Vietnamese Coffee Gelato

I’ve been longing to give Vietnamese coffee gelato a whirl for a while. It’s a natural flavor choice for Katty’s Kitchen–my base gelato recipe is made with that magical ingredient, sweetened condensed milk, just like Vietnamese iced coffee. If you like a nice, strong Vietnamese iced coffee,  you’re gonna love this gelato recipe. I solemnly swear!

As anyone who knows this kat personally can attest, I rarely lack for extra energy. So, I steer clear of caffeine and stick to decaf, but feel free to fire up with high test if you like the extra boost. It’ll keep ya jumpin’ east of Java! I use Café du Monde as they do in many Vietnamese restaurants in my area. I can’t remember where I bought it, but I’m willing to bet you’ll find it locally at A Dong Supermarket in Elmwood’s Shield Street Plaza or Kien Oriental Market on Park Street in Hartford. If not, check with your local Vietnamese restaurant to see where they get their coffee.

Oh, and while we’re going local, I’d like to send a special shout-out to my friend Michele, whose glorious yard-fresh (yeah, talk about free-range!) eggs yolks made this gelato eggs-tra special EGGS-CELLENT!

VIETNAMESE COFFEE GELATO

1¼ cups whole milk + ¼ cup after milk is infused (I’m very fond of Arethusa Farm these days—from Litchfield, CT)
¼ cup heavy cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks (thank you, Michele!)
¼ cup Café du Monde ground coffee
pinch salt

Heat 1¼ cups milk, heavy cream and coffee grounds on medium to  medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, till small bubbles form at edge of pan. Remove from heat. Remove from the heat, cover and let steep for 30 minutes. Strain through a tea strainer. Yup, a tea strainer. Just be patient and stir the grounds as you go. It works! This yields a very thick coffee concentrate.

1 ¼ cups is what I measured after it had infused, so I added ¼ whole milk back to the mixture to bring us back to 1 ½ cups of dairy.

Beat together egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk till smooth. Temper egg mixture by slowly adding to hot milk, whisking constantly. Cook over medium-high heat and continue to whisk until mixture reaches 160 degrees F. Do not let it boil!

Strain through fine-mesh sieve into clean bowl, let cool to room temperature. Stir in salt. You can make an ice bath to speed up the process. Chill custard overnight or at least four hours.

Just before turning the chilled custard into your ice cream maker, place the custard and the dasher from your machine into the freezer for up to 20 minutes. It makes the custard nice and thick. Next, it’s time for the spin cycle: process according to your ice cream machine’s directions. Enjoy!

 

Peanut Butter Bourbon Caramel Sauce

For your gelato or ice cream or simply your spoon, there’s nothing like creamy peanut butter sauce. As a native New Englander, I’ve always loved the peanut butter sauce at Friendly’s. But it struck me I might love it even more with a bourbon caramel twist–so I made it happen. And so can you. Ready?

PEANUT BUTTER BOURBON CARAMEL SAUCE

First, make the salted caramel. In a small saucepan, over medium-high heat, whisk together:

2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoon heavy cream
2 tablespoon butter
good pinch of Kosher salt

Continue to whisk till sugar dissolves, then cook for one more minute. Remove from heat and add:

2 tablespoons Maker’s Mark bourbon
¼ cup light Karo syrup
½ cup creamy peanut butter (I used Nature’s Promise–Stop & Shop’s organic label)
2 teaspoons light brown sugar

It will take a bit for the peanut butter to melt in, so be patient and keep whisking. Once it’s nice and smooth, add:

¼ cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla
one more good pinch Kosher salt

Let cool and store in the fridge. When it’s time to serve, reheat very gently and very slowly in the microwave–on the defrost setting for maybe 10 seconds or so to start. I swirled a quarter cup’s worth (by spoonful, using a very tiny spoon) into a batch of stracciatella I made last night to make it extra-special good. It worked.

Because I’m wired funny, “Peanut Butter” gets stuck in my head every time I’m making something with this ingredient. I confess to singing it aloud as I’m putting the recipe together. I’m sharing so you can sing along, too! “It takes a lot of little nuts to get things done!” Truer words never sung or spoken. C’mon now, sing it with me! Oh, and grab a spoon and dig in!

