Gelato Di Crema Vanilla Cream Base For Gelato Food

ITALIAN CREMA ICE CREAM (GELATO ALLA CREMA)

Steps:

• Pour milk into a saucepan. Add 2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar and egg yolks. Whisk thoroughly. Cook over medium heat, stirring gently with a spatula, until custard is steaming-hot and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and salt and remove from heat.
• Pour custard through a fine mesh strainer and refrigerate until completely chilled, 8 hours to overnight.
• Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions, about 20 minutes. Seal top with plastic wrap, cover with a lid, and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

GELATO-STYLE VANILLA ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Combine 1/2 cup milk and the cornstarch in a medium bowl; whisk until smooth. Combine the remaining 2 cups milk, the heavy cream, sugar and salt in a medium high-sided saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar, until steaming, 3 to 5 minutes. Slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly, then pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
• Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil, about 5 minutes (it will foam up a bit). Boil, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds, then remove from the heat.
• Pour the mixture into a medium heatproof bowl. Stir in the vanilla. Let stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until the mixture stops steaming, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate until cold, 2 to 3 hours.
• Stir the mixture, then strain it if it looks lumpy. Transfer to an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's directions until the consistency of soft serve. Transfer to a freezer-safe container, cover and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

NOCCIOLA GELATO: HAZELNUT GELATO

Steps:

• Grind the hazelnuts to a very fine paste (this can be done in a blender or coffee grinder).
• Warm milk until the edge is ringed with tiny bubbles. Turn off heat at once. Put in the hazelnut paste, mix thoroughly, and cover. Allow to cool completely.
• Line a strainer with a double layer of cheesecloth. Set over a bowl and pour the hazelnut milk mixture into the strainer and press as much through as possible. Tie up the ends of the cheesecloth, suspend over the bowl, and allow to drip through. When mixture stops dripping, squeeze gently. In another bowl beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale and foamy. Add the strained milk mixture mixing in a little at a time.
• Pour everything into top of double boiler over medium heat. Stir constantly and cook for 3 to 4 minutes after the water in the bottom has started to bubble. Pour into a bowl. Allow to cool completely then chill. Freeze according to ice cream machine directions.

VANILLA GELATO BITES WITH CHOCOLATE AND HAZELNUTS

Steps:

• Place a small tray or a plate in the freezer. Remove the gelato from the freezer to soften, about 5 minutes. Remove the chilled tray from the freezer. Scoop out 16 bite-sized balls of gelato and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour. Remove from the freezer and quickly insert a wooden popstick into each gelato ball. Return them to the freezer for at least 1 hour.
• When the gelato balls have frozen with their sticks in place, place the chocolate in a double-boiler over very gently simmering water until melted. Next to the pot of chocolate, place the toasted, chopped hazelnuts in a shallow bowl.
• Remove the gelato balls from the freezer, 4 at a time. Working quickly, hold the gelato ball by the stick and dip into the melted chocolate, then dredge it in the hazelnuts. Return them to the freezer and continue with 4 more gelato balls, until all the gelato balls are covered in chocolate and nuts. Freeze the chocolate-and-nut-covered gelato for at least 1 hour.
• These are very fun, festive, and tasty. The ice cream scoop I used is a number 40 (holds 1 tablespoon, is 1 1/2 inches in diameter.)

ORANGE GELATO

Steps:

• Finely grate the zest from the oranges and squeeze the juice. There should be about 3 tablespoons zest and 2/3 cup juice.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the water and the sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until very light. Slowly add the hot sugar syrup in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Pour into a large saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until slightly thickened.
• Strain the mixture into a medium bowl, and set it in a larger bowl partialy filled with ice water. Stir in the orange juice and zest. Let cool, stirring occasionally. (Or chill overnight in refrigerator.)
• In a large chilled bowl, using an electric mixer with chilled beaters, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold the cream into the cooled orange custard mixture. Freeze in an ice cream freezer according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a covered container and place in freezer until serving time. If the gelato becomes too firm, place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.

VANILLA GELATO WITH CHERRY COMPOTE

Steps:

• For the gelato: Add the milk, cream, 1 cup of the sugar and vanilla bean to a 4-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to combine.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a large heatproof bowl until they become lighter in color and the sugar dissolves.
• When the milk mixture is at a simmer, lower the heat to medium. Carefully ladle 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, while whisking, and whisk until fully combined. Repeat this step one more time, then pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan. Add the salt. Cook the mixture while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, making sure to stir the corners of the pot. Cook until the mixture thickens and can coat the back of a spoon.
• Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl or pot with water and ice. Carefully strain the mixture into a strainer set over a heatproof bowl. Remove and discard the vanilla bean. Put the heatproof bowl in the ice bath. Stir occasionally until the mixture is chilled and no longer warm. Set in the fridge until very cold, at least 1 hour.
• Freeze the mixture to an ice-cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a freezer-proof container and cover.
• Freeze before serving, 1 to 2 hours. It's best to serve the gelato the same day it's made.
• For the compote: Combine the cherries, 1/2 cup water and the sugar in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a bare simmer over medium heat. Stir to allow the sugar to melt. Cook the compote until the ingredients combine and the cherries just begin to break up, 7 to 10 minutes. (Depending on the ripeness of your cherries you may want to cook them longer.) Remove the pan from the heat and add the rum. Ignite the compote safely with a long-handled lighter and return to the stovetop to flambe and cook off the alcohol.
• Serve the gelato with the warm compote.

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.