I -- Scream!

I looked at the recipe.  I printed the recipe.  I read the recipe.  I was distracted with a million questions while attempting to make the recipe. ACK!  The sugar gets mixed in the the eggs and not cooked with the cream base.  Too late to separate the sugar from the cream, if that was even possible.  Not to worry, this kind of error has happen a million times to me.  Balancing act needed as well as ear plugs!  Add a few splashes of milk, a bit more vanilla in paste form and sugar to the yolks this time and hope it all comes together.  To the despair of the critics the creaminess needs to cure in the fridge over night, but not without a taste test.  The spoon goes into the mouth and comes out clean and the thumb goes up.  Confetti falls from the sky...not really.  Twenty four hours passes and it's time to rev up The Delonghi Gelato Maker (Happy Birthday to ME).  Twenty minutes later and rich creaminess delights the eyes.  Sorry kids bedtime (insert evil laugh here!)  I dish a bowl to the man who cries, "Give me Hagen Daz or give me nothing".  Comments include rich but not as rich as Hagen Daz, creamy, could use more vanilla and more refreshing then Hagen Daz.  What was that again?  Did I hear right?  Refreshing, better and you would rather have mine, score!

Vanilla Bean Gelato My Way

5 eggs yolks at room temp, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar (bit less then 1/4 c to balance)
2 c organic whole milk (1/2 c more to balance)
1 1/2 cup organic heavy cream
1 whole vanilla bean, split and seeded  (1/2 t vanilla bean paste)
pinch of sea salt


In a medium, deep sauce pot combine milk, cream, salt, vanilla seeds/pod (I added the sugar here 1/2 c and vanilla paste) and bring to a scald.  Let steep covered for 20 minutes then bring back to a scald.  Pour your hot cream through a fine strainer to remove the pod and any skin that may have formed as the cream steeped.   In a large metal bowl combine eggs and sugar (only less then 1/4 c in the other went in cream base) thoroughly with a whisk.  Pour cream into eggs very very very slowly to avoid overcooking and "scrambled" egg.  Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water (low heat) and cook 8-10 minutes, scraping the bottom and sides continuously for even cooking.  Strain again* and cool completely in the fridge about overnight.  Churn in your machine according to the instructions until you have the consistency of thick soft serve.  Place in a freezer safe container to set overnight.

*after make this I realized I should just refrigerated the custard in the gelato machines metal bowl.  If you are lucky like me and transitioned from freezer bowl to compression machine, you might want to give this a whirl.

* I always strain after completion of egg custard. Who wants egg lumps in their gelato/ice cream?