Week 33: Balsamic and Black Pepper Gelato

So I figured it was time to make one of the weird ones. I was a little skeptical that this wouldn't turn out well but I had to give it a shot. And as it turned out it was great. Balsamic vinegar is sweet on its own but when its mixed with a creamy sweet base you really taste the vinegar's sourness. But no part of its flavor is overpowering. There is just enough of each flavor to make it interesting. The pepper punch sort of hits the back of your throat as you finish a bite. Its an interesting combination of a cold dessert being spicy. But I could see this becoming addictive. Its the type of thing that you could easily use as a simple desert after a rich meal. It would be better in small portions because I think for some it would get too overwhelming. Id like to combine other vinegar's and spices and see what I could come up with. Maybe an apple cider vinegar with cinnamon perhaps?

Week 31: Salty and Sweet

So I'm finally catching up, last week I made Pretzel and Chocolate Gelato. The recipe in the book called for a vanilla base with chocolate chips and pretzels. I favored a chocolate base with pretzels so that's how I did it. I may go back and try it her way sometime. One strong opinion I have to make on chocolate based ice cream ( since its been almost a year of making ice cream) is to use Baker's brand chocolate. I think it has a stronger chocolate flavor like what you would get from using cocoa powder but doesn't have a chalkiness that I find occurs with using chocolate chips. Even good Ghiradelli chips do leave some chalkiness. I also think it dissolves into the milk mixture better. It probably has a higher fat content that makes it a bit creamier too. All around I think it makes a superior chocolate base. From there you can add anything you want into it. I put pretzels in this  batch. Now there comes a texture choice. If you like the pretzels to be crunchy, which I prefer, you add them as a topping or mix them in yourself right before you eat the ice cream. If you like them soft, mix them into the batch as it churns. Words of wisdom: You may think you like the pretzels soft but after a few days they really get too squishy. It changes the texture and you don't enjoy the chocolate flavor as much. I should have put them on separately, but that's how I am able to give you such good advice. The other great thing about the crunchy pretzel on top is that you really get the good salt flavor. Its a great contrast to the rich creamy chocolate. When the pretzels sit in the ice cream the salt just sort of mixes in and you don't get that yin yang. I'm toying around with the idea of using chocolate covered pretzels in hopes that they might stay crisp and deepen the chocolate flavor. Any thoughts?

You just can't go wrong with chocolate and pretzels!

Week 29: Basil Gelato

We'll it doesn't taste like pesto if anyone is wondering. It has a great earthy flavor. Basil has a licorice taste to it and I hate licorice, but I like this. Perhaps because its sweet and not too strong (we'll see what its like tomorrow when the basil flavor has had a chance to develop.

I may not have chopped up the basil fine enough to take out the texture. In looking back at the picture in the book she had more flecks of basil and not really pieces of it as in mine. Its interesting to take a normally savory flavor and turn it into a sweet treat. its a big gamble that can only be done with certain flavors. This works well as a sweet flavor possibly because basil is a sweet herb to begin with.

I made Bolognese sauce today and it complimented it nicely. It makes a nice pairing with any Italian food I think. Even Thai or Indian food might benefit from a sweet basil dessert. The creaminess will definitely balance out any spiciness in the dish.

It was a simple base to make and might be nice to try with other herbs. I've had lavender ice cream before which was really neat.

Its a fancy, sophisticated treat that is impressive to have people try. Lets hope some folks are ambitions enough to try it tomorrow.

Week 26: Espresso Gelato with Biscotti

We're halfway there! Week 26, WOW! I have to let you in on a little secret. I am not great at committing to projects. I get excited in the beginning but then I either don't finish something or get burnt out it the end. Its one of the flaws I hate about myself and I'm working on it. I was afraid I would do that with this blog. I have slowed down periodically but haven't lost enthusiasm yet about making ice cream. I am more excited about coming up with my own recipes once this 52 week adventure is over. But about this weeks flavor. Its espresso and there's no denying it. If you need a good wake-me-up at 9:00 or pick-me-up at 2:00 have a scoop of this. I am strange but not that strange, I like the smell of coffee and the taste of coffee flavored items but not the taste of real coffee. This gelato is appealing to me but not something I could have all the time. But for you extreme coffee fans this is amazing. Its one of those ice creams you can't hide making. The smell of the espresso is so strong and wonderfully rich. It perfumes the kitchen. The biscotti are a great addition to this because they add some body to the mixture and an extra sweetness. I used chocolate biscotti with almonds. When I tried it they were crunchy but the longer they sit in the gelato the softer they will get. I am excited to try it today again and see what the texture is like. Its only flaw - possibly not being sweet enough. I doubled the recipe and cut back a bit on the sugar because I thought the biscotti would make it sweet but it isn't as sweet as I thought it might be. It may be good to add a little chocolate sauce on top if you are serving it as a desert. If you don't like your coffee or espresso too sweetened than this would be perfect for you.

