Low Fat Chocolate Sicilian Gelato Food

DEEPLY CHOCOLATE GELATO

Steps:

• Heat the milk, cream, and 1/2 cup sugar in a 2-quart saucepan, until the sugar dissolves and the milk starts to simmer. Add the cocoa powder and chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour into a heat-proof measuring cup.
• Place the egg yolks and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and very thick. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the hot chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Pour the egg and chocolate mixture back into the 2-quart saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. A candy thermometer will register about 180 degrees F. Don't allow the mixture to boil!
• Pour the mixture through a sieve into a bowl and stir in the coffee liqueur, vanilla, and salt. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the custard and chill completely.
• Pour the custard into the bowl of an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. Stir in the roughly chopped chocolate, if using, and freeze in covered containers. Allow the gelato to thaw slightly before serving.

LOW-FAT CHOCOLATE SICILIAN GELATO

Steps:

• Whisk 1/4 cup milk and cornstarch together in a small bowl until smooth to make a slurry.
• Combine the remaining milk, sugar, and cocoa powder in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Add espresso powder and the cornstarch slurry. Bring back to a boil; stir gelato mixture until thickened like pudding, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; transfer to a metal bowl. Stir in vanilla extract and salt.
• Fill a large bowl with ice water; set the bowl of gelato mixture inside. Stir frequently until cooled, about 7 minutes. Remove metal bowl from ice bath; cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until completely chilled, about 20 minutes.
• Transfer gelato mixture into an ice cream maker; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions, about 20 minutes. Pour gelato into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze until solid, about 10 minutes.

LEMON GELATO

Steps:

• In a small heavy saucepan, heat milk to 175°; stir in sugar until dissolved. Whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks. Return all to the pan, whisking constantly. Add lemon zest. Cook over low heat until mixture is just thick enough to coat a metal spoon and a thermometer reads at least 160°, stirring constantly. Do not allow to boil. , Remove immediately from heat; stir in lemon juice and cream. Place in a bowl. Press plastic wrap onto surface of custard; refrigerate several hours or overnight., Fill cylinder of ice cream freezer two-thirds full; freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. (Refrigerate remaining mixture until ready to freeze.) Transfer ice cream to freezer containers, allowing headspace for expansion. Freeze 2-4 hours or until firm. Repeat with remaining mixture.,

SICILIAN CHOCOLATE GELATO

Steps:

• In medium saucepan bring 2 cups of the milk to a simmer.
• Meanwhile, whisk the remaining cup of milk with the sugar, cocoa, and cornstarch.
• Scrape the cocoa mixture into the hot milk. Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and bubbles a little at the edges.
• Stir and cook for a minute longer.
• Strain through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a clean bowl and cool.
• Cover the surface of the mixture with plastic wrap and chill overnight. (You may also set the bowl over an ice bath and stir the hot gelato mixture frequently until cool).
• TO MAKE GELATO: Freeze according to the instructions with your ice cream maker. The mixture is thick to begin with and may take less time than average in the ice cream maker. Makes one scant quart ice cream.
• TO MAKE FUDGE POPS: Divide the chilled gelato base between the ice pop molds and place in the freezer overnight to set. These will have a slightly icy texture. (If you have an ice cream maker and would like a finer-textured fudge pop, freeze the gelato base according to the instructions with your ice cream maker and divide the mixture evenly between ice pop molds. Place in the freezer overnight to set.).
• TO MAKE GRANITA: Pour the chilled gelato base into a large, shallow baking dish (the shallower the dish, the faster the mixture will freeze) and place in the freezer. In about an hour, the liquid will begin to freeze along the sides of the pan. Using a fork, scrape the ice towards the center of the pan. Repeat this process every 20 minutes or so until all of the mixture is frozen and flaked.

