Ottimo Ice Cream Sandwiches:
All-American

CAPSULE REPORT: Although it’s an American favorite, it isn’t easy to find a good ice cream sandwich. Unless you’re at a nice restaurant where the pastry chef has created them, you have to get great cookies and ice cream and put them together yourself.

The folks at Ciao Bella Gelato realize that desire to enjoy these treats exceeds the time and energy most people have to execute them. They’ve done all the work by creating Ottimo (“the best” in Italian) “gelato cookie sandwiches,” which we’ll call by the commonly-accepted term, ice cream sandwiches, going forward (see the sidebar below for the difference between ice cream and gelato). Nine delicious sandwiches will arrive at your doorstep. As enormous as they look in the photo, they’re three-inches in diameter: a perfect size to feel satiated by one, and large enough to divide in half to enjoy two different flavors. If the budget allowed, we’d keep the freezer full for year-round snacking; but we’d be thrilled to get shipments for birthdays, hostess gifts and any other reason.

• To read the full review below, click here. (If your e-mail client does not support anchor links, e.g. AOL, please scroll down.)
• For more of our favorite dairy products reviewed on TheNibble.com, click here.
• For the table of contents of the July issue of THE NIBBLE™ online magazine, plus the back issues archive and our most popular articles, click here.
• All of the Top Of The Pick newsletters are permanently archived on TheNibble.com in chronological order and by product category.

• Food Education: Gelato vs. Ice Cream
• How To Make Ice Cream Sandwiches
• Shopping Information

• Related Articles
• More Favorite Books

Our only regret is that there aren’t more ice cream sandwich flavors from Ciao Bella Gelato. After you eat a box, you may be inspired to make your own. Our favorite “recipes” include:

• Chocolate-chocolate chip cookies with chocolate chip mint, pistachio or banana ice cream
• Molasses clove‡ cookies with ginger or dulce de leche ice cream
• Chocolate tangerine‡ cookies with strawberry, coconut or French vanilla ice cream
• Lavender shortbread‡ with lavender or green tea ice cream (shortbread is crunchy, not a pliant cookie...but we can’t resist the lavender)

Sounds like an opportunity for a mix-and-match dessert party!

‡These are actual cookie flavors available from DancingDeer.com.

CIAO BELLA GELATO

Ottimo Gelato Cookie Sandwiches

• Nine Assorted Gelato Cookie
  Sandwiches
  Individually Wrapped
  $54.95 Plus Shipping (FedEx)
• Orders placed through Tuesday night
  will ship on Wednesday for Thursday
  delivery.

Purchase online at CiaoBellaGelato.com.

Price and product availability are verified at
publication but are subject to change.
Note: Stonewall Kitchen has begun to sell the Ottimo online, and as of this writing is being promoted on Ciao Bella’s home page. Don’t click through to buy from Stonewall—click on the link above to buy directly from Ciao Bella, or on the red ORDER NOW link at the top right of the Ciao Bella website.

Nine ice cream sandwiches arrive at your doorstep,
three each of three different flavors. (Flavors are
subject to change.)

If you have a sweet tooth,
or know someone who does,
also check out:

• Candy
• Chocolate
• Cookies, Cake & Pastry

You Scream, I Scream...For Gelato

Is gelato the same as ice cream? It’s not the same as American ice cream. Gelato, Italian-style ice cream, has two major points of differentiation: density and butterfat. It has much less overrun (air) so it’s a much more dense product. Ciao Bella in particular contains 20% air by volume, compared to 60% in most American brands. Gelato also has less fat because it’s made with milk and only a little cream. Ice cream generally contains more cream than milk. As a result, most superpremium ice creams in the U.S. have a butterfat content of 15% to 18%; gelato’s butterfat content normally runs from 4% to 14% (Ciao Bella’s is 12%). The greater amount of butterfat in ice cream tends to coat the tongue and the taste buds. The lower butterfat level of gelato allows more of the flavor of the fruits, nuts, chocolate et al to shine through. In addition, gelato recipes tend to have a higher proportion of flavoring than ice cream. The end result is a heightened flavor.

Gelato can be a special treat for frozen dessert lovers. Unfortunately, because it is so labor-intensive, many sellers of gelato use pre-prepared commercial mixes. Making strawberry gelato from a base mix and adding strawberry flavor does not yield anywhere near the same type of product as making a purée of fresh strawberries and mixing it into fresh milk. It is a far cry from the fresh gelato made by artisan producers like Ciao Bella Gelato in New Jersey, Capogiro Gelato Artisans in Philadelphia, Il Laboratorio del Gelato in New York City and Palazzolo’s Artisan Gelato & Sorbetto in Michigan. Artisanal gelato is made from the freshest milk, fruits, nuts and other ingredients: the whole purpose behind gelato is to create an intense, fresh flavor experience. Before you’re disappointed by your gelato purchase, figure out how to ask the question at the gelateria, e.g., “do you start your gelato from scratch and purée the fresh fruit yourself?” Some gelato-makers buy fresh fruit that is already puréed to save time—that’s O.K. too.

For more information on gelato, read these articles in THE NIBBLE™ online magazine:

• Gelato: The Real Scoop
• Frozen Dessert Definitions: The Difference Between Ice Cream, Gelato,
  Granita, Sherbet, Sorbet et al

How To Make Ice Cream Sandwiches

• Choose your cookies. The Eleni’s cookies used for the Ottimo sandwiches are not available for direct sale to consumers, so we like to use Dancing Deer cookies, which come in bewitching flavors like Molasses Clove, Chocolate Tangerine, Sugar Cane Lime, Cherry Almond Ginger Chews and Mango Coconut Macadamia (the cookies are certified kosher by Star-K).
• Select your favorite ice cream, gelato or sorbetto.
• Soften the ice cream—either in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes or at room temperature for about 5 minutes, depending on the size of the container and the temperature of the room. The goal is to soften the ice cream without melting it.
• Place an empty cookie sheet in the freezer, so sandwiches can be immediately transferred and frozen as you make them.
• Add a generous dollop of softened ice cream to the center of the “bottom” cookie (topside facing downward).
• Add the top cookie (bottom-side downward), and press just until the ice cream reaches the edges. There should be ¾" to 1" of ice cream layered in-between.
• Place sandwiches on a tray in freezer and let them set for at least 1 hour before eating. If you do not plan to eat them within a few hours, wrap them tightly with plastic wrap after they have set for an hour.
• For more information, read our article, Gourmet Ice Cream Sandwiches.