A rainy Monday night after a scorching weekend is the perfect excuse to visit Jimmy’s No. 43 for a free Ice Cream Beer Social (part of their Homemade Fare series). The fact that the website mentioned beer floats being served was enough of a reason to venture out in stormy weather. As an added bonus, I got to catch up with some really wonderful food folks who make great products that are usually found at the markets around town.
The first thing I tried was an old-fashioned-style Sarsaparilla Ice Cream Soda courtesy P&H Soda Co. I’d had a preview of the soda itself at the New Amsterdam Market yesterday and really enjoyed it. With a scoop of vanilla ice cream, this drink was rich and creamy and delicious. Then, Nichelle Stephens of Cupcakes Take the Cake had a suggestion to add some of the Lemon Fluff from Ovenly meant to be served on ice cream (on the left below). That took this concoction to a completely different level of wow.
Ovenly had their Spicy Bacon Popcorn available as a topping, too.
I spent some time catching up with Wendy of Schoolhouse Kitchen. We’d last seen each other at the Fancy Food Show in Washington, DC, so we chatted a bit about that and about our other projects, like trying to beat last week’s heat. She brought some of her amazing Anytime Spreadable Fruit to use as toppings for the ice cream and shaved ice. As she said it best, these are great for eating anytime: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert.
Another option for toppings was the selection from Roni-Sue Chocolate. There was everything from decadent fudgy brownie bits to pretzels with beer nuts to chili-spiked peanuts and walnuts.
For chocolate lovers, there was even more goodness with Mast Brothers cocoa nibs (foreground) and chunks of their 72% dark chocolate with fleur de sel.
Nomnivorous (Emily Hanhan) brought her lovely, fluffy marshmallows to the social to go along with the ice cream creations that everyone was making.
Wooly’s Ice, with their unique shaved ice (part of the secret is that it is flavored and re-frozen before it is shaved). Served with a substantial drizzle of a salted leche (condensed milk plus evaporated milk), this was like eating the creamiest, most perfect snow ice cream ever. For a closer look, as well as how I made my own sundae, check out the photo below.
For those who were interested in ice cream sandwiches, The Good Batch and La Newyorkina had teamed up to make these Avocado Brown Butter minis. Ooos and Ahhs went up from the crowd as they were pointed out during the event’s meet the maker portion of the program, proving that their teamwork was a huge hit.
These Oat Chocolate Chunk cookies were available from The Good Batch as part of this ice cream sandwich or separately for crumbling on one’s own sundae. They also brought along two of my favorite things: Stroopwafels and Cocoa Caramel Stroopwafels.
Fanny of La Newyorkina brought with her two flavors of her paletas as well as the ice cream sandwiches: Papaya Passion and Cucumber Lime. Both sounded like they were balanced perfectly in terms of flavors and were sure to be refreshing, but I went with the latter. A light sprinkle of the chili-salt brought a touch of heat to the cool pop. It was the perfect palate cleanser.
Of course, you know that I couldn’t leave the social without trying one of the creations that drew me there in the first place. Yes, I did have a Beer Float. Made with Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and a drizzle of a raspberry-citrus syrup, this was an indulgent, boozy drink with a creamy, sweet-tart finish. We were served it in small cups, but I would have preferred to have it in a large, soda fountain glass with two straws, one for me and one for my sweetheart. Or maybe not. It was really too good to have to share with anyone else.
Buon appetito!
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