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Vanilla Gelato – Guest Post with Karen’s Kitchen Stories #FoodMemory

by Savoring Italy

Vanilla Gelato

It’s been so wonderful to share these #FoodMemory stories with my readers. Each friend that has participated is talented in so many different ways. We all share a common bond that is a love of food.

It’s been incredible reading the stories that have been shared with me for this #FoodMemory series. Losing my father last year left me wondering how to keep his memory alive through my blog. The obvious choice was to sometimes share a favorite recipe of his or one that reminded me of him. I had friends reach out to me sharing some tidbits about loved ones they lost and this has this series came about. #FoodMemory was about sharing a recipe and story of a loved one we lost.

That’s what my next friend Karen from Karen’s Kitchen Stories is doing. If you haven’t “met” Karen and her blog yet, you are in for a treat. Her baking is outstanding. She is part of my #TwelveLoaves group and each month she shares another incredible yeast bread. Karen’s Easter bread (Pizza di Pasqua)is incredible! If you love ricotta, you have to make this Tangelo Ricotta Cake-wow!  Love this Whole Wheat Cinnamon Swirl Bread. 

Karen shared a sweet story about her dad and a delicious vanilla gelato recipe…here she is:

When Lora asked me if I would like to contribute to her Food Memory series, I instantly said “yes.” Cake Duchess has been one of my favorite food blogs for a very long time. Lora writes from her heart.

My dad was one of those “larger than life” men. He was athletic and strong, and had a big booming voice. Other kids thought he was pretty scary, but we knew he was a big softie.

Vanilla Gelato

He was a football player in college (isn’t he handsome?), and had aspired to become a teacher and a coach. At a very young age, he lost his dad and had to take over the family dry cleaning business. While that was not his career of choice, he grew that business into several stores and, for many years, that dry cleaning business supported a lot of families.

(Regarding the coaching aspirations, after a failed attempt to coach a stepson’s flag football team, he decided that maybe that was not his dream job after all.)

Having him in my life always made me feel safe.

He loved his beloved California Bears, Frank Sinatra, and traveling, especially to Italy. He also loved ice cream. Growing up, we didn’t keep a lot of desserts in the house, but we always had a carton of Neapolitan or rocky road in the freezer. My dad would love to have a big bowl of ice cream after dinner.

After retiring, he got to travel to Italy many times. He loved the food, and he loved the gelato. In fact, I don’t think he was able to pass a gelato stand without buying some.

Dad, here you go. I’ve made you some gelato. I love you. I miss you.

Vanilla Gelato

For more of Karen:

A big thank you to Karen for being a part of my #FoodMemory series…I just love this gelato!!

My other #FoodMemory guest posters:

Paula from Vintage Kitchen Notes and her Brown Butter Apple Cinnamon Crumb Bars

Shulie from Food Wanderings and her Shakshuka

Heather from girlichef and her Sweet Brown Butter Cornbread.

Renee from Magnolia Days and her Coconut Cake

Alice from Hip Foodie Mom and her Korean Steamed Eggs

Nancy from Gotta Get Baked and her Orange-Cranberry Chocolate Ginger Muffins

Vanilla Gelato

Ingredients
  1. 2 T nonfat milk powder
  2. 2 T cornstarch
  3. Pinch of salt
  4. 1 T of Vanilla Bean Crush or vanilla extract
  5. 3 C whole milk, divided into 2 ½ C plus ½ C
  6. ½ C sugar
  7. ¼ C light corn syrup
Instructions
  1. Prepare a very large bowl with ice water.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the milk powder, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
  3. In
    a saucepan, mix 2 ½ C of milk, the sugar, and the corn syrup over
    medium heat, until it is just steaming but not boiling. Stir frequently.
  4. Add
    the milk/cornstarch mixture and, over low heat, bring the pan to a boil
    while whisking constantly until thickened, for about 2 minutes.
  5. Strain
    the mixture into a medium bowl and place that bowl into the larger bowl
    with ice water to chill. Stir every five minutes, until the mixture is
    cool.
  6. Cover the bowl and place it into the refrigerator for about 4 hours.
  7. Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the brand’s instructions.
  8. You can serve it immediately for soft serve, or freeze and serve later.
Notes
Adapted from Scoop: 125 Specialty Ice Creams by Ellen Brown

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Comments

  3. Angie says

    What a sweet story! My Dad was a little scary to others too, but I knew inside he was a big teddy bear. He loved frozen treats too, and would have loved this gelato, it's looks so amazing!

    Reply

  11. Lana @ Never Enough Thyme says

    I absolutely love food memory stories and have posted several on my own blog over the years. Food holds so many memories of so many loved ones. Making an old favorite recipe is, for me, a perfect way to honor those memories.

    Reply

  24. Connie | URBAN BAKES says

    Hi Karen! It's nice to meet you here. Your story was very touching. I personally can relate as my own father was too, a business owner and sometimes careers don't always turn out as expected but you do whatever you have to keep the family strong. PS: I'm sure he'd love this gelato. It looks amazing!

    Reply

  28. Dawn Lopez says

    How fun 😉 So much fun, I love reading about food memories 😉 This recipe sounds amazing! I've never tried making gelato.. but this sounds like the first recipe I need to try!

    Reply

  30. Marie says

    HI Karen – what a touching story! The photos of you with your dad are so touching. It's making me want to dig through my own stash to see what I can find. The gelato looks so good and I've always wondered how it would come out with a non-commercial ice cream maker…must try!

    Reply

  31. Marly says

    My dad was one of those big, athletic and kinda scary sounding dads too. Thanks for sharing your memories and this great recipe too!

    Reply

  32. Nancy @ gottagetbaked says

    I'm so happy to meet Karen through this wonderful edition of #FoodMemory. What a heartfelt, beautiful, touching tribute to your dad, Karen (and yes, he was indeed very handsome!). And a man after my own heart – I love ice cream too and doubt that I'll pass any gelato stand in Italy without buying myself some. I love that you made his favourite dessert for this post. Your ice cream looks so rich and luscious, and the photos are beautiful.

    Reply

  33. Adri says

    What a lovely post. Thank you so much for sharing. And as for my favorite flavor of gelato – you guessed it. Vanilla!

    Reply