A PINT OR TWO - Stout Gelato + Chocolate Stout Gelato

Well aren't you lucky, getting the Gelatosmith's two-for-one deal today! I received a very generous donation of home-brewed Stout beer from a work friend. I put the bottle to good use, making both a Stout and Chocolate Stout gelato. I feel glad to be on the same team as this friend, as she hand-picks the beer selection for our work celebrations, ensuring that we always have the best craft brews!

This isn't the first time I've snuck some booze into my gelati creations. You may recall my Chamberry Sorbet - a blackberry sorbet with a dash of Chambord liqueur, which gave the sorbet a refreshing kick.

For those of you who aren't familiar, Stouts are a type of beer that is usually dark in colour and is made using roasted malt or barley, hops, water and yeast. They are generally a bit more alcoholic than lighter beers. Their malty flavour lends itself well to chocolate flavour combinations.

Home-brewing seems to be all the rage at work. And from all the beer I've sampled, I can safely assume that all engineers are naturals at home-brewed beer! I've tried home-brewed lagers, stouts and even (alcoholic) ginger beer.

The best thing about home-brewing is collecting the bottles, the perfect excuse to get your drank on!

I was so happy with how the gelati turned out! Aside from the amazing flavour of the stout, the success was also largely due to the fresh duck eggs I sourced from another lady at work. These enormous eggs came from a farm in the North-Western Sydney. These were the freshest eggs I have ever tried - the egg white was crystal clear and the yolk was such a vibrant yellow.

I preferred the Chocolate Stout gelato over the Stout gelato, which had a more subtle beer flavour. The Stout gelato had a very strong beer flavour and was slightly bitter. So with my sweet tooth, I naturally drifted more towards the Chocolate Stout gelato, which had a delicious and rich malty-chocolate flavour.

STOUT GELATO
Recipe based on Saveur's Stout Ice Cream

Makes about 1 litre


Gelato Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups Stout beer
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 6 egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Gelato Method:

• Separate eggs and whisk egg yolks in medium saucepan.
• Add and whisk in sugar, salt then cream to saucepan, whilst heating over medium heat.
• Heat until the mixture thickens and coats the heat-proof spatula. This should take about 4 minutes. 
• Strain the mixture through a fine mesh before whisking in the stout beer and vanilla. 
• Let mixture cool in an ice bath and/or chill the mixture in the fridge.
• Churn in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

CHOCOLATE STOUT GELATO
Recipe based on David Lebovitz's Guiness Milk-Chocolate Ice Cream

Makes about 1 litre


Gelato Ingredients:

• 200g (7 ounces) chocolate, finely chopped (I used dark chocolate, but milk chocolate works well too)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• pinch of salt
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup Stout beer
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Gelato Method:

• Place finely chopped chocolate pieces in a large bowl and place a mesh strainer over the top.
• Warm milk, sugar and salt together in a medium-sized saucepan.
• Separate the egg yolks into a medium-sized bowl and whisk.
• Take the saucepan off the heat and very slowly add the egg yolks, whisking constantly.
• Stir combined mixture constantly over medium heat, scraping the bottom and sides regularly with a heatproof spatula. Heat and stir until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula.
• Pour custard through the mesh strainer over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted.
• Once the mixture is smooth, whisk in the cream, then Stout and vanilla.
• Let mixture cool in an ice bath and/or chill the mixture in the fridge.
• Churn in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Time to make gelato, OH YEAH!

CIOCCOLATA SORBETTO - Dark Chocolate Sorbet with Pistachios

Let it be known that this is the best chocolate sorbet recipe ever. It is so damn easy to make and is absolutely delicious! The chocolate flavour is sooooooooo rich and it's a sorbet so it is (practically) dairy-free (depending on what chocolate you use), but somehow it still tastes creamy like a gelato. I love making this sorbet, as it brings a lot of joy to my vegans and lactose-haters! (Shout outs to Akanksha, Jess D & Kaami! xoxo) 

I used a 70% cocoa chocolate, which had a minimal amount of milk solids and the perfect balance of bitter and sweetness. If you're a hard-to-the-inner-most-core dark chocolate person (like this lady), try it out with an 80-85% chocolate and add sugar to taste.

