Ice Cream and Sorbets Cooking Recipe
Italians have greatly contributed to ice cream’s fame and popularity. In the sixteenth century, the Florentine architect Bernardo Buontalenti was then originator 0fa recipe for sorbet served at the table 0f the Medicis. It was, in fact, Catherine de Medici, wife 0f Henri II, who introduced this delicacy to the French court. Perfected in England by Charles I’s pastry chefs, ice cream also enjoyed great success in seventeenth-century Paris.
At the end 0f the eighteenth century, Italian immigrants opened the first ice cream parlors in the United States. The success 0f this dessert prompted William Young to invent the first ice cream maker in 1800.
Ices (or ice creams) differ from sorbets and granitas because they contain eggs, milk, and cream.
Advice on making ice cream and sorbets
When making ice cream or sorbets, it needs to be remembered that the chilling process diminishes the flavor. For the same reason, the proportion of sugar needs be higher than for desserts served at room temperature.
The use of an ice-cream maker or churn is ideal. However, it is possible to prepare ice creams or sorbets without this type of device: place in the freezer and stir every 30 minutes until the solidifying process is complete, or leave to freeze in ice-cream trays and mix in afood processor just before serving.
Vanilla Ice Cream Cooking Recipe – Gelato Alla Crema Recipe
Serves 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Chilling time: 2 hours
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250 ml) milk
- 1 cup (250 ml) whipping cream
- ½ vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract) or zest of ½ lemon
- 4 egg yolks
- ¾ cup (5 ¼ oz.150 g) granulated sugar
Equipment
- 1 kitchen thermometer
- 1 ice cream maker or 1 ice cream churn (optional, see advice on the left)
Preparation Method
- Heat the milk and the cream in a saucepan.
- Cut the vanilla bean in two lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and add them to the milk mixture (1).
- Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until thick and pale (2) and pour the hot milk and cream over them (3). Mix well.
- Return the mixture to the saucepan and heat to 185°F (80°C), stirring continuously, for 2 minutes without letting it boil.
- Remove from the heat and stir thoroughly.
- Leave to chill in the refrigerator for approximately 2 hours.
- Stir again, and then pour into the ice-cream maker (4) and follow the manufacturer’s directions for the freezing tirpe (5).
- Ice cream should be stored at -0.4°F (-18°C).
Chefs notes
Depending on how creamy you wish the ice cream to be, you can increase the quantity of milk and decrease the quantity of cream in the same proportions or vice versa. With 1 2f3 cups (400 ml) of milk and % cup (100 ml) of cream, you will have a lighter but less creamy ice cream.
You can add various ingredients to vary the flavor of the ice cream: chopped hazelnuts or hazelnut paste, powdered coffee, chocolate chips for stracciatella; amarena Fabbri (wild cherries in syrup) with their juice for an amarena ice cream; pistachio paste; fruit purees, etc.
