Limited Edition Foods

Luxury ice cream brand Haagen-Dasz is introducing a new limited edition flavor in the United Kingdom this March:  Raspberries & Meringue.  The fruit-flavored treat is designed to sell during the warmer months of Spring, and features creamy vanilla ice cream swirled with raspberry sorbet and bits of meringue cookies.

The decadent flavor tested extremely well with test audiences according to United Kingdom grocery news site TalkingRetail.com.  The company expects strong sales for the flavor, which will be available for six months starting in March in order to capitalize on the summer ice cream season.  The flavor will only be available in the United Kingdom.

The Raspberries & Meringue flavor will be available in addition to the traditional summertime Haagen-Dazs flavors that are sold in the United Kingdom, which include Strawberries & Cream.  The company also sells small containers of its ice cream in variety packs in the summertime as well.

It’s never too late to look back at where you have been, especially when you are trying to map out where you are going.  Before we delve into the hot new limited edition trends that are on the way in 2008, let’s take a look back at some of the limited edition ice creams we got to indulge in during 2007.

Of all of the food categories that are covered on this blog, the limited edition ice creams seem to be the most consistently popular.  Ice cream is always a treat, and limited edition ice creams seem to fascinate folks of all ages.

We saw some great flavors in 2007, including TastyKake Peanut Butter KandyKake from Turkey Hill, Haagan-Dazs amazing Caramelized Pear and Toasted Pecan, Yarnell’s Pink Promise Berry Sorbet, and of course the Snyder’s of Hanover Chocolate Pretzel flavor that won rave reviews.

We also saw some interesting ideas, like Edy’s limited edition Root Beer flavor from last summer and the Duff’n D’oh-Nuts ice cream that featured chocolate covered doughnuts in beer flavored ice cream.  The latter, thankfully, was only available for one day as part of The Simpsons Movie publicity blitz.  For a much more palatable version of beer flavored ice cream, check out Doddington’s limited edition version flavored like Newcastle Brown Ale (if you still can).

There were also several sports-themed flavors, such as Funnycide Pride or the football obsessed Eagles and Bengals themed ice creams. 

And of course the year would not have been complete without the seasonal classics, like the Peppermint ice cream which apparently makes an excellent cocktail.

I am already looking forward to covering, and enjoying, many more interesting limited edition ice creams in 2008.

Word is that Yarnell’s limited edition ice cream tastes exactly like the real thing, which makes it a lovely bit of spice to add to your freezer this holiday season.  In a year that has seen a rise in the popularity of pumpkin beers, it should not be a surprise to see pumpkin pie ice cream for sale.

This year is Yarnell’s 75th Anniversary, and the Arkansas company has been celebrating with various limited edition flavors throughout the year.  The company’s holiday offerings include a Peppermint flavor, which has a lot of potential for snacks and cocktails.  If you are interested in using the pumpkin pie ice cream in a dessert, there are a plethora of pumpkin pie ice cream recipes out there on the web.  The ice cream can also be placed between oversized ginger cookies to make ice cream sandwiches, and also made into a martini if you try hard enough.

Edy’s has brought back its limited edition Peppermint Ice Cream for the holidays, and the refreshing flavor will be in stores through December. Available in a slow churned light version as well as the traditional ice cream style, the Peppermint flavor is a companion to Edy’s autumn limited edition flavors Pumpkin and Apple Pie.

The strong flavor and holiday spirit of the ice cream makes it the ideal choice for an easy dessert after a holiday dinner party. Edy’s has also released several holiday recipes that use the Peppermint Ice Cream, including a Peppermintini, Peppermint Cupcakes, and this very festive looking Peppermint Pie.

Peppermint Pie

20 chocolate cookies
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 carton Edy’s® Slow Churned® Light Peppermint Ice Cream or Edy’s® Limited Edition Peppermint Frozen Dairy Dessert
1 (8-ounce) container whipped topping
Small candy canes, as needed
Chocolate syrup or hot fudge sauce, as needed

In food processor, crush cookies into fine crumbs. In mixing bowl, stir together cookie crumbs and butter. With your fingers, press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and sides of 9-inch pie pan. Place in freezer about 15 minutes or until firm. (You can also use store bought cookie crust if you would like to skip the crust making portion of this recipe.)

Meanwhile, place the Dreyer’s carton in refrigerator for about 15 minutes to soften. Scoop softened Peppermint into hardened crust and spread evenly with spatula. Pipe or spoon whipped topping around border of pie. Arrange small candy canes on top of pie. Place pie in freezer for several hours or until firm.

To serve, cut pie into eight wedges. Place each wedge on a dessert plate and drizzle with chocolate syrup or hot fudge sauce, if desired.

Peppermint Cupcake

1 box vanilla cake mix or devil’s food cake mix
1 cup vanilla frosting or chocolate frosting
Decorating sprinkles or crushed candy canes
1 carton Edy’s® Slow Churned® Light Peppermint Ice Cream or Edy’s® Limited Edition Peppermint Frozen Dairy Dessert

Line muffin tins with 18 paper muffin cups. Prepare cake batter according to package directions; spoon into muffin cups. Bake at 350°F about 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcakes comes out clean. Cool completely.

