Sicilian Style Gelato Food

THE BEST BANANA GELATO

Steps:

• In a large non-stick saucepan on the stove pan, heat milk and bananas over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes. Do not let the milk boil. Take pan off heat, and allow to cool for 5 - 7 minutes.
• Beat yolks and sugar in a large bowl with a hand mixer at high speed until thick and pale yellow. Set aside.
• Place the cooled milk and banana mixture in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Return mixture to saucepan and set over very low heat.
• Slowly stream half of the banana puree into the yolk/sugar mixture, whisking the whole time. This will temper the eggs. Slowly whisk the combined egg/sugar/puree mixture to the remaining warm banana puree in the saucepan. Set over low heat and cook until mixture coats back of a spoon, about 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla, salt and cream. Mix well.
• Transfer the gelato base mixture to a large glass bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 4 - 6 hours, or overnight to thoroughly chill.
• Transfer the chilled gelato base to the canister of an automatic gelato/ice cream machine, and churn according to directions for about 20 -30 minutes or until the desired texture is achieved.
• Store in covered freezer container.

SICILIAN GELATO-STYLE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Whisk together 200 ml (about 0.8 cup) of the cold milk with the corn starch, making sure that there are no remaining lumps. Set aside for now.
• Blend the remaining 500 ml (about 2.1 cup) of the milk/cream, the sugar, the salt and vanilla bean (with seeds scraped out and added) in a sauce pan. Warm until steaming hot (not boiling!) on medium heat.
• Blend the corn starch mixture with the rest of the ingredients in the sauce pan. While barely reaching a boil, cook and stir for about four- five minutes, or until the mixture has begun to thicken and any possible "floury" taste (from the starch) has disappeared [and don't overcook: that would reduce the thickening powers of the starch].
• Take the ice cream base from the heat and let the mixture cool down.
• Refrigerate for a couple of hours, discard the vanilla bean, and freeze according to the instructions of your ice cream machine.
• In case you have no ice cream machine, still-freeze the base in your freezer (see the link below the box!) - this base is perfect for still-freezing, by the way!
• After the churning, place the ice cream in a freezer-safe container, cover with plastic film and a lid, and store in the freezer.

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.

SICILIAN COFFEE GELATO

Steps:

• Soak ground coffee in boiling water for 10 minutes, then strain using coffee filter or a very fine screen.
• On medium to medium low heat 2 cups of milk, sugar and salt until steaming but boiling.
• Mix 1/2 cup milk with corn starch, no lumps.
• Pour milk & corn starch and coffee into into pan of hot milk. Stirring often. Keep on low heat and stir constantly until thicken. You want it thickened but you don't want to over cook it because the corn starch will break down and get runny.
• Once thickened, stir in vanilla and remove from heat.
• Pour into bowl and cool in refrigerator or freezer (cover with wrap to prevent skin forming on top).
• When mixture is completely cold, pour into your ice cream machine and churn per machine instructions. Add optional cookies in the last 5 minutes of churn time. I have a cuisinart and it took about 25 minutes to make.
• Put into freezer safe container with lid and store in freezer.

SICILIAN GELATO-STYLE ICE CREAM II RECIPE - (4.5/5)

Steps:

• 1. Put 2 cups cream, half-and-half or milk, the sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. If using a vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise and scrape seeds into liquid, then add pod. Cook until mixture begins to steam. 2. In a bowl, blend cornstarch and remaining cream, half-and-half or milk; there should be no lumps. Remove bean pod from pot and discard. Add cornstarch mixture to pot. Cook, stirring, until it starts to thicken and barely reaches a boil, about 5 minutes. Immediately reduce heat to very low and stir for 5 minutes or so until thick. Stir in vanilla extract, if using. 3. If mixture has lumps, strain it into a bowl. Chill until cool, a couple of hours (you can skip this step if you have a machine with a built-in freezer). When cool or if there are no lumps, pour into an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Honey-Jam Variation Substitute honey for half the sugar. Add 1/2 cup good jam to mixture before freezing. Buttermilk or Yogurt Substitute buttermilk or yogurt for half the cream or milk. Cherry-Vanilla Add 1 cup halved, pitted cherries just before freezing. Strawberry, Blueberry or Peach Add 1 cup hulled, sliced strawberries, blueberries, or peeled and chopped peaches before freezing. Coffee Substitute 1/2 cup very strong coffee for 1/2 cup cream or milk. Coconut Substitute 1 cup coconut milk for 1 cup cream or milk; add 1/2 cup toasted dried coconut if you like. Mint Chocolate Chip Add 1/2 cup minced mint and 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate just before freezing.

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.