Mastering the Art of Making Gelato

A Little Background

Last week, our friend Ceevah surprised me.  She was staying with us in Ann Arbor in preparation to driving back to California with her daughter who had just graduated from the U of Michigan School of Architecture.  After dinner, we had served cantaloupe sorbetto for dessert, and as she tasted the first bite of it, Ceevah exclaimed, “this tastes just like cantaloupe!”  Ceevah lived in Italy for over a year, and is a knowledgeable cook.  That she was surprised by how closely our sorbetto tasted like cantaloupe has motivated me to start with cantaloupe sorbetto as the first post on a blog about mastering the art of making gelato and sorbetto.  I have been making gelati and sorbetti for many years (see About in the sidebar) and others may be interested in finding out about some of what I have learned.  By the way, cantaloupe sorbetto, “melone” in Italian, is one the favorites in Italy.

Getting the Best Cantaloupe

To make the best sorbetti, you need to get the most flavorful fruit — after all, sorbetto is not very much more than fruit.  And there is nothing in it to disguise the taste of the fruit.  Where do you look for the best fruit?  The closest farmer’s market is the place to start.  Because local fruit does not have to travel far, it can be picked at its peak of ripeness, and local farmers can choose varieties that do not have to hold up under long distance transport.

The Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market

Locating the best cantaloupe is usually not easy as is the case with many things requiring some mastery.  The idea is to find the ripest cantaloupe without being overripe; a cantaloupe will not continue to ripen after it is picked.  It will get softer, but it will not develop more flavor.  Here is some of what you need to know.

Pick up several different melons.  A ripe melon should be heavy for its size.

Check to see that there is no remnant of the stem left on it, and that the background color between the webbing or net-like structure on the surface is golden and not greenish in color.  Finally, the ripest cantaloupes have a good aroma.  Be suspicious if you cannot find one with a pleasing aroma.  Not every pile of cantaloupes contains one that is necessarily ripe or that has great flavor.  This is certainly the case in supermarkets, and occasionally in farmer’s markets.  And, I have been told this by my father who grew up on a farm in Hungary as well as Michigan farmers, you cannot be sure that you have a great melon until you cut it open.  When I told my friend Art who has been a Professor of Portuguese of my travels to find great cantaloupes, he told me this proverb first in Spanish, then English, and finally in Portuguese, “El melon y la mujer duros son de conocer” meaning, the melon and the woman are hard to know.  .

Now that you have the big picture, here are some of the details.  The best melon for eating will not necessarily make the best sorbetto.  Here is what makes the difference.  For sorbetto, you do not need the sweetest melon because you will be adding sugar to the recipe, though there is usually a good correlation between flavor and sweetness.  But, there are many different varieties of cantaloupes, and some will have more flavor and some will be sweeter.  You need the best flavor.

Some people prefer cantaloupes that are to be eaten with a spoon to be  soft so that they may easily be scooped out.  But, for sorbetto, you are going to puree the melon so the same consideration does not apply.  It is fun to discuss some of these issues with the grower at the farmer’s market and ask for their opinion on the best cantaloupe for sorbetto.  One thing that you do not want is an overripe melon.  When you see several shallow depressions, perhaps an inch or so in diameter, on the surface of the melon it has become overripe.  Unless you are desperate, try to find another cantaloupe.

Because melons sit on the ground and can easily become contaminated, before cutting them open they should be carefully washed with soap and water, and scrubbed with a vegetable brush to remove any of the soil that can easily be lodged in the netting of the cantaloupe.

Developing the Recipe for Cantaloupe Sorbetto

A recipe for cantaloupe sorbetto could contain the following: cantaloupe, sugar, water, lemon, and corn syrup.

Some people will be put off by the mention of “corn syrup” but it is not the same as the high fructose corn syrup used to sweeten sodas.  I use “light” corn syrup, which is about half as sweet as sugar while high fructose syrup is about twice as sweet as sugar.  Light corn syrup is mostly used as a thickening agent, though it has other advantageous properties.

So, why use corn syrup?  The short answer is taste and texture.  Just recently, I made cantaloupe sorbetto two different ways, one with corn syrup and one without, adjusting both recipes so that they have the same sweetness.  Everything else about the preparations was identical.   I gave two unlabeled servings of the cantaloupe sorbetto one with corn syrup and sugar and the other with only sugar to a total of 7 people .  Of these, 6 like the sorbetto containing the corn syrup better while one preferred the all sugar  version.  I have also carried out the same type of comparison with other sorbetto recipes and found similar results.  Nevertheless, because not everyone will want to use corn syrup, I have included recipes with and without corn syrup.  Any opinions as to which is preferable?

The Recipes for Cantaloupe Sorbetto

Cantaloupe Sorbetto Recipe with Corn Syrup

500 g (3 cups)                       cubed cantaloupe

205 g (1 cup minus 2 T)      water

230 g (1 cup plus 2 1/2 T)  sugar

65 g (3 T)                                corn syrup

30 g (2T)                                 lemon juice, to taste

(makes about 1 liter or  1 quart)

Cantaloupe Sorbetto Recipe all Sugar

500 g (3 cups)                       cubed cantaloupe

240 g (1 cup)                          water

260 g (1 + 1/3 cups)              sugar

30 g (2T)                                 lemon juice, to taste

(makes about 1 liter or 1 quart)

The procedure is the same for both recipes.

Cut the cantaloupe in half and cut each half into wedges about 1 1/2 inches wide at the center.  Slide a thin knife along       the rind avoiding the green rind to separate the cantaloupe from the rind, and cut each wedge into pieces 1 inch wide.

Put the cubed cantaloupe, water, sugar, corn syrup if you are using it, and lemon juice into a blender, or use an immersion blender if it is more convenient, and process until the cantaloupe is smooth and all the sugar is dissolved;  rub   the mixture between your fingers to see if there is any remaining grittiness from sugar granules.

If you have a scale that can be reset to zero, it is particularly easy to make the recipe.  Place the blender container on the scale and hit tare (reset to zero).  Then, after adding each ingredient reset the scale to zero.  If you are careful, you may not have to get any other dishes dirty.

You can put the mixture into a gelato/ice cream maker immediately or store it in the refrigerator for up to a day.  If you do   not have a gelato/ice cream maker, put the mixture into a pan in the freezer and mix it every 30 minutes to break up the  ice crystal until it is frozen solid.  After serving, let it sit in the serving dish for a minute or two until has softened.