mame11 Posted June 23, 2006 Share Posted June 23, 2006 I imagine many of you are aware of the joys of Ciao Bella gelato and sorbet from New York. To my surprise tonight I found some at Whole Foods. I am merely providing a public service announcement to alert fellow DR to the availabililty of yummy and convenient gelato and sorbet at the Whole Foods near you. Tonight I had the Chocolate Sorbet. There is a place in Florence known for its hot chocolate that I love because the chocolate is more on the bitter side than the sweet. That is exactly how this sorbet tastes! For those who like blood orange, Ciao Bella's blood orange sorbet is fabulous too. Not sure about the gelatos because I prefer the sorbets... Ciao Bella Bella Good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ol_ironstomach Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 I imagine many of you are aware of the joys of Ciao Bella gelato and sorbet from New York. To my surprise tonight I found some at Whole Foods. Any sign of their Blackberry Cabernet sorbet locally, perchance? Wicked tasty stuff. I just haven't been able to replicate it at home, even starting with this recipe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mame11 Posted June 28, 2006 Author Share Posted June 28, 2006 Any sign of their Blackberry Cabernet sorbet locally, perchance? Wicked tasty stuff. I just haven't been able to replicate it at home, even starting with this recipe. They did have a cabarnet sorbet at Whole Foods yesterday. Didn't notice if it was blackberry... but definitely noticed the wine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Boy Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 Ciao Bella is overrated, IMO. I prefer Capogiro Gelato myself. These guys are based in Philadelphia. They have no plans to franchise as they think it will ruin their product. We brought back pints of their Cioccolato Scuro and their Fior Di Latte gelato. We also brought back a pint of their Champagne Mango sorbetto (incredible!). We tasted previously their Pinapple Sage, omygoshsogood! Available through Balducci's in limited flavors locally. Try to make the trip to Philly one of these days and bring a cooler filled with ice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mame11 Posted August 3, 2006 Author Share Posted August 3, 2006 Run don't walk to Whole Foods. I picked up the coconut sorbet. It is amazing, real pieces of coconut in the sorbet. It tastes incredibly fresh. Sorbet is my thing these days and I am grateful for the Ciao Bella... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikv Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Picked up the MINT chocolate chip gelato. It punches you in the face with an almost overpowering sensation of fresh mint leaves, and then lets you recover with some small fragmented chocolate chips. Definatey a must for any mint fans! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wahoooob Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Any sign of their Blackberry Cabernet sorbet locally, perchance? Wicked tasty stuff. I just haven't been able to replicate it at home, even starting with this recipe. Just got back from the SS WholeFoods, and as my purple tinged lips would confirm, they do indeed have the Blackberry Cabernet. Also picked up a 'mexican style' sweet corn ice cream (tastes like sweet cornbread ice cream) and goat's milk Molasses Tipsycake ice cream (which I have yet to taste...tomorrow!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 We've tried a few flavors. The chocolate hazelnut is delicious. The espresso less so. The coconut sorbet tasted lovely but I didn't care for the bits. The Rockville WF didn't have mint chocolate chip - maybe Gaithersburg has it. The Capogiro is wonderful, but a much different price point IIRC. And Balducci's isn't always a convenient trip for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 Ugh, I just tried the Ciao Bella chocolate sorbet for the first time. It's disgusting - chalky texture, and a bizarre, almost chemical aftertaste. The blood orange is better but not fabulous. It's been a while, but I recall the mint chocolate chip gelato had a bizarre aftertaste too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinwiddie Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 I've had the Blackberry Cabernet, and it is OK, I much prefer the Passionfruit, but still Ciao Bella does not hold a candle to Capogiro. And I just found out you can have Cabogiro shipped to you (costly since it is a 6 pint minimum and shipping costs) but for a splurge it is worth it. We just sent 6 pints to my son in college for his birthday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdt Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 Has anyone had the gelato at the Fair Lakes Whole Foods? I did and it is terrible. Icy and served way to cold, not to mention the lack of flavor in some samples or way too toasted (burnt) hazelnuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooter Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 While the Dairy Godmother (That Custard Place? Del Ray Dreamery? I have no idea what it's called anymore.) in Del Ray is mostly known for it's Custard, their sorbets are top notch. They had a grapefruit and bitters combination a week ago that was awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaisaB Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 This is a fortunate topic! I ordered Boiron Brand Passion Fruit, Guava, and Blood Orange purees last night. I want to make sorbets with them. Is anyone familiar with a basic recipe for sorbets? Should I add liquor to give it the right consistancy? Is it possible to make a sorbet with Splenda? Merci Bien! