CAKE,ICE CREAM, HEALTH FOOD,RECIPES

Adrienne Gross asked:


I look at it against the sunlight, just enough to give that little bit of extra taste, then swirl it around in my mouth and close my eyes with an mmmmm. No, I’m not gulping back some Grange Hermitage—rather, enjoying the delight of what is a world championship winning gelato, in Italy.

There’s something about letting flavour coat itself on your tongue like a velvet carpet, to close one’s eyes and pick out the bursts and subtle undertones of a finely made gelato. We can all appreciate tastes that evoke an emotional response such as satisfaction, contentment and excitement. The sweet and frozen treat—gelato—has the ability to transcend mood, depending on quality, and where and how you eat it.



What is gelato?

Isn’t it just some fancy word for ice-cream?

Well, sort of. If the term ice-cream is like saying ‘wine’, then gelato is a variety, like shiraz. With its distinct ingredients, preparation and storage methods, there are main differences to ice cream such as:



More flavour due to less air, meaning denser concentration of ingredients

Less fat due to using milk or skim milk rather than cream (and a type of gelato called Sorbetto/sorbet, doesn’t use any dairy at all)

Melts faster because the ingredients are not homogenized (which is a method of milk processing, to prevent or delay natural separation of cream from the rest of the emulsion.) So? This means less chance of ice-cream headache and sore teeth!



High quality gelato is made daily, with fresh and quality ingredients. Maintaining the consistency, it is stored in a gelato freezer, which is not as cold as an ice-cream freezer, and thus gives a smoother effect.



Who invented gelato, and when?

Like most things foodie, there’s conjecture about who invented it and when. Some sources state it’s 3000 years old from China, other say it’s from 16th century Italy at the time of Catherine de Medici of Florence. Whatever the origins, over the past 200 years the process has refined to move beyond snow stored in cellars to streamlined modern techniques involving custom machinery and special freezers.

Right, so gelato really is different to ice-cream, but is it better?

That’s where a little experiment comes in. Just as there are tours for wine lovers, I had the opportunity to indulge in gelato while walking and cycling in Europe. The mission: try a different type a day in three different countries. Overall, I tried 13 flavours. Which one was the best gelato experience and why?

The answer is not purely whatever tasted best, but many factors.



How to have an excellent gelato adventure: factors to consider

—Price: the closer you get to a tourist node like the Colosseum in Rome, the higher the price and not necessarily the better the quality. The cheapest I paid for one scoop (size of woman’s bunched fist) was 70 centimes and the most was 3 euro.

—Quality: While major brands like Peters and Movenpick are good, they’re not as good as the ‘professional’ homemade stuff. Try to go for a gelateria on its own; not a gelateria/photobooth/creperie/internet café. Similar gourmet strategy to, ‘would you buy cheese from the farmer, or Kraft cheese sticks from a supermarket?’

—How to mix: if you get more than one flavour, keep to the food groups. ie. Don’t mix lemon with triple nutella. Come on, would you pour chocolate ice magic into a lemonade? And I can guarantee that mixing orange with spearmint with induce a *** reflex a la orange juice after brushing teeth.

The three basic gelato food groups are:

• The sorbets: usually fruit-based, minimal/no dairy added, relies on the whipping for creaminess: eg citrus, berries, melons

• The creamy-dreamies: usually more than one flavour but complementary, eg cookies and cream, rum and raisin

• The sweetie dearest: one spoonful is enough calorie intake to climb the stairs up Sacre Coeur ten times. These are the chocolate, nuttella, butterscotch blends.

It’s alright to mix the last two food groups together, though one scoop is more than enough to feel like your teeth will fall out. One I tried was a Nutella and Marscapone concoction with streaks of the hazelnut condiment layered through liquid sugar and cream.

—Cone or cup? I prefer the cup as you don’t have to rush the eating from a melting cone with sticky stream of melted gelato streaming down one’s arm. It’s easier to keep flavours separate too. And if you think it makes any difference whatsoever, hey, you miss out on the calories of the cone. More surface area support means less risk of a super lick dislodging the contents from the cone and ending in tears. Even from a grown man.

—How to eat? Try to sit down and enjoy the taste. Watch the tourist rabble instead walking in crowds where an errant elbow may jut its way into your triple chocolate. Don’t eat when you’re in a hurry, walking up a hill or in the sun on a super hot day. Yep I know, but the stickiness and sweetness will only leave you thirsty. Have a bottle of water instead.

—Presentation: In Paris, the gelaterists have a nifty way of presenting multiple flavours, like a rose bud unflowering that looks too pretty to eat. But go ahead anyway.

Taste: What makes a good gelato?

—Texture: Absence of ice. More tiny bubble to flavour ratio. The best example of this was in Switzerland, at a café near Lake Como. Each spoonful of the peach sorbet felt like silken bubbles coated with real peach, rather than crunchy ‘ow my teeth!’

—Reality of flavour. You know when you chew strawberry flavoured bubblegum and it doesn’t taste like strawberry? Well, when the gelato has the little seedy bits in it, and tastes like you just plucked it from a ripe bush, then that’s the stuff.

—Originality: while avocado and tomato may not be everyone’s cup of tea, certain combinations can be eye-closingly gorgeous like saffron cream, which had pine nuts in it.

France or Italy?

The answer is a tricky one. In Italy was the world champion in San Gimignano near Florence for the above-mentioned saffron cream. Was it good? Yes. Worth every centime. Mind you, the view over a Tuscan vineyard on a sunny day didn’t hurt either. And the peach scoop on the lakeshore of Lake Como after riding some ks tasted pretty good too.

