Vanilla cream Gelato

Today we’re talking about a traditional flavor. The flavor that defined the very idea of gelato: custard.

It remains a favorite for many people, myself included! When I went to the seaside with my parents as a child and we stopped for gelato, they would ask which flavors I wanted. My answer was always the same: black and white. Custard and chocolate. Custard gelato has stayed one of my favorite flavors to this day, and I’m delighted that I now know how to make it and can share it in this post. We’ll cover chocolate gelato in another post; that’s another flavor I make rather well!

Custard gelato is also the foundation for several other gelato-shop flavors:

• for children, it can easily become cookie gelato
• for adults, it is the base for Malaga or zuppa inglese gelato (a tradition from my area)

Today I’ll make a traditional version of the base, with the addition of vanilla extract, which pairs with it particularly well.

There is just one hazard to keep in mind when making this recipe: the egg yolk.

Egg is a key ingredient, and the lecithin in the yolk is a natural emulsifier; until recently, it was the only one known in pastry making. However, eggs can also carry a very high bacterial load and must be pasteurized properly to avoid problems. It is therefore essential to pasteurize the mix to 85ºC.

Ingredients

Makes approximately 1 kg:

Balance

Method

Tested with 750 g of mix in a Cuisinart ICE-100 machine

1. Prepare the ingredients:
   1. Combine all the dry ingredients except the sucrose;
   2. separately, divide the yolk from the egg white
   3. whisk the egg yolks with the sucrose
   4. Put the milk and cream in a saucepan
2. Mix and pasteurize:
   1. Start heating the cream and milk over medium heat
   2. Add the dry ingredients a little at a time while the liquids are still cold;
   3. once the mixture reaches 40ºC, checking with a thermometer, add the egg and sugar mixture and the vanilla extract
   4. Continue pasteurizing to 85 °C, then immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and cool the mix as quickly as possible
3. Aging: refrigerate the mix for at least 10 hours, keeping it below 4ºC
4. Churning:
   1. Pre-chill the machine thoroughly
   2. Churn for 35 minutes
   3. Extract the gelato at approximately −6 °C

Leave it in the freezer for a few hours until it reaches serving temperature.

Final notes and conclusions

• Overrun: 18%
• Serving temperature: -14°C
• Texture: silky and creamy
• Melting behavior: slow and even

Conclusions

The flavor is exactly what you might imagine.

The first thing you taste is the vanilla and its sweetness, followed by the egg custard flavor, which lingers on the palate and makes you want another spoonful.

This flavor has become a classic for me, and I make it more and more often. I consider it the foundation for learning to make good gelato at home.

What do you think of this recipe? How would you perfect it?