HANDMADE FRANKLIN ICE CREAM
ABOUT THE FRANKLIN ICE-CREAM COMPANY
INcelebration of the Tercentenary of the Birth of Benjamin Franklin, we at The Franklin Fountain felt it necessary in his spirit to do something "big." On March 3rd, 2006, our fountain clerks served the first batch of HOMEMADE ice cream, Philadelphia Vanilla Bean. Within a few short weeks, Brother Eric was plowing through all of the flavors the Fountain was famous for: Mint Chip (green and white), Rocky Road and Peanut Butter, to name a few. Although it seemed it happened overnight, Eric was fully underway making what we are calling FRANKLIN ICE CREAM.
Over the years, thousands of businesses have prospered under the name "Franklin" as the man inspired so many entrepreneurs. Ice cream was no exception, as companies from Kansas City, Omaha, Indianapolis and Toledo all separately branded their "Franklin Ice Cream". With the emergence of large food conglomerates, each of these regional ice cream companies disappeared, leaving little but memories and some wonderful advertisements. We have collected some of these period items, including a 1920s porcelain sign that hangs on the exterior of the Fountain today.
The message on the sign says it simply: FRANKLIN ICE CREAM: ALL-WAYS.
In our view, Franklin was a man of Integrity and the Ice Creams we make must satisfy this goal. Milk & cream come from Berks and Lancaster Counties and are processed by a family-owned dairy dating back to 1920; the fruit, nuts and chocolates we incorporate into the flavors are obtained locally.
THE FLAVORS
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Listed in order an ice cream maker would have it:
- Vanilla Bean
Traditional Philadelphia-style Vanilla Ice Cream with ground vanilla bean specks and a blend of fine Mexican and Madagascar vanilla extracts. Historically, visible bean pods indicated a purity of product, separating "Philadelphia" style from the French and New York Style ice creams, which utilized egg yolks. Vanilla is an orchid that hails originally from Mexico and is hand pollinated. Until the middle of the 20th century, most vanilla was produced in Mexico and sent all over the world. Thomas Jefferson even had beans sent to him during his tenure as Secretary of State in Philadelphia. While Mexico was the source for vanilla, European traders were the financial benefactors. While at Passy, Franklin would have made his French Style Vanilla with Mexican beans. The Mexican bean imparts a fruity spiciness while the traditionally modern Madagascar vanilla is a sweet and creamy vanilla that everyone can relate to.
- Cherry Vanilla
From the Northwest, our dark, Bing Cherry-halves explode with flavor, juiciness as they are scattered throughout our fine vanilla bean ice cream. We aim to keep this flavor white, not pink, with all the fruit juice bottled inside each cherry. One characteristic with Franklin Ice Cream is that there is always plenty of whatever it is the flavor is. Plenty of cherries, plenty of chips, plenty of peanut butter, PLENTY OF FLAVOR. Witness the homeless men in Old City who've tasted our products who stop us and mention the abundance of such sundries in our cream.
- Peanut Butter
With our vanilla bean ice cream base, anything is wonderful. We do not skimp on ingredients and never put in artificial vanilla into vanilla based ice creams. Our peanut butter is silky smooth as it layers itself against our vanilla ice cream, swirling gingerly into a stationery position, full of sweetness and lots of saltiness to be enjoyed time and again. We are craftsmen of integrity and we do not cut corners. This flavor is loaded with peanut butter.
- Chocolate Chip
Dark bittersweet chocolate chunks from Wilbur's, previously an Old City Chocolatier, are added sequentially into our ice cream machine to provide a diversity of chip experience. Our chips are real chocolate and are not pumped full of vegetable oils. Once a customer even remarked that the chips were too large!
- Franklin Mint Chip
A signature Franklin flavor is our White Peppermint ice cream swirled with green creme de menthe and dark bittersweet chocolate chunks. "Green or White?" we are always asked... Franklin, the great peacemaker, would have had both. It will satisfy the world.
- Hydrox Cookie
Today understood as "cookies and cream", vanilla based ice cream is infused with a plethora of cookie pieces. The Hydrox Cookie was invented in 1908, four years before Nabisco with their version called Oreo came out in 1912. Still made today for industrial use, but taken a huge back seat to Nabisco's marketing prowess, Hydrox remains Kosher. We grew up with Hydrox Cookies at grandmother Berley's house. Try it, it'll take you back.
- Chocolate
A dark, rich chocolate ice cream made by adding a highly alkalized reddish Dutch cocoa to a milk chocolate base giving a perfect blend of rich milk and bittersweet chocolate notes. For that old-fashioned chocolate ice cream taste.
- Rocky Road
Originally invented in 1929 by Edy's Dryers after the fall of the stock market to make people happy, rocky road is a chocolate based ice cream that first used walnuts, then shortly changed to "almonds" and marshmallow. We added salted chopped almond pieces, not cheap peanuts, and swirl in real marshmallow to create something people can still be happy about.
- Teaberry Gum
Popular in Northern and Central Pennsylvania, this original flavor is quite nostalgic. To some, this reminds folks of their childhood picking these berries in the woods in upstate PA. The pink color might make you think of that early 20th century digestive, Pepto-Bismol.
It is a wintergreen flavor and tastes just like the famous Clark's Teaberry Gum. - Black Raspberry
A seductive flavor with real fruit puree that causes customer excitement. Black Raspberry is an old fashioned flavor that maintains a stronghold in Yankee New England.
- Coconut
Similarly seductive in nature, this smooth coconut cream flavor has flecks of real coconut scattered throughout its ice cream. A great pairing to Black Raspberry or wonderful with hot fudge.
- Banana
Real Banana and no artificial flavoring or color is all you need to create the most natural tasting flavorful banana ice cream. When business is slow at the fountain (which it rarely is), we have some of the jerkettes preparing bananas for this ice cream. Pairs well with peanut butter or strawberry.
- Peach
Think Fresh. Our ice cream is so fresh that we are always making more ice cream, picking up ingredients to make more or sending it out the door at record speed. With this flavor, consider the color, flavor and texture of the fruit pieces and you'll pick ours again.
Try in a soda for a change. - Strawberry
A deeper pink color indicates more pureed strawberries per-square-inch with fruit textures from mashed strawberries. The fresh cream blends a beautiful berry balance.
- Green Tea
We use pure pulverized green tea to naturally flavor the ice cream. The mixture emerges from the machine a brilliant avocado green. The flavor is on the bitter, savory side with a remarkably dry finish. Not for the faint of heart, true green tea devotees love it.
- Licorice
This ice cream is characterized by its jet-black color and sharp anise flavor peppered with Finnish licorice candy bits. Wonderful on its own or in ice cream sodas.
Licorice goes well with sweet flavors such as cherry, orange and watermelon. - Pistachio
A true culinary achievement for us. Having searched this flavor intensively, we have figured out how to use only the choicest, salted pistachios and let the nuts naturally flavor and color the ice cream. We are very proud of this flavor.
- Butter Pecan
Interestingly unique and sensational, our nut flavors are some of our best. The mammoth salted pecans we use have had customers literally jumping over the counter. Sweet butterscotch notes compliment the nuts that burst with flavor in your mouth.
The word is out - we're crazy about nuts! - Maple Walnut
We steep our walnuts in dark amber maple syrup bottled fresh at a small New England maple farm. This translates into an increased maple flavor. Our President's Choice.