GELATO VS ICE CREAM

Well,  I made gelato.  For 2 days.  And then I started inviting people over to have taste tests.  Because I wanted to see if there was a difference between gelato and ice cream.

So here's what I did.

I have 2 machines, an ice cream maker and my recently bought gelato maker.  I also have an excessive number of recipe books for frozen desserts.  I made four different recipes; two traditional gelato recipes with lower fat contents (crema and mascarpone) and 2 traditional ice cream recipes (chocolate and espresso).  I then put half of each batch in the machines and made them according to the instructions.  Next, I called friends to see if they were interested in participating in my taste test.  The deal was that after they taste-tested everything, they could make their own "ice cream sundaes" with all the toppings.  I didn't have to pay anyone an honorarium to get them to participate!

Here are the very unscientific results.  Because people have flavour preferences, I can't really say if they prefer ice cream over gelato, except to tell you what I have left over and the comments that I heard.

ICE CREAM

Chocolate
2/3 of people preferred the one made in the ice cream machine, but did complain about the texture in both of the batches.  I've never found a recipe where that has not been a problem.  Which is a problem for me, since it seems everyone loves chocolate ice cream.  If there is anyone out there who has a great chocolately ice cream recipe that does not have a grainy texture to it, please share.


Espresso
This came out 50/50 for which machine they preferred.  This flavour was a favorite for many of the tasters.  I wonder if that might be a function of the fact that many of the tasters were doctors, who are known to live on coffee in the early stages of their careers?

Now on to the gelato...............

GELATO

Crema
By a 3:2 majority, this was preferred in gelato form, and was the second most popular.

Mascarpone
This was very interesting.  Just about everyone preferred this one made in the ice cream machine.  No one said this was their favorite ice cream and yet, as I watched everyone kept putting their spoons back into this one "for one more bite".   Not quite sure what this means.  I really liked it and will make it again.  But then tiramisu is a favorite dessert of mine and mascarpone is the cheese that is used to make that dessert.  What also is interesting about this gelato is that it is the only one that doesn't use eggs so it is easier to make than the others.  And I have no egg whites from it to figure out what to do with them.  Perhaps it comes out better in the ice cream machine because the cheese is denser and the ice cream machine puts more air into the dessert.

One of my tasters is a native Italian.  She admitted before the taste test she always preferred ice cream to gelato, and true to form she did in this taste test.  The one kid to participate only wanted chocolate and after much hemming and hawing, she decided, "by just a little bit(e)" she preferred the ice cream.


Gelato is the the healthier choice.  Perhaps Rachel would like to chime in on what she thinks about my results as all the tasters (except the kid and one young adult) were in their 40's and older.  I think that we need to devise a nerdier test with some of her friends, to get a better age range and scientific test to add to her original research on the matter.

(For those of you who want to read more about the difference of gelato and ice cream, see my other blog, DrVickisBytesonTykes.blogspot.com.)

Brookline Farmer's Market

I'm continuing our series on regional farmer's markets by talking about my local one in Brookline, MA. It's in Coolidge Corner, Thursdays from 1:30 until sunset starting about mid-June and going until mid-October. As my mom mentioned, when I was younger I didn't really like going to the Santa Monica farmer's market, but I must have absorbed something, because I try and make it a regular part of my routine now. As a college student in Claremont, I rarely went, since it was quite small. As a graduate student in Irvine, however, I really started using the farmer's market. Hopefully when I'm home in August I can get something on that.

Living in California spoiled me for fresh produce. The market here is smaller, it's not year-round, and it's more expensive. There also isn't the same variety of product. I also think the quality of produce is much lower. Also, as the school year picks up it gets harder to go to a Thursday market. I have lot to say about the privilege inherent in being able to go to a farmer's market in the middle of a workday and the socioeconomic makeup of the attendees of the Brookline market in particular, but that's a subject for a different blog. The main plus for me is the homemade ice cream stand. It really hits the spot after walking the 1.25 miles from my office to the market in sweltering Boston humidity. The red raspberry chip is fantastic.

I do find that the quality of produce is much higher than the grocery store, and it lasts a lot longer. It's late July, and peaches have just come into season. They're about the same price as in CA; $2.50-$3.00 per pound, and the quality is not bad. I haven't seen any nectarines, though. The blueberries are also delicious, and I think those might be cheaper. They're ~$5.00 for a pint, and make an excellent addition to my morning cereal. The thing that I'm saddest about is the lack of pluots. The pluot lady in Irvine had at least 10 varieties, spanning June until October.

One thing that MA has that CA doesn't do quite as well is apples. Last fall I saw so many types of apples that I had never seen before. I don't normally like apples, because I find them somewhat mealy, but the New England apples have changed my mind. No, there's not a gala or a pink lady in sight, but the macoun is my new favorite apple. It's got a really dark skin, and bright white flesh. I'm looking forward to seeing it come back in season.

