Tag: gelato
Pumpkin Gelato
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup evaporated cane juice (sugar)
- ½ vanilla bean, split in half
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cinnamon stick
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 tablespoons whole milk to mix in the cornstarch
Ice cream maker
In a medium saucepan, heat the milk, vanilla bean, ground cloves and cinnamon stick on medium heat. Once bubbles begin to form on the edges, add the cornstarch mixed in with 2 tablespoons milk. Cook till the mixture begins to thicken, about 2-3 minutes and forms a custard consistency. Add ½ cup pumpkin puree and mix well. Remove from the heat. Strain and refrigerate overnight or at least 2 hours.
Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers instructions. Freeze the gelato for at least an hour once it is done.
Lugano Day Two- Monte Bre
Day three of our trip to Switzerland was spent in Lugano. We woke up to a delicious buffet breakfast including delicious coffee served with hot milk. I am a happy person when my hot beverages are served super hot- and somehow in Europe that is the case every time. The buffet breakfast was filled with bread, cheese, meats, eggs, hot chocolate, lots of pastries… needless to say, we were extremely full and filled with energy.
We walked around near out hotel, close to the lake and found some beautiful sites of freshly cooked food as well as fresh fruit. 
After a bit of shopping and gelato eating, we made our way to Monte Bre via a bus and then two funiculars. It was way up into the mountains and it took us a while but it was definitely worth the long trip. The view was breathtaking! We walked around a bit and finally sat down for a very late lunch. We ordered a bottle of Rose, a tomato and mozzarella salad, spaghetti bolognese and tagliatelle with mushrooms. The meal was nice but the view was what we enjoyed the most.
Being in the south of Switzerland, it feels we are in Italy.. since everyone speaks Italian, there is mostly Italian food- although not as yummy as in Italy, very friendly people. The main difference is that everything is triple the price! It is unbelievably expensive. It is hard to wrap our minds around the prices.. especially since we spent yesterday in Italy and spent a fraction on the same food and wine!
We are off to Zurich via a scenic train and ferry ride. It should be gorgeous views and I am looking forward to it.. but sad to be going away from Italy..
A Day in Como, Italy
Day two in Switzerland started with a delicious breakfast filled with lots of cheese, bread, some salami and lots of delicious coffee. One of the advantages of being in Lugano is that we are half an hour away from the Italian border! That makes me happy. I couldn’t wait to make our way there.. even though we were there a month ago- I can’t get enough of the good food, cheap and delicious wine and the sweet life! I feel blessed to be able to enjoy some quality time with my family while eating delicious food.
We made our way there via a speed train. Thirty short minutes later, we were in Como.. and a short ten minutes later we were by the beautiful lake. We decided to take a ferry ride and admire the lovely villas and homes around the beautiful lake. There wasn’t a whole lot of difference between Lugano and Como.. except Como seemed more populated. Also, the prices in Como were much cheaper than Lugano. Switzerland on the whole is quite expensive overall, including food and wine.
We made a couple stops for gelato con panna (whipped cream) and then finally settled down for a yummy lunch break. We ordered a mixed salad, a zucchini lasagna and pasta with salmon. All the pasta was made fresh, of course! We also ordered a carafe of a local Rose. The simplest things taste good in Italy- it is all about the ingredients… fresh and delicious… A couple of hours later we made our way back to Lugano.. can’t wait to explore some more tomorrow!
Pasta with Salmon
Zucchini Lasagna
Tuscany Day 5 & 6- Montalcino and Hello Rome!
The large group decided to divide up and do a few different things. Two groups left early morning to visit Florence. One group was staying back and exploring locally. I was part of the local group and we decided to explore a town called Montalcino– about an hour and a half from Monticiano. Montalcino is known for it’s Brunello wine.. that is what got me interested. We made our way through the beautiful windy roads and got to the most beautiful town with hills and grapevines everywhere. We walked around, enjoying the quaint stores filled with wines and specialty items. We found a delicious restaurant called Il Pozzo. We ordered the most yummy dishes including carpaccio of zucchini, panzanella salad, spaghetti with ragu, pappardelle with mushrooms and gnocchi with ragu. I washed it all down with a glass of Prosecco and Brunello wine.
