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Beat the summer heat with this authentic Italian recipe for Fresh Mint Stracciatella Gelato- a refreshing frozen dessert that will cool you off with just one bite!
Check out the recipe for this Fresh Mint Stracciatella Gelato below or PIN IT for later!
We are in the thick of summer and if I was writing this last week, I would be complaining about 100-degree heat waves and 90% humidity. But we’ve had a Christmas in July miracle and had a rare “cold front” come through dropping the temperature for the past few days to a pleasant high of only 90-degrees.
Yes, of course 90-degrees is still hot, but it is tolerable. We can actually get outside in the morning and go for walks or play at the playground. And if you have to run some afternoon errands, well you don’t feel like you are going to instantly burn or melt.
I’m grateful for a bit of “cooler” weather for a few days, but I know summer is far from over. We will soon be back at 100+ degrees and will be doing everything possible to keep cool.
Like, blasting the ac, spending days in the pool (only if there is ample shade), downing lots of refreshing drinks and eating all the frozen treats!! Yes, I would not be able to survive summer in Texas without popsicles, Healthy Strawberry Cheesecake Shakes and TONS of ice cream!
In fact, July is National Ice Cream month and over the years I have shared a lot of ice cream recipes to celebrate! From this Three Ingredient No Churn Chocolate Ice Cream to Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Sandwiches and even Homemade Ice Cream Drumsticks!
This year’s ice cream recipe is Fresh Mint Stracciatella Gelato, which is SO good and refreshing! I’ve been making this gelato recipe for several years now and it has definitely become a family favorite! Truth be told, about once a month my husband asks if I can make this ice cream recipe, because he always says, and I quote, “it is WAY better than any store-bought ice cream or even any ice cream from a fancy ice cream shop!”
Helpful Cooking Tips and Information:
What is Stracciatella Gelato?
Gelato is a popular frozen dessert that originated in Italy. It is traditionally made without eggs and uses either equal amounts of heavy cream and milk or higher amounts of milk than cream. This is different than most ice cream recipes, which is usually made using more heavy cream than milk and egg yolks.
Traditional American ice cream is then churned at a high speed to incorporate air, whereas gelato is slowly churned, thus incorporating less air and resulting in a denser ice cream.
Stracciatella Gelato is where melted chocolate is drizzled into the gelato during the churning process. Then when the melted chocolate hits the cold ice cream mixture, it immediately hardens and becomes chocolate “shards” or “shreds of chocolate”.
What is Fresh Mint Stracciatella Gelato Made of:
Like I mentioned above, gelato is an egg free ice cream made of equal or greater amounts of milk than heavy cream. The ingredients in this Fresh Mint Stracciatella Gelato include:
- Granulated sugar
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Heavy cream
- Whole milk
- Fresh mint sprigs
- Bittersweet chocolate
Tools Needed To Make This Gelato Recipe:
Ice Cream Maker:
KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment: I have used the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment for YEARS and highly recommend it! It does take some planning to use, as you have to freeze the entire ice cream bowl before using, but I like that I don’t have one more big and bulky appliance taking up space in my kitchen or having to worry about needing salt or ice to use it.
Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker: While I have not personally used this ice cream maker, it has come highly recommended by some of my friends and family as another great option. It also doesn’t need salt or ice.
Ice cream scoop: I really like this ice cream scoop since it doesn’t have any working parts that can get stuck or break. However, if you prefer an ice cream scoop with a handle to help pop the ice cream out, I’ve had this one for years and not had any issues with it breaking.
Ice cream container: I usually just put my ice cream in a metal loaf pan and wrap it in plastic wrap and foil before freezing. Or I place it in a freezer safe food storage container. However, I plan on buying these reusable pint size ice cream containers soon!
Fresh Mint Stracciatella Gelato Recipe:
Fresh Mint Stracciatella Gelato
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 6 fresh mint sprigs
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao), chopped
Instructions
1. In a large, heavy saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Whisk in the heavy cream and milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture thickens and just begins to bubble.
2. Remove cream mixture from heat. Transfer the hot cream mixture to a heatproof bowl and add the mint. Set the bowl of cream over a larger bowl of ice water and stir occasionally until cool; about 4-5 minutes. (Note: Steeping the mint for too long will result in a grassy flavor.)
3. After steeping, discard mint and cover the ice cream mixture. Refrigerate for about 6-8 hours (or overnight), until cream mixture is completely cold.
4. Transfer the cold mint cream mixture to your ice cream maker and churn on low, according to the manufacturer’s instructions, until frozen, about 20 minutes. Note: Gelato
will still be soft after 20 minutes but will firm up in freezer.
5. Meanwhile, place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl, set it over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir the chocolate until it is melted. Remove melted chocolate from heat and cool until the chocolate is barely warm but still fluid.
6. Open ice cream maker or if using KitchenAid Ice Cream Bowl, remove ice cream bowl from KitchenAid and remove ice cream paddle attachment. Working quickly, drizzle the melted chocolate into the gelato, a little at a time. The chocolate will immediately harden once it hits the cold gelato and you will use a rubber spatula to fold the harden chocolate shards into the gelato. Repeat this drizzling and folding process until all the melted chocolate is added to the gelato and you have chocolate pieces evenly mixed into the gelato.
7. Transfer the Fresh Mint Stracciatella Gelato to a freezer safe container andfreeze for 4-6 hours or until firm.
Notes
Recipe adapted from the Food Network
[…] in as many late-night sunsets as possible and eat up as much summer food, specifically homemade Fresh Mint Stracciatella Gelato, that I […]