Probably one of the most repeated and necessary actions each summer, especially this very hot one, something which helps us cool down and feel a little relief: a delicious ice cream.
A very personal, almost magical, story comes to us from California told by Jessica Mortarotti, the creator of Carmela Ice Cream, a small homage to her grandmother, who was an authentic Italian woman, a lover of good cooking, especially homemade desserts and chocolate with the family.
Just like in the movies, Jessica recalls her childhood sitting on top of the kitchen range, together with her grandmother Carmela and a spoonful of delicious chocolate ice cream, specially prepared to enable them to lick and enjoy its particular flavor, having formed part of the exquisite ice cream recipe that her grandmother had prepared with so much love and precision.
A family tradition, the recipe for the dessert and the character and essence of Carmela were the essential ingredients with which Jessica and her partner Zachary Cox were able to venture on a delicious and completely artisan project: an ice cream maker which they baptized with the name of her grandmother: Carmela Ice Cream. Jessica’s goal was very clear: to develop a sophisticated menu of ice creams made entirely with natural products, flavors from the garden, flowers, herbs and ingredients that are 100% artisanal.
To find the perfect cream base Jessica took six months until she discovered the exact proportions of milk, cream, egg yolk and sugar cane. Each touch-up perfected the results and made them more appetizing. As soon as she found her path she started to make her delicious and refreshing dream come true, thanks to the seasonal fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices, dried fruits and flowers, and kept experimenting with other surprising ingredients such as balsamic vinegar and black pepper.
The success of Carmela Ice Cream was total; in the summer of 2014 Carmela Ice Cream’s Dark Chocolate Cacao Nib was proclaimed the winning flavor in Bon Appetit’s artisanal favorites, among more than 168 establishments in the city of Pasadena.
In spite of how the business has grown, Carmela Ice Cream remains true to its purely artisanal essence and vision, thanks to the use of seasonal ingredients found nearby, with the exception of the vanilla from Madagascar and the South American cocoa. Even the cones which hold the delicious scoops of heaven are handmade, one at a time; their warm butter scent in unbeatable.
When Jessica gets ready to prepare a deliciously refreshing mint sorbet she becomes an authentic artiste who’s about to delight us with the most authentic and exquisite flavors, the result of a childhood filled with sweetness, simplicity and familiarity.
Those fortunate enough to visit California should not miss enjoying the experience and know-how of Carmela Ice Cream in Pasadena, the small city located in the south of the state.
VISTO EN LIFE & THYME: VIA
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