Gelato: The New Ice Cream?

Most people cannot imagine a Florida summer without cooling off with a cup of their favorite ice cream. But ask them about gelato, and you are likely to get a raised eyebrow.

While Italians have been enjoying the taste of gelato since the 16th century, fewer than one in three Americans have actually tried this alternative to American style ice cream.

Of those polled who have heard of gelato, half cannot name the difference between gelato and other desserts, according to a survey completed by specialty dessert ingredient company PreGel AMERICA.

But this number is climbing as people are finding themselves converted to the intense taste of gelato, which in Italian literally means “frozen” but has become known to Americans as Italy’s take on ice cream.

Gelato dates back to the 1500s, when an Italian architect named Bernardo Buontalenti discovered a way of freezing a mixture of churned sweetened milk and egg yolks. He then introduced his creation to the Florentine court of Francesco de Medici.

In its early days, only royalty could afford to indulge in the rich taste of gelato, but centuries of recipes, spread by word of mouth, have made it an integral part of Italian culture.

The milk-based variety originated in northern Italy, while the fruit and water-based version — more commonly known as sorbet — has its origins in the warmer, southern part of the peninsula.

Today, gelato is appreciated throughout Europe and became popular in the United States about four years ago.

Surprisingly less fattening than traditional ice cream, gelato has found increased popularity with Floridians searching for relief from the unrelenting summer heat. And with this increased interest have come specialty gelato stores opening their doors in North Central Florida.

The Gelato Company, in downtown Gainesville, opened in 2006 as the brainchild of 25-year-old owner and manager Joseph Kearns.

Kearns and friend Chino Leong, also 25, had dreams of opening a Cold Stone Creamery in Gainesville after they graduated from college, but decided they could fill an even better niche by starting their own gelato business.

“We were eating gelato in South Florida and talking about how great it was, when we realized there wasn’t anywhere you could get it (in Gainesville),” Kearns said.

Sticking to homemade recipes with all-natural ingredients, Kearns and Leong have had enormous success bringing a little taste of Italy to downtown Gainesville.

So how is gelato different from the ice cream Americans are used to eating?

Making gelato requires a unique machine that freezes and mixes the gelato simultaneously, but at a slower speed than regular ice cream, keeping less air from getting into the mixture. The result is a softer, denser and more flavorful product that can win over even the biggest skeptics upon first spoonful.

“People love it,” Kearns said. “Once you have it, there’s no way you can go back to regular ice cream.”

Compared to ice cream, gelato is made with more milk and less cream. This gives gelato an average of 5 to 8 percent butterfat — rather modest when compared to the 10 to 18 percent found in ice cream.

To first-time tasters, gelato often seems to good to be true.

“The extra fat in ice cream masks the true flavor,” Kearns said. “This is actually a product that tastes better than ice cream but is healthier for you.”

One warning for those who like to savor their sweets — unlike ice cream, gelato ingredients are not homogenized together, which causes it to melt faster than ice cream. But at about $3 a cup, gelato is also relatively inexpensive, at least compared to big names like Cold Stone and Ben & Jerry’s, Kearns said.

Typical gelaterias (retail gelato shops) display their gelato in visually appealing glass freezers, where it is served at a slightly warmer temperature than American style ice cream, allowing it to maintain its signature creamy consistency.

In addition to old favorites like chocolate, strawberry and vanilla, gelato also comes in such authentically Italian flavors as hazelnut, tiramisu and amaretto.

The Gelato Company serves gelato in nearly 100 different flavors that change throughout the week and with each season. Some of its more unusual offerings include watermelon basil, black sesame, and Guinness-flavored gelato.

With most gelato shops located in bigger cities like Jacksonville and Orlando, The Gelato Company is one of just two gelato shops in Gainesville. The other is locally owned Gelato Di Prata, located in Gainesville’s Haile Plantation.

Few manufacturers have discovered a way to sell gelato en masse. If stored in a typical supermarket freezer, gelato’s unique texture can quickly harden into a granulated mess.

The few gelatos that people do find in grocery aisles, Kearns said, are typically “not the real thing.”

Although a gelato shop has yet to open in Ocala, storeowners like Kearns say they can only see the industry expanding in the near future.

For now, gelato’s natural ingredients and vibrant flavors will continue to capture the fancy of Floridians searching for a cooldown.

“I don’t see gelato fading any time soon,” Kearns said. “I see it replacing ice cream altogether.” §

Laura Wright is an editorial assistant with Tower Publications.
She may be contacted at laura@towerpublications.com.

Strawberry Gelato

• 1 lb. fresh strawberries (equal to about 1 pint)
• 12 oz. granulated sugar (about 1.5 cups)
• 1.5 cup cold whipping cream
• 1.5 cup cold water
• Dash of lemon juice (if fruit isn’t “bright” enough)

1. Clean and cut washed berries into quarters, or just smaller pieces.
2. Put berries, sugar and water into a blender or food processor and blend until liquid and smooth. (This is also where you’ll add lemon juice if necessary.)
3. Whip the cream until slightly thickened.
4. Combine the cream with the strawberry mixture and mix thoroughly until blended.
5. Freeze as indicated by the manufacturer of your ice cream maker.

 
If you don’t have an ice cream maker, pour the chilled mixture into an airtight container and put it in your freezer. Take it out every so often (half-hour intervals or less) and give it a good stir. Then pop it back into the freezer. Keep doing this until it’s pretty frozen.