Sunday, July 08, 2007

I scream, You scream, we all scream for Gelato?

I've been thinking about it for a year, and I finally did it. I made a batch of gelato. It's pretty darn good. And I'm not just saying that because I made it, and that I want you to come try it. Ok, maybe a little. I did some research during the 'off-season' and learned how it differs from making a regular batch of ice cream. I also discovered some good gelato ingredient suppliers, learned how to display and serve it. Having done the due dilligence, it was just a matter of giving it a try. It was actually fairly easy. It's extremely dense, which means low overrun, which means it's in and out of the batch freezer in no time. And it only takes a short blast freeze, and it's ready to serve, same day. Nice. Since it's low overrun and it's known for being strong and bold in flavor, it's pretty expensive to make. This means a single serving is about the size of a kiddie cup. You really don't need any more than that, since it's so rich and filling.

The tricky part is education. Explaining to everyone that gelato is italian ice cream
and why it has to cost more can be a challenge. And how is it made. The cool part is gelato is made with milk (0, 1, 2, 0r 3% fat), so it's much lower fat than ice cream. That's a nice selling point.
I'm just doing a flavor or 2 at a time right now, testing the waters if you will. If it flies and people seem hungry for more, I may add a dipper and stock a bunch of flavors, really give it a go. I don't really know of any other places in the area that serve it, maybe one or 2 bakeries, so it could be a nice niche for me... Stay tuned. Or better yet, come on down for a sample...

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