Cardamom Gelato
One thing that I'm thankful for these days is that the food world has expanded exponentially in my lifetime.
And for a second thing, oddly related to the first: that Bruce has taught me over the years that the secret to great cooking is the same as the secret to a happy life--to embrace the mess.
We're back in Dallas, visiting my parents. I grew up in the '60s and '70s. Convenience ruled. I'm not sure we cared about real food back then. I'm pretty sure we dumped things out of cans. (But, as you know, canned things can be real. There's certainly real canned broth out there. I'll bet a lot of us Americans will be using it in the next couple of days, as Thanksgiving approaches.)
These days, there's a new flavor, a new food, a new way to do things always on the horizon. There's a new mess just ahead. Fantastic!
For me, lately, it's all about cardamom: warm, better than cinnamon, a little earthy, quite complex. Sure, I've known about the spice for a while. But I've only really gotten into it lately. I want it in soups, in stews, in sweets--and in gelato.
So as a Thanksgiving treat, I'd like to share my latest passion with you. Let's get to it:
For about 1 quart of gelato (a little less than 1 liter), crush six or seven green cardamom pods on a cutting board with the bottom of a heavy saucepan until they split open and the little black seeds fall out. Scrape the pods and seeds into a large saucepan and pour in 2 1/4 cups (535 ml) whole milk plus 1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream. (Why the cream in gelato? Look here.)
Bring that mixture to a light, low, bare fizz over medium-low heat.
Meanwhile, beat 5 large egg yolks, 1 cup (180 grams) turbinado sugar (or white sugar), 1/4 cup (45 grams) muscovado sugar (or dark brown sugar), and 1/4 teaspoon (a pinch) salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy and smooth, pretty thick and luscious, perhaps 4 or 5 minutes. Really let it go. The more you beat, the better the gelato will be. Don't stint. Thick. Luscious. Keep those words in mind. (And look at the photo at the top of this post.)
Fish the green, cracked cardamom pods out of the hot milk (but leave the seeds behind). With the mixer still running at medium speed, beat about half this milk mixture into the egg mixture until smooth. Then beat this combined mixture back into the saucepan until smooth.
Set the saucepan over low heat--and stir. Don't dare leave the pan alone. Stir. Keep at it until the mixture thickens somewhat. Here's the trick: it will have a lighter, whiter film floating on top. (See it in the photo?) When that film finally goes away and dissolves into the thickened mixture, you're good to go. Or if you want to get obsessive, put an instant-read meat thermometer in the saucepan and stir until the mixture hits 178F (81C). You're right at the egg coagulation point (with the sugar as a buffer and temperature changer)--which means you're right at the creamiest bit.
Strain the mixture in the saucepan through a fine-mesh sieve and into a large bowl. Set it in the refrigerator at least 6 hours or preferably overnight. Then freeze in an ice-cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. Utter bliss. Particularly on apple pie. Particularly.
So I leave you with that recipe and the best Thanksgiving greetings. Once the holidays are over, we've got some great winter casseroles ahead, some more sneak previews of the coming goat book (meat, milk, cheese!), and lots more food stuff to discuss.
I'm thankful for each of you who read this blog. I'm thankful for my friends and family--and thankful that there are friends out there I haven't met yet. And I'm thankful for Bruce--who makes this blog possible (his recipes, his talent, after all), who makes my life possible, who I now love much more than the day I met him, or even the day we got hitched (pick any one of the three times!).
The secret to thanksgiving is embracing the mess--and then taking the next step, the harder step: forgiveness. That is, knowing deep down at the bone that we all make mistakes, we all fail at love and life, we all fall down. But we can get up and dance again. Sure, with a limp. But the limp only makes the dance more beautiful. Because with a limp, the dance is not about perfection. It's about the love of the dance. Come dance with those of us who limp. And happy Thanksgiving.
Mark Scarbrough | Posted on Wednesday, November 24, 2010 at 11:50AM | in Desserts, Fabulously Empty Calories, Frozen Treats cardamom, cardamom gelato, dessert, frozen desserts, gelato, ice cream
Reader Comments (7)
Happy Thanksgivings, my friends. I'm thankful for your wonderful blog, and for this terrific recipe!
Question! Could you make gelato by hand in the same manner you would make ice cream by hand? (No machine here.) Do you happen to know if the science of the freeze, stir, freeze, stir system would be confused by these ingredients in some way?
Yet another wonderful read ... your blog makes me happy and I can vouch for the deliciousness of the cardomom gelato with apple pie.
Answer: Maybe. (How's that for a non-answer?) If you stirred repeatedly and often, every ten minutes perhaps, you might be able to do it. We can't vouch for the consistency--but there's nothing in the "science" of the recipe to stop its success. (I'd love to know how it turns out!)
M.
Hmmm... Thus fortified, I'll be getting back to you on this!
Cardamom is a staple spice in my Swedish-American family. Grandmothers add it to cinnamon rolls, coffee bread, and cookies. A pinch of ground cardamom is marvelous in my morning oatmeal. I have a pint of cardamom ice cream in my freezer right now. Thank you for sharing another way to enjoy this lovely spice!
Laura: I think you feel about cardamom the way Bruce feels about allspice. He adds it to everything, savory and sweet.
M.