Basic Gelato Recipes

BASIC GELATO RECIPE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until smooth, thick, and pale yellow. This will take around 30 seconds. Whisk in the milk, cream, salt and vanilla until evenly combined.
• Place the saucepan over medium heat. Whisking almost constantly, cook the mixture until an instant-read thermometer reads 170 degrees F, approximately 10 minutes.
• Strain the gelato base through a fine mesh strainer into a medium-size bowl, preferably one with a pouring spout.
• Place plastic wrap directly against the surface of the liquid to prevent a skin from forming. Chill until the mixture is very cold, at least 6 hours or up to two days in advance.
• Briefly whisk the mixture, then prepare in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions.
• Once the gelato has finished spinning, it will likely be a soft serve consistency. Transfer to a loaf pan (or similar sized pan), cover, and freeze until fully frozen but scoopable, up to 2 hours.
• Enjoy within 1-2 weeks for best flavor and texture. If the gelato is too firm to scoop directly out of the freezer, let it sit on the counter or in the refrigerator for 5 minutes before serving.

CLASSIC GELATO

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Warm the milk in a large saucepan with 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons of the sugar, and the milk powder. Stir well to ensure everything is incorporated.
• Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse while preparing the remaining ingredients.
• Place the egg yolks into the bowl of a stand mixer with the remaining vanilla extract and sugar. Whisk for at least 10 minutes until the eggs are light, fluffy, and increased in volume.
• Put a mixing bowl large enough to hold the custard into the freezer or chill the bowl with ice cubes.
• Gently reheat the milk mixture until warm but not hot or boiling to avoid curdling the custard.
• Pour the liquid slowly over the beaten eggs with the mixer running on medium speed; take care and do not rush this process.
• Return the custard to the pan and place over low heat. Stir continuously and cook slowly and gently until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a metal spoon.
• Pour the custard into the chilled bowl and continue to stir until the custard is cold.
• Pour the gelato into a plastic tub with a well-fitting lid. Put into the freezer for 30 minutes.
• Take the custard out and beat with either a fork, hand whisk, or electric hand mixer to break down the custard into a smooth consistency. Do this 3 or 4 times every 30 minutes.
• Store the gelato in a plastic tub with a well-fitting lid.
• Remove the gelato from the refrigerator 10 minutes before serving.
• Cut a circle of greaseproof paper and lay this on the surface of the custard (this prevents a skin forming). Put the custard into the fridge for 3 to 4 hours or even overnight.
• Churn in ice cream machine following the manufacturer's instructions.

GELATO

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, mix milk and cream. Warm until foam forms around the edges. Remove from heat.
• In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until frothy. Gradually pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture gels slightly and coats the back of the spoon. If small egg lumps begin to show, remove from heat immediately.
• Pour the mixture through a sieve or fine strainer into a bowl. Cover, and chill for several hours or overnight.
• Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a sealed container, and freeze until firm. If the gelato is too firm, place it in the refrigerator until it reaches the desired consistency.

BASIC WINE GELATO

Steps:

• Heat and mix milk, cream, and sugar in a saucepan to 180 degrees F. Cool in the refrigerator overnight. Add wine and freeze in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions.

BANANA GELATO

Steps:

• Bring milk and bananas to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes.
• Cool 5 minutes, then purée in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return mixture to saucepan; set over very low heat to keep warm.
• Beat yolks and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer at high speed until thick.
• Beat half the milk mixture into yolk mixture in a thin stream, then combine with remaining milk mixture in saucepan. Set over low heat and cook until mixture coats back of a spoon, about 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla, salt and cream.
• Pour into large container, cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. Pour mixture into the canister of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

BASIC GELATO BASE

Steps:

• The Base:.
• In a medium saucepan, mix milk and cream. Warm until foam forms around the edges. Remove from heat.
• In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until frothy, thick and ribbon like. Gradually pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture gels slightly and coats the back of the spoon. If small egg lumps begin to show, remove from heat immediately.
• Pour the mixture through a sieve or fine strainer into a bowl. Cover, and chill for several hours or overnight.
• At this point, you can add 2 tablespoons of any alcohol you think would taste good with your flavors. This would also be when you would want to add the vanilla extract.
• Place your mixture in the freezer for 20 minutes before churning, so the mix is as close to 0°C (32°F) as possible.
• Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a sealed container, and freeze until firm.
• A little tip for service: because gelato contains less fat, it tends to freeze a lot harder. Take your gelato out of the freezer approximately 15 minutes before serving to soften it.
• Adding Flavors:.
• Add fruit purees, or real juice, make sure that the puree does not exceed 1/2 the base volume (unfrozen), or the juice 1/4 the base volume.
• Add Nuts, chucks/chips, dried fruit or chopped fresh fruit; no more than 1/4 the base volume. Added in the last 1-2 minutes of the freezing cycle. Can be folded in before after churning but before freezing.
• Chocolate sauce (Hershey's ®), Nutella ®, or peanut butter can be added to base before freezing, or after cooking based on consistency of product being added. 1/4 - 1/2 cup.