Bonnie: What a buzz! Last year at my annual trek to the Food Marketing Institute convention, where I learn what will be new on your grocer’s shelves, everyone was talking about Island Way’s delicious sorbets in fruit shells.

Island Way is a small company — especially compared to the other exhibitors such as Kraft, Campbell, and Nestlé — offering low-fat frozen treats in actual fruit shells; you nibble coconut sorbet from a half coconut shell, pineapple sorbet from a pineapple and even apple sorbet from a real apple. For the latter, you actually can eat the apple “container.”

The cook in me always has to try making everything. Once is usually enough for me to understand how things are made, so I truly appreciate good pre-made products. That was the case with filo dough, puff pastry, Bavarian pretzels and, of course, sorbet-filled fruit shells beginning with whole fruit. Each isn’t particularly difficult, but is too time-consuming for my current lifestyle. Each, though, did have spectacular-tasting results.

But I have to share that Island Way Sorbets are as good as homemade. I’ve served these at many a dinner party with each and every guest devouring every spoonful. With the holiday weekend approaching, I’d suggest stocking up on these treats. Just go to islandwaysorbet.com and click on “find us” to find a retailer near you. These goodies also are available outside the U.S. Do check it out.

Bryan: We all have our own focus groups. Since beginning to write Bite of the Best, I have taken the opportunity to share many of my ‘Bites’ with my work colleagues. I keep a list on the break room fridge of BOTB tester products. Almonds, Craisins, Boca brats and more; our office kitchen now has a great selection of fun foods to enjoy on a momentary timeout. All that I ask in return for the continued sumptuous banquet is honest feedback from my testers. Though everyone offers me his or her own little pearls of wisdom about what I should or should not blog about, one of the most interesting things I have taken away from the experiment is “how quickly does it disappear?”

I know a product is good when I bring it in the morning and it’s gone that same afternoon. More amazingly, I know a product is great when it’s gone by noon and by 1 p.m. I’ve received three emails asking; “Can you bring more of that?” and “Where can I buy that myself?”

I know a product is truly special when I bring more of it in the next day and later find the package pillaged with the remnants hidden cleverly throughout the freezer in an attempt to hoard. This, my friends, was the reaction to Island Way Sorbets. I’ve got to say that these frozen treats really have a “wow” factor. Sorbet served in hollowed fruit is not your everyday freezer aisle purchase: passion fruit ices served in a passion fruit, lemon ices in a lemon, piña colada served in a pineapple, apple dishes you can eat when you’re done! The whole thing feels a bit Willy Wonka meets the ice cream man to me, and I like it…. Can I get some schnozzberry ices with that?

Island Way is a bit of a creamier sorbet than I’m used to, but the lusciousness really balances the strong natural fruit flavors (especially with the acidic lemon). Serve these sorbets at your next BBQ and experience a very interesting discussion piece. Just don’t be surprised if you find a sorbet-filled apple a month later, hidden amongst the frozen peas.

Eric: These little pieces of dessert heaven are far from the “island way;” in fact they represent what many islands should adopt as an offering to their natives – a delicious frozen treat made from fresh fruit and served organically.

The first time I was witness (and tester) to this dessert was at a dinner party at my mother’s house. She unveiled it as a potential bite to an unknowing crowd of students and pensioners. Needless to say, the reaction from everyone was more shock than dismay, and before I knew it, I was scraping the inside of a lemon battling for one last bite.

There is something so unique about the texture, taste and quality of the sorbet that most people (and the majority of the testers) might perceive it as being an “unhealthy” treat; luckily for dessert gluttons such as me, it’s not. I wouldn’t recommend going overboard and creating your own tutti-frutti flavor in just one sitting, but the lowfat appeal of this dessert, combined with its flavor, can be seen as an attraction for any age group.