Cut off tops of cupcakes. With small spatula, spread frosting on tops; decorate with sprinkles or crushed candy canes. With spoon, scoop out insides of cupcake bottoms to form shells. Put a scoop of Peppermint into each cupcake. Place tops back on cupcakes at a slight angle. Serve immediately or place in freezer until needed.

Peppermintini

1/2 cup coarse sugar crystals (available in the supermarket cake decoration aisle)
1/4 cup chocolate syrup
4 (1/4-cup) scoops Edy’s® Slow Churned® Light Peppermint Ice Cream or Edy’s® Limited Edition Peppermint Frozen Dairy Dessert
4 ounces white crème de cacao, chilled*
4 ounces vodka or gin, chilled*
4 chocolate-dipped thin peppermint sticks

In the freezer, chill 4 martini glasses. Place sugar crystals in shallow bowl; fill second bowl with water to a depth of about 1/4 inch. Dip the rim of each glass in water, then in sugar crystals. On the inside of each glass, draw a spiral with 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup. Place glasses back in freezer while preparing Peppermintini. In blender, blend together ice cream, crème de cacao and gin. Carefully pour into prepared glasses, dividing mixture equally. Garnish each glass with 1 peppermint stick. Serve immediately.

* To make a delicious non-alcoholic Peppermintini, replace the crème de cacao with 4 ounces white chocolate syrup, and replace the gin or vodka with 4 ounces ginger ale or sparkling water.

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There are few things I love more than chocolate covered pretzels, so I was excited to see that Pennsylvania’s Turkey Hill Dairy has released a limited edition Chocolate Pretzel ice cream. The new flavor is part of Turkey Hill’s Creamy Commotions line, the same line that featured the Tasty Kake Peanut Butter Kandy Kake Ice Cream earlier this year.

The Chocolate Pretzel ice cream flavor has a vanilla ice cream base with chocolate covered pretzels and fudge swirls, which Fred from Two Dips Ice Cream Tasters described as tasting like “vanilla swirl ice cream with a surprise.” Sounds yummy, but Turkey Hill only sells the ice cream in regional grocery stores or over the internet.

If you are a Turkey Hill fan, or you are going to a food themed costume party this Halloween, be sure to check out Turkey Hill’s blog which includes everything from ice cream recipes to ice cream themed Halloween costume suggestions.

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Haagan-Dazs has introduced a decadent and elegant limited edition ice cream for the autumn season. Their Caramelized Pear and Toasted Pecan flavor was invited by Leslie Zoerb of Buffalo, New York, the 2007 winner of Scoop: Haagan-Dazs’ Flavor Search contest.

The ice cream will feature toasted pecans in pear ice cream, and was selected as the best submission out of over 5,000 ice cream recipe entries including the top ten finalist flavors Blueberry Belgian Waffle, Bittersweet Chocolate Pistachio, Cafe Mocha Biscotti Crunch, Coco y Cacao, Coffee Cake Crumble, Ginger Cashew Crunch, Lemon Pudding Cake, Lilikoi Butter with Macadamia Nuts, and Zinfully Chocolate.

Leslie’s winning recipe was honored by the City of New York, which renamed the city “The Big Pear” for one day on September 21, 2007. The Haagan-Dazs Flavor Search contest is conducted in cooperation with Gourmet magazine, whose chefs serve as judges and also contribute tips for creating amazing homemade ice creams to the Haagan-Dazs website. Last year’s winner, Sticky Toffee Pudding, was so popular that Haagan-Dazs promoted it from a limited edition item to a permanent product in the Haagan-Dazs flavor line. The contest is part of Haagan-Dazs efforts to engage consumers in an interactive experience that increases their enthusiasm for Haagan-Dazs as well as their brand loyalty.

For more information on the Scoop: Haagan-Dazs Flavor Search contest check out this finalists’ blog about his experiences with the Scoop judging and related publicity whirlwind. His Coco y Cacao made the final three but was not selected for ultimate ice cream glory. Still, he got a great trip to Bakersfield, California out of it!

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Autumn tends to bring an avalanche of pumpkin flavored products, and the ice cream freezer is not immune from the orange invasion.

Edy’s Limited Edition Pumpkin Ice Cream will be on the shelves through Thanksgiving this year, available in both a slow-churned and dairy dessert versions.

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United Kingdom shoppers have six months to enjoy scoops of Haagan-Dazs’ limited edition Double Chocolate & Cookies ice cream, starting this month.

The flavor consists of white chocolate ice cream, dark chocolate, and cookie particles … which sounds brilliant. Or if you prefer, lovely.

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Yarnell’s is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year and it has released a berry sorbet called Pink Promise as part of the celebration. A small portion of each unit sold, up to $10,000 total, will be donated to breast cancer awareness groups and Susan G. Komen chapters in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

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Edy’s is not the only ice cream brand with an NFL-flavored ice cream flavor out each fall. Turkey Hill Dairy features an Eagles-branded ice cream that also includes chocolate footballs, but these footballs are filled with peanut butter instead of caramel.

To add to the fun of the flavor, Turkey Hill has pledged to donate $1,000 to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation for each time Philadelphia’s Brian Dawkins catches an interception, and $10,000 for each interception that Dawkins returns for a touch down. Sweet!

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