Ice Cream at the Minnesota State Fair
I bet some of you were thinking, "I wonder when Madeline's going to get over to the great Minnesota get together?" I bet some of you were worrying that I wouldn't make it. Fear not, I went to the fair today, ate ice cream, and lived to tell the tale.
The first frozen dessert I tried was actually a sorbet, Sweet Science Honey Lemonade Sorbet. Per Sweet Science's Facebook page,
We've teamed up with The Honey Booth to bring a Honey Lemonade Sorbet to "The Great Minnesota Get-Togehter." Fresh squeezed lemons sweetened with Alfalfa-Clover Honey from Dan's Honey Co. in Ottertail, MN combine to create a tart and refreshing sorbet that hits you with a wave of local honey flavor and finishes with the smoothness of a hint of vanilla. Perfect for those hot summer days at the fair!
This was a delicious, refreshing punch in the face. It was suuuuuuper tart, way tarter than any other lemon sorbet I've ever tried. If lemon were the only component of this flavor it would have been overwhelming. Luckily, Sweet Science is smarter than that. They're scientists after all! The honey flavor was deep and rich and the perfect counterpoint to the tart lemon.
It was about 90F today, and pretty humid, and this little cup of lemony-honey goodness was the perfect break from the heat. Since it was a sorbet, it felt refreshing and hydrating. Coming in at $6, I think many people would feel that the price was too high for the amount of sorbet There are places at the fair where you can get more ice cream for more money, but here I think you're really paying about a dollar or so extra to take it from standard 'fair-food' to 'hmmmm, this is something I would eat everyday.'
Of course I couldn't leave the friggin Minnesota State Fair without trying some ice cream, and I picked some crazy ice cream dontcha know! The crazy ice cream I tried was a Fire and Ice Kreme Sundae from Goertze's Dairy Kone. There's not much info out there on Goertze's, but per their Facebook page, they travel around to various state fairs and sell ice cream. The sundae is
Vanilla soft serve with with Sriracha sauce and corn chip crunch, topped with whipped cream.
Say what!? That's right, Sriracha. I used to not understand why people were so obsessed with Sriracha. I thought it was good, but didn't get the obsession. One day a switch flipped in my brain and I suddenly loved the stuff. Nom. Sriracha everything. I'm one of those annoying people now. Sorry I'm not sorry.
How was this ice cream? The vanilla soft serve was splendid. This was the thickest, creamiest soft serve I've ever had in my life. If the thought of Sriracha ice cream frightens you, at least do yourself the favor of stopping by Goertze's and trying a more standard flavor. The corn chip-vanilla ice cream combo was surprisingly amazing. So amazing that I would consider incorporating this flavor combo into my daily life. It's the typical salty-sweet pairing, but the intense crunch of the corn chips is something new and different and excellent.
Unfortunately I didn't love the Sriracha aspect of this sundae. There was so much Sriracha on the sundae and it was really thick. It kind of overwhelmed the other flavors. The vanilla was meant to be a counterpoint to the spiciness of the sauce, but the sauce was too strong, and drowned out the vanilla. I definitely think the idea is salvageable. It would have been better if it were a Sriracha based drizzle with a smoother consistency similar to a strawberry topping sauce.
The first frozen dessert I tried was actually a sorbet, Sweet Science Honey Lemonade Sorbet. Per Sweet Science's Facebook page,
We've teamed up with The Honey Booth to bring a Honey Lemonade Sorbet to "The Great Minnesota Get-Togehter." Fresh squeezed lemons sweetened with Alfalfa-Clover Honey from Dan's Honey Co. in Ottertail, MN combine to create a tart and refreshing sorbet that hits you with a wave of local honey flavor and finishes with the smoothness of a hint of vanilla. Perfect for those hot summer days at the fair!
This was a delicious, refreshing punch in the face. It was suuuuuuper tart, way tarter than any other lemon sorbet I've ever tried. If lemon were the only component of this flavor it would have been overwhelming. Luckily, Sweet Science is smarter than that. They're scientists after all! The honey flavor was deep and rich and the perfect counterpoint to the tart lemon.
It was about 90F today, and pretty humid, and this little cup of lemony-honey goodness was the perfect break from the heat. Since it was a sorbet, it felt refreshing and hydrating. Coming in at $6, I think many people would feel that the price was too high for the amount of sorbet There are places at the fair where you can get more ice cream for more money, but here I think you're really paying about a dollar or so extra to take it from standard 'fair-food' to 'hmmmm, this is something I would eat everyday.'
Of course I couldn't leave the friggin Minnesota State Fair without trying some ice cream, and I picked some crazy ice cream dontcha know! The crazy ice cream I tried was a Fire and Ice Kreme Sundae from Goertze's Dairy Kone. There's not much info out there on Goertze's, but per their Facebook page, they travel around to various state fairs and sell ice cream. The sundae is
Vanilla soft serve with with Sriracha sauce and corn chip crunch, topped with whipped cream.
Say what!? That's right, Sriracha. I used to not understand why people were so obsessed with Sriracha. I thought it was good, but didn't get the obsession. One day a switch flipped in my brain and I suddenly loved the stuff. Nom. Sriracha everything. I'm one of those annoying people now. Sorry I'm not sorry.
How was this ice cream? The vanilla soft serve was splendid. This was the thickest, creamiest soft serve I've ever had in my life. If the thought of Sriracha ice cream frightens you, at least do yourself the favor of stopping by Goertze's and trying a more standard flavor. The corn chip-vanilla ice cream combo was surprisingly amazing. So amazing that I would consider incorporating this flavor combo into my daily life. It's the typical salty-sweet pairing, but the intense crunch of the corn chips is something new and different and excellent.
Unfortunately I didn't love the Sriracha aspect of this sundae. There was so much Sriracha on the sundae and it was really thick. It kind of overwhelmed the other flavors. The vanilla was meant to be a counterpoint to the spiciness of the sauce, but the sauce was too strong, and drowned out the vanilla. I definitely think the idea is salvageable. It would have been better if it were a Sriracha based drizzle with a smoother consistency similar to a strawberry topping sauce.
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