OK, so it may be a bit of a stretch for me to call it my new favorite ice cream since I only eat ice cream about three times a year. Whichever ice cream I am eating is pretty much my favorite at that point. Still, I am currently in love with Haagen-Dazs‘ Toasted Coconut Sesame Brittle. It is a plain cream base speckled with strands of toasted coconut and little pieces of sesame candies (Remember those caramel candies with all the sesame seeds in them that you used to eat when you were a kid before all the candy became fizzy and neon-colored? That’s what is in here.) Supposedly there is some ginger flavoring in the sesame candy, but I couldn’t detect it. It doesn’t matter, though, because there is plenty of goodness going on in this ice cream without the ginger. The coconut is so toasty and crunchy and the sesame brittle is nutty and yummy. Robert thought it was kind of weird, but I thought it was delicious.
As an aside, there is an interesting story about the origins of this ice cream. Last year, Haagen-Dazs held a contest in which they asked fans to submit their best ice cream flavor ideas. The winning idea would become Haagen-Dazs’ newest ice cream. The top three finalists, one of whom was the brain behind Toasted Coconut Sesame Brittle, were featured on a Food Network special. Sticky Toffee Pudding ultimately was chosen as the winning idea, but now, a year later, what turns up on our shelves? Toasted Coconut Sesame Brittle! Hmmm…I wonder where Haagen-Dazs got that idea? Fortunately, there wasn’t any corporate foul play or thievery going here. They awarded the original prize money to the woman who created Toasted Coconut Sesame Brittle so, although she didn’t get to be recognized as a winner of the contest, it all worked out for everybody in the end (including for me!)