bon appétit

By: Amy Albert – May 2010

Artisanal ice cream producers around the country are making some of the most delicious flavors available. And now, many of these local delights can be delivered to your door (packed in dry ice to prevent melting). To see what was worth shipping, we tasted more than 60 different flavors. Here’s the crème de la ice cream.

1/Humphry Slocombe Secret Breakfast

A mix of creamy (vanilla ice cream), crunchy (caramelized cornflakes), and boozy (Jim Beam). $8 for 1 pint; 415-550-6971; humphryslocombe.com for more information

2/Dr. Bob’s Strawberries, Sour Cream & Brown Sugar

Tangy, with a touch of caramel-like sweetness. From $70 for 6 pints; 888-264-2226; drbobsicecream.com

3/Jeni’s Salty Caramel

This sophisticated ice cream has a delicious salty-sweet balance. From $48 for 4 pints; 614-488-3224; jenisicecreams.com

4/Capannari Chocolate Hazelnut Ganache

From the same base as chocolate frosting, with deep flavor that’s not too sweet. $5 for 1 pint; 847-392-2277; capannaris.com

5/Herrell’s Malted Vanilla

Malted milk powder gives a toasty sweetness to this perfect vanilla ice cream. $6 for 1 pint; 413-586-9700; herrells.com for stores

6/Neemo’s Rajbhog

Rajbhog, the Indian treat, inspired this mix of saffron, cardamom, almonds, cashews, and pistachios. $9 for 1 quart; 714-269-6001; saffronspot.com for more information