The world-famous chocolatier now has a gelato shop next to his Chocolate Salon and Artisan Bread shop in Fort Myers, FL. Love confessed last night, out of all of the sweet treats he is surrounded by, ice cream is his weakness.
I always knew that gelato had less fat than ice cream but since it was so much more creamy, I never really knew why. First of all, gelato is made from milk not cream, so it has half the butter fat. If it has half the fat, why is gelato so much more creamy and packed with flavor than ice cream? The later is whipped and filled with air in the churning process to make it feel and taste lighter; that also dilutes the flavors.
Love is picky about his ingredients, importing his pistachios and hazelnuts from Italy. He makes gelato in the Italian tradition, fresh everyday. He even brought in special equipment like a pasteurizer and the only Irinox flash freezer in the state; taking the gelato to 40 degrees below zero.
The gelato at Norman Love's has a 48 hour life span; its meant to be eatten as soon as it's made. Feeling the pressure I tried as many flavors as I could in an attempt to save the frozen decadence from meeting an uncivilized demise down the drain; Coconut, Peanut Butter Crunch, Hazelnut, Pistachio, Tiramisu, Mango Sorbetto, Mint Chocolate, Almond Mocha. Please don't ask me to pick a favorite.
The Gelato bowls start at $4.50, the cones at $5. You can also indulge in shakes, sorbetto frizzantes, coffees sundaes, cakes and crepes and waffles OH MY. Now that the gelato shop is running, Love says look for ice cream cakes full of gourmet goodness, grab and go pints and jarred toppings.
It's a must stop for a cool indulgence this summer!
I WILL indulge next time I'm up that way!! Thanx for sharing and the review like only you can give one! I'm Italian! We know great food & desserts! My grandmother & mother taught me well. I grew up having the best cooks in my life!
ReplyDelete