Zucchini Carpaccio
Panzanella Salad
- Gnocchi
Pappardelle with Mushrooms
The last day was filled with food, family and some more delicious wine. We made our way back to Rome mid morning. After a few hours of struggling with the gps, we found our way to the hotel, unpacked and made our way to the Spanish steps- but before that, there was a critical stop at a gelato place for some delicious pistachio and hazelnut treat topped with whipped cream. I remember having whipped cream on my gelato on my first visit to Rome 14 years ago. It was a memorable experience I was able to replicate… it was delicious…
Yummy Gelato!
The next two days continued filled with pizza and delicious pasta…
Spaghetti with Mussels
A Few Days in Lisbon- Day 3
As I may have mentioned before, Lisbon was a very last minute decision. This city had been on my husband’s list of places to visit. I was happy to go but I really didn’t know what to expect. Well, I have decide that I really love Lisbon. It is a very charming, old, quaint city. The people are super laid back and friendly. I am really enjoying the food as well. Although I realize all my posts have included desserts as the main image. The desserts have been amazing.
Hazelnut and Dark Chocolate Gelato
This is my version of hazelnut chocolate gelato. It is a bit different than what you find in the stores or the recipes you see on line. First of all, I used my usual gelato recipe- which is made out of whole milk and corn starch. So, that means no fat from eggs and cream. Secondly, instead of steeping the nuts in the milk and then straining them out, I decided to include them in the mix. Doing that provides a great crunch and texture- although straining the nuts out makes this treat more kid friendly. My daughter liked it but she didn’t care for all the nuts in her mouth. I, on the other hand, thought it was delicious. The hazelnut flavor is richer and more enhanced. Especially once I added some hazelnut liquor- it makes it extra scrumptious.
To make the gelato more interesting, I added grated dark chocolate which changes the color as well as the taste. Milk chocolate can be added as well, but I prefer the dark one- plus it is healthier for you.
Overall it was a great, healthy treat we all enjoyed after a dinner get together. I think I will try another one soon – maybe a ginger gelato- yum!!!
read more …
Apple Gelato-A Healthy Treat
So, this is one of the things I did with the fabulous apples sauce I made the other day. I am amazed at the versatility of this apple sauce- as I write this I am preparing a pork loin dinner with a savory apple sauce (recipe will be posted soon) and potatoes.
I loved all the gelati I made in the past based on the corn starch ice cream recipe by Mark Bittman. I loved the idea of making healthy gelato. I have made chocolate cinnamon, pistachio cardamom and walnut saffron gelati in the past (amongst others). All of them have come out delicious.
As we approach this delicious fall season- my favorite time of year, I have been making treats with pumpkin and apples. So while I had these ingredients in my head- gelato came to mind… I thought I could make apple gelato, especially once the apple sauce was made. I thought I would make vanilla gelato and once the frozen treat was done churning, I would mix the homemade apple sauce to it.
That is what I did and it turned out very delicious! The gelato part is sweet with an amazing taste of the vanilla bean I used. The apples bits are sweet and tangy at the same time and complement the vanilla really well. It would actually be yummy on top of a slice of pumpkin pie. I love the apple and pumpkin flavors together- I am definitely going to experiment with the two some more…
- 1 cup apple sauce
- ½ cup evaporated cane juice (sugar)
- ½ vanilla bean, split in half
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 tablespoons whole milk to mix in the cornstarch
Ice cream maker
In a medium saucepan, heat the milk, sugar and the vanilla bean on medium heat. Once bubbles begin to form on the edges, add the cornstarch mixed in with 2 tablespoons milk. Cook till the mixture begins to thicken, about 2-3 minutes and forms a custard consistency. Remove from the heat. Strain and refrigerate overnight or at least 2 hours.
Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers instructions. Take out in a bowl and mix the apple sauce. Freeze the gelato for at least an hour once it is done.