A huge congratulations goes out to Cristina, whose lucky entry #124 won her that amazing Chef’n gift set! Another thank you goes out to the kind folks at Chef’n for sponsoring such a lovely giveaway!
And now I’d like to show you something… and I hope you are sitting down because this one will knock you off your feet.
Three words: Maple. Bacon. Gelato.
Brought to you by the power of twitter.
You see, I posted something on Twitter a while back about Taylor watching a TV show about nothing but bacon and pancakes. Because he watches things like that. Not long thereafter, I got a reply from Nashville’s own gelato maker, Noel of Bravo Gelato, telling us we must try their Maple Bacon flavor. Um, yes please?
That little invitation, combined with the bacon-enthusiasm of some other Nashville food bloggers, soon turned into a full-fledged gelato making demonstration and tasting at their store.
Jealous yet?
For those curious (and I didn’t know this before Saturday, either), but the difference between gelato and ice cream is the air and the fat content. Ice cream is mostly cream based (meaning more fat), and is chock full of air. Like 80% air. What a rip off. Gelato, on the other hand, is milk based rather than cream, and is made in such a way that there is very little air in the final product. Hence the extremely smooth and creamy texture that doesn’t leave you thirsty afterwords (does that mean you can eat more?).
In other words, gelato is the bomb.
Not only that, but I think Noel knew his audience well (ie: food bloggers), because his case was stocked with all the boozy goodness you could imagine. I’m talking Yazoo Stout gelato, Cinnamon Bourbon, Apricot Chardonnay, Bailey’s Irish Cream, and Strawberry Champagne (actually Prosecco if you want to be nit-picky). Delicious indeed.
I totally wanted to turn this into a recipe post, and pile a giant scoop of this stuff on top of some waffles or french toast for breakfast. Too bad it didn’t last long enough to do that. Oops. But trust me when I say we enjoyed every bite.
I always love supporting homegrown Nashville businesses, especially ones as creamy and delicious as Bravo Gelato. If you’re in the area, stop by their shop in Green Hills. They also sell specialty flavors to some area restaurants as well. And a huge thank you to Noel for making us feel like a kid in a candy ice cream shop! We had a blast!
Does anyone have a good gelato recipe to make at home? :P
OK – this maple bacon gelato sounds heavenly! Bacon makes ANYTHING better. I added it to popcorn for a little Oscar viewing party and everyone was obsessed.
http://www.20somethingcupcakes.com/2010/03/oscar-viewing-party/
My aunt (who is an amazing chef) recently told me she made avocado ice cream once – just combining avocado with vanilla Haagen-Dazs. Going to try it soon for a Mexican theme dinner party, we’ll see how that works out!
I wasn’t aware of Bravo Gelato! Will have to stop by soon, now that the weather’s warming up. Do you know if they make sorbetto as well? Thanks, Lindsay!
Put this on our list of “must do/see/taste” while visiting you in April in Nashville!
OMG this is like the ultimate canadian gelato!!!!
I meant 100 miles
I’m jealous! We are no where within 100 of gelato.
You will have to eat some for me!
Gelato is pretty much the only dessert I like… and maple bacon gelato sounds amazing!
Thanks! Dont’ feel so sheepish anymore I’ve actually been in there.
Between them and Whole Foods’ gelato, I’m going to have to work out extra hard!
Tabitha – it’s located inside the Christie Cookie shop, next to the UPS store in the Hillsboro Corner shopping center. They’ll have more maple bacon there tomorrow!
This is embarrassing – I LIVE in Green Hills and have yet to go there. Heck I didn’t even know it was there. Where is it exactly? This bacon maple gelato is a must-try.
Thanks for the tip!
Hey that’s me using my big muscles to fold the bacon into the maple gelato!! Wow, good stuff. I’ve already polished off the entire pint I took home that day!