Pistachio ice cream (gelato di pistacchio)

1 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
Source: Cooking Vegetables
The Italian Way; Judith
Barrett
ISBN 0-02-009078-1; 1994

Directions

Pistachios come from Agrigento- a town also worth visiting to see the ancient Roman mosaics- in Sicily, where they grow in abundance.

Sicilian pistachios are not widely available in the United States, but Middle Eastern ones are and they are an excellent substitute. Use only unsalted pistachios.

1 cup shelled pistachio nuts (unsalted) 2 cups milk 4 large egg yolks ½ cup sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350-F. Combine the pistachios with enough water to cover in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. As soon as the water boils, turn off the heat and drain the pistachios. Place them in a cloth dish towel and rub them briskly between your hands to remove the skins. If the skins do not come off, pick them off individually. Place half the nuts in a food processor fitted with a metal blade or blender and grind as finely as possible. Place the remaining nuts on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool and coarsely chop.

2. Warm the milk over medium heat in a heavy saucepan until the milk begins to bubble around the top, about 5 minutes. (To heat the milk in the microwave, place it in a heat-proof glass measuring cup, uncovered, and heat on high for 2 to 3 minutes.) Turn off the heat, add the ground pistachios, and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Pour through a fine wire-mesh strainer, reserve the strained milk, and discard the ground nuts.

3. Combine the egg yolks with the sugar in a medium-size mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer at high speed until the mixture is thick and pale lemon colored. With the machine running, gradually pour the strained milk into the yolk mixture. Pour the milk-and-egg-yolk mixture back into the saucepan. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick and custard-like, 8 to 10 minutes.

4. Immediately set the saucepan in a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking and continue stirring for 1 to 2 minutes, until the custard begins to cool. Pour the custard back into the mixing bowl and chill the custard in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight until cold.

5. Pour the custard into an ice cream freezer and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. Just before you take the gelato from the freezer, add the toasted pistachios and mix well. Transfer to a plastic freezer container with a tight-fitting lid. Freeze for several hours before serving.

Keywords: Pistachio, Scanned, SJK From : Sallie Krebs, Sat 07 Oct 95 13:30, Area: COOKING From: Sallie Krebs Date: 10-07-95 (20:15) (159) Fido: Cooking

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