Vanilla Bean Gelato Recipes

VANILLA GELATO

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat together the egg yolks and sugar until light and thick.
• Heat the milk, cream, vanilla pod, and salt in a heavy saucepan and heat over medium heat until bubbles begin to form around the edges.
• Remove from the heat, and take 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture, and slowly whisk it into the beaten eggs.
• Next whisk the egg mixture into the saucepan, and cook over low heat stirring continuosly until the mixture thickens, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a metal bowl and refrigerate until cold.
• Once the custard mixture is cold, transfer it into an ice cream maker and churn following the manufacturers instructions.
• Serve immediately, or freeze in an airtight container until you are ready to use.

VANILLA BEAN GELATO

Steps:

• Split the vanilla bean pod down the center and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds to the milk and stir.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, add the milk with the vanilla seeds, the split vanilla bean pod, and vanilla extract and bring to a simmer. Do not boil.
• In a medium glass bowl, beat together the egg yolks, whole egg and sugar until thickened and pale yellow. You can do this with a hand beater or by hand.
• Remove the milk from the heat and very slowly whisk a small amount of hot milk into the egg/sugar to temper the eggs. Return the pot to the heat. Slowly whisk the egg/sugar mixture into the milk. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens slightly just at the point of simmering. Do not let it boil.
• Remove the pan from the heat and discard the vanilla bean. Pour the custard into a glass bowl and let cool slightly. You can strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve at this point if you think it needs it.
• Add the cream to the custard and blend well with a whisk.
• Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight in the fridge (or at least 4-6 hours).
• Run it through your ice cream machine according to directions - about 30 minutes.
• Scoop the ice cream into a freezer container and freeze overnight for best results.

GELATO DI CREMA - VANILLA CREAM BASE FOR GELATO

Steps:

• In a large bowl whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar until pale yellow and thickens up.
• Combine the whole milk, heavy cream and 1 vanilla bean, sliced in half lengthwise in a saucepan. Heat the mixture just until it starts to bubble along the edges. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Remove from the heat.
• Remove the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds with the tip if a small knife and add the seeds back into the milk mixture. Discard the vanilla bean shell.
• While whisking the egg mixture add in about a cup of the warm milk mixture and combine together. Then add in the rest of the egg mixture to the milk. Heat the mixture slowly to 175 to 180 degrees F. The custard should be thickened and coat the back of a wooden spoon. Do not allow the custard to simmer.
• Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve, cover and refrigerate until well chilled.
• You can transfer this custard into the ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions. This will make vanilla gelato, or you can make the following variations.
• Espresso: add 1/2 cup of chilled espresso coffee into the custard.
• Chocolate: add 3 ounces melted bittersweet chocolate into the warm custard before chilling.
• Pistachio or hazelnuts: In a blender add 6 ounces shelled pistachios with the heavy cream and puree before adding into the saucepan.
• Amaretto: Stir in 1/2 cup of crushed amaretto cookies into the milk before heating and add 1-ounce amaretto liqueur into the finished chilled custard before freezing.

FRENCH VANILLA GELATO

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, lightly whisk together the yolks and half of the sugar. In a non-reactive saucepan combine the cream, 1 cup of the milk, the remaining sugar, and the salt. Split the vanilla bean in half, lengthwise, to expose the tar-like seeds inside the pod. Scrape the seeds loose with a knife; add the bean and the seeds to the cream mixture. Heat the cream over medium-high heat until just at a boil. Remove from the heat. Gradually pour the hot liquid into the yolks, while whisking constantly. Return the cream-egg mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring the mixture constantly, with a wooden spoon in a figure-8 motion, until thickened, about 10 minutes. When the ice cream mixture is properly cooked it should coat the back of a spoon, be satiny thick, and be free of any bubbles on the surface. (If you taste the ice cream base it should have a slight egg-y taste.) When thickened, pour in the reserved milk to prevent the mixture from overcooking. Strain into a medium bowl. Add the cognac if desired. Fill another bowl with ice. Set the bowl of ice cream base in the ice and stir until thoroughly chilled. Freeze the base in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. (Take care not to over churn the ice cream or it will get a grainy texture.) Transfer the ice cream to the freezer to set up for at least 1 hour. Serve.

VANILLA GELATO

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat milk and vanilla bean and scrapings. Bring to a gentle boil, cover, and remove from heat. Steep for 30 minutes.
• Combine egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat at medium-high speed until very thick and pale yellow, 3 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, return milk to a simmer.
• Remove vanilla bean. Add half the milk to egg-yolk mixture and whisk until blended. Stir into remaining milk and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat a spoon.
• Remove from heat and immediately stir in cream. Pass mixture through a strainer into a medium bowl set over an ice bath to chill. Stir in vanilla extract, then freeze in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Store in a plastic container.