Have you been to College Hill Coffee Co.?

College Hill Coffee Company is a great little coffee and lunch place on Hamilton Avenue in College Hill. They have been serving Madisono's Gelato and Sorbet there for several years, and it's so much what a local coffee house should be; comfortable & friendly with a warm personality. In addition to delicious coffee drinks and a cozy couch to nestle into, there is a delicious cafe menu for lunch and really delightful gift items for kids, adults and coffee lovers incorporated into the two spacious rooms. Check out their website for family friendly live music too. When you stop by, have a little Madisono's gelato with your coffee and tell them we sent ya!

Chocolate Gems, Asheville, SC

When ever I'm on vacation, we delight in discovering the frozen dessert options in each town we visit. It's a delicious way to "work" while I'm away!

This year we spent 2 days in Asheville, South Carolina and were eager to give Chocolate Gems a try. They offer delicious chocolate confections, in addition to some delicious gelato options. The store is in a spacious historic building with high ceilings, broad wooden floors and bistro tables scattered throughout the eating area.

The gelato was absolutely delicious! My wife raved about the toasted almond, saying that it had a lovely mellow almond flavor with crunchy toasted almonds blended into the gelato and as a garnish on top. Based on the complexity of the almond flavor, my assessment is that it was created not with almond extract (which leaves a tinny and slightly artificial almond flavor) but with almond paste. Good choice! I really enjoyed the chocolate, which had a deep, complex cocoa flavor and a creamy texture. My daughter tried the pink grapefruit and was smitten. When asked what made it so great, she claimed that it was equally as good as Madisono's Pink Grapefruit but in a different way. This version had a good tart grapefruit flavor and a beautiful soft pink color and in the end, we realized that it was the soft texture that made the difference. She is usually eating our pink grapefruit out of a pint from the freezer, which is kept at a colder temperature than the gelato pans in a shop. It's good to remember that subtle differences in texture and temperature can make an entirely different gelato experience.

Having given the gelato it's day in court, we purchased some chocolates and devoured those. Clearly, this is a place that truly believes in creating fine quality products. If you're in Asheville, we definitely recommend that you stop by!

Madisono's is getting ready for the Choir Games!

Madisono's Gelato and Sorbet is SUPER excited to be offering our products to visitors here in Cincinnati for the 2012 World Choir Games! Sugar Plums Cupcakes (their storefront is in Mason) will be selling our gelato and sorbet at their booth in the World Choir Games International Market Place on 5th and Race streets downtown. We'd talk more about it but right now, we're busy producing the 10,000 6 oz. cups of Caramello with Sea Salt, Strawberry Lemonade Sorbet and Madagascar Vanilla. Whew!

If you are experiencing the excitement downtown, stop by and refresh yourself with a cooling cup!

Pair Madisono's gelato with this delicious Crumb Cake

If you're looking for an easy summertime dessert, this might strike your fancy. We found the rhubarb crumb cake recipe on the foodie blog Bob Vivant and recreated it with raspberries for our Sunday dinner guests. It's pretty good on it's own (like an almond studded fruity brownie textured cake), but we recommend the addition of Madisono's Madagascar Vanilla gelato. Recipe is as follows:

Ingredients

Butter for greasing the pan

THE CRUMB:

2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour (or all purpose)
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
2 tablespoons rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

THE CAKE:

2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon almond extract
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour (or all purpose)
1 1/2 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2″ pieces

Equipment

8-inch, deep, fluted tart pan or 8-inch springform pan

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bottom and sides of the baking pan.
2. For the crumb, combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Using a fork or your fingers, gently work in the butter until pea-sized lumps are formed.
3. Combine the eggs, sugar, salt, and almond extract in a large bowl. Beat on high until the mixture triples in volume, about five minutes. Fold in the melted butter, flour, and rhubarb. Evenly spread the thick batter into the prepared pan.
4. Bake for 60-75 minutes, until the topping is deeply golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the pan when it’s completely cool.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Madisono's graces the cover of 513eats

I'm pretty sure we talk about this all the time, but if you love Cincinnati and food and beautiful photography and foodie articles, you will really, really (and we mean REALLY) love this publication. Every photo deserves to be in an oversized coffee table book.

This month's issue of 513eats is especially wonderful because Madisono's Gelato and Sorbet is included in a feature article on artesian gelato and frozen treats in Cincinnati. We are thrilled to be in such good company! Thank you Gina Weathersby and Ilene Ross for including us!

What's more, out of all those amazing photos, our raspberry sorbet was picked for the cover! You humble us...

1 Night, 12 Kitchens wrap-up

Oh man, we love doing this gig. 1 Night, 12 Kitchens is a fundraiser to support scholarships for the Midwest Culinary Institute. It's incredible to be in the company of Cincinnati's best chefs in the incredible kitchens if the MCI. The energy is so positive and as you can imagine, the food is unbelievably delicious. Madisono's offered bite-sized s'mores with our giandouja (hazelnut and chocolate) gelato, Grateful Grahams graham crackers and made-from-scratch marshmallow perfectly toasted golden brown with a kitchen torch.

This year, we took let our MCI student assistant Valerie (pictured above) take charge of our table and went around to taste some of the incredible food creations. I was only disappointed that my stomach couldn't hold anything more in it by the end of the night. We'll see you there next year!

Strawberry Lemonade sorbet

That's Noah making our seasonal flavor Strawberry Lemonade in the shop yesterday. Of course real strawberries and lots of lemon zest are on the ingredient list to make for that beautifully sweet tart flavor.

We hear that it tastes especially good with some white rum or perhaps in that daiquiri you are now planning on making for your Friday happy hour. We don't blame you if you want to start that party early now that you know what to serve. It's currently available at Kramer's Market, College Hill Coffee, Pipkins, Madison's at Findlay Market, Keegan's Seafood and Sugar Plum. If you don't see it in your usual Madisono's locations, don't hesitate to ask for it. Now let's get this party started!