Strawberry Gelato

And what do you put on that rhubarb crisp? Strawberry gelato, of course. Because strawberries and rhubarb are just so fantastic together. Like Rodgers and Hammerstein. Or the Captain and Tenille.

Gelato. It's one of my favorite things. I can't keep it in the house. I'll eat right through it. So a batch for a special occasion, with a dessert like that crisp, is just the thing indeed. I can share it with friends and get even more pleasure per bite.

In case you need a run down of your favorite frozen treats, here they are

Gelato: whole milk, no cream, lots of eggs.

Ice Cream: whole milk, cream, eggs.

Philadelphia-Style Ice Cream: whole milk, maybe cream, no eggs.

Sherbet: milk, no cream, no eggs.

Sorbet: no milk, no cream, no eggs.

Make sense? Barely. When we were writing The Ultimate Frozen Dessert Book, filled with gelati and sherbets, a sequel to The Ultimate Ice Cream Book, filled with ice creams and sorbets (and a book that's sold over a quarter million copies!), we made a startling discovery about American milk production. It's not as cream-rich as Italian milk.

Most whole milk sold in the U. S. is skimmed in some way--and the amount of fat remaining in it is mandated state by state. California has about the best whole milk in the country. Other states have it less rich. But nobody has it at Italian levels.

So to get that real gelato mouth feel (and yes, that's a technical term), we found we needed to add a little cream to the batch, to compensate for the vagaries of stateside milk production.

So without further ado, let's get to it, to making 1/2 gallon of gelato (if your maker can produce only 1 quart, cut this recipe in half).

First, blend 3 cups packed, hulled, and quartered strawberries with 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a large blender or food processor until the mixture is fairly smooth, about like a fruit puree. If you're working with a blender, you'll need to scrape down inside the canister from time to time (without the blade's running!) to make sure everything takes a spin on the blades. Set that strawberry puree aside.

Next, heat 4 cups whole milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat until little bubbles begin to fizz around the inside of the pan. No need to go nuts--just don't let it boil.

As that heats, beat 8 large egg yolks, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy, thick, and pale yellow, perhaps up to 5 minutes, depending on how fresh the eggs are. Basically, you want this to become a thick, custard-like mixture to make the creamiest gelato ever. You can't really underbeat the stuff at this stage.

With the mixer beating, slowly drizzle in about half the hot milk mixture. Be careful--splatters can hurt. Continue beating this combined mixture until smooth, then beat it back into the remaining milk mixture in the pan.

Set the pan over low heat--if you're working with an electric stove, chose a second burner just now turned to low--and stir constantly over the heat until the mixture can coat the back of a wooden spoon. That's it in the picture. It's pretty thick--but not like set pudding, of course. The line you make on the back of a wooden spoon will not move, its borders intact as you slowly turn the spoon this way and that.

Bruce got really obsessive with this batch and took its temperature. If you have an instant-read thermometer, you'll want the custard in the pan to go up to between 184F and 188F. Much more and the eggs will curdle. A little less and the gelato will be thin, without good body. It's all about balance.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the strawberry puree until smooth. At this point, if desired, strain the entire mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. This will get rid of the little strawberry pits and any inadvertently scrambled eggs in the mixture. It's not necessary, just aesthetically pleasing.

Pour the mixture into a container and set it in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight. To avoid a pudding skin, seal the mixture with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap right against its surface after the mixture has chilled for a couple hours. And then? All that's left is to freeze it up in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. What could be better? Or more real? Or more delicious?

Comments

[Dana]

perfect timing, mark! i just got an ice cream maker. i'm so making this tomorrow!! thanks!

[Mark Scarbrough]

Congrats on the ice cream maker. Surely a favorite tool around our house!

M.

[Robin]

Thanks so much for clearing up the differences between the kinds of frozen treats. I never knew that!

Best,
Robin

[dining tables]

Wow! This is perfect. I liked this one so much. I really have to buy an ice cream maker.