PrintIce Cream Worth Shouting About (And Eating in the Cold)
I went to the first New Amsterdam Public winter market yesterday. Robert LaValva put the event together to publicize his effort to convert two city-owned buildings around the South Street Seaport into a public market supporting farmers, artisanal purveyors, and sustainable food in general. I got there late, so I missed Mario Batali opining about and selling porchetta sandwiches. I did buy a $20 Vermont Deer Truffle from Nova Kim and Les Hook of the Wild Food Gatherers Guild. I have no idea what it is, but I will do some research and let you know. I am a little dismayed that my deer truffle has not discernible odor.
Farmstead cheese purveyor Anne Saxelby was selling a terrific array of cheeses and making most excellent grilled cheese, apple, and pickle sandwiches.
The revelation of the day for me was the transcendently smooth, intensely flavored, and perfectly balanced ice cream from The Bent Spoon, straight outta Princeton, NJ. I tried three extraordinary flavors; ricotta, wild honey, and cranberry apple sorbet. According to Bent Spoon co-owner Gabrielle Carbone they make 18 flavors of ice cream daily along with cupcakes and two kinds of hot chocolate. I feel an Ed Levine Eats road trip coming on.
The Bent Spoon
Artisan Ice Cream & Good Ingredient Bakery
35 Palmer Square West
Princeton, NJ 08542
Ph: 609-924-2368 (BENT)
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4 Comments:
They have killer salted caramel brownies.. lil' bites of perfection. Round it out with a trip to PJ's Pancake House round the corner, and you're good to go!
I hear the cupcakes are great too. If you are so inclined.
The flavors are seasonal, so there is a reason to visit often!
dbdtron
dbdtron at 5:24PM on 12/18/07
Ed, I would get a second opinion before you do anything with the deer truffle. From what I understand, they are not true truffles and can cause vomiting and severe gastro-intestinal distress. Perhaps cooking them makes them more palatable.
jstanisic at 10:10AM on 12/19/07
Hi Ed, Just found out about the tag on the deer truffles. Would really appreciate it if people would bother to check out and post sources for opinions like the above. A source that most people are familiar with is Mushrooms Demystified, by David Aurora. This is regarded to be the single most useful book available on the market today of fungi. It has a relatively large section on various hypogeous fungi, including truffles.
Highly recommended for any mushroom hunter or mycologist. Or, go to www.wildusefulfungi.org. At, any rate, there are numerous sources regarding edibility and I must confess I am not aware of the warnings that were posted.
You should recall that you were told the deer truffles do not have the same aroma or flavor of the European variety of truffle. These have been used for centuries as the "poor man's truffle" in Europe, and sold under several names i.e. "Hart's truffle", etc.
One of the chefs that are currently using the "Vermont White" Deer Truffle says that it is great in a Spaetzle dough and in a Béarnaise Sauce both of which he said had an excellent rich flavor and one that held up under heat which most of the other truffles do not.
If there is still any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at www.wildgourmetfood.com. or www.wildfoodgatherersguild.org.
Ki-ta-ni-gha! Nova Kim and Les Hook
Nova Kim at 2:38PM on 12/27/07
I really wanted to go, but by the time I found the building, they were closed. :-( It's confusing down there. I hope they put on another market soon!
thesu at 2:56PM on 12/30/07