Gelato

The History:
I think the one thing everyone wants to know about gelato (at least, everyone according to my scientifically valid poll of three...) is: "What's the difference between ice cream and gelato"? Gelato has lower butterfat (4-8%) and ice cream has a much higher percentage: 14%. Another fun fact: the first reported ice cream, apparently, is mentioned in the Bible: Someone in the old Testament (can't remember who) gave Moses ice cream made of ice and goat's milk. (I'm honestly not sure if this actually counts...)

The Process: 
Important first step: acquire a friend with an ice cream maker. My good friend Jen not only has an ice cream maker (it attaches to her KitchenAid- I'm so jealous!) but is also experienced with making gelato- (thankfully! because my winging-it tendencies seem to disappear when there is a thermometer and precision involved in the temperature of a delicate mixture of egg yolks and milk. I got nervous. She kept it real.) Because I had hoarded a solitary, precious vanilla bean from Madagascar left over from a Peace Corps friend who served there, I wanted to make vanilla gelato.

We started the process in the morning, since gelato requires at least 8 hours of chilling. It was a pretty complicated process- maybe by my third or fourth time it would seem smoother. I'm a gelato-newbie, and like I said: recipes that call for precise temperatures make me nervous.

The Recipe:  
1 vanilla bean (seed it by slicing the bean lengthwise, then remove the teeny seeds by scraping the pod with the knife.)
2 cups whole milk
4 egg yolks
1 cup cream
3/4 c sugar
1 t vanilla extract

Remove the seeds from the vanilla bean, then add the pod and seeds to a pot with 2 cups of whole milk. Heat to 170 F. (Stir frequently to avoid scorching the bottom of the pot.) Remove the pot from heat, and let the vanilla beans steep for 30 minutes, then remove the pods. (Smell. Isn't that incredible?)

In the meantime, whip 4 egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar until lightly frothy. Use a bowl that is much larger than necessary. (You'll see why.)

Add 1/2 cup sugar to the milk mixture, then reheat to 170 F, stirring frequently. Then, using a ladle, slowly add the hot liquid to the egg/sugar mixture, while stirring the eggs. Add about half of the hot milk to the eggs. (This step is meant to prevent the egg yolks from hitting the milk while cold, thus creating sweetened scrambled eggs, which would be pretty gross in gelato.)

Then, pour the egg mixture into the rest of the hot milk, while stirring. Heat this mixture (the custard) to 185 F, and continue stirring until the custard thickens. It should coat the back of the spoon fairly evenly.

Now: prepare an ice bath. Take a very large bowl, fill about 1/4 of the way with ice cubes and some water, then place a smaller bowl inside it. Add the 1 cup cream and the teaspoon of vanilla extract to the bowl. (And, can I have a word about vanilla extract here? Use the REAL stuff- no 'imitation' or 'artificial flavorings!) Then, place a finely meshed strainer over the smaller bowl, and pour the hot custard through the strainer and into the bowl. (The strainer keeps any errant clumps of custard from chunking up your gelato.) Stir. (Taste it too- you probably won't be able to help it!) Continue stirring occasionally until the mixture has cooled, then cover the bowl and place in the fridge at least 8 hours.

At this point, recipes say "follow the manufacturer directions on your ice cream maker" which sounds mysterious if you've never used an ice cream maker. It was simple: Pour the chilled gelato mixture into the ice cream maker (a super-thick metal-lined bowl that had been hanging out in Jen's freezer for a few days), then attach the ice cream paddle to the Kitchen Aid, and stir for 20 minutes. It was pretty magical- after about 15 minutes the creamy liquid started to look like deluxe, beautiful, professional gelato, complete with authentic flecks of vanilla bean!

For best results, eat right away!

The Results:
Jen made an amazing rhubarb-strawberry compote that we put on top of the gelato and the flavors were perfect, though this gelato was so delectable that it would have been delicious without. It was pretty amazing- very rich, creamy, and strongly-vanilla flavored.
Would I make it again? Well, not anytime soon: I don't (yet) own a KitchenAid or ice cream maker, and given our upcoming move to Kenya (!) I'm not sure I'll have the opportunity. But in the future? Definitely! I'd love to experiment with other flavors: pistachio (Nathan's favorite), chocolate, hazelnut, lemon.... Check back in a few years.