The other week, a chef asked me to make some grapenut ice cream for him. After babysitting my niece last weekend (sitting there as she napped, wondering how bad it would be if I woke her so we could play, and then continuing to sit there as she napped), I got a ride from my sister and brother-in-law to Toscanini's and grabbed a pint. It was surprisingly simple. The cereal doesn't really have a crunch to it anymore, and the only added ingredients seem to be vanilla extract and grapenuts. Time to put my spin on it.
To resemble my favorite method of grapenut-eating, I made one batch with honey, (one failed half batch of honey,*) and one batch with just enough vanilla to bring out the flavor of the dairy. I was happy with them both and, while that's exciting, it's also confusing; I have no idea which to move forward with. So, I took my two flavors and Toscanini's over to my sister's for a blind taste test.
My sister, Jessica, tasted all three and couldn't decide between two of them. My two! I hold her opinion of food in high regard, so I didn't need to do any more blind taste tests. But I couldn't help myself. So far, I've done five others and, while some friends have been nervous that they'll "pick the wrong one," I've consistently come out on top! What a confidence-booster -- it's so great to feel like you're good at what you do.
*note to self: half batches aren't worth it.
