Gelati

When experimenting with different fruits in gelato:

• Hard fruits such as apples and pears should be cooked first to soften them, try poaching them in zinfandel to soften them.
• If using very sweet fruits, reduce the amount of sugar by a 1/4 cup.
• Fruit puree’s work well for a smoother consistency, or cut the fruit up into very small pieces. Pass the fruit through a food mill or strainer when pureeing to remove fibers and seeds.

For Vanilla Gelato:

4 cups of heavy cream (or Half & Half)
1 1/2 cup of sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
8 egg yolks

In a bain marie(double boiler), add the cream, vanilla bean, and half the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat when mixture comes to a boil and remove the vanilla bean.

Beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar in a large bowl, gradually mix in the hot cream mixture, return the mixture to the bain marie, and continue to cook, stirring constantly until it thickens slightly (do not allow the mixture to boil, or the eggs will curdle)

Pour mixture into an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s guidelines.


For Chocolate Gelato:
Prepare the gelato as above, adding 6 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and
2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate to the cream mixture, and bring to a boil, proceed as in the vanilla gelato recipe.


For Fig/Fruit Gelato:
Prepare the gelato as in the vanilla recipe, but add 1 cup of peeled chopped figs, when you remove the cream egg/mixture, from the heat. You can substitute the figs with any fruit or combination of fruits.


Rose Petal Sorbet:
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 1/2 cups of water
8 cups of rose petals aromatic pink or red, unsprayed
1/4 cup of orange juice
2 egg whites

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, add the rose petals, until the rose petals have wilted. Let stand for 30 minutes, refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Strain the mixture to remove the rose petals add the orange juice to the rose sugar water and place in a gelato machine. When the mixture is semi frozen, like a slush, whip the two egg whites until soft peaks have formed and fold into the sorbet until blended.

Makes about 1 1/2 pints


Raspberry Mimosa Sorbet:
1 cup champagne or sparkling wine
1 cup orange juice
1 cup fresh raspberries
2 egg whites

Place the orange juice, Sparking wine and raspberries in the gelato machine, when slush is forming beat the egg whites into soft peaks and fold into the sorbet.

Makes 1 1/2 pints