10 Flavours of Gelato Messina

Gelato makes people happy. And the classic, weird and wonderful flavours whipped up by Messina are made with the very best ingredients in the name of putting smiles on people’s faces.

When making gelato at Messina’s, one simple question is asked:

“How would they have made it 100 years ago?”

The answer, of course, is that it would have been made using ingredients in their raw and most natural form and that everything would have been made from scratch. So that’s exactly the way every gelato flavour is made at Messina.

From the baking of apple pies and brownies, to the meticulous roasting and grinding of pistachios, everything at Coolangatta’s Gelato Messina is made lovingly in-house. The team creating the magic is made up of mad gastronomic professors who are passionate about healthy gelato and sorbet, and the focus is on full bodied texture and flavour with less cream.

Who knew healthier gelato could taste this good?

Since opening in the Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst in 2002, Gelato Messina has set the benchmark for gelato in Australia. It offers a diverse range of bespoke gelato cakes and single serve pieces in over 40 flavours. Each week there are five new specials to try.

To check out this week’s specials, visit Gelato Messina on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

The genius behind it all

The genius behind Gelato Messina is Nick Palumbo, whose family hail from Messina, Sicily. His ethos behind the brand was to create the best gelato possible, and his desire to perfect individual flavours and invent elaborate and wonderful flavour creations has made him a familiar face on the foodie scene and Masterchef Australia.

The official chef for the Carpigiani Gelato University in Australia and New Zealand, he and his team painstakingly create works of art to fill Gelato Messina’s shop windows. Visit the Coolangatta store and you’ll be blown away by what you see.

Flavours of Australia

Image via Gelato Messina Coolangatta

While inspiration for Gelato Messina is derived from its Sicilian heritage, it’s the Australian community that drives each creative flavour. Here are ten of our favourites, one which includes a very Aussie ingredient, that you should try:

1. Choc Mint Tim Tam

New for this year is Gelato Messina’s range of gelato-inspired Tim Tam flavours, which include Choc Mint, Salted Caramel & Vanilla, Coconut & Lychee, and Black Forest. They came into store when Arnott’s approached Gelato Messina wanting to work with them, but the production process was a long one. “Making a gelato is one thing, but making a biscuit that tastes like gelato is another,” explained Messina co-founder Declan Lee.

For Arnott’s Global Communications Manager, Nicky Thomson, the relationship is a match made in heaven because of Messina’s “uncompromising commitment to flavours”.

2. Apple Pie

Palumbo first got the idea for apple pie flavour gelato when a gelato ingredient importer gave him a sample jar of apple pie paste. It had every chemical and food additive known to man in it, and it didn’t even contain apple!

Horrified by the ingredients but inspired by the idea of the paste, Palumbo set to work making his own apple compote. He baked up some apple pies, smashed them through with vanilla bean and cinnamon gelato, and the flavour has been a staple in the gelato cabinet ever since.

3. Milk Chocolate and Chocolate Peanut Fudge

Take one timeless ingredient and combine it with another salty favourite and what do you get? Amazing gelato! For fans of the Snickers bar, this smooth, creamy, nutty and fudgy gelato will knock your socks off.

4. Bounty

Nostalgia sits alongside deliciousness with this Bounty-inspired gelato. Getting better every time you eat it, you’ll be back time and time again. Fresh and perfect for any coconut lover, it’s a great summer flavour.

5. Salted Caramel and White Chocolate

This flavour combo is Gelato Messina’s best seller, and it’s easy to see why. Salted caramel – tick. White chocolate – tick. Need we say more?

6. Pistachio

Lovingly roasted before being hand ground, pistachios make this a decadent gelato you won’t be able to get enough of. This pistachio gelato will transport you to warm summer days in the Sicilian sunshine.

7. Coffee and Hazelnut Praline

Gelato Messina doesn’t want anyone to miss out, and for the lactose intolerant, they don’t have to with this yummy flavour. Coffee and hazelnut go hand-in-hand and compliment each other perfectly. In fact, we’d go as far as to say this is the best after-dinner gelato you could find.

8. Pavlova

Vanilla bean gelato with raspberry and passionfruit puree and baked meringue folded through is every Australian’s dream gelato. It’s not a staple on the menu meaning it only pops up as a special, but when it does, grab it. In fact, grab a whole container to take home or use this recipe to make it yourself.

9. Banana Caramel Cheesecake

Another one that rotates as a special is the Banana Caramel Cheesecake, banana cheesecake gelato with whisky butterscotch. Be sure to keep your eyes open for this one and tell all your friends when you spot it.

10. Mango Sorbet

Sorbet might not be your top priority when headed to Gelato Messina, but this mango sorbet tastes just like an ice cream or gelato. Using Kensington Pride mangoes (the best mangoes in the world), your taste buds will be buzzing from the intensity of flavour.

Close contenders for the top 10 include: Italian Nougat, Strawberries and Cream, Pear and Rhubarb, Tiramisu, Pannacotta with Fig Jam and Amaretti Biscuit, and Peanut Butter with Malt O Biscuits and Nutella Fudge.

What are you waiting for? Get your butt to Gelato Messina Coolangatta and start trying them all!