In Italy, il giorno della festa degli innamorati or Valentine’s day is considered to be an imported American holiday.  But that doesn’t mean it isn’t celebrated, particularly with chocolates, roses, or in this case, strawberry gelato.  Especially in the area where we have our cooking school, near Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet, all expressions of love are observed and venerated.

Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, too rude, too boisterous; and it pricks like thorn. William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 1.4

Juliet's balcony in Verona

In Italy, Valentine’s day is exclusively for lovers.  It isn’t a holiday where children give Valentine’s day cards to their classmates and teachers.  Rather, in some cities, there is a tradition of young unmarried girls getting up before dawn and believing that the first unmarried man they set their eyes on will become their beloved.

I’m fortunate that I’ve been married to my beloved for 13 years now.  Although we don’t always go out to dinner for Valentine’s day we usually do celebrate it, mostly as a family.

Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!/ For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.”- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 1.5

We are the parents of two girls, so Valentine’s day has become a BIG deal in our house, and the day is all dressed up in pink, our youngest child, Michela’s, favorite color.  Recently, Giuliano has been traveling a lot, so for this Valentine’s day we will stay home and celebrate together as a family.  While we still haven’t completely figured out the menu, the dessert will be strawberry gelato.

Gabriella next to Juliet's statue in Verona

Gelato is a bit different from American ice cream.  It is made with less sugar and is often made with milk rather than cream.  It has a more intense flavor.  Italians like their flavors to “pop”, melon tastes like melon, not melon and cream.  In this case, the strawberry flavor is intensely delicious, perfect to cleanse one’s mouth for a more intimate Valentine’s Day celebration.

Good night, good night!  Parting is such sweet sorrow, That I shall say good night till it be morrow – William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 2.2

Strawberry Gelato

© 2011 by Giuliano Hazan

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Total time from start to finish: about 1 hour

Makes about 1 quart

¾ pound fresh strawberries

¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup water

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1.  Remove the stems and leaves from the berries and rinse in cold water.

2.  Place the berries and the sugar in a food processor and process until liquified.  Add the water and run the processor until all the ingredients are mixed together well.

3.  Whip the cream with a whisk until it begins to thicken and becomes the consistency of buttermilk.  Put the cream and the liquefied strawberries in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

4.  Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s directions.

I recently attended the wonderful Seattle Foodista conference and had the opportunity to meet Amy Sherman.  She enthusiastically told me that she had been sponsored to go to the conference by Zespri, the Kiwi Company and said they would be happy to send me some fruit if I felt like blogging about it. She also told me that they were sponsoring the great kiwi adventure where a family of four could win a trip to New Zealand, you too can enter.

Our family enjoys kiwi so I enthusiastically said yes I’d love to try the New Zealand kiwis and last week they arrived.  They were a bit hard when they arrived; however, we obeyed the instructions that had been provided and left them to ripen on the counter.  In addition to the kiwi, Zespri provided some recipes, a spife (a funny cross between a spoon and a knife that the girls immediately appropriated for their play kitchens) and some nutrition information.  Now, I had always known that kiwi was high in vitamin C, but I didn’t know it was high in fiber, potassium and had a low glycemic index. It seems like it’s the perfect diet fruit, I’ll let you know how that goes.

We decided that we should make a kiwi gelato.  Italian gelato is different than American ice cream.  It is made with less sugar and often made with milk rather than cream.  The flavors are more intense than the rich creaminess of the American variety.  In this case, the sweet and tart flavor of the kiwi is pronounced, making it a refreshing dessert for hot days.

We enjoyed our kiwi dessert with friends during one of the last of the swim parties of the season.  The adults were thrilled to “actually taste the fruit” and the older kids were delighted at its revitalizing flavor.  We ran out of gelato as friends went back for extra bowels, next time; we will know to make more.

Kiwi Gelato

© by Giuliano Hazan

1/2 pound fresh kiwi

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1.  Peel the kiwi, remove both ends and the tough bit near the stem.

2.  Put the kiwi and sugar in a food processor and run until you obtain a smooth consistency.  Add the water and run the processor until the ingredients are mixed well.

