Today I had ice cream for lunch and for dinner, and I don’t regret it. I have been following the Ben & Jerry’s truck on Twitter this summer (they are in Boston for the month of August), but I had yet to find them in real life. One day a few weeks ago Tim and I sprinted down Newbury Street — pushing shoppers out of our way left and right — but we somehow missed the free scoops by mere minutes. So today, all my wildest dreams came true when the truck made its way to the new 7-Eleven in Watertown. Late Night Snack was the flavor of the day, and I am now obsessed with the sweet/salty combo — vanilla bean ice cream with a salty caramel swirl and fudge-covered potato chip clusters.
As good fortune would have it, Taza Chocolate was promoting its new partnership with Steve’s ice cream at the factory store in Somerville. Steve’s is not only a Boston original, but the creator of ice cream mix-ins. Steve’s is pushing for yet another ice cream revolution, and this time the name of the game is pure, simple, and natural. The result is small-batch, craft ice cream, using local, sustainable dairy and other socially responsible ingredients (like Taza). We enjoyed scoops of mint cacao creme (dairy-free coconut creme dotted with dark-chocolate-covered cacao nibs and peppermint extract) and Mexican chili chocolate (creamy dark chocolate ice cream spiced with hints of cayenne, cinnamon, and guajillo chili chocolate). I don’t even know what to say about the amazing-ness of both flavors. I was near speechless. Also, please note Taza’s darling ice cream cart (but ignore the rat-tail on the kid who wouldn’t get out of my shot).
Moving on to our next adventure of the day. I’ve been itching to make Gourmet magazine’s honey-glazed wax beans (what else do you do with wax beans?), but we’ve been out of honey for some time. And I can’t just buy any old honey. Ever since I donned a beekeeper’s suit (initially terrifying, then exciting) and wrote this Utah Valley Magazine article about local food and the benefits of raw honey, I have avoided the pasteurized commercial stuff. Since I was already in Lexington for an eye appointment, we stopped by Wilson Farm to buy honey and search for a dollar deal. After enjoying the day’s samples — incredible tomatoes and peaches, plus a to-die-for tomato casserole — we found our honey and picked up an almost $1 enormous chocolate chip cookie, made fresh in the bakery. I decided it might not be wise to eat the cookie today, considering the amount of ice cream I consumed, so we’re saving it for a Friday treat. See you then.
Tagged: Ben & Jerry's, honey, ice cream, Late Night Snack, Lexington, Somerville, Steve's ice cream, Taza, truck, Twitter, Watertown, Wilson Farm
Mmm. So funny – we used to live in the same neighborhood as the first guys you wrote about in your article. I especially remember Larry Jones and Mark Ellingson!
Just came from our local honey man. Price has gone up. Now $12 for a quart of local honey. But it is all local. Hives in the yard. Honey extracting equipment in the garage. You can take a tour! I try to keep 10 jars or more. Great food storage.