The worst one I had was in a restaurant in Domodossola, Italy a coffee flavour which was icy, hard and unauthentic.

Basically, the nationality of the gelato is a minor consequence. What matters is the quality, ambience and overall gelato eating strategy.

Odyssey in Australia

Being such a multicultural mish-mash, Australia is lucky to have immigrants from Italy who have brought gelato to the land of the ‘Spider’. While the thought of dropping high-grade vanilla gelato into creaming soda seems like smashing Dom Perignon to bless new ships, Australians can enjoy decent gelato.

Follow the same tips above. While it may be trickier to find the taste factor, many gourmet stores stock locally made gelato, made with care by true professionals. In Canberra there is even one man who can make any flavour you want for a minimum litreage order.

One thing Aussies do have in scoops is the vibe. There are plenty of places to sit back and watch the world while licking in ponderance, like Circular Quay in Sydney.

In these summer months, gelato is the gourmet experience to bring contentment—with a few hints it really is more than just ice-cream.



How To Make A Diaper Cake

Shruti Singh asked:


By listening the word ‘ice cream’, many people would start uttering ‘yummy-yummy’. This is a favourite eatable for many people. In the summer season, those people are quite rare, who do not eat or prefer this cool sweet dish. Specially, children are crazy about it. But there is one thing which seem to create tension for many people. That is to save their children from eating this thing from outside. The reason of their worry is that, none of the parents want to sea their children suffering from cold disease. Actually, the immune system of the children is very delicate as compared to adults. So, their chances of getting sick is higher, in case they regularly opt for eatables which are sold outside.

In order, to solve this problem, many of the mothers like to freeze ice creams at home. The reason mentioned above is not the only reason. Home-made ice creams taste more good than the outside ones. But a small problem bothers and that is where to freeze? To solve this problem many manufacturers launch ice cream cups made up of several metals in the market. These cups look beautiful and provide enough space to put the ice cream in it.

Different shapes and designs of cups are available. You can take these as per your choice and requirement. These cups are often made up of stainless steels. Many websites on Internet also offer them in affordable prices. The stainless steel material is very strong and as such, you are not required to handle it with care. These cannot be broken so easily. Other types of cups are available in glass and plastic material. Glass material is inexpensive as compared to others but on contrary to the stainless steel ones, you need to handle them with care. Other types of cups are available which are made up of plastic. These are also light and are not easily breakable. But still, the cups made up of stainless steels are the best ones, because there are no chances of health hazards in these as those were doubted in the case of plastics.

Several discounts are offered on such items on many of the sites on the World Wide Web. You can purchase this material in very low rates too. These ice cream cups can be bought through online shopping. Just select the product and order it. It will reach to the address mentioned by you. These sites to assist their customers even provide the facility to view the review about the cups. On these you can read the views of the people who have already used such cups. After that you can take a fair decision by this and add your own comments to help other customers.

Many retail shops also sale them in affordable prices. You can purchase them from the Online shops also. But you have to check it carefully before purchasing these products. This test may be like the quality of the metal, shapes, designs and so on. Another thing which should be considered before buying them either offline or online, is that whether the items fit into your refrigerators or not. Ice cream cup set can be found of various types. You should take care of some of these things. For sure, you and your family will have an excellent experience with these cups.



Pick The Gender Of Your Baby

Mitch Edwards asked:


In making home-made ice-cream, people with no ice-cream makers, machines, or churners do not need to panic and append money to buy one. It is easy to make ice-cream with your self composed homemade ice-cream makers. And these homemade ice cream makers are actually just a simple combination of everyday tools you find in the kitchen.

Small Bowls -

The first of these tools are small bowls. You can use these small bowls to put some of your ingredients in. Ingredients like cookies, nuts, flavorings and chocolate chips.

Sauce pan -

A heavy sauce pan is the perfect tool for scalding milk. Scalding milk simply means bringing the milk’s temperature near simmering.

Measuring spoons -

Measuring spoons are used for adding sugar and salt to the ice-cream base.

Measuring cups -

Measuring cups are best for adding liquids like milk, cream and eggs

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Ice-bath –

This equipment you can make by putting the bowl with the ice-cream in it in a bigger bowl full of ice. This technique brings the ice-cream to cooling temperature faster than normal

Plastic Wrap or wax paper –

This small piece of material will prevent your ice-cream from turning into ice and assures you of a smoother consistency and texture.

Metal or plastic container –

This is where you will store your ice-cream in while it freezes before mixing

Mixer –

Remove the ice-cream from the freezer after four hours and give it a stir in your mixer for a few seconds. This will do the work of an ice-cream churn.

Metal bowls –

The ice-cream freezes well in metal bowls that have been in the freezer for at least one whole day. Freeze the newly mixed ice-cream for at least two hours

Wooden spoon –

Wooden spoons are the best tools to mix in ingredients at the last minute. It is not advisable to mix in last minute ingredients with a mixer because the mixer will break these ingredients into bits and pieces.

Airtight plastic containers –

Put the ice-cream in an airtight plastic container. Pack it tightly then cover the surface with plastic wrap or wax paper. Leave some room at the top for the ice-cream to expand. Put the ice-cream in the freezer and freeze for a few hours until it becomes firm.

Freezer –

The freezer is probably the most essential and important equipment you will need in making ice-cream. This is what gives the ice-cream its character. Freezing it and making it cold.



Sign Language For Babies And Beyond