GELATO, LOW SUGAR, LOW FAT VANILLA AND VARIATIONS

Steps:

• In 3-qt saucepan, whisk together xylitol, protein powder, guar powder (OR XANTHAN POWDER), and salt.
• Beat eggs well. Add to dry ingredients with 1 cup of the milk.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, about 8 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat.
• Add remaining cold milk, vanilla bean paste, and alcohol.
• Chill at least 6 hours or overnight. Takes about 10 minutes to churn into soft-serve gelato in your ice cream maker. Freeze an additional 1-2 hours before serving, if you like a harder ice cream.
• *a note about alcohol. Use 1/4 cup spirits such as vodka; or 1/2 cup liqueur such as Baileys due the different alcohol percentage in each.
• * note to parents* The alcohol keeps the gelato from freezing rock hard when stored in your freezer. If you are giving this to children, please use common sense and do not use the alcohol. Instead, you can remove from the freezer and place in the refrigerator for abut 30 minutes to soften.
• VARIATIONS: Chocolate: replace protein powder with 3/4 cup cocoa powder. Replace vanilla vodka with 1/2 cup crème de cacao.
• Chocolate Mint: make chocolate as above but add 4 drops peppermint oil and use crème de menthe for your alcohol. Swirl in 1/4 cup of Magic Shell after churning.
• Coffee: add 2 - 3 tablespoons instant coffee granules with the dry ingredients. Serve with a drizzle of magic shell and whipped cream.
• Pumpkin: use basic recipe but add 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Add 3/4 cup canned pureed pumpkin after removing from heat. Use 1/2 cup caramel flavored Baileys Irish Cream or butterscotch schnapps.
• Caramel: use basic recipe, use Baileys caramel flavor or butterschtch schnapps. After churning, add 1/4 cup caramel topping.
• Strawberry: Prepare basic recipe. After removing from heat, stir in remaining cold milk, 3 tablespoons sugar free strawberry syrup such as Torani brand; 4 T vodka, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and 1/2 cup frozen sliced strawberries, thawed, and pureed. Also add 1 cup frozen sliced strawberries, thawed, with their juice.

CHOCOLATE MINT GELATO

Steps:

• Special equipment needed: ice cream maker.
• Stir together 1/4 cup milk and cornstarch.
• Whisk together sugar, cocoa, and remaining 1 1/2 cups milk in a small heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring. Stir cornstarch mixture again and whisk into chocolate. Return to a boil, whisking, then remove from heat.
• Add mint, a pinch of salt, and half of chocolate to saucepan, stirring.
• Set saucepan in a large bowl of ice water to cool, whisking frequently.
• Freeze chocolate mixture in ice-cream maker. When nearly frozen, add remaining chocolate and churn until blended.

CHOCOLATE GELATO

Steps:

• Bring 2 1/4 cups milk just to a boil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat. While milk is heating, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, and 1/4 cup (cold) milk in a bowl until smooth, then whisk into boiling milk and bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking. Boil, whisking frequently, 3 minutes (mixture will be very thick). Remove from heat.
• Bring remaining 1/2 cup (cold) milk just to a boil in a 1-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Pour hot milk over chocolate in a bowl and let stand until chocolate is melted, about 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. Stir into cornstarch-milk mixture and force through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Cool slightly, stirring frequently to prevent a skin from forming, then cover surface with wax paper and chill until cold, at least 1 1/2 hours.
• Freeze mixture in ice cream maker, then transfer to an airtight container and freeze until hardened, about 3 hours. Let soften 5 minutes before serving.

LOW-FAT CHOCOLATE SICILIAN GELATO

Steps:

• Whisk 1/4 cup milk and cornstarch together in a small bowl until smooth to make a slurry.
• Combine the remaining milk, sugar, and cocoa powder in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Add espresso powder and the cornstarch slurry. Bring back to a boil; stir gelato mixture until thickened like pudding, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; transfer to a metal bowl. Stir in vanilla extract and salt.
• Fill a large bowl with ice water; set the bowl of gelato mixture inside. Stir frequently until cooled, about 7 minutes. Remove metal bowl from ice bath; cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until completely chilled, about 20 minutes.
• Transfer gelato mixture into an ice cream maker; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions, about 20 minutes. Pour gelato into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze until solid, about 10 minutes.