Day of Ice Cream

So to "indulge" and treat myself yesterday on the big day, I decided, that instead of sitting home all day feeling old (which I felt), I would seek out the best ice cream place in New York (at least best according to 2 sources). Not just an ice cream place, but a gelato place.

Now I have very very high standards for gelato, which is why I have been eyeing the KitchenAid ice cream attachment for my stand mixer (so I can make it myself). When we went to Italy in 1989 (see, I am old), I was introduced to gelato and even at that age I instantly appreciated its creamy texture. I fervently talked about the goodness which is gelato until I was able to go back to Italy two years ago. It was February when we were there two years ago, but that certainly didn't stop me from feeding my gelato obsession. I made a beeline for the gelato shop as soon as we arrived. I was a little nervous that I glorified it in my memory, but it was just as good as I remembered. So anyways, I'm always a bit nervous about eating gelato in the U.S., because I never think that it's going to be as good, just for the sole reason that it wasn't made in Italy. Zingermans, however, pretty much has nailed it right on the head, unfortunately we don't live walking distance from the Creamery anymore (maybe that's a good thing).

So anyways...I found a gelato place in NY, lower east side, pretty close to Chinatown, and I decided to make that my indulgence for the day. I was actually saving it for a Fieldtrip Friday, but I figured it would be appropriate to enjoy a sweet treat while I was feeling old. The shop, Il Labortorio del Gelato, offers 12 new flavors every day, and I was lucky enough that the classic (well my classic) flavor, Hazelnut, was available. They also had some very non-traditional Italian flavors, including red bean and black sesame (red bean is a very traditional Chinese flavor, and I'm not sure about black sesame). I decided to be a bit adventurous and a bit classical and went for hazelnut and black sesame, and they definitely lived up to my expectations. The black sesame was a gray color (it was kind of gross looking, a little like squid ink) and tasted sweet with a hint of sesame seeds. Quite and unexpectedly tasty.

So what makes gelato so much more tasty than any ice cream ever made? What's the line between gelato and ice cream? Things I had heard through the grapevine...fresh ingredients, less (!) cream, more eggs, but I decided to investigate...

According to Wikipedia, it does have less cream, does use fresh ingredients (should be made and eaten in the same day), but doesn't use any eggs (or maybe it can, but it's not necessary). It contains about 4 - 8% fat (vs. 10 - 18% for ice cream) and is made with whole milk. The big difference is the freezing technique. For gelato, a forced air freezer is used not a regular freezer, to hold the entire product at the same temperature, and it is super cooled as it freezes and ice crystals are broken up as it cools (I'm guessing this is why it's so creamy) and also has less air than regular ice cream. It is served in a semi-frozen state, again unlike ice cream. So what does this mean? That I can't make it myself, DAMNIT! I guess I have to wait until I open my restaurant/store so I can buy myself a special gelato freezer.

But that doesn't mean I'm not going to try...with my new ice cream attachment for my KitchenAid...getting older does have its benefits.