Cinnamon Gelato
makes about 1 quart
Italian gelato isn’t traditionally made with cream -- just milk and plenty of egg yolks. North American milk has a slightly lower fat content than its Italian counterpart, so added cream produces the famed texture that sends people on quests to Italy.
Read more about this recipe in the Washington Post.
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 cinnamon sticks
5 large egg yolks
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
prep: 15 minutes
total: 45 minutes, plus at least 4 hours refrigeration
large saucepan
stand mixer or hand mixer
spatula
wooden spoon
fine-mesh strainer
ice cream maker
1. Combine the milk, cream and cinnamon sticks in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook for several minutes, until the mixture starts to bubble around the edges. Cover, remove from the heat and let sit for 30 minutes. Discard the cinnamon sticks.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer or using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg yolks, brown sugar, vanilla extract and salt at medium speed for about 4 minutes, until the mixture is thick and pale and a spatula can scoop up long, sinewy ribbons that do not instantly dissolve back into the mixture.
3. Add the milk mixture in a slow, steady stream. Transfer the mixture back to a saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens slightly. (A finger run across the back of a coated wooden spoon should form a firm, definite line). Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl; cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 1 day, until well chilled.
4. Freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s directions.
From cookbook authors Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough.
