Italian Stracciatella Gelato
Make a batch of the iconic stracciatella flavored Italian gelato at home. This recipe will teach you all of the best tips and tricks that I learned from going to culinary school in Italy.
Servings: 8 servings (yields 4 cups or 950 ml)
Calories: 289kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon dextrose
- ¼ teaspoon guar gum
- ⅛ teaspoon locust bean gum
- 2 cups 2% milk
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons nonfat milk powder
- 1 ¼ cup heavy cream
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
Instructions
- Fill a large bowl with ice to use later as an ice bath. Place an empty bowl on top of the ice. Set aside. Place a storage container in the freezer to chill.
- Whisk dextrose, guar gum, and locust bean gum in a small mixing bowl.
- Cook milk in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat until it reaches 105°F (40°C) on an instant read thermometer. Once it reaches temperature, whisk in granulated sugar and nonfat milk powder. Once dissolved, whisk in dextrose mixture.
- Continue cooking the gelato base over medium heat, stirring often to ensure it doesn’t burn, until it reaches 195°F (90°C) on an instant read thermometer.
- Remove saucepan from heat. Whisk in heavy cream.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over the empty bowl on top of the ice bath. Strain gelato base.
- Chill gelato base until it has stopped steaming. Press plastic wrap against the surface of the gelato (to prevent a skin from forming on top), then cover with plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- Remove the gelato base from the refrigerator, and whisk to reincorporate. Pour the gelato base into an ice cream maker, and process for about 20–25 minutes or according to the manufacturer's directions. The gelato will be on the soft side. While the gelato is churning, add chocolate to a heat safe glass bowl. Heat in the microwave on 50 percent power (medium) for 30 seconds. Stir chocolate mixture, and heat for an additional 30 seconds. Repeat as needed until the chocolate morsels are fully melted. During the last few minutes of the churning process, while the gelato is still on the soft side, slowly drizzle in the melted chocolate.
- Transfer churned gelato into chilled storage container. Place gelato into the freezer to "cure" or harden up for a few hours. To serve, swipe the frozen gelato with a flat paddle. Smash the gelato on the side of the storage container to push out some of the air. Transfer to a serving bowl.
- Store gelato in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Don't forget to place the ice cream machine bowl in the freezer 24 hours before churning if you don't have a built-in freezer compressor.
Learn more about authentic Italian gelato.
Make Ahead: You can make the gelato base ahead of time, and store the mixture tightly covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for 24–48 hours ahead of churning.
If you prefer, you can use dark chocolate instead of semi-sweet chocolate.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 79mg | Potassium: 333mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 777IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 199mg | Iron: 1mg
