Chocolate Gelato
Use the highest-quality chocolate you can find.
Gelato means “frozen” in Italian, and, in a way, the translation is apt for a dessert whose flavors remain so true to their original sources. Gelato differs from what we think of as ice cream in a few ways, its delicate taste among them. Small bits of chocolate or nuts occasionally make an appearance, but more often the dessert is smooth and simple, its flavors derived from a careful infusion of natural flavors. Steeping the ingredients in warm milk for at least 30 minutes gives the dessert its purer, more intense taste, so pistachio tastes exactly like pistachios, mango like mangoes, and so on.<br/><br/>Gelato also has less butterfat than American ice creams; whereas ice cream is made from cream, gelato is traditionally made with egg yolks and milk. (Another frozen dessert called gelato alla crema is made with egg yolks and cream, but this is not what is usually sold as simple gelato.) This, along with the increased amount of air pumped into the mixture during churning, makes for a much lighter, more velvety dessert than rich, dense American-style ice creams.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 1 1/2 quarts
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare an ice-water bath, and set aside. In a large saucepan, bring the milk, cream, and cocoa to a simmer over medium-low heat. Combine the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on medium speed until pale yellow and very thick, 3 to 5 minutes.
Step 2
Add half the milk mixture to the yolk mixture, and whisk until blended. Stir the combined mixture back into the remaining milk mixture. Add the chocolate, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Step 3
Pass the mixture through a very fine sieve into a large mixing bowl. Set the bowl in the ice bath, and chill completely. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions until the gelato just holds its shape. Transfer to a metal loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.
