Make it At Home: Gelato

Are you looking for a new recipe to try this summer?  Check out this Gelato recipe!  You can make it at home, and it is super easy.  You can find other great recipes at The Kitchn.

 

Chocolate & Hazelnut Praline Gelato

Makes 1 quart

2 cups whole or 2% milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons hazelnut praline paste (See Recipe Notes)

3 tablespoons good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder (See Recipe Notes)

2 ounces good-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

5 large egg yolks

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

Combine milk, cream, and hazelnut paste in a heavy sauce pan and cook over medium heat until bubbling gently. Add cocoa powder and chocolate; whisk until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. 

In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks, sugar, and salt with a handheld mixer on high speed until mixture is pale yellow and thickened, about 2 minutes. Add a cup of hot chocolate mixture to the eggs and whisk vigorously. Pour the tempered (warmed) eggs back into the sauce pan with the remaining chocolate mixture.

Reduce heat to low/medium-low. Whisking frequently, cook until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (180° to 185° on an instant-read thermometer). Remove from the heat. Stir in vanilla and continue stirring for another minute or so to release some of the heat. 

Chill the mixture in the refrigerator until cooled completely, stirring occasionally, at least two hours or overnight. Freeze the base in an ice cream machine until it has reached a custard consistency (this took about 26 minutes in my standard Cuisinart), adding the chopped hazelnuts about 5 minutes into the churning process. Transfer the gelato to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm. 

Recipe Notes

• I used Cacao Barry hazelnut praline paste from L'Epicerie. Love 'N Bake Hazelnut Praline is a more widely available brand found in well-stocked grocery stores and online at Amazon and King Arthur Flour.
• I used Cacao Barry Extra Brute Dutch-processed cocoa but any good unsweetened cocoa will do.