Once I made this sorbet to accompany a friend's birthday cake - a gluten free orange & almond cake, which worked really well together. The cake carried the orange flavour over to the sorbet, creating a delicious Jaffa flavour combination.

And for the second time I made it, I mixed in a small packet of pistachios and sprinkled some on top for a bit of colour.

I tried this recipe twice on a Sorbet setting on my Ice Cream maker - once it turned out perfectly and the second time it was a bit runny. So you might want to check on the sorbet just before it's finished churning and increase the hardness if required.

CIOCCOLATA SORBETTO 
Dark Chocolate Sorbet based on David Leibovitz's Chocolate Sorbet recipe from A Perfect Scoop

Makes about 1 litre


Sorbet Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups (555mL) water
• 1 cup (200g) sugar
• 3/4 cup (75g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• pinch of salt
• 170g (6 ounces) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Sorbet Method:

• Whisk together 1 1/2 cups (375mL) of the water with the sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a large saucepan.
• Bring to the boil (that's why you need a large saucepan!) and whisk frequently. Once it's boiling, continue to whisk for about a minute.
• Remove from the stove and stir in the chocolate until it's melted. If it's lumpy, reheat on simmer and stir until smooth.
• Stir in the vanilla extract and the remaining 3/4 cup (180mL) of water.
• Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend for 15 seconds.
• Chill the mixture.
• Freeze in your ice cream maker on a sorbet setting.
• Now it's time to clean that mess! :P

THE BINGE CONTINUES Part 2 - Firenze Gelato Festival

The gelati binge continues! As you may have read in this earlier post, I indulged myself in the creations of the world's best gelati makers at the Gelato Festival in Florence, Italy.

The gorgeous orange colour of the Alkermes gelato by Aurelio Saffi from the Istituto Alberghiero Saffi is what attracted me to this stall, like a starved seagull to a potato chip. The gelato is based on an old Florentine recipe that is said to be originally prepared by the nuns of Santa Maria dei Servi, as early as the thirteenth century. The gelato contains a sweet, red-coloured liqueur which is infused with sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and vanilla and more! I was rather surprised to later read that its bright red colour comes from Kermes - a small parasitic insect! Here's another fun fact for you, crimson red dye comes from the female Kermes Vermilio insect species, I guess that's why we call it Vermillion Red. Urgh, it's no wonder I felt so ill afterwards!

Captured by the spirit of the festival and desperate for a break from all the gelato tastings, we went to a book presentation by Gianfranco Vissani, an Italian celebrity chef, who gave a very passionate talk in Italian (without any English translation) about food (I assume!) with lots of hand gestures! We were sitting in the second row in a small crowd so we thought it too rude to leave. The talk went on for what seemed like the longest time and the chef even directed a question to my poor sister, who just nodded along without any clue what he was talking about! Luckily it seemed to be a rhetorical question so she got away with it!

One of Vissani's beautiful gelato creations, although he did all of the talking! Image courtesy of Firenze Gelato Festival.

The chef Gianfranco Vissani giving a very passionate talk! Can you spot The Gelatosmith? Image courtesy of Firenze Gelato Festival.

The prettiest gelato award definitely went to the Lampone Divino gelato by Valerio Esposito from the Gelateria Tonka in Aprilia (Latina). This was a delicious raspberry gelato blended with a rosé wine from a cellar in the Castelli Romani region. This had a far more subtle alcoholic flavour, unlike the Alkermes bug gelato! And like all of the fruity gelati I tried in Italy, this one did not disappoint - it was super creamy!

