Recently, we spent the weekend in Niagara-on-the-Lake with dear friends. It’s not the first time we been to NOTL, but it’s the first time we spent a summer weekend there. It’s usually ridiculously expensive because it is tourist season but we found some lovely rooms above an Irish pub that’s one street away from the beaten path. The rooms are reasonably priced, a good size AND they give you two $25 gift cards for the bar! What a deal! The humidity had broken and the temperatures were manageable, it really was a lovely weekend. We ate a picnic lunch and then rented bikes for an hour or so along the bike path along side the Niagara parkway. If you’re ever down this way, I urge you to take a moment and enjoy the ride! Although I would strongly recommend you buy your picnic lunch elsewhere as the grocery store in town is ridiculously expensive!
I wish I had taken some of this silky, creamy orange gelato as it would have made a refreshing treat after the sunny ride!
Silky, Creamy Orange Gelato
For the original recipe, please click here.
This recipe makes about 500 mL gelato.
Ingredients:
- 200 mL fresh orange juice (from about 3 good-sized oranges)
- 45 mL fresh lemon juice
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 500 mL milk
- 30 g skim milk powder
- Pinch of salt
Directions:
- Combine everything in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour into your frozen ice cream maker pot and turn on. Run as per manufacturer’s instructions (mine took about 35 minutes).
We are having a heat wave right now, so it’s a bit of a challenge keeping the gelato frozen. Yep, it’s that hot!
I also made lemon gelato which turned out exceptionally well, but, I forgot to take a photo because we took it to friends for dessert! I would have to say that the lemon was my personal favourite.
Dreamy, Creamy Lemon Gelato
This recipe makes about 500 mL gelato
Ingredients:
- 1 cup fresh Lemon Juice (from about 5 good-sized lemons)
- zest of 1 lemon, very fine
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 250 mL skim milk
- 250 mL heavy cream
- 10 g skim milk powder
- Pinch of salt
Directions:
- Combine everything in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour into your frozen ice cream maker pot and turn on. Mine took about 35 minutes to a very creamy consistency, it will not freeze rock hard.
Notes:
- The lemon gelato was a lot creamier than the orange version because of the 35% cream, and although I prefer less rich things, I think this is worth the splurge.
- The lemon gelato did not freeze solid, whereas the orange did so I had to leave it out for a few minutes to serve.
- I did add orange zest into the orange gelato but found it made it a touch bitter, so I adjusted the recipe. If you like bitter, try 5 g or less.
Both flavors sound terrific! And with our string of weather, gelato is the perfect after dinner treat!
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I’ve never been there! One of these places I really must see. And I must try both of these terrific looking recipes. Although I’m a real lemon freak, so I know which one I’ll prefer. 🙂
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Lemon freak would be my description too, it’s such a refreshing flavour. I can eat a raw lemon, no problem! I hope you get a chance to visit NOTL, and if you do, give me a shout, we’ll come down to meet you!
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When I was a geeky pre-teen we lived near Detroit, MI and took more than a few trips to NOTL. I remember wishing we’d spent more time at Niagra Falls. It never made sense that we’d be so close to the Falls and not spend time there. Kid’s POV I guess. GREG
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My parents had good friends in Detroit (he was an engineer for GM) and we visited them a few times. NOTL is a lovely quaint village, I hope you and your partner get a chance to visit again (if you do, give me a shout and I’ll pop down to meet you!)
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Eva, your ice cream looks so delicious and I can imagine how the lemon zest makes it even more refreshing! I am sooo lazy and haven’t used my ice cream maker yet (for more than a year!). Your recipe might be a good motivation.
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Gelato is much easier to make because you are not troubled with making a custard and having to let it cool. I will make these recipes again over the summer months. I sure hope I did motivate you. You could also try just putting yogurt into the ice cream maker with chopped fruit; it’s not quite as decadent as ice cream or gelato but it is relatively guilt-free!
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Thank you, Eva, for the encouragement! I did think about yogurt for myself and cream-based ice creams for my husband (he hates yogurt!).
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This looks lovely Eva! Now I wish I hadn’t made some marmalade with my oranges and had saved them for this.
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I saw your marmalade recipe and immediately wished I had made it instead of gelato! Thank you for your kind words, Lorraine.
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What is the difference between ice cream and gelato? Because the lemon version looks like an ice cream to me, but I’m no expert, and hardly ever make either!
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The answer can be complicated but in essence gelato is generally made without a custard (egg) base and is served at a slightly higher temperature (10F) than typical American ice cream. It’s best to Google it for the thorough explanation. I don’t make it much either, but on the really hot days, I drag out the ice cream maker as a treat.
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In addition to no-egg and higher temp, I’ve always heard that the ratios among the ingredients are also different. But as with so many cooking definitions, there are so many variations among individual recipes, that I’m sure there’s a ton of overlap. For instance, I prefer my ice cream at gelato temperatures and think it’s insane to eat it unless it’s just starting to melt. I have an ice cream maker that I don’t often use, mainly because in my first few attempts, I wasn’t able to achieve something truly creamy (probably because propylene glycol wasn’t on my ingredient list). And then there’s the shocking reality of what all goes into ice cream, calorie and saturated-fat wise. I had to hypnotize myself to forget about that so I could go back to my tubs of Ben & Jerry’s.
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True about the calories and fat, but I still like to control my own ingredients. I urge you to try the powdered milk to make it creamy, I was blown away at how creamy it became.
We have a popular brand of ice cream that literally doesn’t melt when left out on the counter. If you google “ice cream that doesn’t melt” you will see several experiments! I use it for food styling, it’s got a lot more staying power than regular ice cream made with real ingredients instead of chemicals!
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Yummy looking gelato. We’ve got a bit of a cool snap but I’d still eat a few scoops of either the lemon or the orange.
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Lemon is definitely my favourite over orange, but on a hot humid day, I’d take either, like you!
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Indeed very creamy! I would love a huge scoop right now too because it’s darn hot here too.
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I would love to serve you a huge scoop! Thank you for your comment.
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