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Peanut butter and jelly. Bagels and lox. Paula Deen and Michael Richards. Some things just go together, ya know?
We now welcome back two old partners, summertime and gelato, courtesy of dessert hot spot Piccione Pastry and their new gelato counter. Brand new operation Gusto Gourmet Creamery, helmed by married partners Francesco Velocci (below) and Kaetlyn Macauley, are providing creamy, cool gelato for Piccione.
As any lover of gelato can tell you, the creamy dessert can be made in an infinity of flavors, and Piccione will no doubt eventually rotate in new ones from Gusto. Indeed, other flavors the wholesaler is ready to debut include caramelized banana, orange-toasted almond, tiramisu, and even a “Sicilian cannoli” gelato with a ricotta base and a cinnamon-pistachio-caramel swirl that would pair perfectly with Piccione’s formidable selection of cannoli.
“We can make any flavor,” said Macauley. “Our gelato is made completely from scratch and every single recipe is created by my husband. A lot of other gelato is made from mixes you can buy online, but all our ingredients are as made-from-scratch as possible. We make our own caramel for the salted caramel flavor.”
A skilled gelato maker can get really funky with the flavors. “We’ve made a savory gelato with porcini mushrooms that actually tasted pretty good,” she added, “but you’d want it as an appetizer rather than a dessert.”
Those new to the gelato experience should know that gelato “has a lower butterfat content than ice cream because it is made primarily with whole milk,” to quote the Gusto consumer-info materials. “In addition, because gelato can have as much as 70% less air than ice cream, its consistency is much denser than that of ice cream.”
Macauley and her Italian hubbie got into gelato-making the way that many do – they couldn’t stop eating it.
“We lived in Rome when we were first married and I was obsessed with gelato,” said Macauley. “I dragged Francesco out to get it with me several times a week. Then we decided to get a home gelato machine and experiment. My husband’s great grandfather had a pastry shop and we were shown recipes from the early 1900s before refrigeration, made with salt and ice and stirred by hand. We tried to modernize the recipes. Then Francesco studied textbooks on gelato, on the chemistry of it, for months. Then we got a big commercial machine.”
That machine, she said, sat in their living room like some kind of modern sculpture until Gusto found a home in the Butler’s Pantry kitchens. Butler’s Pantry owns Piccione, and also provides all the food for Bixby’s at the Missouri History Museum and the Piper Palm House at Tower Grove Park. Gusto will soon provide gelato for the Bixby’s menu, too, said Macauley.
The gelato will initially be available in four flavors: salted caramel, chocolate (above), and vanilla bean and a strawberry sorbetto (below).
Piccione’s Head Pastry Chef Martin Lopez (who has marshaled his culinary compatriots for some nifty food/charity efforts you can read about here) is excited about the possibilities for gelato at the bakery/café.
“Eventually we can do fun drinks and desserts with it,” said Lopez, “like pastries a la mode.”
Relish suggested the classic Italian affogato (right), a scoop of gelato in coffee, too. With those impressive Lavazza espresso machines at the bakery, it’s a no-brainer.
If you’re strolling the Loop this summer, note that Piccione is surely the bakery that stays open the latest at night in town – they’re open ‘til 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and ‘til 9 p.m. Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Finally, check out the video for the latest slow jam by St. Louis’ own soul superstar Ronald Isley, “Dinner and a Movie.” Much of it was filmed at Piccione. You’ll also recognize scenes shot on Washington Avenue, the Arch, Busch Stadium, and a lounge area at the Four Seasons St. Louis.
Consummate seducer Isley never removes his sunglasses, but that’s cool – the woman in the video, his real-life wife Kandy Johnson Isley, has seen him without them. We think.
Gusto Gelato at Piccione Pastry
Available beginning July 8
6197 Delmar
www.facebook.com/pages/Gusto-Gourmet-Creamery/231837960262391?fref=ts
