In This Issue
Italian Saying
Gelato-Perfect for Summer
Peach Gelato Recipe
Piemonte & Tuscany travels
This month's Italian saying: 

Conosco i miei polli! 
I know my chickens!

That's the actual translation - but what it really means: Believe me - I know what I'm talking about!

Hazelnut gelato
with chocolate and amaretti (above)  
Vanilla bean light & creamy (below)
 
  Our favorite gelato in Tuscany is found at Sergio Dondoli's gelateria in Piazza Cisterna in San Gimignano!
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2017 Food & Wine Tours


Tuscany:  

Oct 7-14  - sold out 

Oct 14-21  - 2 spots open 

 

Bologna  

October 5 - 7

Click here for 2018 Dates 

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Hunting truffles!

Ciao amici!
Summertime is a perfect time to enjoy gelato. Here we're focusing on this Italian treat. Easy to make at home with one of those new fangle electric ice cream freezers. Read on!

Our inaugural tour to Piemonte was fabulous last month! We ate and drank our way through beautiful hilltowns of Alba, Barolo and Torino and even managed to take in the antique market in Nizza Monferrato. A good time was had by all! We're planning on doing this region again next June. Make your plans now to join us!

We're getting lots of good press on our culinary adventures! Here's a link to the latest article written in the Louisville newspaper. Many thanks to our guests and friends that gave your insights to the author of the article!
Look for Gina on the "Secrets of Louisville Chefs"
soon - filming begins in August with an air date shortly after that! Stay tuned! 

Buon appetito! 
Gina and Mary  
Summer Gelato
I've been making a lot of gelato and ice cream this summer. Using the freshest peaches and the ripest berries, or one of the rich nut pastes I've brought from Italy, we're turning out deliciously cold treats to serve to our guests at the restaurant. You can eat gelato all year round, but somehow it's the perfect summer treat.

A frequently asked question is "what's the difference between gelato and ice cream?" and I've read lots of answers both on food websites as well as in print media. The standard answer is that gelato uses less whole cream and more whole milk, and that's what gives it the silky smooth texture that makes it so special. But the fact is, it isn't the lower milk fat that makes it creamy, it's the higher sugar content. Gelato is creamy and easy to serve, no matter how long it's been in the freezer. Increased sugars keep the water molecules from freezing solid, so gelato stays creamy. Try freezing whole milk and see how solid a block of ice it becomes!

If you simply added more sucrose, or table sugar, the ice cream would be too sweet to eat. So we need another kind of sugar -a dextrose or inverted sugar syrup, which is less sweet than fructose or sucrose. You can get more sugars into the gelato, hence getting a mixture that won't freeze solid, but also won't be too sweet to enjoy. The easiest thing to use is corn syrup but you can make simple syrup with equal parts water and sugar, boiled for 1 minute and cooled.
I've had the best luck with fruit gelato, since the high level of fructose in the fruit is added to the sucrose and dextrose to keep the final product scoop-able. Although I eye-ball my measurements, of course, I've included a recipe for you to try.

You can make gelato with almost anything seasonal, even avocado, which is beautiful scooped on chilled gazpacho. Nut pastes from Italy can be ordered on line and I recommend hazelnut from Piedmont as well as pistachio from Sicily. And the peaches, apricots, plums and berries are a perfect end to the meal!

Peach Gelato   
2 cups ripe peaches, pureed with
1 teas lemon juice
1 cup sugar
½ cup corn syrup
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
Mix all together and stir to dissolve sugar. If you want it sweeter, add more sugar or corn syrup. Chill well, place in ice cream maker and let it run until thick and frosty. Put the gelato in a plastic tub or bread pan, place in freezer until well set.
Use this recipe for any berry or fruit ice cream.
Piedmont & Tuscany 2018 Dates  
We had such a wonderful time in Italy last month - first in Piemonte and then Toscana! Thank you to everyone who joined us. Pictures are coming soon! Start planning next year to come with us - we will return next June to Piedmont and to Tuscany, our home away from home!
 
Our dates for 2018:
Piedmont:
-June 3 - 9, 2018
Tuscany: 
-May 26-June 2, 2018  
-September 29-October 6, 2018
-October 6-13, 2018

Our tour from Piedmont....
Touring Alba and on our way to aperitivi! 

Lunch alfresco in Nizza Monferrato