It’s been brutally hot in Toronto. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, because -20° C with windchill will be here soon enough, so I look for cooling and comforting dishes to help manage the heat. We’ve been entertaining a lot but only outside. Most of our friends are uncomfortable about being indoors at the moment (as am I) and then you layer having to wear masks on top of the anxiety of being indoors and it’s no longer fun. But outside is much easier to transition to (from Zoom) so, we’ve been entertaining outside a lot. At the time of writing this post (July 21) Toronto was only in stage 2 of opening and looking at the poor example some of our cousins in the south have set, our government is being extremely conservative in getting back to “normal”. So we are entertaining a lot, outside. (Repetition was intentional 🤪)
This delicious gelato recipe was created for dessert for dear friends, served in homemade waffle cones, which didn’t turn out as successfully as I had hoped so they are not being blogged about! I had asked JT what flavour of gelato he wanted and he immediately said Pistachio, oh good, not too difficult, right? I decided on David Lebovitz’s recipe with a few minor alterations. The result was exceptional. I was not able to find his preferred pistachio paste in the timeframe I needed it so I improvised and made my own. I had not made a gelato using cornstarch as a thickener before but I must say, it did work out very well. I added the skim milk powder to make it even creamier and it did not disappoint. Skim milk powder absorbs excess water and gives the gelato a creamier flavour.
Fortunately, my pistachios were a lovely green so I didn’t need to add any food colouring. It’s all-natural!
Pistachio Gelato
Makes about 750 mL gelato
For the original recipe, please click here.
Ingredients:
- 250 mL 2% milk
- 250 mL 35% cream
- 65 g sugar
- 16 g cornstarch
- 10 g skim milk powder
- ~200 g pistachio butter (see Notes)
- a few drops of orange extract
Directions:
- Begin by mixing the milk and cream together. Reserve 65 mL of the milk mixture and make a slurry with the cornstarch, mixing until the starch is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
- Combine remainder of the milk in a medium-sized saucepan with the sugar and the milk powder and heat slowly until it almost comes to a boil making sure the sugar and milk powder have completely dissolved.
- Stir in the cornstarch slurry and continue to cook on medium-low heat for 3 minutes, stirring continuously until thickened.
- Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the cream to a bowl to chill overnight in the refrigerator.
- The day you wish to make the gelato, beat in the pistachio butter and a few drops of the orange extract.
- Freeze the gelato according to directions on your ice cream maker.
Notes:
- David Lebovitz suggests using Bronte Crema di Pistacchio which is made in Sicily. I was not able to source it so I made my own pistachio butter with 200 g of shelled pistachios with small amounts of water, a small dash of lemon juice and a pinch of salt, puréed until smooth using my Magic Bullet. You will need to scrape down the sides many times through the process.
- Next time I make this recipe, I will lightly toast the pistachios.
Your gelato looks gorgeous. I wish I could reach out and taste it through the screen!
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This is exactly how I like my pistachio gelato to look. Natural and full of pistachio! 😀 What sort of temperatures have you guys had?
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Thank you!
It’s been high, 25-30-° C with 70-80% humidity which makes it feel like 38° C! I know that’s not hot by your standards but it makes my skin melt! We still take advantage of the outdoors because soon enough it will be winter, but we put fans outside to help move the air so it’s more comfortable.
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That touch of cornstarch really improves the texture. I’ve adopted that into my ice cream as well. Not that I’ve made ice cream in a very long time. I should make some but we’d have to eat it all alone. We are still staying home and staying away from people. It’s getting to be such a bore! GREG
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That is so true, I recently made a clementine gelato that became very crystalized, I didn’t do the cornstarch trick, will have to remember next time. I can understand why you won’t entertain even outside, it is better safe than sorry. I love that you still do the zoom cocktails. Stay cool, I heard it’s been crazy hot there.
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Pistachio is my very favorite ice cream flavor! Every since I was a kid. So this really hits the spot. As for COVID, yes, the situation is getting really old. We’ve started to have friends over to the house but always for backyard/outdoor entertainment. Better safe than sorry!
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I’m glad you’ve found a silver lining in seeing friends outdoors, it’s such a luxury to have nice outdoor space. I can’t help but think of all the people in European cities with tiny apartments and no outdoor space! Thanks for your comment.
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This has been a hot summer, but it’s OK at the moment. We’ve been seeing people only outside. Long for a dinner party again, but that’s not in the cards, alas. Anyway, this is perfect outdoor fare, particularly when the heat returns (it will). Thanks!
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I sure hope your numbers get better. We have so many friends in the US that we are not able to see because our boarders are still closed. We miss them so much. Thanks John.
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We’re actually having a break in the heat, but I’m certain that will change. And on a hot day, a nice scoop or two of your gelato would hit the spot!!
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We had the same relief, unfortunately, it’s right back to high temps and humidity.
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The toasting might change the color a bit, but I’m with you. I toast all nuts before using. I just love the toasted flavor. Even in pesto, and the Italians don’t toast the pine nuts. Great gelato!
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That’s true, so maybe I’ll toast half and leave the other half untoasted so the colour stays vibrant. Thanks for the tip. I did not know that Italian’s don’t toast their nuts, I just love the added dimension toasting the pinenuts gives to pesto.
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It has been really HOT over here too…this is a nice treat and perfect summer cooler, Eva.
http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com
Angie
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Thanks Angie, it’s been very hot everywhere. Hope you stay cool.
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