Authentic artisanal gelato in restaurants: trends and evolution
Let's talk again about gelato in restaurants, this time in its savory form, so different from the classic sweet dessert. Gelato is unrivaled in its versatility, able to be served with any course from aperitif to dessert, including appetizers and first and second courses. With Diletta Poggiali – instructor at Carpigiani Gelato University, chef, and contributor to food magazines – we learned how this product is conquering the tables of restaurants around the world.
Diletta caught our attention from the start with a historical note: serving gelato with all courses, which seems so innovative to us today, was actually quite common during the Renaissance, and chefs started experimenting with savory flavors as early as the 19th century. Proof of this are recipes and molds for gelato in the shape of vegetables at the Gelato Museum in Anzola dell'Emilia, Italy, and dating back to the early 1800s. In contrast to what it is today,
a dessert for the masses at an affordable price, gelato began as a niche product and over time became a display of luxury and extravagance.

Gelato in the kitchen went from being a simple dessert to a key component of a dish that, as Diletta tells us, "
Must amaze, but not shock!" Gelato allows the chef to play with textures, flavors, and temperatures to offer the customer new emotions and sensations, but let's take a look at how gelato can be added to the menu and how with proper knowledge the restaurateur can contextualize and adapt it to their cuisine.
Diletta gave us some examples for each course, starting with the aperitif. Think about how you could turn the most classic cocktails into sorbets, with the same taste but increased creaminess, a different consistency and less alcohol. Think of a local prosecco sorbet as a drink for welcoming guests at a fine dining establishment or as an elegant alternative to a cocktail during a summer event.
Then we move on to the appetizer: a simple gelato with the flavor of extra virgin olive oil or smoked butter to accompany a basket of fragrant bread. Now for the first course. Here Diletta took us back to her teenage years, when coming home from school she would find "cold" pasta and beans prepared in advance by her grandmother, and so she proposed "pasta and beans with a scoop of smoked tomato sorbet." A sensory experience that embodies all the possible variations of this dish, which as we all know can be enjoyed hot, almost in the form of soup during the coldest months, but that has a unique flavor even when made thicker and creamier and allowed to cool. Diletta tried to convey this dual identity, first offering the hot variant that then transformed into the cool version as the scoop of gelato melted.

Our chef went on to argue that
gelato reaches its highest expression with the second course, underscoring how cold temperatures are already commonly found on our tables if you consider all the second courses that are traditionally served cold. Diletta offered the example of sliced veal with tuna sauce, noting that the sauce’s ingredients could be made into a gelato: capers, tuna, anchovies. Other possibilities include meat tartar accompanied by mustard gelato or a tenderloin with roasted potato gelato, followed by cheeses that can be served in gelato form as an alternative to the classic platter of cured meats and cheeses.
After completing our journey through menus with gelato, Diletta emphasized two key requirements: experience and knowledge. She confirmed that as easy as savory gelato is to make and to add to menus around the world, it’s crucial to "have a solid knowledge of the ingredients, to experiment with different combinations, and above all to balance the ingredients properly so as to have stable gelato recipes that perform well when combined with other dishes."
Diletta Poggiali, who has worked in numerous major restaurants in Italy and abroad, confirmed that gelato can play a role in restaurant menus since the chef has a wide variety of possibilities at their disposal and the help of modern equipment to simplify their work.
Gelato is an easily repeatable "dish": the mix can be prepared in advance and vacuum packed for later use. Moreover, programs such as "Crystal" make a product that can be poured into molds, blast chilled, and then stored at -18°C so that it’s ready to serve when needed. Chefs can use small machines to produce small quantities as needed, or modular systems that optimize space by combining batch freezer and display case in one, or even have the product always ready for dispensing using a soft gelato machine.
In short, Diletta concluded by telling us that gelato is a unique tool that, if used well, can offer amazing results, all you need is to find the right combination of recipes and equipment with a good dose of experimentation, just like in the best kitchens.
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Specifically, we are not talking about ice cream but about gelato, an artisan product with different textures and temperatures that adapts even better to different gastronomic combinations. If you want to know more, we invite you to discover our courses dedicated to gelato for restaurants menu!