A Great Way to Beat the Heat for Lovers of Sweets, Avocados

As summer boredom sets in, there is no easier way to transport yourself out of the sizzling land of strip malls than delicious—and preferably cold—food.

In honor of the official beginning of summer, twelve days ago (only?) on June 20, treat yourself to the perfect Italian summer afternoon. Gelato is the pinnacle of frozen treats, easy to make at home, and a little piece of Italy wherever you happen to be in the world.

While gelato is similar to its American cousin, ice cream, there are subtle differences in the ingredients and process that give it a creamier, more flavor-packed taste than the average American cone.

On a scorching day in New Orleans, just before the start of summer, gelateria artisan Carmelo Turillo came out to teach the masses just what exactly the difference is between the two, how gelato is made (in mere minutes), and of course, to hand out samples.

Gelato is made with milk, not cream, and traditionally contains six to eight percent fat, while ice cream usually has a fat content somewhere between 13 and 17 percent. But because ice cream has large amounts of air whipped into it, it actually ends up tasting less creamy than gelato.

Even within types of gelato there are differing theories about the amount of fat that should be in the finished product. Gelatos from the southern part of Italy, and Sicily especially, maintain six to eight percent fat in all finished products, lightening up the base ingredients to make room for the fats in different flavor additives such as nuts or chocolate. In northern Italy, according to Turillo, gelato maintains its base fat content before flavors are added, meaning a higher fat content and an even creamier texture.

Another major difference between ice cream and gelato is the serving temperature. If you think about the last time you visited Artopolis versus your last visit to Häagen Dazs, the gelato appears softer, almost melting, in the case, whereas the ice cream is set deep and clearly very frozen.

There are two reasons for the warmer serving temperature of gelato. "The colder you make something, the harder it is to taste," said Turillo. And the colder that a product is kept, the more sugar is needed to maintain a soft texture. For this reason, the warmer gelato bursts with flavor, but still has less sugar and fat.

Regardless of nutritional qualities, gelato is simply delicious. The perfect gelato has the right "mouth feel," as Turillo calls it. Flavors like tiramisu and crème brulée are great for gelato, but rarely used in ice cream because the flavors are too subtle. Turillo varies his flavors by season, but uses fresh, organic, and local ingredients when possible to create flavors like avocado, brown butter white chocolate, and chocolate port raspberry.

The clincher is that gelato is simple to make, provided you have milk, eggs, sugar, and an ice cream machine. A few minutes of preparation, a few hours of freezing, and you've got yourself an afternoon in Italy.