Driving in the city today, I had to turn on the air conditioner. It was not that hot outside, but the full sun had the inside of our car roasting hot. Next time, I am not buying a “black” interior.
“You know what this means?” I asked Suzen.
“Not sure,” she answered, adjusting the vent to share the air.
“We have to try out the new ice cream book this weekend.”
“Uh, what book?”
“Amazon gave me a recommendation.”
“Again? I thought we talked about cutting back.”
“Had to get this. It’s a heritage book. Published in 2010. I don’t know how we missed it.”
“What book?”
“Ciao Bella. It’s good.”
“How good?”
“It’s gonna be a long weekend.”
I really don’t know how but when published 4 years ago I did not notice this book on the shelves. I am not a believer in big government, I subscribe to many conspiracy theories, and I am very suspicious about my private data being in a public space. But then there is Amazon using its “Big Brother” technology to track what I have bought, what I have merely looked at, and gives me recommendations. I don’t like “big government” but “big book” is just fine.
It’s very unlikely that you have not eaten Ciao Bella in some form. You have to, have to, have seen one of its bright containers. Co-founder F.W. Pearce, author of this book, graduated from Cornell’s prestigious School of Hotel Administration in 1989, destined to open his own restaurant. Well, short destiny. An ad for an available gelato space — all of 300 square feet — in New York City caught his eye. From there, it’s been onward and upward. It’s a perfect American success story. No restaurant. A billion cardboard containers.
In almost 30 years, the firm has created over 750 flavors. This book begins with two: bases of vanilla and chocolate that can be used over and over, for the recipes in this book and for ones you will be inspired to create.
Ciao Bella takes you on the full tour: background, equipment, ingredients, basic recipes, and then extravaganzas. Chapters and representative recipes happily include:
Basics: Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla, White Chocolate
Italian Classics: Hazelnut, Prune and Armagnac, Pistachio, Espresso, Caramel, Fig and Port
American Favorites: Lime, Blackberry, Banana, Maple Walnut, Pumpkin and Spice
Fun Flavors for Kids: Cookies and Cream, Chocolate S’Mores, Malted Milk Ball
Uniquely Ciao Bella: Crème Fraiche, Banana Caramel Cashew, Rosemary and Olive Oil
Adults Only: Chocolate Amaretto, Chocolate Stout, Bourbon Butter Pecan
Sorbetto: Fresh Mango, Blood Orange, Framboise Lambic Beer, Watermelon, Pear, Bellini, Cosmopolitan
The delight of this book is that if you love fruit or cocktails — or better both — then this book has a recipe for your very favorite things. I like to drink Cosmos, for example. Now, I get to eat one.
If you don’t find a recipe that matches your exact flavor preference, surely there is one here that you can modify to get that flavor combo you crave. There are enough ideas here to engage you for one long summer, maybe two. And that’s not assuming that you return to the favorites you will surely discover here.
How hard are these recipes to make? Not at all. A base of four or six ingredients is made in minutes and chilled. Then additional ingredients are added, more chilling, followed by the production in your ice cream maker.
Gelato is best consumed fresh on the day you make it. Gelato has the same ingredients as ice cream, but differs in having less dairy and less added air.The result is a denser yet smoother product with a more intense flavor. It’s a successful combination that made Ciao Bella skyrocket. Try these recipes and you’ll understand in one bite.