This recipe for Extra Virgin Olive Oil gelato comes to us from our friend Eileen. If anyone knows how to work olive oil into a sweet dish, it’s her! She apprenticed at Caffè Sicilia under the tutelage of legendary Corrado Assenza. We are so lucky that she is so willing to share her recipe with all of us. It is refreshing and delicious AND brings olive oil indulgence to a whole new level.
Ingredients
- Milk, 830ml / 3½ cups
- Heavy cream, 240ml / 1 cup
- Vanilla bean, half, or 1¼ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Sugar, 200g / 1 cup
- Egg yolks, 8 large
- Fine sea salt, 1¼ teaspoon
- Pianogrillo extra virgin olive oil, 60ml / ¼ cup, plus extra for drizzling
- Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling on top
Preparation
- Combine milk and cream in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, remove pot from the heat.
- Using a pairing knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them to the hot milk, cover and let steep for 30-40 minutes (if using vanilla bean).
- Add 3/4 cup of the sugar to the milk and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
- In the meantime, whisk the yolks, the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and the fine sea salt together in a medium heatproof bowl. Slowly whisk in about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture, then pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula or a wooden spoon, until the custard registers 185°F on a thermometer
- Strain the custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Stir in the vanilla extract (if using), and place bowl over an ice bath and stir occasionally until cold. Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or, preferably, overnight
- Freeze the gelato in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. About halfway through the freezing process stop the machine and pour in the olive oil. Pack into a container(s) and freeze for at least several hours before serving.