Pam LeBlanc tried the peach gelato from OroBianco. Pam LeBlanc photo
Pam LeBlanc tried the peach gelato from OroBianco. Pam LeBlanc photo
Tack on one more reason to visit the Hill Country town of Blanco – gelato made with milk from a herd of Texas water buffalo.
Oro Bianco Italian Creamery serves up home-made gelato made in small batches from a storefront just north of the square in Blanco, and you should stop by. It’s only open Friday through Sunday, but I got lucky today when I noticed a few cars parked out front.
It turns out one of the employees had stopped by to do a little work, and when some hopeful customers showed up at the door, she let them in. By the time I arrived, a dozen people were happily licking their spoons.
ChrisLeBlanc gets some gelato from OroBianco in Blanco on Monday, July 5. Pam LeBlanc photo
The shop serves up just a few flavors at a time. Today they had chocolate, vanilla bean, some kind of blend of peanut butter and almond, a citrus crema with hints of lemon and orange, and peach, which is what I got.
It doesn’t taste like regular gelato – and I’ve eaten a lot of gelato. (During a trip to Rome and Cinque Terre a few years ago, I vowed to eat at least two servings of gelato a day, and I did. I sampled at least 20 different types in Italy.)
This gelato was almost custard like. It’s made with milk from grass-fed water buffalo raised at a ranch in South Texas and duck eggs from ducks raised on another farm in Fredericksburg. Water buffalo milk has more butterfat than cows’ milk. Just about all the ingredients are local – from the Fredericksburg peaches to locally grown herbs.
OroBianco Italian Creamery opened in Blanco earlier this year. Pam LeBlanc photo
The shop also makes and sells cheese (think mozzarella and burrata) and cured meats. It’s the perfect place to stop after an afternoon at Blanco State Park. The shop is located at 503 Main Street. Regular hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday. For more information call 830-998-4221.