 

Katty’s Fresh Mint Stracciatella

Sunshine and warmer weather have sent your friend the Kat outdoors to play in her garden. Garden? Yes, even townhouse cats can get down ‘n dirty with lots of pots and bags of good soil!

Right outside my slider, I’ve got quite the assortment of herbs and vegetables growing, along with some catnip for the Queen and pretty flowers thrown in for good measure.

And mint–several varieties, even. As my big, brand-new apple mint plant was loaded with leaves, my thoughts immediately turned to…G E L A T O! I love stracciatella and wanted to make a fresh mint version, so I headed for the deck and got pickin’! Meet the guardian of the apple mint!

KATTY’S FRESH MINT STRACCIATELLA (CHOCOLATE CHIP GELATO)

1 ¼ cups whole milk
¼ cup heavy cream
1 cup mint leaves
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 a vanilla bean, halved the long way and scraped
¼ cup (2 oz.) dark chocolate (I ♥ Valrhona feves)
a pinch of Kosher salt

Combine milk, cream and mint in a saucepan. Scrape vanilla bean seeds with the tip of a sharp knife–add both seeds and pod to the milk mixture.

Heat on medium to  medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, till small bubbles form at edge of pan. Remove from heat. Cover and let steep for half an hour.

Strain liquid using a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the leaves to extract all the liquid. Discard leaves and vanilla bean. You probably already knew we were done with those.

In a separate bowl, beat together egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk till smooth. Temper egg mixture by slowly adding to hot milk, whisking constantly.

Cook over medium-high heat and continue to whisk until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F. Do not let it boil!

Strain through fine-mesh sieve into clean bowl, remove pod, let cool to room temperature. Stir in salt. You can make an ice bath to speed up the process. Chill custard overnight or at least four hours.

Just before turning the chilled custard into your ice cream maker, place the custard and the dasher from your machine into the freezer for up to 10 minutes. And now, time to spin it up: process according to your ice cream machine’s directions.

While your gelato processes, melt the dark chocolate in the microwave (I use the defrost setting). When the gelato is finished, keep the machine running, then pour the melted chocolate S-L-O-W-L-Y and carefully in a fine stream. The chocolate will harden in tiny bits and streaks that make the gelato uniquely stracciatella and not just ordinary chocolate chip!

There’s no mint like fresh mint when it comes to refreshment in the form of gelato! Try it and see!

 

Matcha Latte Gelato

Matcha. The ground green tea powder that rhymes with gotcha!

Loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, matcha is said to boost metabolism and burn calories while lowering cholesterol and blood sugar. Isn’t that good to know as we’re about to whisk it into a creamy dessert?

I’m not sure about matcha’s health benefits when blended into gelato–let’s hope at the very least, it’s a wash. HA HA HA! Ready to take vanilla bean gelato into matcha latte land? Off we go!

MATCHA LATTE GELATO (VANILLA GREEN TEA GELATO)

1 ¼ cups whole milk (I use The Farmer’s Cow)
¼ cup heavy cream
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
1 vanilla bean, halved the long way and scraped
1 tablespoon matcha
a pinch of Kosher salt

Scrape vanilla bean seeds with a knife–add both seeds and pod to milk, cream and matcha in a saucepan.

The vibrant, grassy color alone makes this a perfect spring gelato!

Over medium-high heat, whisk to blend the matcha. As the milk/cream warms, the powder will blend in nicely. When small bubbles form at the edge of the pan, remove from heat. Cover and let steep for half an hour.

Sort of looks like planet earth, doesn’t it?

In a separate bowl, beat together egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk till smooth. Temper egg mixture by slowly adding to hot milk, whisking constantly.

Cook over medium-high heat and continue to whisk until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F. Do not let it boil!

Strain through fine-mesh sieve into clean bowl, let cool to room temperature. Stir in salt. You can make an ice bath to speed up the process. Chill custard overnight or at least four hours.

