Strawberry Gelato PostScript

After a quick trip to the market with my boys, I decided today was definitely the day to break out the ice cream maker. Believe it or not... it is very warm where I am today. Warm & sunny... I didn’t say hot... but warm - definitely warm enough for the Strawberry Gelato mentioned in my earlier post today.

I've had a traditional ice cream maker for years; since I first got married, in fact. But just last year, I inherited a Cuisinart counter-top version. You know the one - you keep the bucket in the freezer and then just plug it in. None of that ice, salt mess (which is IMO only fun & nostalgic once a year... certainly not fit for a Saturday afternoon in March). When you have kids around half the fun of a recipe is the expectation and preparation. That all lived up to the hype. But as for the end-result, well, here's what happened:

• This recipe makes too much. Plain and simple. It must have been developed with a full-size ice cream maker in mind. It’s an old Cooking Light recipe circa 2001. I worked there then, and I know by then, we’d tested the counter-top versions. But I suspect they weren’t as commonplace as they are today, so I suspect that's why the large yield. If you read the reader comments on the recipe, it gets glowing reviews... with the exception of the yield. Most people feel it makes too much, as do I. The good news is it can be halved, easily. 

• Often times I tweak recipes based on personal preference, time, creativity and admittedly, laziness (yeah... I said laziness... I’m not Julia Child. Surprise.) This time I made two changes. The first, was fine: I used 1 cup buttermilk & 1 cup whole milk. I was a little iffy on the tang of the buttermilk for the rest of the family, so I cut it in half. The flavor of the gelato was great! However, the second change was not so forgiving. I didn’t cool the sugar syrup adequately before combining with the 'berries & milk. After nearly an hour of churning, I just had a really thick, slushy mixture.  

So I’ve put it all in the freezer and will check the status again tomorrow. I suspect the creamy mouthfeel is going to give way to some iciness given that it never set up during churning. But it will definitely be tasty... I’ve already established that. It’s a touch sweet, as is... but you could easily trim the sugar (and I would recommend doing so once strawberries are season. Their natural sweetness will shine without the additional sugar). 

 ... which reminds me, strawberry season IS coming. I wonder if I’ll make it to a strawberry u-pick again this year? How about you... have you done a u-pick in the past. Whatdya think? Any plans to go back? 

 Artfully eating well, 

~Regan