The three pictures show you the extent of the entire market. It's small, and I'm not able to use it as my sole produce provider, but it's a good walk and it has delicious ice cream!

Zuppa di Lentils and Pastina

This morning was another rainy morning in Boston. Since it's the middle of July, however, temperatures were in the 80s by 9 AM. The rain did remind me of a soup I've been meaning to write up, though. I made it in late March, when by all accounts it should be spring. Boston weather is variable, to be euphemistic about it, so it was another cold, gray day. Perfect for soup. I adapted the recipe from the back of the box containing the pastina, which are teeny-tiny pearl noodles. Mine happen to be shaped like stars! I made this for myself, and had enough to last two days. The nice thing about soups is you can easily change the amount to suit your needs.


Ingredients
1/4 cup pastina
Olive Oil
1 onion, chopped
Rosemary, to taste (I used dried, and I also threw in some of my dried Fines Herbes, which is a combination of thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary, marjoram, and basil. Use whatever you have.)
Garlic, minced
1/2 lb. lentils
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Preparation
1. Heat the oil in the pot you're going to use to cook the soup. Add the onion and garlic, and saute.
2. Add water, lentils, and everything else but the pastina. The amount of water depends on how you like your soup. The amount called for in the recipe is 6 cups. Lentils and pastina both absorb a lot of water (the pastina, especially) so you may want to check on it and add more water if necessary. As you can see by the picture, I like my soup with very little broth. Bring the water to a boil, and cook until the lentils are soft.
3. Add the pastina, and cook until that's soft, about 6 min.

Farmers Markets - Santa Monica

There are many kinds of Farmers Markets - those that basically only sell produce that the farmers  bring to the market to ones that have additional stalls selling food made from farm produce, stalls that are preparing food to eat,  handcrafted items for sale and then the "farmers markets"  that have little food and seem more like craft fairs.  I go to Farmers Markets to buy food.  I have been labeled a "peasant woman" with her cart going from stall to stall examining the produce to find the best products to buy.  I find the label a compliment and reference to my Italian roots.  Although I go to the Farmer's Market year round, my favorite time is in the summer.   I overbuy and the end result is that even though it is hot, I spend more time in the kitchen than most people want even in the dead of winter, never mind the heat of summer.

The market I frequent the most is the Wednesday  Farmers Market in Santa Monica, CA.  It is the biggest market in Los Angeles and possibly the biggest in the U.S.  It is four city blocks long.  I have been going for over 25 years.  What I find amazing is that in spite of being so large the first time I went I couldn't find it because the roads were blocked off.   Many of the chefs from the best restaurants in town come to this market.  I have been known to surreptitiously follow them  to see which farmers they frequent.  I was extremely pleased to find out that their favorite stands happened to be my favorites, too.  This is also the market that is featured on Good Food, a favorite radio program.

When my daughter was little I would try to get her to come with me.  I think it's a great way to introduce children to fresh produce and the great tastes. You let them pick out what they want and ideally get them involved in turning their choices into meals. The colors of the food are great and the farmers will always let you taste what they have.  Unfortunately, my daughter did not consider it a quality way of spending time.  Yet now as an adult she makes a point of going to Farmers Markets in the cities where she lives.  So clearly it is something worthwhile doing.

At these markets I have been introduced to foods that I have never seen and ideas on how to cook them. I remember years ago buying green almonds before they formed shells. Another shopper asked me what I was going to do with them.  I told her I had no idea.  She asked me why, then, did I buy them?  I said for one dollar it was worth experimenting. (http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-marketwatch-20110415,0,4732448.story)   I have found foods that I have loved that I would never have tried (persimmons, japanese cucumbers, a large variety of eggplants)and I have reaffirmed that their are certain foods that are still not my favorites but I do eat them (brussel sprouts, cabbage, fava beans).

One of the other things that I love about this market are the friendliness of the farmers.  Over the years I have gotten to know a number of them by name and what is even more amazing, they remember my name!  They have given me recipes and taught me many things about farming that I never knew.  Their produce has also convinced me that anything I can grow, they can grow better, and my best cooking is always better when I cook what I bought from them that day.

                                     BBQ FRUIT

Take stone fruit (peaches, plums apricots, nectarines, pluots, etc) and cut them in half.   Remove pits.

Brush with butter and put on grill for approx one minute (or put on hot frying pan) until surface of fruit is caramelized.

Take about 1/2 cup of honey.  Heat with 2-3 sprigs of lavender.  Pour over fruit.  Can serve plain, or with whipped cream or ice cream.