With all of the fresh fruit we’ve been picking up at the market lately, we thought homemade gelato would be the perfect summer treat. It’s actually really easy to make and so much fun to come up with your own flavors depending on what’s in season. We found some beautifully fragrant organic fresh lavender from Eatwell Farm and beautiful giant blackberries from K&J Orchards. We decided to try our hand at chocolate, honey lavender, and blackberry. All were delicious!
The easiest way to make your own gelato at home is with an ice cream/gelato maker. There are KitchenAid attachments, but we don’t have a KitchenAid mixer and we’ve never tried them. We’ve tried both this and this ice cream maker. This one works well but you have to pre-freeze the bowl before every use, so if you plan to make more than one batch per day, it’s not ideal. This one allows you to quickly create as many flavors of ice cream or gelato as you want (it takes about an hour per batch and does not require pre-freezing), but is rather large and heavy. If you’re short on counter space this one is probably the best.
To make the gelato mixtures, all you need is a saucepan, measuring containers (we use these), and a whisk. There is a proper way to make custard, but to be honest, Clayton just put all the cold ingredients into our saucier pan and whisked as it heated. When it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon you’re good to go–just strain through a mesh strainer and chill.
- Add sugar and egg yolks to a saucepan and whisk until smooth.
- Put the pan over medium low heat and gradually whisk in cold milk, ensuring that the mixture is very smooth and there are no lumps of sugar.
- Continue whisking as the mixture heats. The mixture should come to a gentle simmer, but do not let it boil.
- Add the chocolate chips and whisk until they are melted, then strain into a container and let cool. Freeze according to your ice cream maker instructions.
- 8-10 sprigs organic Fresh Lavender
- 3 cups half and half
- 5 egg yolks
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- Add sugar, honey, and egg yolks to a saucepan and whisk until smooth.
- Put the pan over medium low heat and gradually whisk in cold milk, ensuring that the mixture is very smooth and there are no lumps of sugar.
- Continue whisking as the mixture heats. The mixture should come to a gentle simmer, but do not let it boil.
- Add lavender, then remove from the heat and let the lavender steep in the mixture while it cools. Strain into a container and then freeze according to your ice cream maker instructions.
- 1 cup over-ripe blackberries
- 3 cups half and half
- 5 egg yolks
- ¾ cup sugar
- Add sugar and egg yolks to a saucepan and whisk until smooth.
- Put the pan over medium low heat and gradually whisk in cold milk, ensuring that the mixture is very smooth and there are no lumps of sugar.
- Continue whisking as the mixture heats. The mixture should come to a gentle simmer, but do not let it boil.
- Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool.
- Strain the mixture into a blender (or use an immersion blender), add blackberries, and blend very briefly to break up the berries.
- Let cool and then freeze according to your ice cream maker instructions.