We were lucky enough to travel to Italy several years ago and if you've ever been there, then you know that there are Gelato Shops on every corner. Of course we had to sample them all.
We also came home craving it and since there are no gelato shops here, we scoured the internet for recipes and found several. This one became our favorite. It's a very rich flavor but also lighter than ice cream. Gelato and ice cream differ in that ice cream contains more butterfat and is airier. Because gelato is more dense, the flavor is more intense and you don't need to eat as much!! In Italy, it is served in very small bowls.
This gelato recipe doesn't contain eggs or cream. Its base is a mixture of cornstarch, milk and sugar....known as a "crema rinforzata".
We have a "Vintage" Ice cream maker. It's been in my family for at LEAST 40 years and still going strong.
Making ice cream or gelato is a really fun experience for the kids. This one takes a bit of planning though since it has to cool overnight before it can be processed.
Chocolate Gelato
This gelato recipe doesn't contain eggs or cream. Its base is a mixture of cornstarch, milk and sugar....known as a "crema rinforzata".
We have a "Vintage" Ice cream maker. It's been in my family for at LEAST 40 years and still going strong.
Making ice cream or gelato is a really fun experience for the kids. This one takes a bit of planning though since it has to cool overnight before it can be processed.
Chocolate Gelato
Serves 6 to 8 (remembering that the servings are VERY small)
3 cups whole milk
4 oz bittersweet chocolate (if you can't find it, semisweet can be substituted), chopped coarsely
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
ice cream rock salt
5# bag of ice
ice cream rock salt
5# bag of ice
- Place 2 cups of the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat when milk just begins to simmer.
- Add chocolate to the hot milk and stir until completely melted.
- Combine 1 cup of milk, sugar and cornstarch in a bowl, then stir into hot milk and chocolate mixture.
- Return pan to medium heat and cook, stirring until mixture thickens, approximately 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. We used an electric ice cream maker but a hand crank lets everyone get a work out!
- Layer ice, ice cream salt and keep a close eye that the drain funnel doesn't get clogged with a piece of ice we use a shish kebob skewer to make sure it's clear! Watch that as the ice melts, it stays below the lid of the ice cream bucket so that it doesn't creep up under the lid. You don't want salty water in your ice cream! You may not have to worry about this with the newer ice cream makers.
- Transfer to a freezer container and freeze.
Some tips:
Make sure that the "can" of your ice cream maker is very cold. I put mine in the freezer for a while before we use it. I think it speeds up the process.
If you crush your ice or break it up very small, you will get a smoother consistency.
When you finish processing your gelato and before you freeze it, you could transfer to a wax paper lined plate with cookie cutters and make your own shaped frozen dessert, like flowers, bears, stars!
Let us know if you make this or if you have a favorite ice cream, or sorbet recipe! What do you add? Nuts? Pretzels? Chocolate chips? Potato Chips?
Have a favorite recipe? Share it on our Facebook page. We'd love to see it.
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