By Gina DePalma

It’s July! Bust out the strawberries! This is my favorite time of the year, because New York falls completely into sync with Rome in the appearance of luscious, local strawberries. At the Union Square Greenmarket, customers and pastry chefs line up for their share of bright red Tri-star strawberries from upstate, and at the markets and fruit stands of Rome, baskets of plump strawberries bask in the summer sun, releasing their perfumed sweetness into the air.

Rome’s supply of strawberries come from a geographic swath that encircles the city, thanks to the volcanic lakes and hills that lie to both the north and south. Everybody joins in the worship of the local crop. In restaurants, it is common to see bowls of sliced strawberries served for dessert, sometimes tossed in a few splashes of local wine.

But no place celebrates le fragole like Nemi, a small medieval town located southwest of Rome, next to its namesake lake, Lago di Nemi. The entire month of June is devoted to the celebration of the strawberry, and on weekends, visitors from all over the region visit Nemi for their share of the spoils.

It is the tiny, wild fragole di bosco that everyone is after. These berries are gathered from the sandy, mineral-rich soil surrounding the lake, guarded by thick forests of pine and chestnut. Like tiny drops of red nectar, they pack an intensely flavored punch. Nemi’s pastry shops serve them atop tiny custard tartlets, on cream-stuffed bigne, or simply served under a mound of barely whipped cream.

Since the wild berries are both rare and in demand, they come with a hefty price tag at the market, but there are plenty of cultivated strawberries to go around at a more manageable price. Lazio’s crop produces rotund, juicy berries that are super-sweet and brilliant red, with an intoxicating fragrance that fills the kitchen.

For me, this smell means its time to make a batch of strawberry gelato, my absolutely favorite flavor and the ultimate union of strawberries and cream. You won’t find strawberry gelato at any other time of year in Italy, since, artigianale (artisan) producers will only make it when strawberries are in season. I absolutely agree with this philosophy, so make this recipe in the summer, when strawberries are plentiful and local, and it will be like your own private trip to Nemi in July.

Strawberry Gelato
Gelato di Fragole

Adapted from Dolce Italiano: Desserts From The Babbo Kitchen by Gina DePalma, W.W. Norton & Co., 2007.

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ vanilla bean
6 large egg yolks
½ lb. cleaned, sliced strawberries
An additional 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Place the heavy cream, milk, and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Scrape the vanilla bean and add the seeds and bean pod to the pot, and place over medium heat.

Meanwhile, whisk the remaining egg yolks well with 1 tablespoon of sugar in a large bowl. When the milk/cream mixture comes to a boil, remove the pan from the heat. Add a splash of the hot liquid to the bowl with yolks, and immediately begin to whisk vigorously. Slowly whisk in the remaining liquid, then return the entire mixture to the saucepan and continue to whisk for about a minute or so. Strain the gelato base through a chinois or fine-meshed sieve to remove any bits of cooked egg.

Allow the gelato base to cool completely in the refrigerator, whisking occasionally so it will cool evenly. While the gelato is cooling, place the cleaned strawberries in a blender or food processor along with the additional 3 tablespoons of sugar. Pulse to achieve a chunky puree, but do not over process or the strawberries will liquefy.

Stir the strawberry puree into the cold gelato base to thoroughly combine them. Immediately transfer the gelato to an ice cream freezer and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

Makes about 3 ½ cups of gelato. Note: This recipe makes under 1 quart of liquid gelato, before freezing, to accommodate smaller ice cream and gelato machines. If you have a larger capacity machine, this recipe can be doubled.

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