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mktye Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 Thread on sorbet making. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andelman Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 Has anyone had the gelato at the Fair Lakes Whole Foods? I did and it is terrible. Icy and served way to cold, not to mention the lack of flavor in some samples or way too toasted (burnt) hazelnuts. My wife bought some of the Whole Foods brand ice cream the other. The flavor was okay, but it was really icy. I am not sure if it was bad production or bad storage. I will stick to the Haagan Daas and Ben and Jerrys for my Ice Cream fix. Speaking of IC/Gelato we stopped at Labortorio de Gelato in NYC a few weeks ago. It was pretty damn good stuff. The guy who owns it used to own Ciao Bella. Check it out next time you are in NYC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ol_ironstomach Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 Speaking of IC/Gelato we stopped at Labortorio de Gelato in NYC a few weeks ago. It was pretty damn good stuff. The guy who owns it used to own Ciao Bella. Lest he be tarred with the same brush, keep in mind that he founded and sold-off Ciao Bella as a tiny operation when he was a teenager, and only recently has his non-compete agreement expired. Nearly all of CB's corporate existence has been under the reins of the current owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokey Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 ...Dairy Godmother...had a grapefruit and bitters combination a week ago that was awesome.They often have that flavor, and I agree, it is top notch. Very little will make me NOT order custard at a custard place, but that grapefruit and campari (bitters?) sorbet is fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokey Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 So, in celebration of mother's day, I made banana ice cream this weekend (with RLB's hot fudge sauce recipe--I don't love her (at all), but that recipe is my favorite by far). Anyway, in an effort to develop a reliable base that depends exclusively on ingredients I routinely have in my cupboard (read here: no half and half, no non-ultra-pasteurized cream), I made a custard of: 2 1/2c whole milk approx. 1/2c sugar 10 egg yolks I figured all those egg yolks would help with emulsifying the mix, add good 'mouthfeel' and would reduce iciness issues. The base alone was too egg tasting for me, but was hidden by the flavor of the bananas (3 bananas, heated with roughly 1/4c sugar and mashed, cooled, added to the base essentially at the end of the churning) in the finished product. The banana flavor was great, but it was a bit too icy (a fact agreed upon by all two adults eating it). In my mind, this could be due to two things: 1) not enough fat from cream and/or 2) water added from the bananas. In the past, I have made the recipe with fewer egg yolks and milk, but some added half and half (or cream, don't recall). That time, I drained the liquid that came from macerating the bananas (and maybe reduced it and added it back into base? not sure, my notes aren't clear), but I didn't have time to do that this time. The time I made it before, it didn't have the icy issue, making me think this is a function of the reduced fat from no cream. Anybody have any advice on this topic? Please understand, the reduction in fat was in no way an effort to make ice cream healthy or low fat or anything. I'm well aware that cranking up the egg yolks nullifies any benefit from less cream. I'm truly just looking to see if I can develop a standard base that uses ingredients that don't require a special trip anywhere. (Plus, I'll admit, I'm not crazy for the flavor of super high fat ice cream. To me, all that fat can dull the overall flavor.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinwiddie Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 Ciao Bella is overrated, IMO.I prefer Capogiro Gelato myself. These guys are based in Philadelphia. They have no plans to franchise as they think it will ruin their product. We brought back pints of their Cioccolato Scuro and their Fior Di Latte gelato. We also brought back a pint of their Champagne Mango sorbetto (incredible!). We tasted previously their Pinapple Sage, omygoshsogood! Available through Balducci's in limited flavors locally. Try to make the trip to Philly one of these days and bring a cooler filled with ice! Capogiro will also ship the sorbet to you, six pint minimum and about $20 to ship. We sent some to my son in college for his birthday. They have a website, but I'm too lazy to look it up to post here. You can find it easily enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 I bought two pints of Capogiro at Balducci's and was not impressed, especially for $9.99 a pint. The pistachio has good flavor, but the Turkish coffee tastes of nothing but sugar. Both are far too sweet for my taste. Too bad because their sorbets are great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Boy Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Jeni's Ice Cream recipe cookbook is my standard. The molasses ice cream is off the charts good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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