Name that Ice Cream!

During a recent interview with Lance, co-owner of Rhapsodies in Oshkosh, I once again suggested a new sundae.  Imagine the following flavors blending together:

Start with a base of chocolate custard.

Drizzle with delectable caramel.

Top with crushed Butterfinger.

Lance agreed to the new sundae.  Remember, everything at Rhapsodies is a music name.

Vote here!

Gilles Fond du Lac, WI

Gilles has a fun drive-in atmosphere!

Gilles is a "family tradition since 1949." Wow, that means this place has been around about as long as my parents!  Any place that can survive that long in the ups and downs of our economy must be good.

Do you order the same thing each time you visit certain  restaurants?  I do.  I wonder if it is because we are creatures of habit and tend to resist change?  I would love to hear other theories on this.  Please comment.

When I go to Gilles, here is what I order every time.

Gille Cookie!

I order it because I love it!  It is a huge cookie sandwich.  The chocolate chip cookies taste fresh baked, mmmmmmm.

Where did it go?

Most people that I've asked, know Gilles for their turtle sundae.  My fellow ice cream eater had one.  I didn't even get a picture of it he ate it so fast.  Speed = delicious!  (Sometimes, speed = hot temps = drippy ice cream.)  I've had the turtles here.  They are very good.

 

Gilles is a great place if you are searching for frozen custard served in a nostalgic fashion.  Check them out the next time you are near Fond du Lac, WI!  

I did not ask for a favorite flavor as it was quite busy when we visited.  Gilles serves vanilla and chocolate frozen custard.  Which do you like better?  Let me know!

Gilles

819 S. Main Street

Fond du Lac, WI 54935

920-922-4900

http://gillesfrozencustardfdl.com/

https://www.facebook.com/gillesfrozencustard/

Rhapsodies, Oshkosh, WI

If you are in Oshkosh, for EAA and in need of a cool treat,  check out my favorite place,  Rhapsodies! 

The decor is music themed and so are the treats! 

There's a new flavor every day! 

Rhapsodies serves frozen custard,  made fresh daily. 

Visit owners Dan and Lance Geffers. They are located at 1226 Oregon Street.

http://rhapsodiesfrozencustard.net/

Check back soon for more details and history. Also find out what my favorite sundae is. Let's see if we can convince Lance to add it to the menu!

National Ice Cream Day!

Celebrate the day!  You deserve it.

I am always in search for a fantastic ice cream experience.  Post your favorite places for me to visit and review.  Follow my blog to see where you could go!

Soft Serve, Ice Cream or Frozen Custard?

What are the differences you may ask.  There are two main differences.

1. Overrun or the amount of air pushed into the product
2. Milk fat content = taste and calories!

I will explain what varying levels of these will produce.  

The more overrun and less milk fat, the lighter the product and less calories.  Soft serve or ice milk has the most air and least amount of milk fat at 5%.  If you are looking strictly at calories, this has the least. You can often find soft serve at fast food chains such as Dairy Queen, Hardees and McDonald's.

You will see the twist that is characteristic of soft serve.  This is from the machine that it is pumped out of.

It is easy to add flavor and color to soft serve.  I don't know if I could eat purple soft serve!

Less overrun (air) and higher milk fat means the product will be more creamy.  Ice cream is regulated by the FDA to have at least 10% milk fat and be frozen at a lower temperature.  This may be of interest to the state health inspector but to me, it simply means a creamier and harder frozen treat.  Ice cream is harder and thus hand scooped.  When you see those signs that they hand scoop, it's not to impress upon you that they work harder.  It simply means it is ice cream not soft serve.

Frozen custard has the highest amount of milk fat.  It also has more than 1.4% egg yolk solids.  This gives it the smooth dense consistency.  Frozen custard is my favorite!

Notice how creamy and smooth the custard looks, yes chocolate!

I'll sum this up for you.  

Soft serve: less milk fat = less cost = less flavor

Ice cream: higher milk fat = higher cost = better flavor

Frozen custard: higher milk fat + egg yolk = highest cost = best flavor and smoothest consistency

You are already sacrificing your calorie count for the day because you are succumbing to the desire for dessert.  Why not get the highest quality?  Enjoy your ice cream or frozen custard!

FDA information taken from
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm?fr=135.110

Milk fat levels taken from interviews with Mike Schraa, owner of Leon's in Oshkosh, WI and Rick, owner of the former South Side Dairy Queen in Oshkosh, WI.

Turtles Over a Blue Moon

This is what fueled my imagination to write this blog.

Over 20 years ago, I went on a writing adventure with 9 high school classmates at Lourdes Academy in Oshkosh, WI.  We were a hungry bunch in 7th hour Advanced Composition class.  We voted on a writing project that would take us on 6 frozen treat escapades in the city.  

Yes, we were driven by the desire to eat ice cream but not unlike many motivators, this lead us to some actual learning as well.  We learned basic skills in interviewing subjects, draft writing and picked up on many interesting terms such as butter fat content and over run. 

Close to 25 years after this fun project, I still remember the differences between ice milk, ice cream and frozen custard.  My stomach tells me not to worry about the fat content.  The level of satisfaction found in eating this Gilly Cookie Sandwich far outweighs my concern over calories. 

I am still driven by my desire to eat frozen treats and I also recognize my desire to write.  So here I am, a middle aged ice cream loving writer still going on frozen treat escapades.  

Thank you Tim Crimmins, for voicing your idea in Advanced Composition class and to Mrs. Mengeling for making the project a reality.