whole lot easier to get the good stuff for a lot of people.

Spread the word.

In Honor of Columbus' Bicentennial: White House Cherry Ice Cream

And, now, from our flavor information department, here is an official press release loaded with information about our delicious new White House Cherry ice cream:

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 29, 2012

Jeni’s White House Cherry Ice Cream

Signature twist on historic American flavor honors Columbus’ Bicentennial and the 100^th anniversary of Japan’s gift of cherry trees to the United States

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams proudly announces the release White House Cherry ice cream, which will be served in all 10 shops and available to ship nationwide.

The reinterpretation of a classic American flavor honors Columbus’ year-long bicentennial celebration as well as the 100^th anniversary of Japan’s gift of cherry trees to the United States.

“With Columbus’ 200th birthday party in full swing, the centennial anniversary of the cherry tree planting in D.C., as well as local elections and a Presidential election, it’s an ideal opportunity to revisit White House Cherry,” Jeni says. “The ice cream is instantly gratifying, but the cherries in it are a reminder of their source, cherry trees, which throughout time have symbolized good will and the promise of great things ahead.”

Classic White House Cherry features plain vanilla ice cream with candied cherries. Jeni’s version of White House Cherry features cherry blossom-scented grass-grazed cream laden with Belgian white chocolate flecks, plump sour cherries soaked in sugar syrup, and roasted whole pistachios. (The latter ingredient is courtesy of Columbus’ Krema Nut Company, one of the longest-running nut companies in North America.)

White House Cherry ice cream is perfectly in tune with the spirit of the bicentennial/election year. This Arbor Day (April 27), 20 cherry trees will be planted at the Franklin Park Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. The (invitation-only) ceremonial planting is being coordinated by the Institute for Japanese Studies at the Ohio State University, the Japan-America Society of Central Ohio, Columbus Bicentennial, and Columbus 2020.

Jeni’s is a proud sponsor of the historic event, and will serve White House Cherry ice cream beginning at noon that day.

NOTES ON JENI’S WHITE HOUSE CHERRY ICE CREAM

• White House Cherry will be offered in all 10 Jeni’s scoop shops, and pints are available to ship nationwide at jenisicecreams.com
• Though “White House Cherry” suggests it is tied directly to the White House, no source verifies that the flavor was generated by anyone in the kitchen at the actual White House.
• The origins of classic White House Cherry, “are all over the map,” says Lynne Olver at foodtimeline.org, but, “our survey of newspapers confirms (it) was sold in 1929.”

 ARBOR DAY EVENT, FEATURING JENI’S WHITE HOUSE CHERRY ICE CREAM

 When: Noon Friday April 27 (Arbor Day).

 Where: Franklin Park Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, 1777 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43203.

 What: 20 cherry trees to be planted during a ceremony to commemorate Columbus’ bicentennial and the 100^th anniversary of cherry trees given by the government of Japan to the United States. Jeni’s will serve the new White House Cherry ice cream.

Coordinators: the Institute for Japanese Studies at the Ohio State University, the Japan-America Society of Central Ohio, Columbus Bicentennial, and Columbus 2020.

Sponsor: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams.

ABOUT JENI’S SPLENDID ICE CREAMS

Jeni Britton Bauer has made ice creams from scratch for more than 15 years. Jeni opened Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in 2002 in Columbus’ North Market, and today her family-and-a-friend business makes intensely flavorful ice creams using Snowville Creamery’s grass-grazed cream and the best-available ingredients from Columbus and around the globe, including Ndali Estate’s fair trade-certified vanilla beans imported direct from Uganda and world-renowned bean-to-bar chocolate maker, Askinosie Chocolate.

JENI’S SCOOP SHOPS

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams operates 10 scoop shops, with 8 in Central Ohio, one in Chagrin Falls (near Cleveland), and one in East Nashville, Tennessee.

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home

Released in June, 2011, and dubbed the “ingenious home-made-ice-cream bible” by The Wall Street Journal, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home is in its 5^th printing and is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, indiebound.org, and all Jeni’s scoop shops.

CONTACT: Aaron Beck

[email protected]

614-488-3224 (office); 614-961-9951 (cell)

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Spring Fix: Savannah Buttermint & White House Cherry

The spring fix is in.

Available now in all scoop shops and at jenisicecreams.com: the perennial favorite Savannah Buttermint and the brand-new White House Cherry.

Above: Oh so refreshing, ivory yellow Savannah Buttermint. Rich grass-grazed cream, laden with salted butter and crunchy, handmade white chocolate stracciatelle ("little shreds"), balances the cool and sharp-tasting peppermint.

Above: A spoonful of Savannah Buttermint, which takes its name from that genteel Georgia city, and part of its inspiration from those old-time pastel mints.Above: Our reinterpretation of an early 20th century ice cream, White House Cherry, which arrives in the year of major local and national elections and just as cherry trees are blossoming, is also in tune with Columbus, Ohio's year-long bicentennial celebration.Above: White House Cherry.

The traditional White House Cherry recipe typically was vanilla ice cream with maraschino cherries. Ours is cherry blossom-scented, grass-grazed cream, with buttery Belgian white chocolate flecks, sugar syrup-plumped cherries, and roasted whole pistachios. It has a lovely cherry aroma that blooms on the palate.

Savannah Buttermint and White House Cherry. Sample both in our shops, savor a scoop, take home a pint, and ship them to good friends anywhere in America.

