Originally Posted by
obscure2k
Thanks so much,
Perche for the Gelato Tutorial. I now have even more confidence in the little gelato parlor which recently opened nearby in our neighborhood Walking distance. The owner is a well-regarded Italian Chef . He owned a successful small restaurant for many years until the landlord raised his rent in to the stratosphere. He is now making his own gelato made with organic milk and all natural flavors. No green pistachio. The only visible colors are the chocolate; light and dark. All other flavors are white or off white. Only the garnishes differentiate the flavors. There might be a swirl of chocolate or a swirl of sour cherries, etc. If you are in Southern California look for
Spatola Artisan Gelato. It checks all of the boxes you mentioned. . In the Brentwood area between UCLA and Santa Monica.
Update: So, I had a craving for gelato today, particularly as I now knew that the neighborhood gelateria was the real deal. Drove there and found that it was closed. Sign gone, completely empty. I guess the neighborhood wasn't ready for authentic gelato.
The fact that your neighborhood place closed is so sad. The website says that the owner made the gelato fresh every day, from fresh milk and fruit. In Rome, Florence, and Venice, tourist places, only a few percent of places still do so.
I just came to stay with a friend outside of San Francisco and put a bottle of wine into the freezer for a quick chill, and saw she had ice cream in the fridge. Reading the label, I noted it was made on June 30, 2012, and expires in April, 2017.
Real gelato is made fresh every day. A five year old dairy product is unthinkable In Italy. Looking at the label, it's nothing but a mouth full of preservatives.
Unfortunately because of the tourist trade, it takes a lot of effort to find gelato in Rome, Florence, Venice, just as it takes a lot of effort to find decent Italian food in any of those cities.
I am not going to eat ice cream made in 2012, kept fresh with what is on the label, propylene glycol. Propylene glycol is airplane de-icing fluid. It is what they spray your plane with when in Chicago during the winter and they need to de-ice it. That's what is in ice cream to keep it from freezing.
From Wikipedia: "Deicing fluids consisting of propylene glycol (PG) and additives are widely used by airlines for deicing aircraft."
What is on the label found in my friends ice cream? Propylene glycol.
I prefer gelato, made out of fresh milk and seasonal fruit only, if you can find it. The food culture of Italy is very different. Everything must be fresh and seasonal.
If it wasn't made that day, it probably wasn't gelato. Gelato has nothing in it but fruit and milk, or water and milk, and is not a mouth full of chemicals. Ice cream is not a substitute for gelato. It is worth seeking out gelato when in Italy.