![]() "One of our first out of the ordinary combinations was a turmeric ice cream with heritage coconut sugar shortbread sandwiched with house-made coffee caramel," Van Leeuwen says. Soon Van Leeuwen was ready to try his hand at more unorthodox flavors. ![]() Image credit: Courtesy of Konnect Agency "We discovered that particularly our market in the U.S. ![]() Not only do the top-quality ingredients - think cold-ground Tahitian vanilla beans, Michel Cluizel's ultra-high cocoa butter chocolate, and pistachios sourced from the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily - give them a rich, authentic flavor, but the consistency is also on another level: smooth and thick with the solidity Van Leeuwen mentions, that almost-chew. Having tried Van Leeuwen's vanilla, chocolate and pistachio flavors, I can attest to the early experiments' success first-hand. "So without inclusions, when you're eating, you're only going to think about the texture and the flavor and how that single ingredient is coming through." "Starting with these very simple flavors forced us to obsess over the texture," Van Leeuwen says. Some early experiments included pistachio, ginger, Ceylon cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. The trio first attempted single-note flavors, which would ensure the texture took center stage and allow them to get it just right. So we said, "Why can't we do this at scale?'" "We tried those crème anglaise, sort of classic vanilla ice creams, and we were like, "Oh my gosh, this is so different,' so much better than anything we were having on the market. "We made ice cream out of cookbooks like On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee and Thomas Keller's books, and they all had a ton of egg yolks," Van Leeuwen says. The high egg-yolk content was a very conscious decision, one the co-founders arrived at about 15 years ago when they were still experimenting with texture at home. Most ice creams on the market don't contain more than 1.3% egg yolk, and those that do must be labeled "French" or "custard." Van Leeuwen's ice creams range from 5% to 8%, earning it its "French" designation. So it emulsifies and gives the product a little bit of solidness and chew, and we love that." When you're making ice cream, you're using cream, which has a lot of fat, and that will give you creaminess, but the cream won't give you the toothsomeness the egg yolks give you the toothsomeness. "So it gives an incredibly thick, toothsome texture. "The reason we use so many egg yolks is because it changes the texture," Van Leeuwen says. Related: Van Leeuwen's CEO on The Viral Mac and Cheese-Flavored Ice Cream: We've Been Blown Away by the Response So Far" "The cream won't give you the toothsomeness the egg yolks give you the toothsomeness" Van Leeuwen and I started our discussion with a deep dive into what gives Van Leeuwen ice cream its creamy, toothsome texture. Ben Van Leeuwen notes that the brand doesn't use stabilizers or even "natural flavors," those clear, lab-made liquids with an artificial taste.īut just as important as flavor - if not more so - is the ice cream's texture itself. Probably.Although each flavor satisfies a different craving, they all reflect Van Leeuwen's commitment to the "good stuff" - simple ingredients with names you can actually pronounce. If something is made good and makes you feel good then that something is good for you. We know the importance of physical health, but equally important is mental health. And it’s why we’re always willing to go the extra mile. ![]() Good means being good to our customers, our partners, and to each other. We want to create the best ice cream for all. ![]() We don’t just want to be the best ice cream there is. This is true whether it’s classic ice cream. That’s why we are obsessed with exactly what goes into our ice cream and what stays out. If you can’t pronounce it you probably can’t digest it. We kept going then and we keep going now innovating, creating, never settling. It’s probably no coincidence that we started out as a scoop truck in NYC, because we didn’t stay put. BECAUSE A LIFE WITHOUT ANYTHING GOOD IS BAD. TO MAKE GOOD ICE CREAM THAT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD. ![]()
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