How to make quality artisanal ice cream: Arnaud Bongarzone, manager of the Padova ice cream parlor, gives us his recipe in Montpellier

Framboise, stracciatella, chocolat, pistache… les parfums Padova par Bertille Midi Libre – GIACOMO ITALIANO

Arnaud Bongarzone, manager of the Padova ice cream parlor in the Ecusson, opened the doors of the flavor laboratory to us. Here, the turbines run continuously from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to create Italian ice cream. In the narrow corridor of the laboratory, there are two freezers set at – 18 °C, two five-kilo turbines and a pasteurizer to ensure quality production.

First step, collect the raw products. “Bertille, our pastry chef, ice cream maker, arrives at 9 a.m. to help deliver the fresh fruit, milk and cream”, explains Arnaud. Ice cream or sorbet, the methods differ.

The Italian white base

Let's start with the creamy ice cream. Bertille pasteurizes whole milk and cream in 40-liter vats. The machine raises the temperature to 85 °C, then lowers it to refrigerator temperature, or 4 °C, for a period of 1 hour 30 minutes.

At the end, you get a white Italian base, also called fleur de lait Unlike French ice creams, Italian bases do not contain eggs. The taste of fleur de lait is well known to fans of stracciatella. This flavor combines the white base passed through the turbine and dark chocolate. When it comes into contact with the cold, the coulis turns into crunchy nuggets.

Arnaud incorporates dark chocolate with milk flower to make stracciatella Midi Free – Fiona Slous

It's like biting into a fruit

Other flavors undergo additional processing, particularly useful for sorbets: maturation. The ingredients are incorporated by hand into the white base, before infusing in a cool place for several hours.

A spoonful of artisanal sorbet is like a mouthful of raw fruit. At Padova to ensure this sensation, we use two melons for five kilos of ice cream. Whole crates to wash, cut up then mix. The fruit puree mixes with the water and sugar and matures in the fridge, before the fateful turbine step.

The machine incorporates air into the preparation and gives a creamy texture. Bertille delivers the final blow. She works the ice cream with a spatula for a smooth and melting appearance. Get your cones, the ice cream is ready!
 

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