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Now that's rich; Pine Grove's Creamery

Ran into Allan Darrah the other day inside Corti Bros. Market on Folsom Boulevard. He's the longtime business partner of Darrell Corti, the internationally known food- and-wine expert who modestly describes himself as a "grocer."

"I had the best ice cream I've ever tasted at a little place in Pine Grove," Darrah said. The town is less than 10 miles east of Jackson. "Next time I'm there, I'll bring some back for a tasting."

Which is how Darrah, Corti and store director Rick Mindermann and I ended up in a back room at the market one night last week, sampling five flavors of heavenly hand-made ice cream from Munnerlyn's Ice Creamery.

Simply put, all of it was incredible – rich and creamy, not too sweet, exploding with layers of flavors. Its denseness is a sign that it hasn't been overwhipped, which aerates ice cream and adds volume.

We ranked the cantaloupe No. 1, followed by peach, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla.

In an industry that sells more than 1 billion gallons of ice cream products yearly, Munnerlyn's has carved a unique niche for its artisanal product.

The next day, I phoned the ice creamery's owners, husband-and-wife Stewart and Stacey Munnerlyn, who opened their parlor a year ago.

"We can (accommodate) only 16 flavors in the case, but we've made about 95 different flavors, which we rotate," Stewart said. "We use a lot of organic fruits from the farmers market, and (the dairy products) are free of hormones and antibiotics."

One hard-to-find retro flavor is licorice. "We've had a positive response to it," Stewart said. "One customer drove all the way from Lincoln and bought 2 1/2 gallons for her mother's birthday party. (Her mother) hadn't had that flavor since the 1950s."

Stacey noted, "With summer over, we'll start to bring in (fall flavors such as) pumpkin and caramelized pear."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture mandates that a frozen dairy product must contain at least 10 percent milk fat (a.k.a. butter fat) to be labeled "ice cream." The Munnerlyns' carries 14 percent, making it "premium"; the standard maximum is 16 percent, which they made when they first opened for business. When it comes to ice cream, the higher the fat content, the creamier and richer the end result. And the more expensive.

During our tasting, we noted that the chocolate flavor had a unique taste unlike anything we'd had, backdropped with a subtle anise undertone. "They're not using chocolate in this," Corti noted, filling another spoon. "They're making it with cocoa." Yes, Stewart confirmed, "we use Guittard cocoa for that." Which exemplifies one of the differences between a small, privately owned ice creamery and a conglomerate – the willingness to try something different.

So, how does one become an ice-cream maker? In the Munnerlyns' case, they completed the Ice Cream Short Course taught at the prestigious Berkey Creamery at Pennsylvania State University (nicknamed "Ice Cream U"). It's the oldest "ice cream school" in the nation, known internationally as a center for dairy education and research.

"We learned everything from flavoring to sanitation," Stewart said. Stacey learned still more about ice cream-making at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

As for pricing: pints are $6, scoops are $2 and $3, milkshakes are $5.50. So far, the ice cream parlor is the only source for the product, but that may change.

The store doesn't have a Web site, but you can access it via Facebook.

"This is really a fun business," Stacey added.

Of course it is – who doesn't like ice cream?

"Well, during all the research we did before we opened, we did meet two people who said they don't like ice cream," she said.

Hmmm. Then let them eat cake.

Munnerlyn's Ice Creamery is at 21045 Highway 88, Pine Grove; (209) 296-4400. It's open from noon to 9 p.m. daily, but the hours will change as winter gets closer.