Two completely different ways to make a delicious Japanese autumn dessert.
Now that we’re into the back half of September, we’re ready to switch our sweets snacking into autumn mode. And just like how farmers are harvesting their sweet potatoes, so too is it time for us to start bringing in Japan’s sweet potato ice creams for taste testing.
Today we’re looking at two ice cream makers with very different approaches. First, we’ve got Häagen-Dazs, a premium brand that’s very comfortable with adding decadent opulence to its desserts. But we’re also trying the new sweet potato ice cream from Mujirushi Ryohin, a.k.a. Muji, the lifestyle chain whose ice cream tends to be simple and understated, much like its furniture and housewares.
So, without further ado, let’s get started.
While Häagen-Dazs Japan brings out seasonal fall flavors on an annual basis, sweet potato isn’t always one of them. So we’d been getting a little anxious, but on September 15 they released their new Nou Mitsu Imo, or “Rich Sweet Potato,” flavor.
Pop the lid off, and you’re instantly greeted by a luxuriously lustrous glistening gold sweet potato sauce meant to evoke the sweet caramelized juices that ooze out of a freshly roasted sweet potato. The sauce is made with two of Japan’s most delicious sweet potato varieties, Beni Haruka (the sweetest variety in Japan) and anno imo.
Meanwhile, Mujirushi’s sweet potato ice cream flavor is just called Beni Haruka, and its English name, Sweet Potato Frozen Dessert, is starker still.
That name probably doesn’t have you expecting dazzling visuals, and sure enough, things are pretty plain under the lid.
▼ Hmm…those black dots do look intriguing, though…
In terms of visuals, there’s no denying that Häagen-Dazs is more attention-grabbing, and that’s where our spoon went first. True to its name, the Nou Mitsu Imo is rich and delicious. The sauce is thick but smooth, harmonizing excellently with the flavor and texture of the Beni Haruka ice cream, which has a bright yellow color to it.
With desserts that use this much sauce, you might be tempted to think they’re trying to cover up something or beat your taste buds into submission, but that’s not the case here. For all of its visual extravagance, Häagen-Dazs’ Nou Mitsu Imo is actually pretty straightforward. There are no ill-advised hidden ingredients or too-clever-for-its-own-good tricks involved, just lots and lots of great sweet potato flavor.
So after all that, would Mujirushi’s sweet potato ice cream come up short? Not at all! Remember those black dots we mentioned? It turns out they’re black sesame, and they’re not the only surprise that was waiting for us. As we dug down below the surface, we started coming across bits of actual sweet potato mixed in among the cream.
In addition to flavor, the sweet potato pieces added a lot of interesting texture, a crisp iciness with a fluffy chewiness waiting at the center. The black sesame imparted an elegantly enticing aroma, neither overpowering nor getting lost in the buttery notes of the sweet potato ice cream. All in all, it really delivers on the promise of “making the most of the ingredients’ flavors,” Mujirushi’s stated philosophy for its ice cream line.
Price-wise, there’s not much difference between the two, with Häagen-Dazs Nou Mitsu Imo at 373 yen (US$2.35) being just a touch more expensive than the 350-yen Mujirushi Beni Haruka. Muji’s ice cream is about 30 percent bigger (120 milliliters [4.1 ounce] vs. 90 milliliters), so it is technically the better value, but we think we can find room for both of these in our budget and stomach this fall.
Photos ©SoraNews24
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