7.28.2008

Gelaterrific

KG just bought a gelato maker.  So guess what we did this weekend.  Thus far, I can say that the coffee gelato (despite the gritty Haitian coffee bean crunch) was my favorite  - thick, creamy, and caffeiney.  The cantaloupe came in second place because it was not as creamy but I don't believe the fruit-based ones ever really are.  The bronze medal was handed out for banana - not because it didn't taste good - it did - but while various melons and loupes are tasty when cold, bananas are not that appetizing chilled.  It reminded me of the frozen banana we had to eat in a Chinese airport because that was all that was available at the kiosk at 7 a.m.  At least this gave me the chance to say affirmatively that I don't like cold bananas, whether a la carte, with ice cream as a split, or even in gelato form.  Even so, it met the requirement to taste like the fruit and be gelato so I can't say too many bad things about it.

On Sunday, we walked over to the Dupont Farmer's Market where tried DolceZZa's lime cilantro (sharply tart and zingy) but ended up buying the lemon basil (sweetly tart and complexly flavored).  Apparently, this gelato is Argentine style, meaning it contains no eggs but is creamier than Italian gelato.  That somehow seems counter-intuitive because I would have thought that more eggs would make the gelato thicker and denser, but what do I know?  I think next week I'll give avocado honey orange a spin but at $6 a half-pint, I'll take a little taste test first.

To assist KG in future gelato laboratory experiments, I present in easy-to-read form the grades I handed out for the various dishes we sampled in Italy:

  • Amaretto, B (given by TP although almond-flavored anything (except actual almonds) makes me want to vomit through my nose and so I would have given it an F-) 
  • Chestnut, B
  • Tutti Frutti, F 
  • Perfumo di Sorrento, A 
  • Lemon, A+ valedictorian 
  • Tiramisu, C- 
  • Mint, C+ but can make up grade during summer school 
  • Dark Chocolate, I think you know the grade for this one 
  • Peach, A+ 
  • Cannoli, A- 
  • Walnut, B 
  • Fig, A 
  • Zuppa de Ingles, A- but with some extra credit homework, a potential A. 
  • vanilla cherry, C- 
  • coconut, B 
  • profumi di sorrento (citrusy), A 
  • vanilla, B plays well with others. listens carefully. completes homework assignments
  • pistachio, B
  • watermelon, B-
  • strawberry, A
  • chocolate, A+
  • sicilliana, A
  • egg nog, D

5 comments:

wayfarer said...

Sounds like some fun experimenting!

I remember in Italy getting watermelon gelato on the street and spitting out the seeds - it was that fresh and yummy. Loved it. Lemon is by far my favorite. Craved lemon when pregnant with LD and so glad i did. It's stuck around ever since and i rarely venture away from it now. :-)

baj said...

agreed. you really can't go wrong with lemon. in face, tp made the cantaloupe better by adding a bit more lemon to it. *drool*

Anjum said...

oh my god you made your own gelato ?!?!! that is sooooo cooolll!! Yasmine is going to have a heart attack of joy when she reads this!

yasmine said...

o mein gott.
A GELATO MAKING MACHINE?!
(interro-i am too much the jealousy and am going to CRY because i want one, too!)

when i've finished weeping - and salivating at all the flavors you've mentioned in this post - i'll be baaaaack to comment properly!

tell me about KG's machine. i must know.

ayesha and her husband and i had gelato together just yesterday, too. my new favorite flavor is lemon creme!

baj said...

anj - factoring how much gelato we will eat over the next few years, it was totally worth the purchase price...whatever that was. :D

yz - after you are finished weeping, you can start looking at tix to come and visit and put in your own request for whatever flavor gelato you want! the machine itself is pretty easy and self-timed and no-nonsense but the prep work for the ingredients is a bit more complicated and, during the banana debacle, potentially disasterous - word of advice, when the recipe book says 'blender or food processor,' just go with a blender. otherwise, you'll have scalding hot milk flowing up and out of the food processor and onto the counter, floor, etc.