Wasn’t that spring incredible? The days got longer without the temperature skyrocketing; the mornings were calm and beautiful, the evenings were warm but pleasant — even the afternoons were still quite tolerable into June. It was a little mind-boggling to have such a distinct season between winter cold and summer heat, with cherry-on-the-top frequent days of low wind speeds.
For weeks I woke up early with the sun, often taking advantage of my opportunity to steal outside for a neighborhood bike ride or walk; quiet dawn moments outside are literally and figuratively deep breaths of fresh air for me. Of course I could go out in the wind, but it’s enough of a thing to maneuver around the kids’ wakeups that I only bike when it looks enjoyable to me. I don’t take those gifts for granted, and as each square passed on the calendar, I held the next morning loosely, expecting it to have been my last one before the seasonal blasts of wind and heat finally arrived.
And what do you know, the first day of Summer brought them with a vengeance. The weather had apparently been waiting with bated breath, and there has been no doubt since that summer is here. The humidity makes the 90s temps feel even hotter, and while I don’t love wind, it’s not all bad that it’s here now since we might be completely stifled without the sustained gusts.
Brian comes in for breakfast already wet with sweat just from chores, not an ideal start to his up-to-20 hour days, especially for a guy who doesn’t like to be hot. I prefer hot weather, but in this humidity even I start to wilt in relatively short timing; an hour or two of garden work or chasing the kids around, and I’m ready to come in to cool off for a bit. My children, on the other hand, rarely ever feel like it’s time to come inside — and not just because the door handle gets too searingly hot for them to touch it. Their faces get redder and redder, but still they keep running, climbing, biking.
These kids’ timing is often impeccable: Benson just yelled in through the window, “It’s not hot at all, I’m telling the truth!” My weather app says it feels like 95°.
At least their obsession with frozen foods cools them off a bit. The best frozen food is ice cream, of course, and how appropriate that June is National Dairy Month. Similarly appropriate to July being National Ice Cream Month, I suppose; so we must celebrate! with a … gelato recipe?
Though the two desserts are technically distinct, they are very similar and both high in deliciousness topped with summery perfection. Gelato has a lower butterfat (the FDA regulates that ice cream contains at least 10% fat), gets churned slower, and is stored at a warmer temp, resulting in a denser texture and stronger flavor than creamier, fluffier ice cream. Either one, however, is the right answer.
The right answer any time of day, even. Last week I mentioned how I recently catered with a Mediterranean islands theme, and in my research I discovered that a common Sicilian breakfast is gelato with brioche. It sounds a little scandalous at first, but hey, if we can have cinnamon rolls for breakfast, then they can totally have gelato.
While I don’t see us making a habit of having gelato first thing in the morning (in fact I must not even mention it or I’ll never get my kids to eat oatmeal again), just the thought of it waiting in the freezer might cool us off enough to not only survive but enjoy another sweltering day. As long as the AC keeps working.
Really Pistachio Gelato
I don’t know if this meets all of the qualifications for gelato, but for my G article, we’ll assume it does; pistachios feature prominently in dishes from Sicily, so there’s another point for it. Honestly it doesn’t matter what to call it, because it is cold and terribly delicious and that’s all we need. I thought I might try to incorporate sentimental-style pistachio pudding mix, but the authentic nuttiness of the pistachios shines through so well that we didn’t need anything added. You can try this the Sicilian way for breakfast with some brioche/other enriched bread — it sounds weird but it’s so good — or just by itself any time of day.
Prep tips: this batch makes about 1 ½ quarts of mix, so adjust to your ice cream maker as needed.
• 2 cups pistachios (without shells); lightly roasted/toasted
• 3 ¾ cups whole milk
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• scant 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups cream
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
Process about 1 cup of pistachios, ¾ cup of milk, the cornstarch, cream cheese, and salt in a blender until smooth or mostly smooth. Set aside. Heat the remaining 3 cups of milk, the cream, sugar, and honey in a heavy saucepan; bring to a boil and simmer for a couple minutes. Whisk in the pistachio mixture, and bring to a low boil again. Cook and stir until slightly thickened, a minute or so. Remove from the heat, let cool for a while, and then transfer to a container to chill fully in the fridge overnight.
Whisk in the almond extract and the remaining pistachios. Churn in your ice cream maker.
Amanda Miller lives with her husband, two young children, and whoever else God brings them through foster care on the family dairy farm in Hutchinson. She enjoys doing some catering, teaching cooking classes, and freelancing, but mostly chasing after her kids. Reach her at hyperpeanutbutter@gmail.com.