Just before turning the chilled custard into your ice cream maker, place the custard and the dasher from your machine into the freezer for up to 10 minutes. Then, it’s time to go for a spin: process according to your ice cream machine’s directions.

What’s not to like about a matcha latte you can enjoy with a spoon? Let’s dig in!

I can dig it, he can dig it, she can dig it, we can dig it, they can dig it, you can dig it…“ And I hope you can dig it, too! >>^..^<<

 

Limona Lemon Tree Gelato

Once upon a time, an Italian girl in the Land of Steady Habits decided she wanted a lemon tree. Yes, you can grow your own citrus–even in New England! And I do.

Two years ago, Limona came home with me.

This semi-dwarf Meyer lemon tree basks in the sun on the deck in warmer weather, and in the living room when temperatures fall. Check out this fun slideshow of Limona with April Katt on YouTube. My little tree, how you’ve grown!

She’s blooming beautifully right now with loads of jasmine-scented blossoms.

Of course, like everything else in Katty’s Kitchen, the harvest is very much an artisanal, small batch operation. Limona yielded four–count them, four–lemons.

That’s OK, I need but three lemons to make gelato.

LIMONA LEMON TREE GELATO

1¼ cups whole milk (I use The Farmer’s Cow)
¼ cup heavy cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
1/3 vanilla bean pod, split and scraped (or ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract)
½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons for me)
2 teaspoons lemon zest
pinch salt

Heat milk and vanilla on medium to  medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, till small bubbles form at edge of pan. Remove from heat.

Beat together egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk till smooth. Temper egg mixture by slowly adding to hot milk, whisking constantly. Cook over medium-high heat and continue to whisk until mixture reaches 160 degrees F. Do not let it boil!

Strain through fine-mesh sieve into clean bowl, let cool to room temperature. Give the lemons a roll on the counter to maximize the juice before you squeeze ‘em. Stir in salt, lemon juice and zest. You can make an ice bath to speed up the process. Chill custard overnight or at least four hours.

Just before turning the chilled custard into your ice cream maker, place the custard and the dasher from your machine into the freezer for up to 20 minutes. It makes the custard nice and thick. Next, let’s go for a spin: process according to your ice cream machine’s directions. Remember, lemon zest LOVES to hang out on the dasher, so be sure to scrape the dasher carefully to ensure the zest goes into the gelato where it belongs. Enjoy!

 

Che Bella, Stracciatella!

♫ “We are the farmers who work the land and grow the crops to feed the cows that give the miiiiiiiilk…for you to enjoy!” ♫ So catchy, I get a kick out of this silly little local  jingle, not to mention I find myself singing it when I’m thinking about making gelato! HA HA! Fresh Connecticut milk from The Farmer’s Cow makes killer gelato, don’tchaknow? Andiamo–let’s go make some!

KATTY’S STRACCIATELLA (CHOCOLATE CHIP GELATO)

1 ¼ cups whole milk (I use The Farmer’s Cow)
¼ cup heavy cream
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
1 vanilla bean, halved the long way and scraped
¼ cup (2 oz.) dark chocolate (I ♥ Valrhona feves)
a pinch of Kosher salt

Combine milk and cream in a saucepan. Scrape vanilla bean seeds with the tip of a sharp knife–add both seeds and pod to the milk mixture. Dig my new pig!

Heat on medium to  medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, till small bubbles form at edge of pan. Remove from heat. Cover and let steep for half an hour.

In a separate bowl, beat together egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk till smooth. Temper egg mixture by slowly adding to hot milk, whisking constantly. Ooh, look at all the vanilla bean specks!

Cook over medium-high heat and continue to whisk until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F. Do not let it boil! This custard will be exceptionally thick.

Strain through fine-mesh sieve into clean bowl, remove pod, let cool to room temperature. Stir in salt. You can make an ice bath to speed up the process. Chill custard overnight or at least four hours.

Just before turning the chilled custard into your ice cream maker, place the custard and the dasher from your machine into the freezer for up to 10 minutes. And now, time to spin it up: process according to your ice cream machine’s directions.

