Nestlé USA, Glendale, Calif., expanded its Häagen-Dazs brand to debut the new Häagen-Dazs Artisan Collection.
Created in collaboration with notable culinary artisans from around the country, the Häagen-Dazs Artisan Collection includes Tres Leches Brigadeiro, Banana Rum Jam, Chocolate Caramelized Oat, Spiced Pecan Turtle, Ginger Molasses Cookie and Applewood Smoked Caramel Almond flavors.
"To develop the Artisan Collection, we evaluated more than a hundred high-quality, culinary products," says Kerry Hopkins, brand manager. "After months of vetting, we identified and worked hand-in-hand with six artisans to co-create our new flavors that infuse the taste of the artisans' original creations with the rich, premium ingredients of Häagen-Dazs ice cream. Being a brand that was founded in 1960 by Reuben Mattus—by some considered the original ice cream artisan—it was imperative that we team up with artisans who embody the Häagen-Dazs brand philosophy of craftsmanship and using the finest ingredients."
About the flavors:
Tres Leches Brigadeiro. Based in New York City, Paula Barbosa of My Sweet Brigadeiro deconstructed her Happy Couple brigadeiro—a modern spin on a traditional, celebratory sweet from her native Brazil—to make a decadent sauce and swirl it into creamy tres leches ice cream.
Banana Rum Jam. After a cold winter in Brooklyn, N.Y., friends Sabrina Valle and Jessica Quon of The Jam Stand were determined to create a homemade jam, despite many fresh fruits being out-of-season. After some experimentation, they prepared their first jam called Drunken Monkey, a new play on the classic Bananas Foster. Inspired by their homemade classic, Banana Rum Jam ingredients are swirled into a vanilla bean ice cream.
Chocolate Caramelized Oat. Claire Keane of Clairesquares in San Francisco has been crafting delicious flapjacks—a traditional Irish treat of caramelized, buttery oat bars drizzled in chocolate—from her own recipe since she was 12 years old. Inspired by her Irish treats, the Häagen-Dazs brand took chocolate caramelized oat clusters and blended them into a rich caramel ice cream.
Spiced Pecan Turtle. Offering an international twist on classic chocolate turtles, Christopher Elbow of Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolate in Kansas City, Mo., co-created this new artisanal flavor to include roasted pecans with cinnamon and chilies and swirls of caramel sauce with rich chocolate ice cream.
Ginger Molasses Cookie. Anna Gordon of The Good Batch in Brooklyn, N.Y., worked to craft a vanilla cinnamon ice cream infused with the sweet, warm flavors of her soft-baked ginger molasses cookies.
Applewood Smoked Caramel Almond. Striking the perfect balance between sweet and savory, Cruz Caudillo of Praline Patisserie in San Diego, Calif., worked to create swirls of smoked applewood caramel sauce combined with roasted, salted almonds into a sweet cream ice cream.
Häagen-Dazs Artisan Collection ice cream is available at retailers nationwide through April. All flavors come in 14-ounce cartons for a suggested retail price of $5.29 (Tres Leches Brigadeiro is also available in a 3.6-ounce cup for a suggested retail price of $1.49).