Summer is officially here in Florida. Temperatures have been in the mid nineties for the past few weeks, and all I can think of is yummy cold desserts. Last month’s Bon Appetit was all about Italy, and had a gelato recipe that looked simple enough.
It does require an ice cream maker and a thermometer. I’ve been using the Cuisinart 1-1/2 Quart ice cream maker. Amazon has it right now for $47.80. You may think that an ice cream maker is one of those items you will buy and never use again, and it will just collect dust and take up space on your counter.
My biggest tip to prevent this is to keep the bowl in the freezer. This way you’ll be ready to make ice cream at a moment’s notice. And there’s nothing like homemade ice cream. Typically, you’re looking at a few ingredients: milk, heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla. I always use whole milk and brown sugar, as I was obsessed with Jake’s Brown Shugah Vanilla when I lived in Atlanta.
Bon Appetit’s Stracciatella Gelato (with a few notes and modifications)
Sarah Tenaglia and Sarah Morrow
Recipe courtesy of Bon Appetit
Ingredients
2 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (if you don’t have a vanilla bean you can substitute 1 tablespoons of vanilla extract)
3/4 cup sugar (I used light brown sugar)
5 large egg yolks (save the whites for breakfast tomorrow)
Pinch of kosher salt (can use table salt)
1/2 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet chocolate chips)
2 tsp. vegetable oil
Preparation
Place milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean (or add the vanilla extract). Bring to a simmer (small bubbles, not a rolling boil), whisking often. Whisk sugar, yolks, and salt in a medium bowl until well blended, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk hot milk mixture into yolk mixture (this is called tempering the eggs and you need to do this to prevent the milk from cooking the eggs). Return to saucepan; stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens and a thermometer registers 170°-175°, about 5 minutes (do not boil). Strain into a medium bowl. Stir in cream. Chill custard until cold, at least 2 hours.
Stir chocolate and oil in a small sauce-pan over low heat until melted; let cool.
Process custard in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions (on the Cuisinart it took about 30 minutes). Slowly add all but 1 tsp. melted chocolate during the last 30 seconds of churning (chocolate will form small chips). Transfer to a bowl. Drizzle remaining chocolate over gelato in zigzag lines. Serve immediately (I recommend putting the gelato back in the freezer for a few more hours before you eat it).
What are some of your favorite hot weather desserts? Share in the comments!
Image via avixyz.
