Description[]
Source: Emeril's THERE'S A CHEF IN MY WORLD - EMERIL LAGASSE
Gelato is the Italian word for ice cream. It is usually denser than the ice cream in America, and this chocolate gelato is super rich! Since making the gelato base is a little tricky for one person, you may need to grab a friend or family member so that one of you can ladle and pour and the other one can stir when tempering the egg mixture. If you're a fan of dark chocolate, try substituting bittersweet chocolate for the semisweet. This gelato is well worth the wait.
Ingredients[]
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 3/4 cup superfine sugar
- 2 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 large egg yolks
Directions[]
- Combine the milk, cream, orange zest, and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Allow the mixture to come to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- Place the chopped chocolate and the cocoa powder in a medium mixing bowl and set a wire-mesh strainer over the bowl.
- Using oven mitts or pot holders, carefully pour the heated milk mixture through the strainer into the bowl.
- Whisk the milk and chocolate until the chocolate has completely melted and there are no lumps of chocolate or cocoa powder.
- Fill a large mixing bowl about halfway with ice water and set aside.
- In a second medium mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks and the remaining sugar.
- Whisk continuously until the mixture is pale yellow and slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes.
- This is where you need two sets of hands.
- Using a ladle, slowly spoon the hot chocolate mixture into the egg mixture while another person is whisking the eggs continuously to keep them from cooking (curdling).
- Watch out here - it's hot!
- When all of the chocolate has been whisked into the eggs, carefully return the mixture to the medium saucepan and set over medium-low heat.
- Stir the chocolate mixture constantly and cook until slightly thickened and an instant-read thermometer reaches 170°F.
- Using oven mitts or pot holders, remove the mixture from the heat and carefully pour immediately into a third medium mixing bowl.
- Carefully place the medium bowl in the large bowl of ice water to chill the mixture.
- Stir gently to cool with a wooden spoon, being careful not to let any of the ice water splash into the chocolate mixture.
- When the mixture has cooled, cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least two hours and up to overnight.
- Transfer the chocolate mixture to an ice cream freezer and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.
- Store the gelato in a freezer-safe container for at least 2 hours before serving
YIELD: About 1 quart