In Wisconsin, Labor Day weekend marks the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year. In Missouri, Labor Day weekend means a day off of school. I must say I prefer the former, because it makes for 15-week semesters instead of the brutal 18-week long semesters Washington University finds necessary. In St. Louis, there are an assortment of festivals over Labor Day weekend. Unfortunately, Hurricane Issac made his way to Missouri just in time to rain out many of the activities. It's been dark and dreary. It's not cold, but it feels like soup weather. Determined not to let the weather damper my enjoyment of summer's end, I decided to make ice cream.
I haven't made a lot of ice cream this summer because I can't eat enough to justify making a whole batch. I didn't know if a half batch would freeze properly, so I just skipped ice cream all together. With cold weather just a few months away (or maybe not with the kind of weather we've been having), I decided that it's now or never. Last week, my friend Ann and I went to a painting class at Bar Italia. Ann ordered a drink made with cranberry juice, pistachio liqueur and a splash of lemon lime soda. It was delicious and inspired me to make pistachio gelato.
In the blog world, David Lebovitz seems to be the leading authority for ice cream recipes. Being the rebel that I am (and because I didn't want to track down Pistachio Paste when I have a lifetime supply of unsalted, shelled pistachios in my fridge), I opted for a recipe by David Leite. I couldn't have been more pleased with my choice! The creaminess is unparalleled. For the full, unmodified recipe, see David Leite's Pistachio Gelato.
Materials
1 cup (scant) unsalted, shelled pistachios, finely ground
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch salt
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar (or less)
1/8-1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Method
See David Leite's Pistachio Gelato.
Results
The flavor isn't overly pistachio-y. The texture is indescribably creamy. You'll have to make it to believe me. No, really. Go make it. You won't be disappointed.
Discussion
Besides halving the recipe, I did modify the ingredients a smidge. I added the upper limit of sugar. That was a bad idea because it ended up a little too sweet. I think the sweetness masked the pistachio flavor. Next time, I would let the pistachios steep in the milk/cream for an hour or two before refrigerating. Because my gelato wasn't very pistachio-y, I stirred in some almond extract immediately prior to freezing. In flavor, it tastes a lot like Blue Bunny Pistachio Almond Ice Cream. In texture, it's far superior. I was pleased with my decision to leave out the chopped pistachios so that the texture was smooth.
I am so pleased with this recipe that I would like to try it as the base for future flavors. It would be easy to make it a mint gelato, or another herb/nut infusion. Though I wouldn't know where to being, it would be amazing as chocolate gelato. It might be a few months or even a year before I make ice cream again, but I will be sure to keep this recipe in mind when I do (and so should you)!
Supplementary Materials
Variation for Chocolate Gelato
I did make this recipe into chocolate gelato. After heating the milk and cream, I whisked in 1/6 cup (1/3 cup for the full recipe) cocoa powder. Then, after tempering the eggs and whisking them into the cream mixture, I whisked in 1 oz (2 oz for the full recipe) Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Chips. The texture wasn't as creamy as the pistachio, which was disappointing, but it reminded me of a Wendy's Frosty. I'd definitely make it again!
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