Sicilian-style Gelato Recipe
This Italian icy dessert is denser than ice cream, but lower in fat and less airy. You can easily make it with ingredients you probably already have, and without an ice cream maker. The only hard part is deciding which flavor to make!
Sicilian-style gelato uses cornstarch as a thickener (no eggs or cream), so it very inexpensive.
Before You Begin
This is a new recipe for me this summer, and it's a real treat during this hot weather. The Coffee Flavored Gelato has been a gigantic hit with every adult who's tried it. For kids I serve the basic vanilla version, but I top it off with a few teaspoons of jam, strawberry so far being the most popular. Chocolate was not as well received. Eventually I will get around to making some with fresh fruit.
Ingredients
- 1000 ml (4 1/4 cups) Whole Milk.
- 150 grams (3/4 cup) Sugar. You can add up to about 1/3 more sugar, but I usually add other flavorings to sweeten it up.
- 30 grams (1 1/2 tbsp) Honey, Corn Syrup, or Oligosaccharide Syrup. The complex sugar molecules help to prevent ice crystal formation. I prefer not to use Honey here because Honey has it's own flavor. Oligosaccharide is very cheap around here, isn't too sweet, and has some interesting biotic effects on gut health.
- 30 grams (4 tbsp) Cornstarch.
- 0.35 grams (1 pinch) Salt
- 5.0 ml (1 tsp) Vanilla Extract (optional). Omit this if you are adding another dominating flavor such as Coffee.
- 12 grams (3 tbsp) For adults: Coffee Flavoring. I use Nescafe Gold Blend instant freeze-dried coffee since I was gifted a few jars, but you can also other brands, use rich homemade coffee, or even use specialized Espresso syrup. Nescafe says for a strong cup of coffee, use 2 tsp per cup, so my suggested amount is even above their recommendation. Therefore please adust this up or down according to own your preferences.
- 5.0 grams (1 tbsp) For adults: Add this to the Coffee Flavored mixture as an additional flavor enhancer.
Preparation
- Combine Milk, Sugar, Honey or other syrup, Cornstarch, and salt in a heavy sauce pan. Stir until everything disolves.
- Heat the mixture slowly to 85°C (185°F). If you don't have a thermometer, watch for small bubbles beginning to form around the edge.
- Cook for about five minutes, stirring constantly. Do not allow to boil. The mixture should thicken, and is ready when it forms a thick film on your stirring tool.
- Turn off heat.
- Add optional Vanilla and stir in.
- Add optional Coffee and Cocoa, and stir in.
- Transfer the mixture to a storage container for freezing. Metal works best because it conducts heat better, so I use a bread pan.
- Cover the surface of the mixture with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Once the liquid has cooled you no longer need the wrap.
- Move the storage container to the freezer.
- After one hour in the freezer stir the mixture to break up any ice that has formed. Keep doing this until the entire container contents has frozen, which will take three to five additional hours depending on the volume, the container, and your freezer. A big spoon works well, and at the end I use a fork which will leave tiny holes in the mixture so it's easier to break up when you serve it.
Serving Suggestions
This will likely be hard as a rock when you take it out of the freezer. You can run water over the outside of the container to melt the edges, remove the entire block, and cut it into smaller portions with a warm knife. You can also let it warm for a few minutes and you'll then be able to scoop it out with an ice cream scoop or a spoon. If you made a lot, you might at this point want to transfer serving-size portions into smaller containers.
Allow the gelato to warm for a few minutes before eating.
Storage
Store frozen in a covered container for up to three months.
Summary
I need to experiment more with additional mixing near the end to see if I can make easier to scoop—or I could buy an ice cream maker.
Nutrition
| Calories | 136 kcal |
| Total Fat | 10 g |
| Sodium | 59 mg |