by Andres Castello
It does not get much better than sharing gelato with friends, outside, on a warm summer day.
Owners Monia Solighetto and Alessandro Trezza hosted the 'Slow Gelato' class on their outdoor patio at L'Albero dei Gelati in Park Slope, Brooklyn, on Wednesday August 12th. The Italian café features a new flavor of house made gelato every week along with other Italian and local treats: paninis, salads, meats and cheeses, paired with an exclusively biodynamic wine list.
Ms. Solighetto began by teaching the class what constitutes true gelati; what makes it different from ice cream and how to identify an artisanal gelato versus a commercial, factory-made variety.
We learned that gelato can be milk-based or a water-based sorbet. Milk-based versions are made with cream and milk, with a fat content that ranges from 2%-6% (American ice cream typically contains 20% fat or more). Gelato and ice cream are both delicious and universally loved, but gelato is crafted to optimize flavor and texture using significantly less fat and sugar. The lower fat content intensifies the flavors of the ingredients and creates a lighter, but still creamy, end product.
Inspired by their Italian background, the couple makes what they call "Slow Gelato". It is made only with fresh, seasonal ingredients; no vegetable oils, hydrogenated oils, mono and diglyceride, fatty acids, chemical stabilizers or thickeners, or food coloring are used.
The gelateria is well known for experimenting with non-traditional flavors, like black-squid ink or cheddar & green lettuce. While customers in Italy were initially hesitant, here in New York patrons are open to strange and new experiences. At the event, we tried some traditional flavors like gianduia and less traditional flavors like the salted butter and speck.
According to Solighetto, you can identify a good gelato by following the visual cues, using your taste buds, and asking about the ingredients. Gelato should not radiate unnatural hues; nature's colors are much more subtle than the neon-green, blue, and fuchsia ice creams that can be found in the typical supermarkets. Colors should come from the fruit and the ingredients themselves. They can sometimes be bright, like in sorbets, and other times more subtle like butter or a pale-cream mint gelato.
The couple's guide to knowing good gelato says it "should satisfy in the perfect way." If, after you consume a bit of gelato, you notice a feeling of fullness, it means that too much fat was used to make it. You also shouldn't feel parched after having your gelato; thirst indicates that too much sugar was used in the recipe.
So, it turns out, we can indulge and feel great eating gelato! It's a win-win!
Solighetto went on to explain that, as a gelato maker, you have to observe, measure, and balance the variables that each ingredient brings to the equation. In the warmer months, sorbet is made with fresh fruit in season and at the peak of their flavor. You can make strawberry gelato in the summer months, but the gelato makers warn that fruit changes with the season; strawberries in June aren't the same as in May. At the start of each day, the fruit is brought in, sugars are measured using a refractometer and a new formula is crafted. There is no one recipe for each flavor; each batch is unique as each ingredient is!
You can visit these gelato crafters at their Park Slope location on 5th Ave and soon you will also be able to get your gelato fix with a visit to Williamsburg.
Andres Castello is a freelance writer based in NYC. A hospitality and religion alumnus from Boston University; his writings focus on the Alchemy of food. You can follow him on Instagram @andresrcastello.