Author Notes
Didn’t you love those scenes from “Roman Holiday” where Audrey Hepburn was clinging to the back of Uncle Fester as he zipped around the narrow streets of Rome on his motorino. In that black tunic he was often mistaken for a country priest---except for the illuminated light bulb in his mouth he used to navigate. Here’s how he powered up that bulb; a lot of coffee and a lot of sugar involving a quick stop at Caffe Sant’ Eustachio. “Allora, come va?” Or else maybe I’m mixing it up with a Fellini film, communque, sotto cieli di Roma. Boh!
Special equipment; an ice cream maker (I use a Cuisinart with a 1 ½ quart capacity). - pierino
—pierino
Test Kitchen Notes
Pierino has another winner! His espresso-chocolate gelato is everything a gelato should be -- rich, decadent, flavorful and not-too-sweet. I loved the addition of creme fraiche instead of the usual (in my experience) heavy cream -- it added a tangy background taste that was really sophisticated and wonderful. I doubled the chocolate (because that's just me), and added the Grand Marnier to the cooked base before chilling so that the alcohol could help keep it from getting too solid in the freezer. I also suggest straining the base through a fine mesh strainer before chilling -- it makes the gelato smooth as silk. A perfect addition to the library of ice cream recipes on food52, I highly recommend this as an Editors' Pick. —drbabs
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Ingredients
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1 1/2 cups
whole milk (none of that 2% stuff)
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1/2 cup
strong espresso coffee
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1 cup
crème fraiche
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1/4 cup
Valrohna chocolate grated (or more if you like)
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1 cup
granulated sugar divided
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5 egg yolks
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1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
Directions
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Brew the espresso (Fester likes to use a French press for this)
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Using a large bowl whisk half of the sugar into the egg yolks
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In a sauce pan bring milk, crème, and espresso to a simmer. Whisk in remaining sugar, grated chocolate and Grand Marnier
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A flame tamer is useful here, but the mixture should just began to bubble without coming to a full boil
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Remove from heat and into the bowl with the egg yolks gradually ladle in about ¼ of the gelato mixture at a time, whisking steadily until all of it is combined. Be sure that the espresso mixture isn’t too hot or the eggs will curdle
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Return the beaten up ingredients to the sauce pan over low heat, and using a wooden spoon stir constantly until it thickens to a sauce-like state. It should coat the back of the spoon
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Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for 5 hours or more
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Make gelato. For Fester that means, with the motor running, pouring in the mixture and letting it run for twenty or twenty five minutes until it reaches gelato texture. You will know when it's ready---trust me.
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Serve in small cups. And if you are really Addams Italiano add a scoop of another gelato flavor, say an orange based one
Standup commis flâneur, and food historian. Pierino's background is in Italian and Spanish cooking but of late he's focused on frozen desserts. He is now finishing his cookbook, MALAVIDA! Can it get worse? Yes, it can. Visit the Malavida Brass Knuckle cooking page at Facebook and your posts are welcome there.
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