I make ice cream all the time. My ice cream maker is one of my favorite appliances. It allows me to get really creative with ice cream flavors. And my family is sweets obsessed.
However, I've never made legitimate gelato. I tried just about every single flavor when M and I went to Italy a few years back. However, the whole "tempering custard" thing always held me back.
Until a recent trip to a local gelato shop in my neighborhood caused me to rethink my fears.
I'm not cheap when it comes to food. I hate food waste, and so I use up every single thing I ever buy (and get really creative with leftovers), but I spend a lot on high quality ingredients. I'm not scared off by $9 a gallon milk because it comes from a small, local creamery where quality is key. I don't cringe at a pound of ground beef that costs me $8.95 because it comes from a slaughterhouse with standards that would put most in the meat business to shame. I put forth a lot of effort researching what goes into our bodies. And it's worth every penny. I've always said that it doesn't matter how much we spend on what goes over our bodies or as roofs over our heads if what goes into our bodies and onto our skin is...pardon the phrase...crap.
But I draw the line at $6.00 for a 1/2c. of gelato, especially when I find out that the quality of the eggs and cream is no different than what a large scale producer of ice cream is using. What the heck is it about gelato that makes it so expensive? Is it the cream? Is it the number of eggs? Is it its fancy Italian name that makes suburbanites pay money because it looks like something they just have to have?
Only one way to find out.
Farm to Family Table had a lemon gelato recipe hidden in its blog, and since lemon is our family favorite, I decided to give it a try. The recipe below is AMAZING. A. MAZ. ING.
And I also decided to see if it was really worth the price of $6.00 for a half cup. See below the recipe if you are so inclined.
You need:
2/3 c. lemon juice (about 3-4 lemons, depending upon size)
Lemon peel from 3 lemons
6 egg yolks (save the whites for an omelette!)
1 1/4 c. heavy cream
2 1/2 c. half and half
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Cut the peel from three lemons that have been washed and dried well. Be sure to wash and dry off any juice that might have squeezed out onto the peel so it doesn't curdle the milk. Place in a small bowl. In a mixing bowl, add the egg yolks. Whisk in the heavy cream. In a medium pot, heat the sugar and the half and half over medium heat. Add the lemon peel. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat. Temper the egg yolk/cream mixture by pouring in a small amount of the warm sugar mixture, whisking constantly. Then gradually add the egg yolk mixture into the warm sugar mixture. Return to medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Remove the lemon peels and refrigerate overnight. Once cool and ready to add to the ice cream maker, stir in the lemon juice. Add to the ice cream maker and mix according to the machine's instructions. If you want to impress someone and serve this for dessert, don't toss out those three to four lemons you squeezed for juice. Instead, scoop out the flesh and serve the gelato in the lemons. Fancy, right?
Addendum: the cost of making gelato with really good quality ingredients - by me
Lemons (bag of 6 for $1.99) - $1.00
Egg Yolks (local farm, $3.79/dozen) - $1.90
Heavy Cream (local creamery, $5.00/pint) - $2.75
Half and Half (local creamery, $5.00/qt) - $2.75
Sugar (organic, unbleached, cane, $6.00/3 lbs) - $1.35ish
Vanilla (Madagascar, pure, $4.99/4 oz.) - $.10 (to be generous)
= $9.85 for a half gallon, which is equal to 16 1/2 c. servings, which means each 1/2 c, serving, made with very high quality ingredients purchased in small quantity (and not in bulk like most retailers), costs me SIXTY-TWO CENTS.
I'm in the wrong business.
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