BASIC GELATO (DON’T CALL IT ICE CREAM)

Gelato

SERVES 4 (OR ONLY FABIO)

If you call Italian gelato ice cream, somebody will come over and slap you in the face. Gelato is not ice cream. It’s what ice cream can only hope to be when it dies and goes to heaven. Gelato is thick, rich, and heavy. One gallon of melted gelato is one gallon of liquid, but one gallon of melted ice cream is never one gallon of liquid because it’s whipped and filled with air to make it look fluffy and light. When you put a scoop of good gelato in your mouth, it coats your tongue and stays there for a long time before you’re ready for your next bite. It’s not super easy to make at home, but this version is pretty easy if you have an ice cream maker.

14 egg yolks, beaten

6 cups whole milk

1½ cups sugar

Zest of 1 lemon

In a large saucepan, combine the egg yolks, milk, and sugar. Cook and whisk over very low heat until the custard mixture coats a wooden spoon, about 10–20 minutes.

Add the zest and mix well, then transfer the custard into a large Ziploc bag or a bowl and chill, first in an ice bath then overnight in the fridge. (To make an ice bath, see note on here.)

Freeze in a 5-quart ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions.

image

VARIATIONS

CHOCOLATE GELATO

Gelato al Cioccolato

Substitute for the lemon zest:

14 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

Prepare the Basic Gelato recipe without the lemon zest. Instead, add 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate to the hot custard and stir until the chocolate is melted. Once the custard has been chilled in an ice bath and the fridge, chop up the rest of the chocolate and whisk it into the mixture. Freeze as directed.

PEACH AND MINT GELATO

Gelato alla Pesca e Menta

Substitute for the lemon zest:

8 ripe peaches, pitted, peeled, and pureed

10–12 mint leaves, handtorn

Prepare the Basic Gelato recipe without the lemon zest. Instead, add the peaches and mint to the hot custard and stir to combine. Chill in an ice bath and the fridge as above and freeze as directed.

NOTE: For this recipe and all the frozen desserts in this section, you’ll need to either start the recipe a day ahead or have a whole day during which you can freeze and stir the ingredients.