Description
Hazelnut gelato is a classic Italian dish. It takes a bit longer to make than many ice creams but it’s worth the extra effort.
Scale
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup hazelnuts
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon hazelnut liqueur (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Bake the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking pan for 10 minute or until fragrant. While still warm, rub the hazelnuts in a rough towel to remove as much of the skins as possible. You won’t get them all, so don’t worry about a few. Let the hazelnuts cool, then grind in a food processor or blender until finely chopped.
- In a saucepan over medium, heat the hazelnuts, cream, milk, sugar, and salt until almost boiling. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for an hour. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and then extract as much liquid as you can from the hazelnuts by squeezing them in your fist or (updated method!) pressing them in a ricer. Discard the mangled nuts.
- Prepare an ice bath. Set aside.
- Rewarm the cream mixture over medium heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Add the warm cream to the yolks one ladle at at time, whisking constantly. Once you’ve added all the cream, pour it back into the sauce pan, and cook over medium-low heat until custard thickens and can easily coat the back of the spoon, about 10 minutes.
- Strain the custard through a fine sieve into a bowl. Add the hazelnut liqueur, if using, then transfer the bowl of ice cream to the ice bath, and stir until the mixture cools. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
- About 15 minutes before you’re ready to churn, put the ice cream into the freezer to make it extra cold. Churn the mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Notes
This recipe is adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz.