GIANDUJA ICE CREAM
Gianduja, a classic and wildly popular Italian flavor, combines chocolate and hazelnuts to form an irresistible confection. The name gianduja originated with one of the characters from the commedia dell’arte, a peasant from the Piedmont region of Italy, Turin specifically. The name of the flavor is a nod to its geographic origin. We like to think of gianduja as Nutella that tastes ten times better because it uses the best ingredients available. As you can probably guess, the marriage of chocolate and hazelnuts naturally extends to ice cream and other desserts, and has an ardent and devoted following.
MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART
1½ cups heavy cream
1¼ cups whole milk
¾ cup (150 grams) sugar
½ teaspoon (2 grams) kosher salt
6 large egg yolks
¼ cup (50 grams) hazelnut paste (see Sources)
¼ cup (30 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
½ ounce (16 grams) unsweetened chocolate (99% cacao), preferably Michel Cluizel (see Sources)
1. Pour the cream and milk into a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water). Whisk in ½ cup (100 grams) of the sugar and the salt and stir until they have dissolved. Warm the mixture until you see steam rising from the top.
2. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and set another bowl over it. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, with a kitchen towel underneath it to prevent slipping, whisk together the egg yolks with the remaining ¼ cup (50 grams) sugar until uniform. While whisking, add a splash of the hot dairy mixture to the yolks. Continue to add the dairy mixture, whisking it in bit by bit, until you’ve added about half. Add the yolk mixture to the remaining dairy mixture in the double boiler. Set the heat under the double boiler to medium and cook the custard, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon and reducing the heat to medium-low as necessary, until steam begins to rise from the surface and the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Hold the spoon horizontally and run your finger through the custard. If the trail left by your finger stays separated, the custard is ready to be cooled. Whisk in the hazelnut paste, cocoa powder, and chocolate until the paste and chocolate have melted completely and, using an immersion blender, buzz the mixture until the custard is uniform.
4. Strain the custard into the bowl sitting over the prepared ice bath and stir for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the custard has cooled. Transfer the custard to a quart-size container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or, preferably, overnight.
5. Pour the chilled custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Place the container in which you refrigerated the custard in the freezer so you can use it to store the finished ice cream. Churn the ice cream until the texture resembles “soft serve.” Transfer the ice cream to the chilled storage container and freeze until hardened to your desired consistency. Alternatively, you can serve it immediately—it will be the consistency of gelato. The ice cream will keep, frozen, for up to 7 days.