Gelato Di Crema

Well, I certainly had time to finish this post today! One of my dogs is sick, and that’s a side effect from being boarded. One out of the three usually comes home with a tummyache. It’s now 4:45 a.m. and I am wide awake. I can’t just lay in bed thinking of all the things I have to do today, so it’s easier to get up and get the day started. So armed with an iced espresso, here is the gelato recipe I started two days ago.

While we were in California, we stopped into the local Barnes and Noble store to browse (which is one of my favorite things to do) and I saw the current La Cucina Italiana magazine – and right on the cover was “How to make authentic Gelato!” Now according to them, a gelato maker paddle turns more slowly than an American ice cream maker, which means less air is put into the final product. So the end result should be a dense and creamy.

For the first time, I actually used my thermometer while I cooked the custard, and I have to say, it made my life much easier. No guesswork – boom, once it hit the right temp, I took it off the heat. And I was rewarded with a perfectly cooked gelato base. I let the mixture chill overnight, and processed it yesterday morning. It was one of the few things that I didn’t ruin.

The end result? It’s very rich, and very fluffy. I’m sure that’s my machines doing – since the paddle spins so quickly, it whips it up and creates a mousse like dessert. Now, none of this is bad, just not the final effect I was hoping for.

I’ll scoop some later, take a better photo, and let you know how everyone else likes it.

Vanilla Gelato – adapted from La Cucina Italiana

5 large egg yolks
¾ cup sugar
2 ¼ cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

Whisk together egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick.

Combine milk and cream in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally, and heat just until bubbles pop around the pan’s edges. Remove from heat.

Whisk about 1/3 of hot milk mixture into the egg yolks, then add egg mixture back into saucepan. Heat mixture over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and registers 170-175 on instant read thermometer. Do not allow to boil or the mixture will break.

Strain mixture into another bowl and place that bowl into an ice bath. Stir frequently to speed the cooling process. Once the custard is cool, add the vanilla extract.

Chill for several hours and then freeze according to your ice cream makers instructions.