Ice cream has been around since the dawn of civilization. Long before we had ice makers and refrigerators we have been blending fruit with creams and ice. Every corner of our world has created some form of this decadent treat in as many flavors as your mind can conjure. It is truly a universal dessert.
A few weeks ago I was sent some intriguing flavors of ice cream from Ramar Foods, a company that has been at the forefront of tropical ice cream flavors in America and Canada for 40+ years and pioneered the Filipino Food Movement. Their brand, Magnolia, is California made with all natural, pasture raised dairy along with whole fruit purees. The tropical ice cream flavors include:
- Mango
- Coconut
- Lychee
- Thai Tea
- Avocado
- Purple Yam
The Milkbars include:
- Halo Halo
- Azuki Red Bean
- Purple Yam & Red Bean
- Coconut
- Mango
The really fascinating part is that most of the fruit for the purees are grown on small family farms in Southwest Asia. They are a family business at their root, having begun by sharing Filipino handcrafts and now bringing to North America their specialty treats!
One of the most unique flavors that I was given to try was the Avocado ice cream. I’ve never had avocado’s outside of sandwiches, Mexican food or salads. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with it as the flavor of an ice cream and was incredibly surprised! It blended so smoothly with the cream that it seemed so natural. One of those subtle flavors that make you think, “Why hadn’t I thought of this before?” It would have been the perfect ice cream for me to feature on St. Patrick’s Day, but I had unfortunately got caught up with some family things. However, my little tot inspired me into doing something else really fun for Easter!
My two other favorite flavors of Magnolia are the Coconut & Thai Tea Milkbars. They are divine! True to their flavors, they taste just like a tropical paradise with a tall glass of iced specialty Thai tea. If a flavor was beautiful, it would be these milkbars.
My tot came up with the idea of cutting out shapes with the milkbars, so we made little Easter ducks and put them on tiny mounds of Avocado ice cream that I had scooped out with a watermelon scooper. This made a little Easter ice cream just for him.
I also realized that you could make “grass” by using a cheese grater to grate the Milkbars and/or put plastic wrap on top of each little bowl and put them in the freezer to have multiple treats on Easter! The kids would love them!
My teen and tot rave about Magnolia Ice Cream, which works for me because it’s all natural and a great way to supply calcium for my tot who doesn’t like to drink milk. Though for me, it is just my treat at the end of the day. I love sitting on the couch with my feet propped up and a Milkbar or a bowl of creamy Magnolia ice cream. Their flavors help you escape the confines of the everyday, the scent of exotic fruits is relaxing and the taste makes it extremely worth waiting for.
You can find all the different flavors of Magnolia Ice Cream on their Pinterest Page and be teased by the perfect scoop on their Facebook Page and/or @MagnoliaScoops on Twitter!
