How to Make Homemade Gelato Ice Cream

Gelato is an Italian dessert that is similar to ice cream, but is denser and made with whole milk instead of cream. There is no gelatin in traditional gelato, but it has been used in some recipes. In Italy, gelato shops known as "gelaterias" sell this icy treat to passers by. Like ice cream, you can serve gelato in a cup or cone. If dished into a bowl, one or two cookies might be added for garnish. Follow these directions to create the basic custard mix for your gelato. The plain custard flavor is traditional, but you can follow the tips for possible additions to make your own flavors. You then put the mixture into an ice cream freezer and freeze according to the directions on that particular model.

Things You'll Need

• Ice cream freezer
• 1 quart of whole milk (4 cups)
• 8 egg yolks
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 6 cup capacity bowl
• Saucepan
• Whisk
• Spoon
• Stove
• Gelato flavors (See tip)

Instructions

1. If your ice cream freezer requires that the core dish is frozen, be sure to put it into the freezer the day before making the gelato.

2. Combine the egg yolks and sugar with a whisk in the 6 cup capacity bowl.

3. Pour the milk into the saucepan and heat over medium until the milk begins to boil. Watch the milk carefully and turn the heat down as soon as the milk starts to bubble up. It will flow over the sides of the pan when it boils.

4. Add the egg yolk and sugar mixture to the milk and turn the heat down to medium-low heat. Stir continuously until the custard thickens; it should cover the back of a spoon dipped into the mixture and lifted out.

5. Wash and dry the 6 cup capacity bowl.

6. Pour the cooked custard base into the cleaned bowl. Place this in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to chill. See tip for more information on why this is important.

7. Place the chilled custard base into the ice cream freezer and freeze according to the directions in the freezers manual.

8. After the gelato has frozen, put it back into the freezer for 1 hour to firm up and allow flavors to develop. Serve in small bowls or on ice cream cones.

Tips & Warnings

• You can add 6 ounces of melted chocolate chips for chocolate, or leave them whole for chocolate chip gelato. For a coffee flavor, 2 tbsp. of espresso powder can be added to the base. You can also add in 1 tbsp. of any extract of your choosing: vanilla, almond, banana, coconut or lemon. Why chill the base? This will result in a smoother texture for your gelato since it will have very fine ice crystals instead of larger ones. Smaller crystals result from the change in temperature of the gelato being less. If you put the hot custard into the freezer, large ice crystals would form during the freezing process, and you would have grainy gelato.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish