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Recipe: Gelato edit

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Photo: Flickr user

Created by: Anonymous

Edited by: Sheri, Juan-Carlo Tomas

Other Names: Gelato, Italian Gelato, Northern Italian-Style Gelato, Italian Ice Cream

edit Ingredients

5

large egg yolks, brought to room temperature

cup ¾ sugar

2

cups ¼ whole milk

1

cup heavy cream

1

inch vanilla pod, sliced half lengthwise

Pinch of salt

edit Preparation

Step 1

Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until thick (about 2-3 minutes).

Step 2

In a large saucepan, combine the whole milk, heavy cream, vanilla bean and a pinch of salt. Heat over medium heat, stirring over medium heat, until bubbles form and pop around the edges. Remove from heat.

Step 3

Slowly whisk about ¼ of the warm mixture into the egg mixture; then add it all back into the milk mixture in the saucepan. Stir constantly over low heat until mixture is slightly thickened and begins to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Be sure to not simmer.

Step 4

Fill a large stainless steel bowl with ice and water.

Step 5

Strain the custard through a fine sieve (or a cheesecloth-lined colander) into a smaller stainless steel bowl, then set into the ice bath. Stir occasionally and let chill until completely cooled.

Step 6

Transfer mixture to an ice cream machine and follow manufacturer’s instructions.

Step 7

Best when served immediately, although it will keep in the freezer for up to a month.

edit Tools

edit About Gelato

Unlike North American ice cream, most (not all) Italian gelati are made with whole milk and egg yolks instead of cream, making them deliciously dense. Whole milk in Italy tends to be richer than in the United States, so many recipes here add a bit of cream to compensate.

This recipe is very rich. You can adjust the amount of egg yolks as well as use lower fat milk for a less creamy version. You can also add other flavors or fruits.

Here are a few tips when preparing a true Italian gelato:

Use the freshest ingredients possible: get your eggs, cream and milk at your farmer's market
If using fruit, buy what's fresh and seasonal
Opt for vanilla bean instead of extract
Bring eggs to room temperature: you'll stir less and prevent air from getting incorporated
Strain your custard: use a fine mesh sieve or a cheesecloth-lined colander
Eat it fresh from the machine or, if frozen, let it soften before serving

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Wikipedia

Gelato (plural: gelati) is Italy's regional variant of ice cream. As such, gelato is made with some of the same ingredients as most other frozen dairy desserts. Milk, cream, various sugars, flavoring including fruit and nut purees are the main ingredients. Gelato differs from ice cream in that it has a lower fat content, typically 3.5% for gelato versus 10-12% for ice-cream. Gelato has a higher sugar content, 24% for gelato versus approximately 14% for ice cream. Non-fat milk is added as a solid. The sugar content in gelato is precisely balanced with the water content to act as an anti-freeze, that is, to prevent the product from freezing solid. The types of sugar used are sucrose and dextrose and invert-sugar to control the apparent sweetness. Typically, gelato and Italian sorbet contain a stabilizing base. Egg yolks are used in yellow custard-based gelato flavors, including zabaione and creme caramel. The mixture for gelato is typically made using a hot process, which includes pasteurization. White base is heated to 85°C. Heating the mix to 90°C is essential for chocolate gelato, which is traditionally flavored with cocoa powder. Yellow custard base, which contains egg yolks, is heated to 65°C. The gelato mix needs to age for several hours after pasteurization is complete in order for the milk proteins to hydrate or bind with the water in the mix. This hydration reduces the size of the ice crystals making a smoother texture in the final product. A non-traditional cold mix process is popular among some gelato makers in the United States. Unlike commercial ice cream in the United States which is frozen in a continuous assembly line freezer, gelato is frozen very quickly in individual small batches in a batch freezer. The batch freezer incorporates air or overage into the mix as it freezes. Unlike American-style ice cream which can have an overage of up to 50%, gelato generally has between 20% and 35% overage. This results in a denser product with more intense flavor than U.S. style ice cream. U.S. style ice cream, with a higher fat content, can be stored in a freezer for months. Premium artisan gelato holds its peak flavor and texture (from delicate ice crystals) for only several days, even when it is stored carefully at the proper temperature.

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