Best! Present! Ever!

My brother, Neil, and I haven’t exchanged Hanukkah gifts in a really long time because he was poor college student. But now that he (sort of) graduated and (sort of) has a job, we figured this is as good a year as any to start again. And I’m glad we did, because he got me the best! present! ever!

No, not a box. Ice cream from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in Ohio. Jeni’s has been declared the best ice cream in America by Food Network. Twice! Jeni’s ice cream is all handmade with fresh local ingredients, and comes in all sorts of interesting flavors. And when you google “ice cream blog” or variations thereof (like I did before starting this one), her blog, SaltyCaramel.com is one of the first pages that comes up.

Neil got me four pints: Goat Cheese with Cognac Figs, Askinosie Dark Milk Chocolate, Sweet Potato with Torched Marshmallows (see them torching the marshmallows on her blog), and Riesling Poached Pear sorbet.

I haven’t tried them yet, because when I took those pictures they resembled pint-shaped bricks, which I’m assuming has to do with just how cold dry ice is. Everything I know about dry ice comes from that CSI episode where the girl kills her next door neighbors with dry ice poisoning. And, well, now also these instructions:

(Click photo to view larger.)

The ice cream also came with the holiday flavor catalog, which unfolded into this poster, which I need to frame and hang up somewhere:

And, if you’re wondering how my brother gave me a present that was clearly delivered to my apartment at our Hanukkah part last week, this is he actually gave me.

Great, isn’t it? Except. . . Wait a sec. . . I’m not two or five. . . (Although I nearly died laughing when I opened them.)

Stay tuned. Next week I return (hopefully on schedule) with more homemade ice cream (which I am making right now).