Like any self respecting sweet tooth, I consider myself quite the ice cream connoisseur. Be it a classic grocery store pint of Ben and Jerry's, a tiny scoop of artisanal ice cream from a local shop, or a hit-or-miss home made frozen treat, give me some sweetened frozen cream and I'll eat it.
Over the past few months, my food photography has definitely been devoted in part to my love of ice cream. I know I'm not alone in this love, so I've decided to share some shots of my favorite scoops.
//Bruster's Ice Cream (Roswell, GA)
I worked at Bruster's for two years in high school, surviving swarms of families during the summer, endless lines of teens during the football season, and complete desolation during the winter months. As a member of what I called the "Bru-Crew," I sampled my way through all of the flavors, trying them during quiet moments in the shop. Pictured above is Black Raspberry Chocolate Chunk, a summer special that almost feels healthy with its fruity touch. Some of my other favorite flavors include Birthday Cake (yes I am a child) and Graham Canyon.
//Jeni's Ice Cream (Nashville, TN)
Jeni's, also known as heaven on earth, is a small ice cream chain with a few locations mostly along the East Coast. They source all their ingredients locally and responsibly, from the dairy in its cream to the cocoa in its chocolate chips. Jeni's tiny scoops are a bit pricey, but one sample spoonful (or three) is enough to persuade any skeptic. With anything from plain vanilla, to jasmine, absinthe, beer or goat cheese based ice cream, there is truly something for everyone's taste here. Many trips have been made to my local Jeni's with family, friends and dates. Personally, my favorite flavors are Bramble Berry Crisp and Brown Butter Almond Brittle. I like to top it all off with Salty Graham Cracker "Gravel."
//Ice Cream Cart outside Imperial War Museum (London, England)
My ice cream addiction spans time zones and borders. Pictured above was a surprising treat purchased during my study abroad class by my professors. My class was waiting for our peers to arrive outside a museum we were set to tour when the professors realized they had money leftover in the travel budget to spoil us a little bit. Together we lined up alongside a random nearby ice cream cart and chose whatever our tastebuds desired. I went for a perfectly spiraled soft serve on a sprinkled cone with a large chocolate flake on the side. In the sweltering London heat, this cold sugary treat was the perfect thing to keep me going for the rest of the afternoon.
// Tivoli Gardens (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Copenhagen was my home base during my study abroad time in Europe this past summer. Like any self-respecting tourist, I eventually made my way over to one of the oldest amusement parks in the world, Tivoli Gardens. In addition to gorgeous buildings, a range of rides, and many surprisingly nice restaurants, there are loads of spots to get sugar in its many forms. I stopped at an ice cream shop near the entrance with my friends to grab a waffle cone. The ice cream I chose, which is hidden beneath the toppings in this picture, was nougat flavored. On top I went the way of the Danes and added whipped cream and jam, which is a fun zing to add to an overall creamy dessert. I cannot recommend the combination or the park enough.
//Angelato at the foot of Petrin Hill (Prague, Czech Republic)
One weekend during the summer of study abroad, my friends and I popped over to the Czech out Prague, which apparently is also the surface of the sun as far as heat. We took many frequent air conditioning and ice cream stops, but found this small local chain to be our favorite respite, with its unique flavors and friendly, English-speaking staff. For a VERY cheap price I was able to get two scoops on a gorgeous dipped waffle cone. I took advantage of their odd flavors and selected Rice Ice Cream and Parmesan Ice Cream. Before you discount my taste completely let me explain. The "rice" cream, as I call it, tasted like a tapioca/rice pudding type of treat and the Parmesan flavor simply had a sweet cream base with savory bits of parmesan throughout. The combination worked out better than you would imagine and fueled me up to trek around the Petrin Hill in the heat of the sun.
To check out more of my ice cream exploration, follow me on Instagram at
@avecadrienne, I'm always on the look out for a new shop and new flavor to try.
