About one and a half years ago I discovered you can buy gelato makers for the home.   I was pretty excited about it because the last time I had gelato was in Rome, Italy with my Uncle Salvatore.

I’m a promoter of having gelato over ice cream because of some health and taste benefits.   Don’t get me wrong, I still like regular ice-cream (Turkey Hill for example – Natural line), but gelato truly is a class in an of itself.

A Brief Overview of Gelato

Regular ice cream can have up to 50% air content.   That explains why it’s so light and airy.  Gelato on the other hand has considerably less air content because it doesn’t mix in additional air during the mixing process.  Hence why gelato makers like the one I write about here advertises it’s air tight lid, which can’t be opened while the machine is running.

In addition, gelato uses whole or 2% milk rather than cream.   This makes it a lower calorie dessert than ice cream.

Retailers like Talenti are Catching On

Talenti Gelato

I was in Martin’s (also known as Giant) the other day shopping with my husband and we were checking out the ice cream aisle.

When we were leaving empty handed (no good sales on the good brands), I decided to check and see if anyone sold gelato, and sure enough there were actually two brands that sold it!

The first brand was Talenti and the ingredients list was fairly decent.   Unfortunately they included additional chemicals and even included soy lecithin which knocks out people who are intolerent to soy.

I really wish they could do what Turkey Hill did with their All Natural Ice Cream line and keep to the basics – cream, non fat milk, sugar, vanilla and vanilla bean (for the vanilla ice cream).

For their Mint Chocolate Chip:  Cream, nonfat milk, sugar, chocolate chips, oil of peppermint.

Why can’t others do this too?

Gelato ingredients on the Talenti version called, Mediterranean Mint:  milk, sugar, cream, chocolate, dextrose, natural flavors (whatever that means), fresh mint, vanilla, guar gum, soy lecithin (that stinks for people who can’t have soy).

To be fair, Talenti isn’t too far off – it could be worse.  I looked at Martin’s store brand

Simply Enjoy Pistachio Gelato

called Simply Enjoy and  the list was much worse.  I didn’t take a photo, but when I do I’ll update this post.

For that reason, I passed on it and purchased Talenti.

My opinion of Talenti’s Mint gelato

The first thing I noticed was the texture.  My spoon slid right into the gelato.   I noticed the density of the gelato, but like I said the texture was smooth so it was a great balance.

The mint flavor was fairly mild and I’m glad it wasn’t overpowering like some are.  Nor was it overly sweet, unless I eat too much – as I’m doing now while I’m writing this.

My conclusion is that gelato is going to become more popular here in America.   Soon you’ll see retailers offering specialty gelato next to regular ice cream, most likely marketed as a healthier version.  I compared my gelato nutritional facts with another similar ice cream and Talenti’s came out ahead.  Less fat, less sodium, less sugar.

I’d recommend Talenti’s gelato, but I’ve only tried the Mediterranean Mint.  I’ll try the Belgian Chocolate next and hopefully I’ll be equally impressed.

What I’m not impressed about are the extra ingredients that keep it from being a pure gelato.

Liz

“Brewing espresso, unlike other methods of brewing coffee, IS rocket science!” – Knox and Huffaker, Coffee Basics: A Quick and Easy Guide.

We hate admitting it, but most of us are spoiled when it comes to espresso. We just walk in to some coffee shop, put in our order, and whine when it takes the barista longer than twenty seconds to press our double-shot into that little ceramic cup we all love because it makes us feel like we’re giants.

A Bit of Espresso History

Making Espresso

But espresso is much more than just some dark, bitter liquid we hurriedly throw down to help us power through some boring afternoon business meeting.

It is a caffeinated (or decaffeinated) work of art from its brewing to its presentation, and has a history to which we can all relate: it all started with an overbearing, micromanaging boss that felt his workers were taking too long during their coffee breaks.

In the late-19th / early-20th century in Milan, Itay, Luigi Bezzera wanted more production out of his workers, who – just like us – would take coffee breaks throughout the day.

Thinking they spent too much time bringing water to a boil, adding the ground and roasted beans, and cooking the liquid until it “smelled right,” he developed a steam-driven beast of a machine (the Tipo Gigante) that used water and steam forced under high pressure to yield what we know of today as “espresso.”

(To be honest, though, Bezzera’s machine was actually a takeoff from Angelo Moriondo’s original espresso machine patent, but hey…)

By forcing the water through finely ground coffee beans, he cut those coffee breaks down considerably, and production at his plant skyrocketed. He essentially caught lightning in a bottle, and from there, espresso gained worldwide popularity.

Today anyone can make espresso right in their own homes using smaller espresso pots that are used over a stove (like a tea pot).  These are called stove top espresso makers and  can be easily purchased online at places like Amazon.

The Evolution of Espresso to Espresso Drinks

As espresso bars became “the thing” in the increasingly urbanized areas, it was again tampered with, as its bitter flavor was too much for many people to handle.

Thus, the cappuccino was born, adding the sweet creaminess needed to curb the rather pronounced raw flavor (the latte didn’t arrive until the 1950’s, in Berkeley, California of all places).