The Super Pop Cakes! Collection is Available Now

Ladies and gentlemen, the wait is finally over and we truly appreciate your patience. The Super Pop Cakes! collection is now in shops and available nationwide at jenisicecreams.com.

Please note: we're scooping all five flavors in shops, which means you'll be able to sample each one.

As we promised you last month when we postponed the release of this special set, we've made sure each of the five colorful new completely hand-made flavors are thoroughly saturated with cake-y goodness.

Icelandic Happy Marriage Cake, Tres Leches with Here-n-There Cherries, Hummingbird Cake, Mango Kiwi Special Cake, and Magnolia Mochi — let's have a further look.

ICELANDIC HAPPY MARRIAGE CAKE: Grass-grazed cream blended with skyr—a soft, yogurt-like, Icelandic cheese. A nutty, homemade, toasted oat cake soaked in sugar syrup and crumbled. All of it shot through with a roasted, ruby-red rhubarb compote.

TRES LECHES WITH HERE-N-THERE CHERRIES: Coconut milk-soaked cake, airy and sweet bits of meringue, and a generous helping of toasted coconut strewn throughout sweet, coconut- and vanilla-scented ice cream. Translucent, candy apple-red cherries, helter-skelterly added to each batch, brighten the festivities.

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE: Hummingbird Cake—the classic cake of the American South laced with pineapple, bananas, cinnamon, and toasted pecans—soaked in pineapple sugar syrup and strewn throughout creamy banana ice cream.

MANGO KIWI SPECIAL CAKE: Custard-y, yellow-orange Mango Lassi (mango frozen yogurt) and juicy, electric-green Kiwi Sorbet, with pieces of our cloud-like and just-sweet-enough angel food cake layered throughout. Tart, tangy, aromatic.

MAGNOLIA MOCHI: Sweet and subtly floral, the bubblegum-pink, magnolia-scented ice cream melts on the palate to reveal precious gifts: tiny cubes of springy, buttery, honey-soaked mochi ("mo-chee") made in our kitchen.

Jeni's Mobile App is Available Now

  We love to offer everyone endless samples in our shops, but some of you know exactly what you want before you get in line—or leave your home.

Using the new Jeni's app, you can order—and pay—from wherever you are anytime during scoop shop business hours (11 a.m. to 11 p.m. EST), go straight to the register (with your confirmation number), and pick up your order.

PLEASE NOTE: For now we're piloting the program ONLY at our Grandview and Short North shops: 

• Grandview: 1281 Grandview Ave., Columbus, OH 43212
• Short North: 714 N. High St, Columbus, OH 43215

THE MOBILE MENU INCLUDES:

• All sizes of ice cream (small, trio, study) only in cups
• All pints
• All ice cream sandwiches
• Root Beer and Black Cherry sodas

MOBILE BONUS FEATURES INCLUDE:

• Favorite order archives—you can save your order so there's no need to re-create your order from scratch each time.
• Customizable pickup times—order now and pick it up when it's convenient for you (during regular shop hours).
• Facebook integration—publish your orders to your wall and share your favorites with your friends.
• Gift Card Payment Options.

For Android devices, download here.

For iPhones, download here.

And remember, the Short North Gallery Hop is Saturday. What a perfect way to put the new app to use. When you try it, please let us know what you think.

Friday's New Flavor News!

Friends, as of today, we have five new delicious additions to our menu:

• Banana Curry Cashew Macaroon Sandwich (available only in shops)
• Pineapple Upside-Down Parfait (available only in shops)
• Gooey Butter Cake ice cream*
• Lime Cardamom Yogurt*
• Roxbury Road ice cream*

*These Signature Seasonal flavors—flavors that return to our menu every year—are available in scoops and pints in our shops and are available nationwide at jenisicecreams.com. Gooey Butter Cake and Roxbury Road are being sold by our retail partners throughout America. Please check with your favorite retailer to see if they are carrying the two new flavors, and if they aren't, by all means, make a request.

Read on for more about the five new additions to the menu:

Above: The Pineapple Upside-Down Parfait. Layers of buttery vanilla sponge cake, sweet pineapple-caramel sauce, Gooey Butter Cake ice cream and Lime Cardamom Yogurt topped with savory toasted and salted pecans, freshly whipped cream, a rich Italian cherry, and a lovely waffle wedge.

Above: The Banana Curry Cashew Macaroon Sandwich. Curry-scented, subtly sweet banana honey ice cream—edged with salt-toasted cashews—between almond macaroon cookies tinted with turmeric.

Above: Roxbury Road. Dense and dark milk chocolate ice cream is studded with Krema's crunchy smoked almonds and handmade, melt-in-your-mouth marshmallows. Made-from-scratch caramel sauce is swirled throughout. We call it a devilishly rich detour from the world's tame and traditional rocky road ice creams.

Above: Gooey Butter Cake. Buttery, Ohio-honeyed ice cream, layered with chunks of homemade vanilla sponge cake that is enrobed in our made-from scratch caramel sauce. The delicate and light, yet sturdy, cake perfectly balances a sweet and hearty ice cream. 

Above: Lime Cardamom Yogurt. Tart and zesty lime juice in perfect harmony with the natural tang of organic yogurt. Exotic cardamom, with notes of citrus and pine, adds the perfect dose of floral perfume. (A couple of notes on this flavor: We use a heavenly blend of organic yogurt from Seven Stars Farm in Pennsylvania and grass-grazed milk and cream from Snowville Creamery in Southeast Ohio.)