3.  Whip the cream with a whisk until it begins to thicken and becomes the consistency of yoghurt.  Put the cream and the kiwi mixture in a bowl and mix thoroughly.  Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s directions.

* Our friends liked the gelato recipe so much that they suggested we enter the ZESPRI’s Kiwi A-Go-Go Bloggers’ Contest, we hope that this will be the winning post.  By letting you know about the consumer contest we can enter the blogger contest; however, we wanted to keep everything clear and abide by the new FTC rules. Let us know what you think (about the recipe).

Our family has a particular fondness for intensely chocolaty chocolate ice cream.  Our favorite chocolate ice cream is the decadent chocolate gelato the Cipriani Hotel makes, as opulent as the hotel itself.

Italian gelato is a bit different than American ice cream.  It is made with less sugar and is often made with milk rather than cream.  It has a more intense flavor.  Italians like their flavors to “pop”, melon tastes like melon, not melon and cream.

Ask any Italian and they will, of course, say that their neighborhood gelateria is the best.  They will also tell you that the concept of ice cream is Italian in origin.  Some believe that it was invented during the time of Emperor Nero.  It is undisputed that Italians had it long before the French.  It was Caterina de Medici who brought it to the French court and it was there that founding American father Thomas Jefferson had ice cream for the first time.  He then brought a recipe home with him and introduced the concept to the fledgling United States.

When we are in Venice, one of our favorite excursions is to take the Cipriani launch from San Marco Square to the luxurious and beautiful hotel.  As one pulls away from Venice proper and navigates through oncoming gondolas and cruise ships and approaches the hotel, it is as if one were ushered into another realm.  Arriving at the Cipriani is always full of pomp and circumstance.  A bell person assists you out of the launch and through the pergola-covered walkway that is the entrance to one of the most exquisite hotels in the world.  We like to eat our ice cream alongside the outdoor pool, one of the only pools in Venice and a perfect location to relax and enjoy an afternoon.  Of course, one has to transcend the shock of receiving the bill.  Eating ice cream at the Cipriani hotel is expensive.  However, one is never rushed at the Cipriani and you can nurse the feeling of decadence all afternoon.  Also the launch back has one of the best views of Venice.  It is the view on all of the postcards and tapestries, The Doge’s palace grows larger as you get closer to San Marco, and one can see on a pedestal the magnificent winged Lion that is the symbol of St. Mark and the Serrinessima, Venice herself.  It  almost makes the price of the ice cream seem reasonable.

If  Venice is not in your travel plans anytime soon, and  you can’t  partake of the amazing Cipriani experience, here is the recipe for the famous ice cream so you too can enjoy it at home.  This is actually a long guarded Cipriani secret.  Fortunately, my mother-in-law, Marcella Hazan, had asked the chef for the recipe many years ago.  It is a recipe that we teach to our students at our cooking school in Italy.  The secret is that into the dark chocolate mixture one drizzles very dark caramel.  The caramel enhances the flavor of the chocolate creating an incomparable combination.

The intense velvety texture of this gelato evokes reminiscences of Venice.   You will likely have no leftovers, only a lovely magical memory, much like a visit to Venice herself.

Chocolate Ice Cream

(Adapted from Marcella’s Italian Kitchen by Marcella Hazan)

4 egg yolks

2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 cups milk

3 1/2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

1 1/2 ounces high quality unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Heat the milk until it just begins to boil.

2.  Use an electric mixer to whip the egg yolks and 2/3 cup of the sugar until they form creamy pale yellow ribbons.

3. Add the hot milk slowly to the whipped eggs and sugar while mixing with the electric mixer.

4.  Add the melted chocolate and mix it in well.  Add the cocoa and mix again.

5.  Put the remaining two tablespoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of water in a small pan over high heat.

6.  Transfer the chocolate mixture to a saucepan and place it over low heat and stir constantly with a whisk .  When the sugar in the pan has turned to a dark caramel, add the caramel to the chocolate mixture and mix it in thoroughly with the whisk until it dissolves.

7.  When the mixture has cooled completely, freeze in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer’s instructions.