SETH: Gianluigi.

GIANLUIGI: Hi, Seth.

SETH: Good to meet you.

GIANLUIGI: Good to meet you.

SETH: You are the famous gelato guy.

GIANLUIGI: Well, that's what I've been told.

I'm trying to do my best.

SETH: And there are so many beautiful flavors on display here.

What do you recommend we try today?

GIANLUIGI: Well, we do have a different option, especially our seasonal flavor, sorbet, gelato.

But if I'm you, I would definitely suggest you to try the classic stracciatella.

SETH: That sounds delicious.

Uh, can I try a taste?

GIANLUIGI: Yes, you can.

But before, why don't I show you how it's been made?

Why don't we go to the factory?

SETH: Let's go check it out.

GIANLUIGI: All right, follow me.

Welcome to Dolci Gelati factory, Seth.

SETH: All right.

I could get used to working in a place like this.

And so, tell me, Chef, what makes gelato gelato?

GIANLUIGI: Well, gelato is an Italian ice cream.

It's a similar ingredients, milk, cream, sugar, but gelato is considered low fat, low calorie, and less air.

So, gelato melt faster, is intense in flavor, and keep your palate clean after you consume.

SETH: All right.

And with that low fat content, obviously it's healthy, right?

GIANLUIGI: Obviously.

So, it is guilt-free.

SETH: Guilt-free.

All right.

We'll go with that.

GIANLUIGI: So, this machine is the first machine that we use in any production, and it's our base, which is called fior di latte.

With this fior di latte, we can make the stracciatella or other flavors.

SETH: So, every gelato starts the same way?

GIANLUIGI: Yes.

Let's start how to make gelato from scratch.

SETH: All right.

Sounds good to me.

GIANLUIGI: Ready?

So, this is the whole milk.

Here we go.

This is first bucket, and now we have another bucket coming up.

So, once we have all the milk in, we can start to heat up the milk.

Okay, now we can add the milk powder and the dextrose sugar and some of the stabilizer that help to combine the molecule of fat with the molecule of water that make the texture that we want.

SETH: It feels like you're mixing a magical potion in here.

GIANLUIGI: Yeah.

We're going to help the machine to give it a quick stir.

SETH: Do you ever get tired of making gelato?

GIANLUIGI: Uh... SETH: Please say no.

GIANLUIGI: No, I don't.

SETH: I need to imagine every day is a joy here.

GIANLUIGI: I do.

I do love making the gelato.

And now that milk is heating it up more, we can add our granulated sugar.

SETH: Milk and sugar.

Match made in heaven.

GIANLUIGI: There you go.

And then once you heat up a little bit more, we're going to add our last ingredients, which is our heavy cream.

SETH: All right.

Heavy cream and a lot of it.

And you promised me this is low fat.

GIANLUIGI: Yes.

I mean, comparing to the ice cream, the ice cream recipe usually require 50/50 milk and cream.

In the gelato, we only use 20% of cream.

That's why it's healthy.

SETH: With all of the ingredients added, the pasteurization cycle continues for 30 minutes.

Then the base cools and rests for another 12 hours.

But with some already prepared fior di latte, Gianluigi uses his vintage gelato machine to make the stracciatella.

GIANLUIGI: So basically, the gelato machine freeze all the water, adding air, and the particularity of the gelato is a low air comparing to the ice cream.

SETH: And that's why I guess gelato, when you eat it, it's just so smooth.

GIANLUIGI: So smooth.

As you can see now, the cylinder is freezing and the gelato base, it start to freeze on the edge.

So, you see it's getting thicker.

SETH: And just watching this base cascade, it's almost kind of mesmerizing.

GIANLUIGI: Relaxing.

SETH: Soothing.

GIANLUIGI: Soothing.

Okay.

Now that we see that the gelato is start to freezing, we can add our chocolate.

We use a refined coconut oil to make it thinner and to give it the perfect crunch.

We add our semi-sweet chocolate and then we melt until we have the chocolate for the stracciatella.

And we're going to pour a little bit in our gelato base, going to start it again, and then you will see all the chocolate evenly distributing to the gelato.

So now, we're going to add a little bit more.

More is better than less.

SETH: I happen to agree with you on that.

GIANLUIGI: And wait a few seconds and then we start it again.

SETH: And so, the chocolate that you ladled in, that's the only flavoring going onto the base?

GIANLUIGI: Exactly.

That's why I like stracciatella, because it's such a natural, simple ingredients that you can taste all the flavors.

SETH: Now that the gelato is frozen, it's time to extract and get ready to eat.

GIANLUIGI: Okay, now we're going to add a little bit of the melted chocolate on top for garnish.

All right.

This is our finished product.

It's our signature stracciatella gelato.

Let's go back to the museum and give it a try.

SETH: Let's get going.

All right, Chef, this first bite has been a long time in the making.

Buon appetito?

GIANLUIGI: Buon appetito.

SETH: Wow.

GIANLUIGI: What do you think?

SETH: That gelato base is velvety, yet somehow light and refreshing, but what I really love is the way those little flecks of chocolate just shatter when you bite into them.

It's a little burst of flavor.

GIANLUIGI: And that's the point of the stracciatella process, the liquid chocolate that harden slightly.

So, I'm glad that you like it.

That means that you have a great taste.

SETH: Perfect little detour on the way from the East Wing to the West Wing.