Gelato

Tonight my friend Anne and I went to a gelato class held at Orson Gygi.  The class was taught by Mark and Elizabeth England of the fabulous gelateria, Dolcetti Gelato.  Dolcetti's is located in Sugarhouse at about 1100 East and 1800 South. If you ever get the chance, it is the best place in Utah for quality artisan gelato.  For the uninformed, gelato is an italian ice cream and the difference is that gelato is milk based while ice cream is cream based, gelato is denser and has less air in it.  Anne and I got to sample all kinds of great flavors.  I thought I would share one of the recipes, and a favorite of mine, Lemon Sorbetto (sorbetto is a non-dairy base gelato). 

Lemon Sorbetto - Makes about 3 cups

5 lemons

1 1/4 c. sugar

1 1/4 c. water

1 egg white

Thoroughly scrub the lemons in warm soapy water.  Then rinse and dry.  Use a sharp potato peeler to remove the zest from 3 lemons.  If some white pith comes away with the zest, this should be shaved off, using a sharp knife angled flat against the peel.  If the white pith is not removed, the sorbetto is likely to have an  underlying bitterness.

Put the strips of zest in a small pan with the sugar and water and bring to a boil, then remove, cover, and leave to cool.  Add the water and the strained juice from all 5 lemons, then re-cover and chill overnight in fridge.  

The next day start the ice cream machine and pour in the lemon mixture via a plastic sieve to remove the lemon strips.  Churn 10 minutes, or until mixture is opaque and icy.  Using a fork, beat the egg white until loosened and add to the sorbet with the machine still running.  Continue until the sorbet is firm enough to serve.  To store, quickly scrape into a plastic freezer box, freeze.  Once the sorbet is solid it will need about 20 minutes in the fridge to soften sufficiently to serve.  Enjoy.