M'tucci's Gelato
/You are going to love our new gelato! While we have always had gelato on our menus, the bar is being raised with the delivery of a new gelato machine and the partnership with a local dairy, Rasband, to supply all of the milk.
Gelato existed before ice cream, but it has less sugar and less cream than what we know as ice cream. Eggs are primarily used in gelato made in Northern Italy, but rarely used in Southern Italy or Sicily. Gelato relies on precise technique and the best ingredients such as: fresh fruit in season, and quality nuts and chocolate for the intense flavor and richness. Another factor in the richness of gelato is the lack of air, or emulsification, that is used in whipping the ingredients together.
Fresh Lemons and Strawberries for our Lemon Mascarpone and Strawberry Gelato.
Gelato was refined in Italy, but its roots are most likely in the Arab countries of North Africa and the Middle East, where flavored ices were created from snow and fresh fruit. The early concoctions were probably closer to a slushie than sorbetto or gelato. It eventually made its way to Sicily during some of the conflicts with the Moors. Even before the fall of the Roman Empire, Romans and Sicilians starting harvesting snow from Mt. Etna and Mt. Vesuvius to make what the Italians called sorbetto.
After learning to create a mixture in a container surrounded by ice, the result was something more refined than a “slushy”. The Arabs called their product “sherbet” which means “sweet snow” in Arabic.
In the early sixteenth century the De Medici court held a dessert competition, which was won by a man named Ruggheri. His sorbetto was praised by all and he accompanied Catherine de Medici to France (when she traveled there to marry the future King of France) where his sorbetto wowed the French cooks and became very popular in France. In the late 17th century a Sicilian fishermen who grew tired of the hard life at sea, discovered a machine that his grandfather acquired and started experimenting with recipes, eventually substituting sugar for honey and added milk. He also learned to mix salt with the ice to make the mixing vessel colder.
Armed with his recipes and new techniques, Francesco Procopio di Coltelli moved to Paris and opened Cafe Procope, which became the first successful Gelateria.
Eventually, gelato came to the U.S. with an Italian immigrant in 1770 when Genoan Giovanni Bosio open the first gelateria in New York. Cone molds were soon invented, followed by the hand cranked machine. The electric machine made it feasible to make gelato at home and for small producers to sell it on the street, at this time the recipes and techniques evolved. Gelato became ice cream - not always an improvement, since lesser ingredients and powdered flavorings were often used (they still are today - look at the ingredients of a container of inexpensive ice cream and you might be shocked to find many ingredients that are chemicals and sound more like components for paint thinner than food!). Let’s just say that gelato is a healthier, more natural form of ice cream.
In addition to our local milk from Rasband Dairy, we will only use the freshest fruit in season, the best chocolate, and we’ll make our own caramel for our Salted Caramel Gelato. Pastry Chef Brianna at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five is in charge of the recipes and will keep the selections interesting. Our goal is to offer four different flavors at each of our locations. In the not-too-distant future, we will sell 8 oz containers of M’tucci’s Gelato at each restaurant.
Keep watching this space for news about flavors and the availability of take home gelato. For now, we have Strawberry, Lemon Mascarpone, Salted Caramel and Stracciatella Gelato.
Weekend Specials
M’tucci’s Italian
Three Cheese and Red Chile Ravioli, Roasted Red Peppers, Caramelized Onion, Butternut Squash, Arugula, Brown Butter Sauce
Hand Cut 16oz T-Bone, Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction, Grilled Lemon
Pan-Seared Bronzino - Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Cream Sauce
Sunday Only: Full Rack of Baby Back Ribs, Salt Water Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach and House BBQ Sauce for $27
M’tucci’s Moderno
Beef Tenderloin - Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Italian Salsa Verde $27
Pan-Seared Yellowtail - Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Cream Sauce $21
Crispy Chicken Risotto - Mushrooms, Celery, Carrots, Crispy Chicken, Alfredo Sauce $19
Sunday Only: House Made Lasagna with Herbed Ricotta, Five Pork Bolognese and Roasted Tomato Marinara. $16 (it’s large)
M’tucci’s Twenty-Five
Smoked Herb Roasted Pork Loin - Garlic Mash Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Spicy Buerre Blanc
Pan-Seared Yellowtail - Grilled Escarole, Prosciutto Powder, Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Seared Artichokes, Topped with Prosciutto Powder, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce
Dessert Special: Chocolate Brownie, House Marshmallow, Chocolate Ganache, Topped with Chocolate Hazelnut Candy and Dolce De Leche Whip.
Kirk Matthews Live at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five Friday 7:30 - 9:30
A Few from Italy
Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!
