Strawberry Gelato from Hazan Family Favorites

The next recipe I made was for Dolci, or dessert.  Local strawberries are in season, so I used these beautifully sweet strawberries to make gelato.  I adore frozen desserts, particularly in the warmer months.  Gelato has less butterfat (and sometimes no dairy products), so it is a lighter dessert, which is preferable this time of year.  This recipe adds a small amount of heavy cream that is whipped by hand to resemble the texture of yogurt.

Local strawberries were small and very sweet

The finished gelato was a beautiful pinkish-red color and burst with fresh strawberry flavor.  It had a tanginess which made for a nice contrast to the sweetness.  It would be a perfect ending to any meal.

I would recommend serving the gelato directly from the ice cream machine or after a short period of time in the freezer once removing it from the machine.  Alternatively, leave it out at room temperature 15 minutes to soften the gelato, if you need to freeze it several hours before serving.

This gelato is bursting with fresh strawberry flavor

There is a nice balance of recipes in this book, ranging from simple to prepare to more involved.  Many of these recipes, like the Zucchini Frittata,  lend themselves to substitution or the addition of other ingredients to accommodate your own taste preferences.

For those of you that are interested in learning about rustic Italian cooking, Hazan Family Favorites would be a nice addition to your cookbook collection.  Good home cooking is easily attainable with basic, fresh ingredients and can be done in a reasonable amount of time.  With everyone’s lives so hectic, wouldn’t it be nice to take some time in your kitchen with your family and create some of your own traditions around food.

Here are two other reviews of Hazan Family Favorites:

Nona Mary’s Ciambella from Lora at Cake Duchess

Veal Rolls in a Tomato Wine Sauce from Jamie at Life’s a Feast

*Disclosure – I was sent a copy of this book by the publisher to review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

* Cover photograph by Joseph De Leo

Print Recipe

Strawberry Gelato

Yield: Approximately 1 quart

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

3/4 pound fresh strawberries
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Remove the green tops of the strawberries and rinse them in cold water.

2. Place the berries and the sugar in a food processor and blend until puréed. Add the water and lemon juice and continue blending until all the ingredients are mixed together thoroughly.

3. Whip the cream with a whisk until it begins to thicken and acquires the consistency of yogurt. Add the puréed strawberries and mix thoroughly.

4. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacture’s directions. Serve right away or store, tightly covered, in the freezer. It should keep for several days before ice crystals begin to form.

Reprinted with express permisssion
Copyright © Giuliano Hazan 2012, All Rights Reserved
Hazan Family Favorites