Here I go again, lost in a daydream of childhood flavors and smells….

Just like Proust and his famous Madleine, my mind can snap back to a precise moment of the otherwise hazy past, to a scene of my childhood, with just one small taste.

The sense of smell and taste have always been my sharpest and favorite ones, and they powerfully drive my experience of the world, maybe that is why food is so important to me.

That’s why the flavor of toasted hazelnut combined with chocolate, to me screams GELATO and SUMMERS AT THE BEACH, in Sanremo, where I was born.

In my eternal quest, this is another attempt to recapture the flavors of my homeland and that vision of a happy, tanned and salty 7-year-old Vivica, savoring a giant cone of Gelato al Bacio with a scoop of freshly whipped cream slapped on top…

OK Enough reverie, let’s get to business.

This chocolate hazelnut gelato recipe came about quite by chance, by trying to make a sauce for the first (and only) Paleo Cheesecake I made for my friend’s teenage daughter. But as I threw those few and almost random ingredients into the food processor and mixed them up, magic happened!

Perfect consistency and almost perfect flavor! Just a few tweaks and there is was, almost exactly like the original. The trick to this gelato is to use enough of the other ingredients and let the bananas really just give the base, without overpowering the flavor.

PLEASE do not forget that even though this is a relatively healthy dessert, it is still a food higher in sugar, and should be consumed occasionally and in moderation!!



