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Tip Top and Whittaker’s create new ice cream range: Is it any good?

It sounds like a sure fire hit: Two iconic Kiwi food brands joining forces to make a new range of chocolate ice creams.

The Herald Lifestyle team got their hands on the creations, not due in the shops until Monday.

As you might imagine, it was extremely difficult to find volunteers, but seasoned taste tester Storme Hitaua eventually agreed, roping in fellow Flava host Sela Alo.

Herald social media producer Eleanor Barker, of chocolate brownie mayo fame, also stepped up to the plate

Are these fancy new creations wrapped in swirling galactic packaging the best thing since Whittaker’s K Bar? Here’s what our panel had to say.

1. Chocolate, salted caramel, pretzel and 62 per cent cocoa dark chocolate

Initial reactions are a round of satisfied nods and, uttered through a gooey mouthful, a “that is real good”.

Big fans of the chocolate and salted caramel, this was Storme and Sela’s favourite of the three.

2. Coffee, chocolate, cacao nib and 35 per cent cocoa creamy milk chocolate

While this was the least popular among our taste testers, they agreed anyone chasing that coffee ice cream note will be into this one. The coffee flavour is certainly pronounced and on the bitter side, rather than sweet.

3. Vanilla, salted maple, cashew praline and 33 per cent cocoa creamy milk chocolate

Eleanor’s favourite of the three, she deemed it an ice cream with impressive complexities with a pleasing amount of salt.

So if you’re looking for an ice cream for summer that’s without a doubt delicious and also free of nasties such as palm oil, our panel reckon these are your best bet.

Popping up and sticking around
While many collab food products are created for a limited time, this ice cream range is here for good.

But if you’re after a taste as soon as possible, two pop-up stores are giving away thousands of the new ice creams for free.

• Auckland Tip Top Whittaker’s #Happimess Pop-Up: 21A Remuera Rd, Newmarket, Auckland. 22 September from 12pm
• Wellington Tip Top Whittaker’s #Happimess Pop-Up: 142 Lambton Quay, Wellington. 27 September from 12pm

NZ Herald

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Foodstuffs gobbles six months of Hawke’s Bay organic ice cream in one sitting

Hastings’ iconic ice cream maker Rush Munro’s is going national, after a leading supermarket chain gobbled up six months of supply in one sitting.

Just one month after Hastings-based Rush Munro’s started a new organic product range, sales representatives offloaded 34,300 tubs of ice cream at their first pitch to Foodstuffs NZ, which owns the New World, Pak’nSave and Four Square supermarket chains.

Rush Munro’s owner John Bostock, who is also New Zealand’s largest organic apple producer, said the company had been overwhelmed by the appetite for organic ice cream.

“The timing is right for organic ice cream as consumers are so much more aware of where their food comes from

“They want to eat quality but they also have an environmental conscience and want to know it’s been produced sustainably. So it’s important that we provide an organic choice in the freezer.”

General manager Vaughan Currie said the new organic range took a long time to create. Every ingredient had to be organic and many were difficult to source.

“It’s taken us almost two years to create the decadent organic flavours because sourcing organic ingredients on a commercial scale is challenging.

“For every flavour we have to have the right organic credentials. The regulations around organic certification are very strict in New Zealand.

“So we are sourcing whole organic scorched almonds, chocolate and ginger biscuits and then cutting them by hand and we make our coffee extract from scratch. We also batch churn the ice cream in small runs so much of the production is done by hand with little machinery. Everything is very artisan and not mass produced so a real labour of love.”

Bostock said it was a big change for a little business, but the move to organics was in line with the Bostock Group philosophy of environmentally sustainable food production

“There are over 30 ice cream brands in the freezer and we are seeing more of the big international players coming into our New Zealand market.

“It’s a challenge for a small Hawke’s Bay ice cream company to compete. But the move to organics is exciting and is our point of difference and will also be true to our traditional kiwi brand.”

The ice cream would be one of just two organic ice creams available at supermarkets nationally.

Rush Munro’s, founded in 1926, is New Zealand’s oldest ice cream producer.

Currie added that the competition from overseas and a more discerning consumer has forced small New Zealand companies to rethink what they want to be known for.

“These big international ice cream companies have huge marketing budgets. We have to be more innovative and push our New Zealand story because our 90 year history, tradition and age old recipes are what sets us apart.”

As part of the launch of the new organic ice cream, Currie said two caravans had been refurbished to take Currie and Bostock on a road trip around the North Island to give Kiwis a taster.

The Rush Munro’s public ice cream parlour in Hastings had a limited supply of selected organic flavours available to the public but at present the full range would be available only at Foodstuffs supermarkets.

NZ Herald

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Baked rice cake with leeks and cheese and spicy tomato sauce

This is a bit of an all-season dish, good cold in the summer and hot in the winter. It may be too prosaic to describe this as a frittata made with boiled rice — it is much better than that. All it needs is a simple green vegetable like green beans or sweet-stem broccoli to go with it.

For the spicy tomato sauce
3 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 Cinnamon stick
3 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 pinch Chilli flakes, or use more to taste
2 cans Chopped tomatoes, approx. 800g
2 Tbsp White wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 handful Coriander, coarsely chopped
For the rice cakes
200 g Risotto rice, or paella rice
3 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
1 Small onion, finely chopped
3 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 stick Celery, thinly sliced
2 Leeks, white part only, thinly sliced
5 Eggs, lightly beaten
1¼ cups Grated tasty cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese, fresh, finely grated
3 Tbsp Chopped parsley

Directions

To make the spicy tomato sauce

Heat the oil in a frying pan over moderate heat and add the onion, cinnamon, garlic and chilli flakes. Fry gently, without browning for 10 minutes or until the onion is soft.
Add the tomatoes, vinegar and sugar, mix well, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until thick like chutney.
Discard the cinnamon stick. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Cool to room temperature and stir in the coriander just before serving.
To make the rice cakes

Heat the oven to 200C. Line a 24cm diameter springform cake tin with baking paper.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the rice and boil 10 minutes. Drain well and cool.
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and add the onion, garlic, celery and leeks. Fry gently, without browning for 15 minutes or until the onion and leeks are soft. Remove from the heat and spoon everything into a large bowl.
Add the cooled rice, eggs, cheeses and parsley. Mix well, taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Pour the mixture into the paper lined cake tin and place in the oven for 40 minutes or until well set. If the top gets too brown, cover with foil until done.
Remove from the oven and then remove to a serving platter. (Remove the paper by inverting the cake onto a plate, peeling off the paper then inverting it again onto the serving platter.)
Serve in wedges, hot or warm, with the tomato sauce.

Bite