The Armonia di mascarpone e panettone Milano loison was a like an Italian Christmas party in my mouth! This flavour, by Andrea Portolani from Le Botteghe di Leonardo, was a mascarpone based gelato with bits of panettone mixed in. If you haven't heard of Panettone before, firstly - shame on you! Secondly, it's a delicious sweet bread loaf that originates from Milan that's eaten during Christmas and New Year period. This Panettone is made by a confectioner in Vicenza, Loison. I like to use Panettone for trifles, it's divine!

The last flavour we tried was the Acquolina, named after the Florence-based Gelateria from Paolo Lombardi. This gorgeous looking gelato was a smooth mascarpone cream was studded with mini caramelised choux buns filled with hazelnut and cocoa cream and coated with chocolate. If I hadn't felt like I was a gelati-filled balloon about to explode, this one probably would have been my favourite. I'm such a sucker for a good mix-in!

Check out those chocolate covered choux buns! Image courtesy of the Gelateria Acquolina facebook page.

And this is the reason why I started running when I got back from my trip!

At the start of the festival, I was a bit like the guy in the video, on the right. Mwah!! Bravo!!

And this was me at the end of the festival - gelato hangover!

Reuben Hills

What sends a girl all the way from Castle Hill to Surry Hills on a rainy Sunday? Why, the ice cream sandwiches at Reuben Hills, of course!

We were looking forward to a long, lazy lunch at the Reuben Hills cafe,  but the line flowed out the door and onto the street. So we devised a cunning plan to get take-away for the famous ice-cream sandwiches.

There are 2 options, the Doggs Breakfast - a vanilla ice-cream in a chocolate sandwich with a generous serve of salted caramel sauce; and the Give a Dogg a Bone - a raspberry ice cream in a chocolate sandwich with a berry foam (although I think they have now changed this to peach foam, since my visit).

These delightful creations will set you back $9 each. A bit steep in price, but not as steep as the hill going up to Gelato Messina!

By the way, I've been super busy, creating some fabulous new pages for you! Check out the About, Friends and Contact pages, underneath The Gelatosmith header.

The Doggs Breakfast (above)

Give a Dogg a Bone (above)

Pretto in Verona

We had a whirlwind tour of Verona, on our way from Milan to Venice, only managing to stay for a few hours. Luckily we found one of those mini-trains for tourists to show us the highlights of the town. It was a fun ride going over all the cobble-stone roads and trying to compete with the Italian drivers along those narrow streets! No wonder all my photos turned out to be crooked.

Verona is such a beautiful and romantic town, it's no wonder Shakespeare chose to set his 'Romeo & Juliet' here. After seeing the famous balcony of Juliet, we were on the hunt for gelato! We came across this very fancy looking gelateria - 'Pretto' and knew it would be good with some of my favourite words 'gelato', 'arte' and 'italiana' written all over their windows. 

The photos don't do the gelato much justice, but I couldn't help it but say yes when asked if I wanted whipped cream on top! So you'll just have to take my word for it. The raspberry sorbet was so creamy, it was hard to believe there was no dairy in it. The hazelnut was beautifully smooth and the ciccolata extra noir (extra dark chocolate) was very rich in flavour. Each flavour worked nicely together and it looked like a Neopolitan sundae.
Check out this link to see some more photos of the place and even behind the scenes!

THE C WORD Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cacao and Cream

C is for cravings, chocolate, cookies and cream! Shame on you for thinking otherwise! Both the cookies and ice cream were made on a whim to satisfy my two most common cravings - chocolate and of course, ice cream. These recipes were so simple and quick to make, so I'm making it my emergency ice cream of choice.

These cookies taste so amazing when freshly baked, especially when you bake them just enough so they hold together but are soft and gooey on the inside. Try to fight off the temptation to eat all of them and save a few for your ice cream!

I added in the cacao nibs for a bit of extra kick. I think it worked out nicely, adding a richer cocoa flavour and slight bitter and fragrant flavour to the cookie. 

