|
|
 |
Ice-cream and granita
|
| Ice-cream has a long history. It was probably first developed outside of Italy, the country that eventually made it famous. Indeed, it appears that the Arabs were the first ones to come up with this delightful treat. There are various histories and theories that have developed over the centuries regarding the ancient origins of ice-cream. But there's one thing we know for sure: the precursor of ice-cream, i.e. sherbet, takes its name from the Turkish word "serbet", meaning "to drink". And this irrefutable fact should suffice to indicate that the Orient most certainly played a key role in the invention of this tempting delicacy. |
|
|
|
|
| 1. |
The most rudimentary system for make ice-cream consists in mixing the ingredients together (we shall see how further on) and chilling them in a freezer. Once they are put into the freezer, however, the ingredients must be stirred frequently to avoid separation and sedimentation. Electric ice-cream making appliances have been developed in order to avoid the abrupt changes in temperature caused by constantly opening the freezer door. They are equipped with a plastic or stainless steel freezer bucket that is refrigerated autonomously and a rotating palette that keeps the mixture in constant motion during the freezing process. In addition to an ice-cream maker, you have to have a whisk with which to mix the ingredients and a steel or plastic strainer through which to pass the fruit. This is a step that can be eliminated with the classic blender, although the result is not quite the same. You will also need some little metal freezer trays (the metal ones cool faster) in which to pour the mixture that is destined to become sherbet or ice-cream. All this paraphernalia, especially if you don't have an electric ice-cream maker, should be chilled beforehand in the freezer in order to accelerate the process.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
IT ALL STARTED WITH SHERBET... |
|
| 2. |
Sherbet is a great way to get acquainted with the art of ice-cream making, as this variation is much less complicated to make. The first step consists in preparing a syrup of water and sugar that is heated over a slow flame for a few minutes. In the meantime, strain the fruit you want to use or simply run it through the blender. Remove the syrup from the flame and add to it the fruit puree and a few teaspoons of lemon juice. Mix together well, until it has a smooth, creamy consistency. Pour it into the freezer trays and pop the mixture into the freezer where it should remain for at least 3 hours. You have to mix the sherbet every 20 minutes in order to ensure that it has a compact texture and doesn't separate. Perform this operation quickly, making sure you close the freezer door as soon as you've removed the trays.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
...AND WENT ON TO BECOME ICE-CREAM |
|
| 3. |
Technically speaking, ice-cream is made much like sherbet, you just change the ingredients. The recipe includes things like eggs, milk and cream in varying proportions, depending upon personal tastes. The standard amounts for a basic recipe are: 3 egg yolks, 90 g of sugar, 3.5 dl of whole milk, 2 dl of cream and one egg white. A simple way of making ice-cream without an ice-cream maker is to whip the cream separately and to mix the milk, sugar and other ingredients in a blender before combining everything and putting it all into the freezer (mixing every 10 minutes). Otherwise, you can put the same mixture into an ice-cream machine, which will do everything automatically by itself within 45-60 minutes. The secret to any good ice-cream is the slow mixing of the ingredients in an environment that is at just the right degree of coldness.
|
|
|
|
|
| 4. |
A separate section has been devoted to granitas, Sicilian specialties that are very easy to fix at home. The ingredients couldn't be simpler: finely chopped ice and fruit syrup or juice, which will determine the final flavor. Preparing a lemon granita or an exquisite coffee granita like the ones they serve at the "marina" in Palermo in Sicily isn't actually all that difficult. With a little bit of know-how and, most importantly, by always using the right ingredients, you can obtain excellent results. The lemons, for instance, have to be fully ripened and brimming with flavor; the best Italian ones for this purpose are from Sicily or Campania, a region of west central Italy. Squeeze the lemons carefully, remove the seeds from the juice and pour it over finely chopped ice, together with a tablespoon of sugar. When it comes to the coffee version, it's best to use strong, dense coffee, which must be chilled before pouring it over a glass of chopped ice and mixed briskly with a long spoon in order to distribute the coffee uniformly throughout the ice. For people who are fond of typically Mediterranean flavors, we recommend trying a granita flavored with almond milk, before moving on to more classic flavors like mint, an all-time favorite. Tamarind is a classic flavor that used to be very popular and although it's not as requested as it once was, it still offers a unique flavor sensation for inveterate granita lovers.
|
|
|
|
|
| 5. |
Any kind of fruit can be used to make ice-cream. The important thing is that everything, starting with the cream, the eggs and the milk, has to be absolutely fresh. From that point on you can give your imagination free rein and create all sorts of exotic flavors, using ingredients like prickly-pear, melon, mint and, of course, all kinds of chocolate. Your ice-cream may be served in special ice-cream dishes; you can create attractive little balls with a handy ice-cream scoop that should be held under running water between each scoop. In order to make your ice-cream even tastier and obtain delightful decorative effects, you can garnish it with morsels of fresh fruit, little candies, coffee beans, wafers, chocolates or drizzles of liqueur, depending on your mood and tastes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
)
)
)
)
)