Cheers to a good pick me up to start the week off right! Happy Monday!

Week 21: Its the Great Pumpkin Gelato, Charlie Brown

I apologize for the huge delay in posting. I'm not having great luck lately. I wrote out a post yesterday and then lost it due to a blogger error on the iPad. Last week we were out of power as a snowstorm hit CT. I had to decide between plugging in the lights or running the ice cream maker. Sadly I chose the lights. Because of this I wasn't able to make my last week of pink ice cream for October. I feel disappointed for not being able to finish it but a donation will still be made to Susan G. Komen.

It was a week of adjustment. You don't realize how much you depend on power until you loose it for a week. I feel for those who are still without power. Because this was such a different week I was totally out of my routine. We stayed with my parents who had a generator and then got their power back mid week. I am so grateful for not having to sleep in a freezing house and see my homemade ice cream melt.

I had great plans for this weeks post but those didn't seem to work out well either. I downloaded an app called Dragon Dictation which types out what you speak into it. I thought this might be a fun and easy way to speak/write these blog posts. I was having some difficulties with the app. You dont have the ability to see what the program is typing as you are saying it, so you dont know what it has picked up until you stop the recording and look at the text. I had to speak very slowly to achieve accuracy and that gets kind of annoying after awhile. This app is great for short sentences or phrases, like a facebook status or tweet. I know they make a computer version which I think works better as it trains the program to learn your voice. I'll have to look into getting that. Anyway enough about that - Lets get to the ice cream!

It seemed perfectly fit to make Pumpkin Gelato as Thanksgiving is a few weeks away. Its also a very comforting and homey flavor that helps when you've had a stressful week. I had made pumpkin ice cream last year for Thanksgiving and didn't have great results. This was before I had this book of course. The texture was never quite right. I thought by adding butter cookies it would taste more like pie but it ended up making it gritty. On another attempt I think I added too much pumpkin and that was too strong a flavor and made it less creamy. But third times a charm I guess. This is creamy without too much spice to be overwhelming. Its not too sweet which I like. If you preferred it sweeter, to be more like pumpkin pie, I would drizzle some maple syrup on top or even better make maple whipped cream. Pecans on the top would add a great crunch. This would be nice to serve alongside pumpkin pie or any pie at Thanksgiving. Its easy simple ingredients will impress your holiday guests and make them very thankful for you and your ice cream.

Week 18: Eat Pink! - Strawberry Gelato

So this weeks ice cream seemed destined to be. A co-worker or mine Tracy, is a regular follower of my blog, so I often let her choose the flavors. FYI - You can all have a say too, just write something - Hello even;) Anyway she is on vacation this week and so we decided upon Strawberry Gelato, because she absolutely hates strawberries. Real ones, fake ones, doesn't matter. But it occurred to me that this is the perfect ice cream for Breast Cancer month because its PINK! So I am going to make an attempt to make only pink colored ice creams this month. I dont know why this didn't occur to me a week earlier when I made chocolate. I may have to stray away from the book because I don't think there is much left of that color. So if you have a pink (or pinkish) colored ice cream you would like, please suggest it.  


I feel the need to write this blog not just for the people I work with, even though they are the ones taste testing. It was my original intent and I've kind of lost sight of that. So for those of you who have not had a chance to taste this lovely creation I will do my best to describe its loveliness. Its a beautiful shade of blush pink. Its a real pink make from real strawberries not fake pink food coloring you can see and of course taste the difference. This came out with a nice texture, since its a gelato there are more eggs and milk than cream. The strawberry juice adds to the creaminess making it seem richer even though there isn't a lot of cream. I used frozen strawberries (dont hate me for cheating) but it was easier and cheaper than buying fresh strawberries now. In hindsight this worked better to make a thicker mixture. The syrupy consistency of the frozen strawberry juice is thicker and probably more flavorful. I chose a frozen package with just strawberries and sugar - thats it. I didn't want additives that would make it taste fake. The one downfall in the texture is that the fruit gets a bit frozen throughout the gelato. Its not because I used frozen (mine were thoroughly thawed), I can see fresh doing that too. Maybe it would have been better if I had made a strawberry puree instead of keeping the sliced pieces of strawberries in it. But since the strawberries were sweetened I didn't add any additional sugar and it isn't too sweet (which I prefer). The minute ice cream tastes too sweet I think you loose the true flavor of the ingredients. Homemade ice cream should taste fresh and look beautiful. This does both!

