~ Curious Charlie ~

Helados Jauja - Ice Cream Appreciation Masterclass @ Sunday, December 15, 2013

Saturday 7th December

Today we went to the Ice-cream Appreciation Masterclass at Helados Jauja, they're a gelato/ice creamery place on Lygon St in Brunswick. And they have Durian ice cream!

How to get there (cause I got lost, numbers went 230 to 270, they're different on each side of the street): From Flinders take any tram that's going to Melb Uni, get off at Stop no. 2 (you should see KFC). Turn right on Grattan St, walking in the opposite direction to KFC. Keep walking till you get to Lygon St, you should see Sportgirl somewhere. You're at an intersection. Helados Jauja is on the block diagonally opposite to Sportgirl. That's the block with the red postbox.

We got to sample all 24 flavours offered today (they didn't have blackcurrent) with seconds. :P Jas picked a bad spot for lighting hence we did not get any decent pictures, and most need to be left unedited otherwise they'll go all grainy.

The Basics
Sorbet = sugar + water + fruit, no dairy. No fat + no cream.
Gelato = Italian for ice cream. Same thing.
Helados = ice cream in Latin.

Flavours

Mango & Vanilla - together was amazing!
Mango - They use Kensington from QLD, bought at the markets.
Rosewater & Pistichio - I really like! Smells like Jurlique's Rose.
Argentina Green Tea (Yerba Mate) - Gives you energy (the tea), tobacco-taste says jas.
Yerba Mate & Black Sesame - Pretty good. I quite like the black sesame.

Black Sesame - Takes 3 days to make this one. Quite a process.
Raspberry Sorbet - Really good, I like it very much.
Goat's Cheese, Cranberries & Walnuts - A favourite!
Passionfruit - That was very good. So many flavours I like...
White Choc & Raspberry - Better than the sorbet (r). Love it!

62% Chocolate - It was ok... A sorbet, Jas loves it!
Salted Choc 50-55% - Very good. Reminds me of Reese's PB Cups! Salt makes the chocolate sweeter.
80% Chocolate - This one's very popular and goes with everything.
Cacao Decadence - This one's very dense, like Duncan's choc froasting you can buy in a tub. Like mudcake says jas. Special request only, as it's not on display and only a limited amount is made.

Mint - Made with real mint! That's rare. Do try this one (and everything else :P).
Dulce de Luche - Argentina's Milk Caramel. This is made from condense milk in a crock pot, could make it at home. With the choc chip I like it. But with the salted caramel I love it! There's a great aftertaste.
Blood Orange - Sorbet with zest. Icy. Very good, but I prefer ice cream over sorbet. :P
Durian - I love this! And get it every time we're in town.

Half Coffee/Milk - Argentinan tea inspired. Marbled when you buy it. Cafe con leche. There's a Helados in Argentina (the original store) and they have this flavour too.
Eggnog - I like eggnog! A limited edition flavour, for Christmas and July only. Brandy, egg, spices. Raisn + rum, mascova sugar (rum comes from this). Later on we find a drink that tastes like this, Horchata at Fonda Mexican in East Richmond.
Xmas Pudding - This is a new flavour created this year. Blood orange zest, hint of cinnamon. A deconstructed Christmas pudding, I love it!

Homemade Ice Cream - This is what Helados is all about, they make their ice creams in the kitchen in the back, and not in a factory. “No flavouring, no colouring, no gelatine, no premixes and no shortcuts.”

Homemade Ice Cream - Yes you can make it w/o an ice cream machine. :)

Warm milk + sugar. Stir it. Add chocolate, stir till it melts. (Or other flavours)
Add eggs, stir. Take off the heat, add cream.
Bring it to the boil to kill the bacteria. Stick it in an ice bath (the sink).
Put it in an ice cream machine (end process) or freezer for 45-60mins.
If using freezer, take out after time and stir using a fork to add air. Do this 3 times.

After sampling all that they had to offer we got 3 scoops and a take-away pack/box. Lot of analysis was done and we ended up six flavours I loved: goats milk, rosewater, white choc & raspberry, durian, salted caramel and xmas pudding. The first three went well together, so I got those in a cup, and the others take-away.

In the take-away box you can get up to four flavours, though three is recommended.

Size comparison to a clutch.

$55* ticket price, your date includes a sample of all 24 flavours, a triple scoop ice cream cone and a regular pack of your choice of flavours to take home.

Runs on the first Saturday of each month, and tickets are $55 per person (starting Jan 2014, we paid $50 in Dec 2013).

It was a great experience which we highly recommend. We also recommend no more ice cream for the rest of the month. (Though sorbet doesn't count. :P) To justify spending $50 on ice cream we'd point out it does include 3 scoops there after the tastings and a take-home pack. Also it's not like you'll do this more than once (for at least 5yrs. :P).