Bubble Gum Gelato ~~ Bubble Gum Ice Cream

 

Summer Serendipity 

When we venture to Baskin Robbins my youngest always orders bubblegum ice cream.  I have to admit in my younger days I did the same.  The perfect double treat that lasts way beyond the creamy ice cream.  Since we are now make our own gelato, sorbet and ice cream the little birds chirped, "bubblegum ice cream...bubblegum ice cream."  Ok, ok but I need to develop a new recipe since the recipe I tried last year was an utter failure and huge mess.  That recipe calls for you to melt the gum into the base.  What a huge mess!  First I needed bubble gum extract which is not something you find in your local grocery store, lucky for them we happened upon Surfas Inc., restaurant supply and gourmet food store, on our trip to Los Angeles. Where I found bubble gum extract.  I dragged my husband around the store for over an hour and he kindly put his business card in the drawing for a vitmix blender, I am eagerly awaiting their call ;-)

cream base and gum

the extract is bright pink, but the color was lost and I did not want to add food coloring

a natural option beet juice

gummmmmmmm yummmmmmmm

Bubble Gum Gelato

base from Ciao Bella Book of Gelato & Sorbetto

recipe from me

2 cups organic whole milk
1 cup organic heavy cream
4 large organic egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
2 1/2t bubble gum extract
glorious gum I used 5 boxes of Chicklets and 5 double bubble pieces cut into smaller pieces as pictured above

~ in a heavy bottom sauce pan combine milk and cream
~ place over medium-low heat
~ stir occasionally until temperature reaches 170 degrees  and tiny bubbles start to form
~ meanwhile put egg yolks in a round medium size pyrex and whisk until smooth
~ add sugar to yolks and whisk until thick and pale
~ IMPORTANT PART
~ temper your egg yolks by taking about 1/2 cup of hot milk/cream mixture and slowly pour into yolks while whisking yolks...keep it moving or you will end up with scrambled eggs
~ continue adding about 1/2 cup at a time slowly until you have added about 1 1/2 to 2 cups
~ pour egg mixture into remaining milk/cream mixture in pan
~ cook over low heat stirring frequently until mixture reaches 185 degrees (do not boil)
~ pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer back into pyrex
~ add 2 /2 t bubble gum extract
~ cool and place in refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight
~ place in ice cream maker and freeze according to manufactures directions
~ 2 minutes before end of ice cream cycle add chopped gum

Everyone loved it even my most finicky husband!

 

Fresh Apricot Gelato

Finally catching up...  I made this gelato in the beginning of June when we had fresh apricots.  Now the tree is bare due to the fierce winds the tree endured all spring.  We are sad since usually our tree runeths over and we eat them, dry them and bake with them.  Sadly we just ate and made frozen treats with them this year.  We have next year to look forward too. 

oh those wonderful apricots

blended smooth

 
mmmm gelato....

 

Apricot Gelato

base from Ciao Bella Book of Gelato & Sorbetto

 

base

2 cups organic whole milk

1 cup organic heavy cream

4 large organic egg yolks

2/3 cup sugar

~ in a heavy bottom sauce pan combine milk and cream

~ place over medium-low heat

~ stir occasionally until temperature reaches 170 degrees  and tiny bubbles start to form

~ meanwhile put egg yolks in a round medium size pyrex and whisk until smooth

~ add sugar to yolks and whisk until thick and pale

~ IMPORTANT PART

~ temper your egg yolks by taking about 1/2 cup of hot milk/cream mixture and slowly pour into yolks while whisking yolks...keep it moving or you will end up with scrambled eggs

~ continue adding about 1/2 cup at a time slowly until you have added about 1 1/2 to 2 cups

~ pour egg mixture into remaining milk/cream mixture in pan

~ cook over low heat stirring frequently until mixture reaches 185 degrees (do not boil)

~ pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer back into pyrex

~ cool and place in refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight

Apricot Gelato

enough apricots to fill your blender

1 recipe of base

~ puree apricots in blender

~ add base and blend together

~ cool mixture in refrigerator about an hour

~ add to ice cream maker and make according to instructions

flavors to enhance apricots: rosemary, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, tarragon and ginger

Coffee Gelato buzz buzz new and improved

I am so happy because I am the new owner of a Lello Simac Il Gelato maker circa 1980's or 90's.  A powerhouse!  So now the request come in daily, "we want...gelato or sorbet".  So I need to catch up and add the apricot gelato, apricot sorbet and the new and improved vanilla gelato to the blog.  Coming up next the return of pistachio gelato.  Time to go through the huge stack of ice cream, sorbet and gelato cookbooks I just picked up from the library for more inspiration.

Warning do not eat at night, unless you have late night plans.

