i have this thing about gelato
i might have mentioned before
that i spent a year in florence during college
and at the end of the year
a group of friends and i
celebrated with a gelato walk
each of us picked our favorite place
and favorite flavor
let's just say
the freshsman 10
has nothing on
the florence 20
and starting on that day
25 or so years ago
i began to notice
subtle differences
in frozen treats
recently, while in bologna
i tasted the featured gelato at a place called grom
salted caramel
and it blew me away
so amazing
and today
i made an attempt to duplicate it
as an ice cream
which was good
but maybe a tad bit too salty
unless you are just going to have a taste
then it is just perfect
but you can't eat a lot of it (maybe that is good?)
however
if you then add a bit of melted chocolate and some roasted almonds
the salt is perfect
and you can over-indulge
which is what ice cream is all about
no?
2 cups milk (i used 2%)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 Tbs unsalted butter
generous 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup half and half (you can use cream if you prefer)
6 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
add to make turtle ice cream:
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips--melted (optional)
1/2 cup roasted almonds (optional)
whisk egg yolks and sea salt in a bowl, set aside. in a saucepan, cook sugar until it becomes caramel in color. be careful to swirl so all bits are melted, but do not over-stir. watch the sugar closely, as it can go from perfect to burned in an instant. remove from heat and drop in butter and milk. mixture might seize, but if it does, put it on a gentle heat until it becomes liquid. add the half and half and bring to a simmer. temper the eggs with the hot milk mixture and pour back into the saucepan. cook over low heat until the cream becomes thickened to a nappe. be careful not to overcook. pour through a sieve into a bowl and chill until ready to use. the ice cream custard should be fully chilled before putting into the machine. churn according to manufacturer's instructions. when the ice cream is almost done, pour chocolate by spoonfuls into machine (if using). it will create frozen pieces and strands of chocolate in the ice cream. mix in almonds just before transferring to freezer container.
this ice cream remains soft even after freezing--which makes it easy to sneak a bite while passing through the kitchen. if you don't want to be tempted...i suggest you buy a freezer and put it in the neighbor's basement. store your salted caramel ice cream there.
this ice cream remains soft even after freezing--which makes it easy to sneak a bite while passing through the kitchen. if you don't want to be tempted...i suggest you buy a freezer and put it in the neighbor's basement. store your salted caramel ice cream there.
