Gelato alla Fragola (Strawberry Ice Cream)

Some say that strawberry ice cream is the most popular of fruit-flavored ice creams: fresh, flavorful and a perfect food to make desserts delicious and colorful. The main ingredient can be fresh cream only,  or a blend of cream and yogurt, which is certainly lighter. The use of fresh strawberries makes your gelato tastier and more fragrant, but if fresh strawberries are not available, you can use frozen ones. Strawberry ice cream usually attracts children’s attention because of its intense color and aroma. Homemade strawberry ice cream is a nutritious snack, rich in vitamins, to serve to your children.

STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM
Preparation time: 18 min.      Cooling time: 4 hours     Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS
60 g (scant ⅓ cup) granulated sugar
6 tablespoons water
280 g (10 oz) strawberries
300 ml (1 ¼ cups) fresh cream
70 g (scant 1 cup) powdered sugar

PROCEDURE
1. In a saucepan over low heat dissolve granulated sugar in water.  Cook for a few minutes until sugar is dissolved and syrup prepared. Turn off the heat and allow to cool completely
2. In a food processor, blend the strawberries and pass through a sieve to remove seeds
3. Mix the strawberry puree to obtain a syrup. Set aside
4. If you have an ice cream maker, pour in the strawberry puree, cream and powdered sugar, and follow the instructions. Otherwise, whip the cream with powdered sugar.
Fold together strawberry puree with the whipped cream, stirring gently with a spatula
6. Place in a suitable container and freeze for at least four hours.

Note:  You can substitute half of the amount of cream with whole milk yogurt. This  recipe makes your ice cream lighter and of course with fewer calories. – Paola

Gelato alla Crema (Vanillia Ice Cream)

Craving ice cream, the freezing and formless – but tasty and delicious nectar? Here is the homemade Italian gelato recipe!  Summer has finally arrived and it is time to fully enjoy gelato, Italian ice cream, the king of the summer season, sweet and refreshing!  Everybody knows ice cream, but few probably know that long ago, ancient civilizations served ice for cold foods for thousands of years. The Arabs were the first to use milk as a major ingredient in the IX century. Ice cream, derived from iced-cream, is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products and sugar, and often with fruits or other flavorful  ingredients.  So why not prepare this tasty treat at home? Homemade ice cream is easier than you think; it is genuine and healthy, because it is chemical-free,  as well as nutritious – both adults and children love it.  Recent studies show that ice cream can affect  your mood, helping you relax and sleeping better (but I think we all already knew that it just makes us happy!).  Vanilla ice cream is perhaps the most versatile and easy one to make. Its preparation requires a few common ingredients such as milk, cream, eggs, sugar and vanilla. It can accompany fruit or cake, be used in a delicious affogato al caffé (meaning ice cream “drowned in coffee”), eaten with berries or plain delicious just by itself!

GELATO (ICE CREAM)
Preparation time: 15 min.     Chilling time: 6 hours       Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS
200 ml (scant cup) whole milk
200 ml (scant cup) fresh cream
80 g (scant ½ cup) sugar
2 egg yolks
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

PROCEDURE
1. In a saucepan over low heat melt the sugar with the milk and cream. Add the vanilla bean. Measure the temperature with a cooking  thermometer. It should not exceed 85 °C (185 °F) otherwise when you add the egg yolks, they  will coagulate
2. When the mixture reaches the right temperature, add the egg yolks and mix well with a whisk. Cook in a bain marie for 5 minutes. Remove from heat
3. Pour the cream mixture into a bowl. To lower the temperature more quickly, put the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice and stir continuously
4. If you have an ice cream maker pour the mixture into ice cream maker and follow the instructions
5. If you do not have an ice cream maker, pour the mixture in a suitable container and store in the freezer for at least three hours. Remove from the freezer, stir and put back in the freezer for another three hours. At this point, the ice cream is ready. To give it a creamier texture blend for a few seconds and then put in the freezer for about 10 minutes. -Paola