Coffee  Gelato

 Base Recipe from The Ciao Bella Book of Gelato & Sorbetto

F.W. Pearce & Danilo Zecchin

 adapted

makes about 1 quart 

2 cups organic whole milk
1 cup organic heavy cream
1 1/2T or more finely ground espresso coffee beans
1/2 t vanilla paste
4 large organic egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar

~ in a heavy bottom sauce pan combine milk, cream, 1T ground coffee beans and 1/2t vanilla paste
~ place over medium-low heat
~ stir occasionally until temperature reaches 170 degrees  and tiny bubbles start to form
~ meanwhile put egg yolks in a round medium size pyrex and whisk until smooth
~ add sugar to yolks and whisk until thick and pale
~ IMPORTANT PART
~ temper your egg yolks by taking about 1/2 cup of hot milk/cream mixture and slowly pour into yolks while whisking yolks...keep it moving or you will end up with scrambled eggs
~ continue adding about 1/2 cup at a time slowly until you have added about 1 1/2 to 2 cups
~ pour egg mixture into remaining milk/cream mixture in pan
~ cook over low heat stirring frequently until mixture reaches 185 degrees (do not boil)
~ pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer back into pyrex
~ add remaining ground coffee beans
~ cool and place in refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight
~ pour into ice cream maker and use as directed
~ eat it right away or for more developed flavors freeze for 2 hours

Amazingly Wonderful!!

Coffee Gelato

I thought the pistachio gelato was beyond words.  Coffee gelato is sublime!

Plain Base for Gelato

from The Ciao Bella Book of Gelato & Sorbetto

F.W. Pearce & Danilo Zecchin

makes about 1 quart 

2 cups organic whole milk
1 cup organic heavy cream
4 large organic egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar

~ in a heavy bottom sauce pan combine milk and cream
~ place over medium-low heat
~ stir occasionally until temperature reaches 170 degrees  and tiny bubbles start to form
~ meanwhile put egg yolks in a round medium size pyrex and whisk until smooth
~ add sugar to yolks and whisk until thick and pale
~ IMPORTANT PART
~ temper your egg yolks by taking about 1/2 cup of hot milk/cream mixture and slowly pour into yolks while whisking yolks...keep it moving or you will end up with scrambled eggs
~ continue adding about 1/2 cup at a time slowly until you have added about 1 1/2 to 2 cups
~ pour egg mixture into remaining milk/cream mixture in pan
~ cook over low heat stirring frequently until mixture reaches 185 degrees (do not boil)
~ pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer back into pyrex
~ cool and place in refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight

COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE

2T of freshly finely ground coffee (I used Taylor Maid Farms Goat Rock Roast)
Plain Base

~ whisk coffee into plain base
~ pour into ice cream maker and use as directed
~ freeze for at least 2 hours before serving

Pistachio Gelato

 

one word AMAZING

I promised for weeks to make pistachio ice cream, but I dragged my heels and heard daily complaints, "you promised...you're never going to make it...I opened all the pastachio's for you..."  AHHHH fine, I'll make it.  Luckly I picked up a plethora of books from the library including The Ciao Bella Book of Gelato & Sorbetto by F.W. Pearce & Danilo Zecchin because on can never peruse, skim, enjoy or own too many cookbooks.  Unfortunately for them, they would have to wait 12 hours for the base to develop.

 

Plain Base for Gelato

from The Ciao Bella Book of Gelato & Sorbetto

F.W. Pearce & Danilo Zecchin

makes about 1 quart 

2 cups organic whole milk
1 cup organic heavy cream
4 large organic egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar

~ in a heavy bottom sauce pan combine milk and cream
~ place over medium-low heat
~ stir occasionally until temperature reaches 170 degrees  and tiny bubbles start to form
~ meanwhile put egg yolks in a round medium size pyrex and whisk until smooth
~ add sugar to yolks and whisk until thick and pale
~ IMPORTANT PART
~ temper your egg yolks by taking about 1/2 cup of hot milk/cream mixture and slowly pour into yolks while whisking yolks...keep it moving or you will end up with scrambled eggs
~ continue adding about 1/2 cup at a time slowly until you have added about 1 1/2 to 2 cups
~ pour egg mixture into remaining milk/cream mixture in pan
~ cook over low heat stirring frequently until mixture reaches 185 degrees (do not boil)
~ pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer back into pyrex
~ cool and place in refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight

Turning it into pistachio gelato

 

Love this little Vivalp processor.  I wish I had another.  I think it is on it's last leg.

Pistachio Gelato

from The Ciao Bella Book of Gelato & Sorbetto

F.W. Pearce & Danilo Zecchin

adapted

1/2 of plain base

1/2 cup shelled dry roasted unsalted pistachios

1/8t vanilla extract

1/2 cup shelled dry roasted unsalted pistachios

~ toast pistachios in small cast iron skillet until slightly browned
~ cool
~ grind 1/2 cup in coffee grinder or mini food processor
~ blend ground pistachios and cream base in blender until smooth
~ pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to ice cream makers instructions
~ about 5 minutes before complete add whole pistachios

enjoy the pure flavor explosion

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?