Amarena Cherry Ice Cream (Gelato di Amarene)

At a restaurant in the mountains of Calabria we had cherry ice cream in which the cherries were coarsely chopped. I really liked the texture, and so decided to make my own version of it. Amarena cherries are cherries from … Continue reading Amarena Cherry Ice Cream (Gelato di Amarene)

Homemade Lemon Sorbet

I’m making homemade limoncello with the 95% alcohol I brought from Italy. (I will post about the limoncello in a few months, as it requires 10 weeks to make it.) One bottle of limoncello requires the zest of five lemons, so I ended up with five zested leftover lemons. What to do with the juice? I decided to make homemade lemon sorbet. It’s very easy to make if you own an ice cream maker: simply mix the juice with a simple sugar syrup and let the ice cream maker do the rest. Lemon sorbet can be served as a palate cleanser, or be used for an Italian drink called sgroppino, about which I will do a post later. For now, here’s how to make lemon sorbet. Continue reading “Homemade Lemon Sorbet”

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

I decided to make Emmy Cooks’ strawberry frozen yogurt when my parents came over for dinner, as I remember my mom loved frozen yogurt when we visited the US together back in 1991. I substituted the kirsch with 12-year-old balsamic vinegar and some of the sugar with honey. Thanks Emmy for the idea! This dessert was part of the following dinner: Antipasto: Octopus carpaccio; wine pairing: Villa Bucci Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Riserva 2006 Primo: Jerusalem Artichoke risotto; same wine Secondo: Roe deer venison with roe deer jus and roasted green asparagus; wine pairing Elio Grasso Barolo Vigna Chiniera 1998 Dolce: … Continue reading Strawberry Frozen Yogurt