The C Word 
ice cream with double chocolate chip cookies with cacao nibs
based on Cookies and Cream Ice Cream recipe from Breville Smart Scoop Booklet

Makes about 1 litre

Ice Cream Ingredients:

• 1 cup pouring cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 cookies (see Cookies recipe below)

Ice Cream Method:

• Place all ingredients (except for the cookies) into a large bowl and stir to combine.
• Refrigerate until the mixture is cold, then add mixture to ice cream maker bowl and churn in your ice cream maker on the desired setting.
• Add crushed cookies before serving, or when machine prompts you to add Mix Ins.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cacao nibs
based on Double Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe from the Cadbury kitchen

Makes about 20 cookies

Cookies Ingredients:

• 125g soft butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 & 1/2 cups self raising flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips
• Optional - Cacao nibs for sprinkling on top

Cookies Method:

• Preheat oven to 160° and line or grease baking trays.
• Cream softened butter and sugars together in a large bowl until they are light and fluffy.
• Using a whisk, mix in the egg and vanilla into the bowl.
• Stir in sifted flour and cocoa. When almost combined, fold through the chocolate chips
• Roll teaspoons of the mixture and place onto the baking trays. Then sprinkle cacao nibs on top if desired.
• Bake in oven for about 10-15 minutes or until cooked.
• Cool on wire rack.
• Resist temptation to eat all of the cookies and save a few for your ice cream!
• Crush cookies and mix into your ice cream before serving, or when machine prompts you to add Mix Ins.

Cremino in Como

I will always remember the town of Como for its warm weather, sparkling Lake and colourful houses. We spent the day basking in the sun, enjoying a picnic on the lake side and demolishing a wheel of Brie with Italian bread, prosciutto and strawberries. Ah, la dolce vita!

On our search for George Clooney (following Mum's orders!) we stumbled upon Gelateria Lariana, a shop with lots of locals sitting out the front enjoying their gelati. This is the place where we first discovered Cremino - a beautiful flavour combination of a creamy white vanilla layered with a chocolate hazelnut spread. Simply delicious! 

On the bottom is the Cioccolata fondante (a very rich dark chocolate), top right is Bacio (like the Baci Kisses - a chocolate and hazelnut flavour) and top left is Cremino.
I have become slightly obsessed with Cremino, as I'm a huge fan of Nutella! This video will explain exactly how I feel about Cremino...and Nutella. 

Stay tuned, as I am dying to make my own version of this flavour now that I'm back home in Sydney.

Milano Gelato

I'm back! Back from 10 days in pure gelato heaven, including a complete indulgence at the Gelato Festival in Florence. Accompanied by my sister, who waited ever-so-patiently, holding each mouth-watering gelato, whilst I fumbled about with the camera. Together, we scouted Europe for the best scoops we could find - starting in Italy, then continuing the adventures in Germany, Paris and London. I'll be adding new posts over the next few weeks from my European Gelato adventures, so stay tuned!

For our first day in Milan, Italy, we went straight to Montenapoleone, the fashion district of Milan (it even has an Armani cafe!) Of course, all the shops were closed, but luckily we stumbled upon Cioccolatitaliani, a beautifully displayed store, with a great assortment of chocolates. We had the Ciccolata Negro, which was superbly dark, rich and oh-so chocolately! We also tried the Biscotto di Meliga, based on the 'Paste di meliga' corn flour-based biscuit. The third flavour was the Frutti Misti di Bosco, a super-refreshing sorbet made from blackberries, blueberries, currants and raspberries (which made it ok to have for breakfast, right?!) Oh I almost forgot, there was dark chocolate sauce to top it off!
 

We had an amazing and very traditional Italian meal at Antica Trattoria della Pesa, one of the oldest restaurants in Milan (since 1880). Thanks to my friend, Eva, for suggesting this wonderful place! For dessert (because who cares about savouries!), we had a warm Zabaione garnished with strawberries, which was a really light but delicious custard and a Green Apple sorbet, which was creamier than I had ever imagined and managed to find the perfect balance between sourness and sweetness.