Pistachio Gelato
By Afton CyrusPublished on April 17, 2020
Time
1 hour, plus 1 hour steeping, 2 hours cooling, and 6 hours freezing
Yield
Makes about 1 quart
Italian Name:
Gelato al pistacchio
Ingredients
Before You Begin
If using a canister-style ice cream maker, be sure to freeze the empty canister for at least 24 hours and preferably for 48 hours before churning. For self-refrigerating ice cream makers, pre-chill the canister by running the machine for 5 to 10 minutes before pouring in the custard.
Instructions
- Process pistachios in food processor until finely ground, about 20 seconds. Combine 3½ cups milk, sugar, cream, corn syrup, and ¼ teaspoon salt together in large saucepan. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium-high heat until tiny bubbles form around edge of saucepan, 5 to 7 minutes. Off heat, stir in pistachios, cover, and let steep for 1 hour.
- Line fine-mesh strainer with triple layer of cheesecloth that overhangs edges and set over large bowl. Transfer pistachio mixture to prepared strainer and press to extract as much liquid as possible. Gather sides of cheesecloth around pistachio pulp and gently squeeze remaining liquid into bowl; discard spent pulp.
- Whisk cornstarch and remaining ¼ cup milk together in small bowl; set aside. Return pistachio-milk mixture to clean saucepan. Whisk in egg yolks until combined. Bring custard to gentle simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of saucepan with rubber spatula, until custard registers 190 degrees, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Whisk cornstarch mixture to recombine, then whisk into custard. Cook, stirring constantly, until custard thickens, about 30 seconds. Immediately pour custard into bowl and let cool until no longer steaming, about 20 minutes.
- Fill large bowl with 6 cups ice, ½ cup water, and remaining ⅓ cup salt. Set bowl with custard over ice bath and let chill, stirring frequently, until custard registers 40 degrees, about 1½ hours. (Alternatively, custard can be covered and refrigerated for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours.)
- Whisk custard to recombine, then transfer to ice cream maker and churn until mixture resembles thick soft-serve ice cream and registers 21 degrees, 15 to 30 minutes. Transfer gelato to airtight container, pressing firmly to remove any air pockets, and freeze until firm, about 6 hours. Serve. (Gelato can be stored for up to 5 days; if frozen for longer than 6 hours, let gelato sit in refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours until it registers 10 to 15 degrees before serving.)
Time
1 hour, plus 1 hour steeping, 2 hours cooling, and 6 hours freezingYield
Makes about 1 quartItalian Name:
Gelato al pistacchioIngredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Highly prized Bronte pistachios are grown on the hillsides of eastern Sicily, and they're used in a wide variety of Sicilian dishes. They're especially celebrated in sweets, the arguable king of which is gelato. Theories as to the origins of gelato abound in Italy, with many believing it evolved from the sorbetto that the Arabs introduced. But its birthplace was most certainly Sicily. And while gelato is a close cousin to ice cream, there are key differences: Gelato typically has less cream and more milk and is served at a warmer temperature than American-style ice cream. The lower fat percentage and higher serving temperature allow its concentrated, pure flavors to taste more intense than those of ice cream; these same factors also keep gelato soft and creamy. To make pistachio gelato at home, we first tested ratios of milk and heavy cream for our base. We found that using mostly whole milk with just a bit of cream gave us the ideal dense, rich texture we were looking for. For pistachio flavor, some recipes we researched called for pistachio paste, a challenging- to-find specialty Sicilian product made from sweetened ground pistachios and oil. While pistachio paste is generally delicious and intensely flavored, we found that the percentages of sugar and fat varied from brand to brand, which would affect the texture of the gelato. Instead, we turned to raw pistachios. Grinding the nuts and steeping them in the warmed milk and cream released their volatile oils and deeply flavored the base, and straining the solids through cheesecloth ensured a velvety smooth texture. From there, we thickened our base with cornstarch, which is traditional, and egg yolks. Not all Sicilian recipes include yolks, but we liked the rich creaminess they contributed to our version since homemade gelato doesn't benefit from commercial equipment. But we also added a surprise ingredient: corn syrup. Like the cornstarch, corn syrup helped absorb excess water and slow the formation of ice crystals, keeping the custard smooth. Gelato will stay within the ideal temperature range for up to 6 hours of freezing time, but after that we needed to temper the frozen gelato in the refrigerator until it warmed to the ideal serving temperature of 10 to 15 degrees for a creamy, intensely pistachio-flavored treat, perfect for bringing sunny Sicilian afternoons home.
Before You Begin
If using a canister-style ice cream maker, be sure to freeze the empty canister for at least 24 hours and preferably for 48 hours before churning. For self-refrigerating ice cream makers, pre-chill the canister by running the machine for 5 to 10 minutes before pouring in the custard.
Instructions
- Process pistachios in food processor until finely ground, about 20 seconds. Combine 3½ cups milk, sugar, cream, corn syrup, and ¼ teaspoon salt together in large saucepan. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium-high heat until tiny bubbles form around edge of saucepan, 5 to 7 minutes. Off heat, stir in pistachios, cover, and let steep for 1 hour.
- Line fine-mesh strainer with triple layer of cheesecloth that overhangs edges and set over large bowl. Transfer pistachio mixture to prepared strainer and press to extract as much liquid as possible. Gather sides of cheesecloth around pistachio pulp and gently squeeze remaining liquid into bowl; discard spent pulp.
- Whisk cornstarch and remaining ¼ cup milk together in small bowl; set aside. Return pistachio-milk mixture to clean saucepan. Whisk in egg yolks until combined. Bring custard to gentle simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of saucepan with rubber spatula, until custard registers 190 degrees, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Whisk cornstarch mixture to recombine, then whisk into custard. Cook, stirring constantly, until custard thickens, about 30 seconds. Immediately pour custard into bowl and let cool until no longer steaming, about 20 minutes.
- Fill large bowl with 6 cups ice, ½ cup water, and remaining ⅓ cup salt. Set bowl with custard over ice bath and let chill, stirring frequently, until custard registers 40 degrees, about 1½ hours. (Alternatively, custard can be covered and refrigerated for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours.)
- Whisk custard to recombine, then transfer to ice cream maker and churn until mixture resembles thick soft-serve ice cream and registers 21 degrees, 15 to 30 minutes. Transfer gelato to airtight container, pressing firmly to remove any air pockets, and freeze until firm, about 6 hours. Serve. (Gelato can be stored for up to 5 days; if frozen for longer than 6 hours, let gelato sit in refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours until it registers 10 to 15 degrees before serving.)
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Appears In
Key Equipment
Keep Exploring
0 Comments