Does anyone have an authentic Italian Strawberry Gelato recipe?

Question

I am looking for the classic Italian kind that I used to get in San Francisco as a child. It is similar to regular strawberry ice cream, but it is "fresher" tasting and a creamier consistency.

Answer 1

Strawberry Gelato

1 cup minus 1 tablespoon superfine granulated sugar
1 cup bottled or filtered still water (not distilled)
1 pound strawberries (about 1 pint)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lightly beaten egg white*
*If egg safety is a problem in your area, substitute powdered egg whites reconstituted by following package instructions.




In a small heavy saucepan heat sugar and water over high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cool syrup.
Trim strawberries and in a food processor purée until smooth. Transfer 2 cups purée to a bowl, reserving remainder for another use, and stir in syrup and lemon juice. Chill strawberry mixture until cold and up to 1 day.

Stir in egg white and freeze in an ice-cream maker. Serve gelato immediately or transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden no more than 3 hours.

Makes about 1 quart.

Answer 2

I found a terrific, authentic recipe for you:

Cremolata di Fragole
From Kyle Phillips,
Your Guide to Italian Cuisine!

Marie asks for a recipe for cremolata, a treat I'm not familiar with because it's not made in Tuscany. Turns out that cremolata is quite similar to a sherbet, which is filtered fruit juice that's combined with a sweet syrup and stirred about so as to become creamy as it freezes, though in the case of the cremolata the fruit juice is not filtered. Therefore the gelato has fruit fibers in it and will be more richly flavored, assuming the fruit was perfectly ripe to begin with. To serve 6-8:

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds fresh strawberries
1/4 pound fresh raspberries, if desired
The juice of a lemon
The juice of 4 oranges
1 1/2 cups (300 g) sugar

PREPARATION:

Wash and dry the berries. Put the raspberries in a bowl and crush them with a fork, reducing them to a pulp. Stir in the sugar, citrus juice, and strawberries, mix well, and but everything into a mold.

Answer 3

Strawberry-Buttermilk Gelato:

Puréed strawberries create the "juice" that flavors this creamy gelato.

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
5 cups quartered strawberries (about 4 pints)
2 cups low-fat buttermilk

Combine sugar and water in a large saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour into a large bowl; cool completely.

Place strawberries in a blender, and process until smooth. Add strawberry purée and buttermilk to sugar syrup; stir to combine.

Pour the strawberry mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Yield: 8 cups (serving size: 1/2 cup)