Switch to Gelato! Ways to make your cold treats for a hot day a little healthier
MILWAUKEE -- It's Ice Cream Month! Meghan Sedivy with Fresh Thyme joins Real Milwaukee to help us make it a little bit healthier.
According to International Dairy Foods Association the average American consumes over 23 pounds of ice cream each year. Today, Meghan is sharing her favorite, better-for-you gelato cookie sandwich recipe that blends fresh fruit, gelato and cookies into a tasty treat. Easy, delicious and a bit more nutritious!
1. Ice Cream vs Gelato
• Ice cream is made from 4 simple ingredients: milk, cream, sugar and egg yolks. In fact, it typically has more cream than any other ingredient making it more calorie dense and increases the fat content to about 10% compared to 5-7% fat in gelato.
• Gelato on the other hand is made a bit differently as it contains milk, cream and on the rare occasion egg yolk. The ratio of milk to cream is different too. Gelato uses much more milk then cream and therefore is a bit lower in saturated fat content then traditional ice cream. It is creamier too, giving you a denser and richer flavor profile all while being a bit more nutritious too.
• Now you Wisconsinites love your custard, custard has egg yolk added, which makes it that much creamier!
2. Making Lemon Strawberry and Chocolate Raspberry Gelato
• In a large mixing bowl combine 1 container of Fresh Thyme Lemon Gelato, ½ cup fresh strawberry slices and 1-2 tablespoons of unsweetened large flake coconut. It`s important to let the gelato soften a bit before adding the fruit. Set out on the counter for 5 minutes before mixing in your fruit and then gently fold in the fruit with a spatula.
• Dietitian Tip: Strawberries are a great seasonal summertime fruit. Packed with vitamin C which helps boost immune function, helps production of collagen, a protein that is essential for healthy skin and hair growth and boosts iron absorption when paired with iron rich foods. Just 1 serving (8 strawberries) provides over 100% of your daily vitamin C intake. When choosing berries for this dessert look for small-medium firm, bright colored berries that have a sweet aroma these will have the best flavor.
• Mix well and place in the freezer for 4 hours to allow flavors to blend or until use.
• In a large mixing bowl combine 1 container of Fresh Thyme Triple Chocolate Gelato, ½ jar raspberry jam and ½ cup fresh raspberries.
• Dietitian Tip: Raspberries are a seasonal nutrition powerhouse. Packed with antioxidants like lycopene that may help reduce inflammation in the body and promote gut health. Raspberries contain quite a bit of fiber too that will fill you up and keep you full longer. Just 1 cup of raspberries contains 1/3 of the recommended daily intake of fiber. When choosing berries for this dessert look for brightly colored, plump berries free of bruises or dents.
• Mix well and place in the freezer for 4 hours to allow flavors to blend or until use.
3. Finish the sandwich with cookie thin book ends
• Cookie thins are a great way to get the taste of a cookie without overindulging. I
like to mix and match my cookies to enhance the flavor profile so here I have 2 different
flavored cookies that bring out the fruity flavor in the gelato.
• To make the cookie sandwich. Remove the gelato from the freezer and using an ice cream scooper place 1-2 scoops of gelato onto a cookie thin.
• Spread the gelato evenly with a knife and top the gelato cookie off with a second cookie. Eat immediately or place in the freezer to enjoy later.