Today, we decided to make Italian Gelato at home. I purchased a DeLonghi GM6000 Gelato machine to see if I could replicate the fine gelatos of Italy.
Our first attempt was to make the custard described in Ciao Bella. Unfortunately, the attempt failed because our analog thermometer was not working properly, and we overheated the milk, heavy cream, and egg yolk. The whole mix was boiled, and the egg yolk was fried!
To test the machine (while waiting for the other recipe), I tried another strawberry gelato recipe from the DeLonghi cookbook. This recipe does not require custard preparation (no egg yolks are involved). I just tried the gelato, and it tasted too sweet. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of sugar, which would have been better with 1/4 cup.
Our second attempt at the Ciao Bella recipe for the Plain Base, also known as Gelato de Crema, finally succeeded. The gelato came out genuinely remarkable!
Our first attempt was to make the custard described in Ciao Bella. Unfortunately, the attempt failed because our analog thermometer was not working properly, and we overheated the milk, heavy cream, and egg yolk. The whole mix was boiled, and the egg yolk was fried!
To test the machine (while waiting for the other recipe), I tried another strawberry gelato recipe from the DeLonghi cookbook. This recipe does not require custard preparation (no egg yolks are involved). I just tried the gelato, and it tasted too sweet. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of sugar, which would have been better with 1/4 cup.
Our second attempt at the Ciao Bella recipe for the Plain Base, also known as Gelato de Crema, finally succeeded. The gelato came out genuinely remarkable!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
We also wanted to try the Chocolate recipe from Ciao Bella. We purchased Valrhona 70% chocolate. The chocolate gelato came out very well, but a bit too thick. Perhaps we used too much chocolate. The recipe called for 2.0 oz, but we added 2.6 oz.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Today, we made Green Tea Gelato using Matcha Japanese Green Tea. Alex really liked the flavor and ate it all!
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Today, we decided to make Hazelnut Gelato or Nocciola in Italian. Everyone loved the flavor; this has to be the best so far. The only question is - what are the best Hazelnuts for this recipe?
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Today, Inna and I decided to try to make Pistachio and Stracciatella Gelatos. We prepared the plain base the day before, so it was ready to go.
Our first attempt at making Pistachio gelato did not work; we followed the recipe, but it did not work. The Ciao Bella Cookbook's recipe called for roasting pistachios for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees F. However, we found that shelled pistachios began to smoke after 8 minutes at this temperature. Inna tried roasting the pistachios for a shorter time, but they still burned.
On her 3rd attempt, she lowered the oven temperature to 300°F and roasted the pistachios for 5 minutes. Then, she dropped the oven temperature to 280 degrees F and roasted the nuts for 5 more minutes. They still looked green (not brown) after burning for 10 minutes. The pistachio base looked light green after grinding them in the coffee grinder and combining them in a blender. The final pistachio gelato turned out well, but I hoped for a greener look. Are the pistachios from Italy (Bronte) any better?
The Stracciatella Gelato also turned out very well. Inna melted 60% bitter Ghirardelli chocolate and added it to the ice cream in a thin layer 5 minutes into the freezing process. The gelato turned out delicious!
We also wanted to try the Chocolate recipe from Ciao Bella. We purchased Valrhona 70% chocolate. The chocolate gelato came out very well, but a bit too thick. Perhaps we used too much chocolate. The recipe called for 2.0 oz, but we added 2.6 oz.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Today, we made Green Tea Gelato using Matcha Japanese Green Tea. Alex really liked the flavor and ate it all!
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Today, we decided to make Hazelnut Gelato or Nocciola in Italian. Everyone loved the flavor; this has to be the best so far. The only question is - what are the best Hazelnuts for this recipe?
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Today, Inna and I decided to try to make Pistachio and Stracciatella Gelatos. We prepared the plain base the day before, so it was ready to go.
Our first attempt at making Pistachio gelato did not work; we followed the recipe, but it did not work. The Ciao Bella Cookbook's recipe called for roasting pistachios for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees F. However, we found that shelled pistachios began to smoke after 8 minutes at this temperature. Inna tried roasting the pistachios for a shorter time, but they still burned.
On her 3rd attempt, she lowered the oven temperature to 300°F and roasted the pistachios for 5 minutes. Then, she dropped the oven temperature to 280 degrees F and roasted the nuts for 5 more minutes. They still looked green (not brown) after burning for 10 minutes. The pistachio base looked light green after grinding them in the coffee grinder and combining them in a blender. The final pistachio gelato turned out well, but I hoped for a greener look. Are the pistachios from Italy (Bronte) any better?
The Stracciatella Gelato also turned out very well. Inna melted 60% bitter Ghirardelli chocolate and added it to the ice cream in a thin layer 5 minutes into the freezing process. The gelato turned out delicious!
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