I have pretty much loved ice cream since coming out of the womb. Mama Ginger always has said that ice cream was her biggest craving when I was nestled warmly inside her tummy, so naturally it makes sense that I have grown up with a massive sweet tooth.
So when Haagen-Dasz contacted me and asked of I would be interested in reviewing their new Easter Chocolate Egg Creation,* I very quickly and very excitedly accepted the invitation. I booked my train tickets to London, rang up Mama Ginger, and on Saturday, after a very small breakfast, we headed down to Leicester Square in great anticipation!
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| Image Source: Haagen-Dasz (received via email) |
Now, you know me, I can't help but be drawn in by the appearance of food. I know that's not always a good thing, but if a dish is laid out looking pretty on a plate, my taste-buds will be instantly tantalised and I will be even more tempted to dig in.
Before I get in to my experience of the dessert, let me tell you what is involved...
The dessert consists of a dark chocolate egg, filled with vanilla ice cream, and topped with mango sorbet. Additional scoops of mango and raspberry sorbet and vanilla ice cream surround the egg, as well as a raspberry coulis, and mango and raspberry pieces. The dish is finished off with a piece of Haagen-Dasz branded chocolate.
So when I first took a look at a photo of the Easter creation (above,) I immediately felt a massive surge of excitement. This didn't look like ice cream.....This looked like a little slice of heaven. And at £8.00 for the creation, the dessert isn't shy of prices that you may spend on a simple pudding at a restaurant. Even MG agreed that the price is "very reasonable."
Especially when the dessert actually came out. I don't think we really knew what we were expecting and we both got overwhelmed. It was absolutely massive! MG actually exclaimed as soon as it arrived "it's huge!" It can be hard to gauge portion sizes from promotional photos, but neither MG or I were disappointed. Three generous size scoops of ice cream & sorbet, fresh fruit pieces, lashings of raspberry coulis, and half a standard size dark chocolate Easter egg filled to the absolute brim with vanilla ice cream.
Oh My Goodness.
Tummies instantly rumbled at the sight. You definitely get a portion size worthy of the price.
And, me being me, and taken in by attractive looking food, I really appreciated the layout of the dessert on the plate. Especially the little scoop of mango sorbet placed on top of the vanilla ice cream to resemble a fried egg. With me, it's the little things that bring me joy.
I put a Ginger the Food Critic head on and sampled each of the elements of the dish separately first. The ice cream and sorbet did not disappoint. The ice cream was creamy, and the sorbet jam-packed full of flavour. MG actually said that her favourite part of the dish was (what we think was) the raspberry sorbet. To me, it was a hybrid ice-cream/sorbet creation. But, never having had raspberry sorbet, I'm not sure. Either way, it was really yummy, tasting exactly like raspberry ripple ice cream and taking me back to my childhood days.
The coulis went exceptionally well with everything. It was the very delicious, fruity, cohesive glue that joined everything together. It wasn't overpowering of any other aspect of the dessert either. And together with the dark chocolate it was a match made in heaven. The chocolate egg by itself was a bit bitter for both MG & me, but the coulis definitely sweetened it up. But had the egg been milk, or even white chocolate, I don't think it would have worked as well with the coulis.
The pieces of mango and raspberry were really fresh and smelt gorgeous. Inhaling the aromas of the fruity aspects of the dessert, as strange as it's going to sound, put me in a really good mood and transported me straight to Summer.
I think if the dessert had just been ice cream and chocolate based, it wouldn't have had the same impact. But because there was ice cream, fruit, coulis and sorbet, it broke up any sickliness of the dish and made it even more flavourful and seasonal.
I think this photo speaks for itself. MG finished her dessert off, and this is all that was left of mine. I cannot tell you how delicious the Haagen-Dasz Easter Chocolate Egg Creation is. All I can say is that if you are an ice cream lover, you need to go and sample this dessert, and quick! It's on a limited run and is only available until the 25th April, so if you're near London, get down to Leicester Square quick and give this a try. Take it from me - you won't be disappointed.
(Just don't have much to eat before you visit!)
Have you tried the Easter Chocolate Egg Creation yet?
For more information about Haagen-Dasz, or to find your nearest branch, visit:
*I was very kindly sent some Haagen-Dasz vouchers to take myself & a friend to review out the Haagen-Dasz Easter Creation. This will not affect my opinions. They are my own, 100% honest, and true to me and my taste-buds.
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