From the depths of Jose Mier’s freezer:
Jose Mier Discovers Midwest Treat
In my desire to research froze desserts and ice creams in particular right now, I’ve stumbled upon a unique and mysterious flavor. If you remember my last Jose Mier post, I talked about Superman ice cream. One of it’s key flavors—and the one responsible for the blue in the mix—is supposedly blue moon ice cream.
Of course there are already a lot of people out there, mostly in the Midwest, who already know this flavor very well. For the rest of us in the country, however, blue moon ice cream is unheard of. Why this flavor hasn’t spread to the rest of the nation is unknown but there’s something delightful about regional delicacies. For outsiders, when we try them, it’s like we’re being issued into the ranks of an exclusive club.
So for those of you (including me) who don’t live in Michigan, Ohio or Wisconsin, here’s a quick primer on blue moon ice cream.
The ingredients used by commercial production houses or ice cream parlors are often kept secret. The original inventors (or those who claim to be) keep their recipes secret, much like Col. Sander’s recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken. Others have tried to replicate the flavor and have come up with their versions. Regardless, the blue ice cream is very, very sweet. If overly sweet ice creams are not your bag, this may not be for you. If they are, though, read on.
Jose Mier Asks: Are Beavers Involved?
Some say the flavor is a mix of lemon, raspberry and vanilla pudding. Others say that one of the secret flavors is castorium, which is what beavers excrete to mark their territory. Could that be the reason the makers of blue moon want to keep the recipes secret? Perhaps.
For us outside the Midwest, making and/or eating this flavor will be like going on an ice cream safari and encountering new, strange and different things. Plus, we will get bragging rights and be able to tell our friends that, yes, we have tasted the fabled blue moon ice cream!
Since it’s not widely available outside the Midwest, odds are the only way you’ll be able to taste it (or something that comes close) is to make it yourself. Like everything else under the sun, there are recipes online for you to try. If you can find it in a specialty store that may import it, makers like Hudsonville offer their own versions.
With summer quickly approaching I suggest you get out that ice cream maker and try whipping up a batch of blue moon ice cream as both a culinary experiment/investigation and also to give your kids a unique treat they can tell their friends about.
When you’ve succeeded I’ll make you official members of Jose Mier’s blue moon ice cream club!