“Autunno a Casa Mia” Gelato
In case you missed it, autumn is here! I, however, only get the sense of autumn at the hospital because walking outside reminds me that Miami doesn’t have an autumn season. However, I have a few tricks up my sleeve for bringing autumn into our house without bringing the heat in with it. One of them is this autumnal gelato that I love to give as gifts this time of year. “Autunno a casa mia” means “Autumn at my house” in Italian. My house smells of coffee, smokey autumn fires from outdoors, spices, and cookie batter this time of year. I hope you have an ice cream churn...because this one is worth going out and buying one! It’s been a hit among our friends and gives you something to sit down by the fire with...even if it’s too hot to have a fire going. Our churn is this amazing Cuisinart that we’re just in love with, the link is provided if you’d like to take a look.
Gelato and ice cream have an interesting history together. “Gelato” literally means “frozen” in Italian and is the lower in butterfat, higher in sugar grandfather of the western “ice cream”. Gelato was said to have been brought over from Egypt by the Romans, this part of the history is rife with myths and misinterpretations, but we know that the first gelato maker was perfected in 1686 by Sicilian fishermen. How do we know this? The towns went crazy for it! There are records of people buying gelato by the gallon and adding adulterants (flavorings) to it to their hearts’ contents. Moderating butterfat is what sets the gelato apart from ice cream and, thus, where labeling is important in today’s international market. If a frozen dessert contains 30% butterfat it is considered an “ice cream”, however if it contains between 20-25% butterfat it is considered a “gelato”. Other frozen desserts straddle this distinction, with the exception of Sorbetto (Sorbet) that is devoid of lactose, with items like the semifreddo, frozen yogurt, and frozen custard.
But let me tell you something about making ice cream...you think you’re buying a machine of instant gratification when you get that churn in the mail, but you could not be more wrong. You have to make the cream base, then let it sit in the fridge for at least 6 hours to become nice and cold. Then, you let the ice cream churn, put it in your preferred container, and let it freeze again in the freezer until it’s solid. It’s a 24 hour process to get those delicious scoops from stovetop to your bowl.
Without further ado, your ice cream:
- 88 g of white cane sugar
- 88 g of dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp of vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp of pumpkin (pie) spice
- A pinch (1/8 tsp) of smoked paprika
Optional items: Chocolate covered espresso beans (my favorite), chocolate chunks, small marshmallows, walnuts, pecans, or caramel drizzle. These will be added close to the time that the gelato is done churning.
1) In a medium saucepan combine the milk, sugar, salt, and spices Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until steaming. Reduce the heat to low.
2) Lightly beat the egg yolks in a small bowl. Slowly pour half the hot milk into the eggs while whisking continuously. Return the mixture to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes.
3) Strain the custard ( afine-mesh sieve will do) into a medium bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap, allowing it to touch the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for 3-6 hours until cold. Follow the instructions on the ice cream maker to make sure your bowl is ready for churning when you need it, ours requires the bowl to be frozen for around 6 hours prior to churning.
4) When you’re ready to churn, whisk the cream and vanilla extract into the custard base. Follow your churn’s instructions for pouring into the churn. You’ll be churning for about 20 minutes or until you see the desired thickness for your gelato. Place your desired containers for when you’re done in the freezer now to make sure they’re cold.
5) Add your optional ingredients now and churn for about 3-4 more minutes. If you are adding caramel or another drizzel, only churn for 2 more minutes.
6) Turn your gelato over into the desired containers being careful to be quick as it will begin to melt a little, this is where freezing the containers does help this phase.
7) Allow it time to freeze in its container, but when it’s firm, serve with a hefty dollop of whipped cream!
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