Latte

When espresso is properly brewed, its signature reddish-brown crema develops like a foam at the top.

The crema is water capturing the coffee’s oils, so the lighter the crema, the fewer the captured oils. (Now, this could be due to the brew time of the espresso or the roast itself, so try not to get mad at your barista if it looks a little pale.)

The Crema

This crema is unique to espresso-making because it is the only method employing the pressure necessary to extract those otherwise insoluble oils from the bean. Oil is fat, and fat is where all the flavor is: thus, the intense flavor of the espresso shot.

Crema is the base by which the quality of the shot is judged, sure, but because it contrasts nicely with the stark white of milk foam, those brewing it developed something called “latte art.”

While pouring the milk and its foam, the barista can actually pour in designs ranging from Christmas trees to hearts to fruits. Good latte artists develop unique followings, and if you ever get your hands on a latte made by one, sit back and admire it for all its worth. It really can be quite impressive.

So the next time you go in and want to order a triple, non-fat, grande mocha drink, resist the temptation, and just order a double shot of espresso. It has less caffeine than a typical cup of coffee, and more quickly gives you what you really want: a burst of energy.

Sadly, when most people think of Italian food, they conjure up images of a plate of pasta sauced with something red and tomato-like, then topped with grated “Parmesan” that comes from a green plastic tube.

But Italian food is so much more than that. Thanks to its location smack dab in the middle of the Mediterranean Ocean (and that whole “vast empire” thing), Italian cuisine is really an amalgamation of different cultural influences and flavors that stretch far beyond typical ‘Italian Restaurant’ menus.

Now while that may seem daunting to the home cook, don’t fret: while Italian cuisine is based on a variety of world dishes, those dishes anchoring its place in the culinary world are famous for their simplicity.

Below are some “fancy” Italian dishes you can prepare at home that will both impress your friends, and broaden your horizons.

Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken cacciatore (or chicken “hunter-style”) is a braised chicken dish that’s not only fun to say, but fun to prepare. All you need to do is:

Brown some quartered chicken, sauté rough chopped vegetables, braise in a combination of stock and wine.

The trick to great cacciatore is really in the braising technique: be sure to keep the pot covered and at a low, steady simmer for the entire hour or two of cooking.

Too hot a boil or too harsh a temperature change, and your chicken (or rabbit, or roast) will come out tough and dry.

But if you keep everything within that 250 – 275 ºF range, the muscle’s collagen melts down, and you get this wonderfully tender meat and perfectly paired sauce that goes great over some pasta or polenta.

Ossobuco

Again: a braised dish of luxurious consistency. Ossobuco is traditionally made with veal shanks (the cut between the shoulder and hoof), but with all the outcry over mistreatment of veal, adult beef is more commonly used.

Just like the cacciatore above, the trick is in maintaining the right braising temperature and pace, but what separates ossobuco from any other dish is the marrow’s presence in the finished sauce.

During braising, the bone marrow slowly leaches out from the shank, thickening and flavoring the sauce as it does so. After cooking, the marrow left in the bone is essentially meat butter; spread over some crusty bread it is truly remarkable.

(Quick tip: ossobuco can be rather rich. To help counter that richness, mince some lemon

zest with garlic and parsley, and you get this herby, aromatic gremolata that will bring those lemons sitting in your fridge into a whole new light.)

Gelato

Gelato

The moment you hear someone say “gelato is just like ice cream,” you know one of two things about that person: they’ve either never had it or they were sold ice cream that some crafty creamery labeled “gelato.”

Gelato is kind of a wonder: it contains less milk fat than ice cream, yet the way it feels on your tongue is far silkier and satisfying.  Reasons for that range from gelato’s serving temperature to the amount of air trapped in the finished product, sure, but all that really matters is: you can make gelato at home.

There are a wide range of countertop gelato makers available, and they come with easy-to-follow instructions. Just add your ingredients, turn the machine on, and just wait for the magic to happen.

So it’s time for you, the home cook, to put on your Big Boy (or Girl) Britches and start taking on fancier Italian food offerings. They’re easy, exciting, and most of all: DEE-licious.

There’s just nothing quite like homemade Italian sausage. By controlling the ingredients you put in, you can flavor it however you like,adding everything from juniper berry to fennel and red wine.

As daunting as it sounds (cubing meat, grinding it, seasoning it, and stuffing it), once you make your own sausage, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you’ve caught on.

Italian Sausage

So it tastes great AND it’s a confidence booster – what more do you want from your cooking?

What follows are some tricks of the Charcuterie Trade that you may find handy, especially if you’re preparing for your first go-round.

The Cut of Meat

Pork shoulder, all the way. Also called ‘Pork Butt’ or ‘Boston Butt,’ pork shoulder contains roughly a 25-30% fat to 75-80% meat ratio that is ideal for sausage.

When ground, the fat not only helps flavor the meat, it also keeps it moist during cooking and lubes your grinder while it does its job. If all you have on hand is some pork loin or other lean cut, grind in some raw, uncured bacon or fatback (lardons).

