Bingo, blog. I have always wanted to have a blog. Thought it would be a cool way to express an "artistic" type of creativity that I sometimes feel is lacking in my engineering curriculum.
So here we have it, I have decided to create an ice cream/gelato/frozen yogurt/anything-frozen-or-slightly-resembling-ice cream blog that I hope to keep up with regularly (will not obligate myself to weekly ice cream indulgences, but let's be honest that would be ideal). I will be going out, trying different types of frozen treats, rating them, providing some photographs, and hoping to expand my own horizons as well as those of my readers.
What inspired it all....
Flavor: Almond Fig
| Date | 7.28.13 | |||||
| Name | Trentino Gelato | |||||
| Flavor | Almond Fig | |||||
| Price | Type | Texture (1-5) | Flavor (1-5) | Website | Recommend? | Overall Rating (1-5) |
| $6.73 | Gelato | 3 | 3.5 | trentinogelato.com | Yes | 3.3 |
First of all, let's admire the unique packaging. Can you blame me for not being able to walk past it? It is not the usual Ben & Jerry's every color in the rainbow type of label. It is simply plain, but has that homemade, one-of-a-kind look to it that really grabbed my attention.
This gem is part of the Trentino Chef Series, where Trentino Gelato is giving chefs in Houston, Austin, and Dallas a "shout out" by providing their gelato (that Trentino had made to their specifications for their restaurants) to consumers like you and me :) The one I chose was by Trentino Gelato's founder and chef, Marcelo Kreindel. Marcelo moved here from Argentina about 10 years ago to manage a software company, but he had always wanted to start his own business and to share the delicious gelato that he had grown up with at home (and aren't we glad he did).
So it is pricey, almost 7 bucks for a pint of ice cream. But hey, we deserve it every once in a while, right? And this is purely for research and imparting some knowledge on other ice cream fanatics, so technically, I am taking one for the team.... You're welcome. If you manage to get over to my apartment within the week, you may get to sample some for free, but it is so delicious that I cannot make any promises.
Let's talk texture. The consistency of this gelato is unbelievably smooth and creamy. Fun fact, the main difference between gelato and ice cream is the amount of air whipped into it during its production. Ice cream typically has 10-25% while gelato has far less because is churned at a slower speed. Ice cream also has 10% fat content (by law) and gelato uses more milk than cream and has less fat. Gelato's ideal temperature for that perfectly scoopable consistency is between 12F and 18F while ice cream is between -10F and 8F. My less than optimally efficient freezer would explain why that gelato scooped like you would see in a commercial and why the ice cream that I have purchased in the past always seems melty around the edges.
Now for the flavor; delicious, refreshing, almondy, not very figgy. I could almost do with some more figs. The flavor reminds me of my dad who always orders pistachio almondine when the opportunity presents itself. I usually go for frozen treats with chocolate in there... somewhere... anywhere... But I thoroughly enjoyed the ice cream which tasted like an almond crescent cookie with some super sweet fig preserves in every 5-7 bites.
Overall, very happy with the quality of the ice cream, if you are into almond, splurge. If you like gelato and happen to be in the lovely city of Houston, Dallas, or Austin, I advise giving this chef's series a try. Cheers to Marcelo Kreindel! Delicious!
Some other flavors in the Houston chef series include:
- Creme Brulee
- Peanut Butter Chipolte (ooo, interesting)
- Sorghum Sea Salt (apparently, sorghum is a grass used for grain? what?)
- Saffron Spice
- Italian Spumoni
- Sundae Sermon #1 (Vice & Virtue)
- Mascarpone with Berries
Bring some to our house! I know you can't :(. We'll do some gelato tasting when you get here!
ReplyDeleteKaren