While your gelato processes, melt the dark chocolate in the microwave. When the gelato is finished, keep the machine running, then pour the melted chocolate S-L-O-W-L-Y and carefully in a fine stream. The chocolate will harden in tiny bits and streaks that make the gelato uniquely stracciatella and not just ordinary chocolate chip!

I must confess, this particular gelato was so delicious, I ate far more than my fair share. And can’t wait to make it again! MOOOOO!

 

Cherry Almond Gelato

Ever wonder what four pounds of freshly picked cherries look like?

Not that you need all of them for this recipe, but they sure do look pretty–even patriotic–in my star basket! Ah, Cherry, Cherry…you’ve got the way to move me to make as many cherry treats as possible during the limited, two-weekend timeframe that is cherry pickin’ season in the Land of Steady Habits.

Persistence paid off, as did a height advantage, when we hit Belltown Orchards in South Glastonbury early Saturday morning.

Having a partner in pickin’ helped fill the bucket quickly, too. Thanks, Ma!

By now you know my pickin’ always leads to the kitchen, so let’s see what kinda deliciousness we can stir up with these cherries.

KATTY’S CHERRY ALMOND GELATO

½ cup almonds, toasted
2 cups sweet Bing cherries, pitted
1.5 cups whole milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons mascarpone
1 tablespoon amaretto
½ teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon salt

Toast nuts in a frying pan over medium high heat, shaking/stirring regularly till they are golden and fragrant–about 5 or 6 minutes. Let them cool about 5 minutes, then buzz ‘em up in a food processor till they form a paste.

Add almond paste to milk and heat on medium to  medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, till small bubbles form at edge of pan. Remove from heat.

Beat together egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk till smooth. Temper egg mixture by slowly adding to hot milk, whisking constantly.

Cook over medium-high heat and continue to whisk until mixture reaches 160 degrees F and custard coats the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil!

Strain through fine-mesh sieve into clean bowl. When you do, you’ll notice you’ve left some ground nuts behind. Scan for and remove any eggy bits, then add the nutty part back to the gelato. Whisk in the mascarpone.

Meanwhile, since you already have the food processor out, why not use it to chop the cherries for you? Once chopped, add the almond extract and amaretto to the fruit.

Stir in cherry mixture and salt to the custard.

Let cool to room temperature. You can make an ice bath to speed up the process. Chill custard in the fridge overnight or at least four hours.

Just before turning the chilled custard into your ice cream maker, place the custard and the dasher from your machine into the freezer for up to 10 minutes. Now, commence the spin cycle: process according to your ice cream machine’s directions.

Happy Birthday, America! Cherry cheers to you and yours this 4th of July!

 

Pumpkin Pie Gelato with Bourbon

“Apple, peaches, pumpkin pie!” Yes, I have been known to sing this to April Katt, as Pumpkin Pie is just one of her many nicknames. What is it about cats and multiple nicknames, anyway?! But a pumpkin pie gelato made with bourbon? Now that is something to sing about, truly!

What better way to celebrate fall than with a spicy, boozy gelato? This is how we do it!

KATTY’S PUMPKIN PIE GELATO WITH BOURBON
15 oz. solid pack pumpkin
1½ cups whole milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon grated fresh orange zest
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup bourbon (I used Maker’s Mark)

Beat together egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk and spices till smooth; set aside.

Heat milk on medium to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, till small bubbles form at edge of pan. Remove from heat.

Temper egg mixture by slowly adding to hot milk, whisking constantly.

Cook over medium-high heat and continue to whisk until mixture reaches 160 degrees F and custard coats the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil!

Remove from heat and beat in pumpkin. Note the lovely color change!

Strain hot custard into clean bowl. Allow custard to cool slightly, then stir in vanilla, orange zest and salt.

Optimally, chill custard overnight. In a hurry? Please let it chill at least four hours. Just before turning the chilled custard into your ice cream maker, stir in 1/3 cup bourbon.

Place the custard and the dasher from your machine into the freezer for up to 10 minutes. And now, let’s take it for a spin: process according to your ice cream machine’s directions.