Cubing

Assuming you’re going to be grinding your own meat for Italian Sausage, be sure to cube your meat into pieces small enough to fit into the hopper that feeds the grinder.

Ideally, you want to be able to just drop the meat in and watch it sink down while the auger pushes it to the blade and out the grinding plate. A tamper accessory is available that allows you to push the meat down the feeding tube, but avoid it if you can.

If you have to shove the meat down, you’re going to be creating friction, and that causes heat, and heat is your worst enemy.

Keep Things Cold

As we just mentioned, you want to keep heat away as far away from your sausage as possible. If things get warm, you’re essentially sending an invitation to all bacteria in the area to come in and join your sausage-making party.

Keeping things as cold as you can keeps bacteria at bay, helps ensure a healthy end product. That means you’ve got to store your grinding parts (auger, knife, plate, etc) in the freezer, and keep the meat you grind as cold as possible while working with it.

Always – ALWAYS – grind the meat into a clean, stainless steel bowl sitting atop an ice bath of ice, water, and a pinch of salt.

Taste It

Once you’ve ground the meat and seasoned it, take a sample spoonful from the bowl and fry it up in a pan. Taste it, and you can judge if it needs more salt, or if it falls apart in the mouth too quickly. Give yourself a little preview before you commit to an entire batch.

The Casings

There are beef casings available for huge-diameter sausages and lamb casings for those of smaller girth, but for true Italian sausage, pork intestine is king.

Pork Casings

It’s strong enough to hold a good amount of meat, and when you cook it, it crisps up into that crunchy film your teeth have to punch through with every bite.

You can order pork casings from places online such as Amazon.

And just because it’s not stuffed doesn’t mean it’s not genuine Italian sausage.

You can grind and season it, and then just store it in an air-tight container as a free, loose sausage perfect for adding to pizza or just about any soup you could imagine.

So we hope you take on making your own Italian sausage. It’s a time-honored tradition in which every cook – professional or home – should take part.

Plus, it’s fun!

When people discuss Italian cuisine, the last thing they ever seem to mention is Italian dessert.

Salumi, pastas, espresso – they get all the ink in the magazines and newspapers and, sure, cannoli and tiramisus get some run on restaurant and bakery menus, but there is a plethora of Italian desserts that seem to get overlooked.

Next time you’re sitting around with friends discussing the wonders of Italian food and its influences, why not impress them with some of the following foods?

Gelato

gelato

Familiar to most as “the Italian version of ice cream,” gelato is custard consisting of considerably less milk fat than ice cream, thanks to the use of more whole milk than heavy cream during preparation.

It is also denser and served at a warmer temperature to yield a product that quickly melts in your mouth, its flavors hitting your tongue almost immediately.

And on those flavors: if you can dream it, there’s a gelato that tastes like it.

Funnel cake, cappuccino, raspberry – there’s no limit to the flavors a good gelato can impart.

Zeppole (Sfingi)

zeppole

Okay, back to relating to things you can easily recognize: zeppole are Italy’s doughnut… but the analogy ends once you get beyond the cooking phase.

Zeppole have a wider range of textures, from light and fluffy (think puffed pastry) to very dense, almost like a pasta.

Typically associated with a Holiday of some sort, zeppole can be consumed year round, and stuffed / topped with everything from powdered sugar to – yes – anchovy.

Imagine a beignet from Café du Monde topped with powdered sugar… and stuffed with ricotta cheese and honey.

Delightful and pint sized, they can be given as gifts or enjoyed over coffee with friends.

Biscotti

biscotti

If Italians have mastered anything other than the Ferrari engine, it’s what they dip in their coffees. And nothing in this world tastes better dipped in coffee than biscotti.

Super dense, biscotti are both crunchy and tender, and can have fruits, nuts, chocolate chips, or even citrus zest mixed in before baking.

The batter is kneaded with the chosen flavors, rolled into a log, and baked for about a half-hour to give a consistency that is similar to a slightly over-baked cookie.

Enjoyed warm or cold, biscotti are never too heavy, and seem to be the partner coffee has been looking for its whole life. It really is a match made in paradiso.

For a good recipe, check out our recipe for biscotti here.

Cassata

Having its roots in Sicily, cassata is a baked Italian sponge cake soaked with fruit juices (or fruit liqueur), layered with ricotta cheese, and studded with candied fruit or fruit peel.

Covering it all is a thin shell of marzipan, an almond paste sweetened with sugar that resembles the appearance of fondant but tastes considerably better.

Sometimes cassata has chocolate or vanilla cream layered in it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t layer it with gelato to make an Italian version of ice cream cake.

Honestly: as long as you have the sponge cake and ricotta, you can stuff this cake with whatever you want – many variations contain no fruit at all!

So next time you and some friends are talking about the simplicity and flavor of the more popular Italian dishes, don’t forget their desserts. They’re all pretty simple to make (you can make gelato at home with your own gelato maker), and considerably lighter than the stuff with which we’re more familiar in the States.

Think, “moment on the lips, a mere few hours on the hips.”

For more Italian recipes visit our Italian recipe box here.