Pistachio Gelato

Gelato is one of my absolute favorite things to eat in Italy. While it is the Italian version of ice cream, the two are completely different. Gelato uses more milk, less cream, sugar, and fresh ingredients. It is also churned at a slower speed and for a much shorter period of time, which means less air is incorporated into the mix which creates fewer ice crystals. Gelato really is an art form. There are gelaterias on every corner in Italy, but don’t be fooled by the shops with flashy displays. The more ornate the presentation- tubs filled over a foot high and fancifully decorated with the main ingredients- are a big no no. These fancy displays sit around for days or even weeks on end. They often use powdered and artificial flavoring, and honestly it is a sin to even call this gelato. The best gelato is made fresh every day and is labeled as gelato artigianale = artisanal/freshly made.

Several years ago, Scott and I took a pizza and gelato cooking class with Walkabout Tours in Florence. This was one of the highlights of our trip and we loved it so much that we took our friends Curt and Cindy to the class last year. It is such a fun evening that we completely plan to keep going to this class every time we are in Florence. I also love the fact that they email all of the recipes to you after the class so you can recreate them at home. I have used their gelato recipes countless times. Because gelato is a mathematical equation of fats and sugars, it is really important to follow the measurements exactly. Since there are only four ingredients in this recipe you also want to purchase the best quality ingredients. I recommend organic milks and creams and pure pistachio paste. You can easily purchase pistachio paste on Amazon.

Pistachio Gelato

Recipe from my pizza and gelato class in Florence by Walkabout Tours

Prep Time: 30 min

Inactive Time: 4-8 hours

Level: Easy

Serves: 4

Special Tools: Food scale, immersion blender, and ice cream/gelato machine

Ingredients

350 grams organic whole milk

20 grams organic heavy whipping cream

100 grams granulated sugar

50 grams of pure pistachio paste

Directions

Weigh milk, cream, and paste in a plastic container.

Weigh the sugar in a separate container.

Add the sugar to the milk mixture and mix with immersion blender until all the sugar is dissolved into the milk.

Cover this mixture and chill up to 8 hours. (In a pinch I’ve also put this directly into the gelato machine and it has turned out fine. But, if you can chill for at least a couple of hours that is best.)

Set your ice cream maker to the gelato setting for 25 minutes. Turn on the machine and slowly pour the mixture into the machine. Be careful to pour the mixture only onto the paddle and not down the side of the frozen insert.

After 25 minutes of churning, transfer your gelato to a freezer safe container and freeze for four to eight hours.

For best results, enjoy within 24 hours of making.

Emily’s Notes– It is super important to use very high quality ingredients with your gelato to maximize the flavors. I like Horizon brand whole milk and heavy whipping cream. I found a great pistachio paste on Amazon from Fiddyment Farms. I purchased a cheap food scale from my local grocery store for about $15. I use a Cuisinart Cool Creations Ice Cream Maker that has an ice cream, sorbet, and gelato setting. This is really convenient because each setting corresponds with a different mixing speed to optimize texture. This was purchased from Crate and Barrel. I store my gelato in Tovolo brand Glide-A-Scoop Ice Cream Tubs and serve with their Tilt Up Ice Cream Scoop. Seriously, the Tovolo products are amazing and I cannot say enough good things about them. I got these at Crate and Barrel as well, but upon writing this post, I discovered that they are now only available at Tovolo.com. My gelato instructor, Max Pachetti, topped off our pistachio gelato with freeze dried sage dust and Hawaiian Red Sea salt. I know this might sound a little odd, but it was so delicious. He has a great Instagram page called Alcremista featuring his unique flavor combinations.

-emily