May the booziness of pumpkin pie gelato warm you through this season’s cooler nights. April Katt and I send fall greetings from our neck of the woods to yours and remind you: shared licks are the best licks! >>^..^<<

Happy fall to all!

 

Katty’s Pignoli Cookie Gelato

Katty's Pignoli Cookie Gelato

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to punch the pignoli cookie to a higher floor–gelato. Your friend the almond-loving kat was in the mood for something new in the frozen treats category. So I took my trusty base gelato recipe and cookie-d it up à la one of my favorite baked goodies, a specialty of many fine Italian bakeries. Come with me to the Land of Nom–you’re gonna love this one!

KATTY’S PIGNOLI COOKIE GELATO
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup almonds, toasted
1.5 cups whole milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon salt

Toast nuts in a frying pan over medium high heat, shaking/stirring regularly till they are golden and fragrant–about 5 or 6 minutes. Let the nuts cool about 5 minutes, then grind ‘em up in a food processor till they form a paste. I toasted and ground them separately since it was a last-minute decision to add almonds.

ground pignoli

Add nut paste to milk and heat on medium to  medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, till small bubbles form at edge of pan. Remove from heat.

Beat together egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk till smooth. Temper egg mixture by slowly adding to hot milk, whisking constantly.

making the custard

Cook over medium-high heat and continue to whisk until mixture reaches 160 degrees F and custard coats the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil!

Strain through fine-mesh sieve into clean bowl. When you do, you’ll notice you’ve left some ground nuts behind. I scanned for any eggy bits and otherwise added the nutty part back to the gelato. Let cool to room temperature. Stir in almond extract and salt. You can make an ice bath to speed up the process. Chill custard overnight or at least four hours.

Just before turning the chilled custard into your ice cream maker, place the custard and the dasher from your machine into the freezer for up to 10 minutes. And now, into the spin cycle: process according to your ice cream machine’s directions.

"Well, what have we here?"

So as Prince sang, “Let’s go crazy…let’s get nuts!” You just might get nuts about this nutty, creamy gelato. And if you do, be sure to take me with you. HA HA HA! Seriously, try it and see!

>>^..^<<

 

Katty’s Deep Dark Chocolate Gelato

Two great tastes that taste great together!

Let’s get serious about chocolate for just a moment. If you are–and you should know I absolutely am–this gelato is calling your name. Deep, dark, glossy, rich and intensely delicious…made possible by two of the best chocolate ingredients I have on hand: Valrhona cocoa powder and Callebaut dark chocolate. Yeah, baby!

Remember the key lime gelato I made recently? I was so blown away by its creaminess, I had to try a chocolate version using the same base recipe. Word on the street is it’s “f***in’ awesome” and I can’t disagree…not to mention, that may be the best feedback I’ve received to date (so thank you!).

KATTY’S DEEP DARK CHOCOLATE GELATO

1.5 cups whole milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
1 cup Valrhona cocoa powder (available at Whole Foods)
2 oz. Callebaut dark chocolate, chopped
¼ teaspoon salt

Heat milk on medium to  medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, till small bubbles form at edge of pan. Remove from heat and whisk in chopped chocolate till it melts.

Beat together egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk till smooth. Temper egg mixture by slowly adding to hot milk, whisking constantly. Cook over medium-high heat and continue to whisk until mixture reaches 160 degrees F and custard coats the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil! This custard will be exceptionally thick–very much like the consistency of brownie batter. Mmmm, batter!

Strain through fine-mesh sieve into clean bowl, let cool to room temperature. Stir in salt. You can make an ice bath to speed up the process. Chill custard overnight or at least four hours.

Just before turning the chilled custard into your ice cream maker, place the custard and the dasher from your machine into the freezer for up to 10 minutes. And now, into the spin cycle: process according to your ice cream machine’s directions.

I believe in miracles since this chocolate gelato came along, you sexy thing! And sexier still, serve the gelato over a slice of slightly warmed almond cake…a match made somewhere close to heaven, I am sure. I’ll be back atcha with that recipe later on–so save those egg whites and see you soon!