After 3 months in culinary school in Italy (at the @italianculinaryinsitute), it’s hard to pick the type of food I enjoyed learning about the most.
But, I have to say I think gelato is definitely at the top of my list! Here’s everything we learned!
We started out learning about the history of gelato in Italy, as well as what makes gelato unique. The ingredients used in gelato, how a recipe is balanced, and the machine used to gel the gelato are all important aspects of making artisanal-style gelato.
Before making any gelato, we first went to a few gelato shops around town to taste various types of gelato. To evaluate the gelato at each of these shops, we tasted a fior di latte (a vanilla flavor) and a nut-based gelato, like hazelnut or pistachio.
This taste test allowed us to see the various methods and ingredients used in local gelato shops.
Next, we learned how to balance a gelato recipe. As it turns out, there’s some math that’s involved in developing a gelato recipe.
The fats, sugars, lean milk solids, and water all have to be within certain percentages in order to achieve a good-tasting gelato.
After practicing some math, watching a few gelato-making demonstrations, and of course, tasting some more gelato, we developed our own gelato creations. I worked on developing a chocolate red wine gelato for my personal recipe.
At the end of gelato week, we had so much gelato in our vetrina (display window) that everyone got to try!
Gelato week helped me not only learn how to make gelato from scratch, but also to evaluate what gelaterias are more likely to be “higher quality” while traveling in Italy.
If this sounds fun to you, join me for my upcoming virtual gelato making class, where I’ll teach you all of the tips and tricks I learned about making gelato at home. Link in bio for more information!