Texas Locavore

Now that I’ve tasted Brazos Supreme goat-milk ice cream, my life may never again feel complete without it.  We found it last week at Central Market’s northern location in Austin, and it was really that good.  It’s the first comercially produced variety I’ve found that’s made in Texas with goat milk - and the goats that produce that milk are Texan, too.  They’re raised on Wateroak Farm in Bryan, where they graze on grass except when they get grain as a treat during twice-a-day milking.  All that grass means the spoon-coating fat in their cream comes with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.  But since well before we talked of omega acids, Texas ice creams have been legendary.  The state’s grande dame of ice cream, Blue Bell, leads the pack and also sources its milk and cream in-state.  Local, too, are many of Blue Bell’s most famous flavorings, notably the melon in Pecos Cantaloupe and the nuts in Texas Native Pecan.  Around Austin, the most familiar local brand of ice cream might be Amy’s.  That’s Amy’s Italian Creme Cake pictured above.