It would seem maple bacon ice cream is an acquired taste, but it is the most popular ice cream sold in the Connecticut House.
For those who have been following my journey, you are already aware that I have been eating, sleeping and breathing the Big E direct for a trailer on the grounds.
Among the many things I will be doing during the fair, will be my weekly ice cream reviews.
The Big E has ice cream at every corner, and it's hard to choose what to eat. I have been on the search for the more unique options, besides your average soft-serve cone or Ben & Jerry's scoop.
When I heard a voice announcing ice cream as I roamed through the Connecticut House, I knew I had to try some.
Luckily the owner of the shop, John D’Arcangelo, was available to chat with me about his company and his ice cream.
J. Foster Hand-Crafted Ice Cream is a family-owned ice cream company that has been around for about 10 years, he said.
With shops in Avon and Simsbury Ct., J. Foster serves up ice cream with a novel approach, including a popular seven-layer ice cream cake, ice cream sandwiches made with homemade carrot cake, and cream cheese ice cream and ice cream sliders, made with homemade cookies.The company also sells ice cream to more than a dozen restaurants.
"We make a very high quality product and always try offer some things that are different," he said.
So, on to the review. There were tons of flavors to choose from including pumpkin and cookie monster, but I sampled the maple bacon ice cream, which D’Arcangelo said is his most popular ice cream sold at the fair.
I have mixed feelings about adding meat to ice cream. In theory alone it seems kind of gross, but the old adage remains true, everything just states better with bacon.
The maple ice cream itself is smooth and rich and creamy and the bits of bacon add a saltiness, and a bit of crunch to the ice cream.
I won't say it was one of my favorites since after a few bites the saltiness became a bit much for me. However, I can see why this is a popular flavor especially for those who love the combination of salty and sweet.
I give it four scoops and would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting the Big E in the next few days.
Elizabeth Roman, a staff reporter for The Republican and El Pueblo Latino, reviews ice cream desserts in her weekly column, "Inside Scoop," that also appears on masslive.com