Organic Gelato - Made In An Ice Cream Machine

Gelato differs from ice cream in a few different ways.

It's lower in fat since its milk to heavy cream ratio is higher.  It's lower in sugar.  It's taste is richer and texture is creamier.  And it's served at a higher temperature.  Gelato experts might argue that the experience is also different because it's blended at a slower rate than that employed by an ice cream maker - but you CAN make gelato in a regular ice cream maker.

Ultimately, and in my humble opinion, it's just plain better than ice cream.  And after a nine day trip this past summer to northern Italy, my kids agree.

Here's a great recipe for a gelato base.  To this, you would add whatever flavorings you like - chocolate, fruit, spices, extracts, etc. This recipe will make two batches - so you can make one batch tonight, refreeze your freezer drum, then make another batch tomorrow.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups organic milk
• 2 cups organic heavy cream
• 8 organic egg yolks
• 1 cup organic sugar

Directions:

• In a large saucepan, mix milk and cream. While stirring, heat until foamy. Remove from heat.
• In a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar until frothy. With the mixer running, slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks. Blend another 30 seconds, then return the mixture to the saucepan.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture coats the back of the spoon. I know this is hard to gauge since heavy cream naturally coats a spoon, but it'll be hot and you'll sense additional thickness to the mixture.
• Pour the mixture through a fine strainer into a bowl. Cover, and chill for several hours or overnight.
• Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker with desired flavorings and let the machine do its thing for about 25 minutes. Mixture will be slightly soft when done. If you're not ready to eat it right away, transfer it to a Pyrex bowl, cover and place in the freezer for two hours to firm up.
• Let it thaw 15 minutes before serving.

Additional ingredients and directions to achieve certain flavors, added to the ice cream machine unless otherwise specified:

Chocolate: ideally, you would add the following ingredients to the saucepan while it is simmering: 2 tablespoons cornstarch and either 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder or 1 melted 4 oz bar of bittersweet chocolate; OR you could just add 2/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder directly to the ice cream maker.
Vanilla: ideally, the seeds from one vanilla bean, split lengthwise and added to the gelato base while it is simmering, then strained out before chilling; OR you could just add one teaspoon of vanilla extract to the base when you first put it in the ice cream maker.
Stracciatella (the Italian version of chocolate chip): 4 ounces of melted bittersweet chocolate, drizzled into the ice cream maker in the last five minutes of churning.
Cinnamon: 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. 
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup: 2/3 cup chopped up chocolate peanut butter cups, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Strawberry: 12 ounces of lightly pureed (in a blender so it's still a bit lumpy) strawberries.  You could do the same with banana, peaches, pears, raspberries or blackberries.  Optional: 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.