I find useless knowledge fun. But you never know when something you thought was useless serves a purpose one day. So here we go.

facts about strawberries

from strawberries.com

·       Learn how to keep strawberries fresh.

·       There are over 20 named species of strawberry plants.

·       The Garden strawberry is the most common type of strawberry grown commercially.

·       The US strawberry industry is over $1.2 billion dollars annually, and strawberry festivals are very popular.

·       The United States is the top strawberry producing country in the world, followed by Spain.

·       Strawberries are “accessory” fruits.

·       The typical modern strawberry is a hybrid from both North and South America.

·       Learn more about strawberry genetics here.

·       The strawberry was considered poisonous in Argentina until the mid-1800′s.

·       Many Lepidopterans (butterflies, moths, and skinners) are known to feed on strawberry plants.

·       The word strawberry is derived from the Old English word “streawberige”.

·       One cup of strawberries (144 grams) contains approximately 45 calories.

·       Click here for strawberry nutrition facts.

I want to add more into my blog posts. They get boring when I just rattle on about the taste of the ice cream. If you have suggestions of what you would like to know about ice cream or ice cream making. Feel free to ask:)

I will be donating the cost of supplies to make this months pink ice creams to Susan G. Komen. 

Lets support Breast Cancer Awareness Month and eat pink ice cream! 

Week 10: Just Peachy - Fresh Peach and Marcona Almond Gelato

Peaches are in season right now so I had to find a recipe in this book to utilize this wonderful fruit. The one chosen, Fresh Peach and Marcona Almond Gelato. In case you're wondering Marcona almonds are from Spain and they are sweeter, rounder, and have a more delicate texture than other almonds. I was pressed for time at the grocery store, so I settled for regular sliced almonds instead of searching. Some of these recipes get very specific and I'm not sure that it always makes a difference as to the end result. I will be the first to admit that better ingredients create a better outcome. But in this case The almonds add some flavor but mostly provide a crunchy texture. But let's get to the star of the recipe - the peaches. Thanks go to my Mom who gladly provided the peaches for this recipe. Since they originally came from my aunt, I thank her too. It pays to take advantage of fruits while their in season. They are sweeter, cheaper and of course more plentiful. I think I may take additional advantage of peaches this year and make peach cobbler - oh yum! I tend to like apples and stone fruits cooked more than raw. Since Rob is slightly allergic to them raw, I usually cook them anyway. This recipe uses uncooked peaches and because mine were so ripe they pretty much had the texture of cooked ones. Even though my fruit was ripe this ice cream isn't very sweet. I think I like it that way. I like when you can taste the flavor something has more than the sugar. What's nice about cooking and baking yourself is being able to change a recipe to suit your tastes. This just reminded me of something I heard on the Ben and Jerry's documentary. The reason why there is so much stuff in their ice cream is because Ben has weak taste buds and he kept saying he couldn't taste the flavoring. I think it would be awesome to have hyper taste buds. Being a taste tester would be a perfect profession. I always get a bit off topic at the end of these posts. Anyway this gelato is beautiful. Smooth soft peaches, creamy cool ice cream and crunchy almonds. What more could you want?!

Time to go.
Peach dreams :)

Green Tea... Part 2

So I am very disappointed in this one. Even though the mixture chilled overnight it didn't seem to get much thicker. I forgot to mention before that this is gelato, so that may have something to do with it. I let it go in the mixer longer than usual, thinking that it might firm up. I guess it did a little but not nearly as much as I expected. It is freezing now and I hope the ride to work doesn't kill it. I'm hoping the more it freezes the better texture it will have. Now about the flavor. I don't know if it is the natural sweetener in the green tea powder but there is definitely a fake sugary flavor. It is fairly sweet even though I cut down on the added sugar. It has a tea flavor for sure, which is refreshing and would be a nice palate cleanser between or after sushi. I wonder how green the Matcha would have made it. I think it would have been prettier, this just has a tan cafe color. Overall the flavor and texture could have been better. I may have to start taking donations to afford such high quality ingredients. Maybe Matcha would have made a difference, maybe not. I think I'll keep a list of do-overs. This might be one of them.

Sorry Ryan, this might not live up to your expectations.

On a positive note, I vote we should get sushi today to make up for this flub.