Pistachio gelato

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the matter of ice cream flavours I am not, never have been a strawberry-vanilla-chocolate kind of person but a faithful pistachio lover. Ever since the day I could make my own gelato choice from the sleek, shiny case behind the espresso machine and food elevator at the end of the central bar in the restaurant. The prospect of the delicious after-dinner treat made me forget my toddler timidity and march alone through the dining room to choose amongst the flavours (classic Italian gelato varieties and special ones like Stracciatella and Pistacchio– we are talking 1970s!) and always choosing the one.

There were always many things I was looking forward to each Easter holidays: the Dolomites, skiing, the distinctive scent and silence of the Stone pine forests, the glittering snow and deep blue sky, the whirring sound of the lifts, the triumphant, elated feeling of the perfect Wedel, the smell of the bed linen, the embroidered napkin pockets, our favourite foods at the different skiing lodges, cappuccino and Williams pear Schnapps, dinner in the same restaurant most evenings, phoning my grandparents from a telephone in a tiny booth and pistachio gelato.

Like skiing pistachio ice gelato has been a life long passion (needless to say that I don’t have a problem with eating ice cream in winter at all) though it is not an unconditional love, it has to be the good stuff! It is my lickmus test for the quality of ice cream in gelaterie. Do they pride themselves in making proper ice cream in house or do the buy in, do they spend the money on ingredients or use powders, artificial flavours & colours etc. and declare it? Is theirs a mostly almond and artificial pistachio-fied thing or the rare treat of pure beige-olive-emerald-green pistachio gelato with little pieces of the prized nut in it? Being a creature of habit and collecting empirical data, I always sample the pistachio, chocolate and fior di latte in a cone. The winner hasn’t been beaten in about 15 years: the gelateria opposite of the Capella del Corporale of Orivieto’s Duomo Santa Maria with all the flavours done to perfection. Note to self: retesting necessary, it has been way too long since we have been there. Until then, here’s my recipe for the real thing:

 

 

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Gelato al pistacchio – pistachio ice cream:

Yield: about 0.5l / 1 pint

 

a small jar (190g / 6.7oz) pistachio paste or spread*
250g / 8.8oz milk
4 egg yolks
50-100g / ¼ cup – ½ cup / 1.8 – 3.5oz sugar (depending on the sweetness of your pistachio paste)
100g / 3.5oz cream
100g / 3.5oz pistachios, coarsely ground (chopped in the food processor)

 

Dilute the nut paste with a little milk to a smooth cream and scald the milk (heat until shortly before boiling). Beat egg yolks with sugar in a bain marie and while whisking add a little milk. Continue whisking and add some more milk before decanting the rest of the milk into the bowl and whisk until it thickens slightly. Take the cream off the heat and incorporate pistachio paste, cream and ground nuts. Leave to cool before moving to chill in the fridge. Churn (in an ice cream machine), put into a container and cover the top with cling film (to avoid the formation of water ice crystals) and freeze.

 

* There are many different pistachio pastes around ranging from pure pistachio puree to pistachio spreads. Choose the one with the highest pistachio content, no artificial colours and the least amount of added sugars and adjust the sugar in the recipe accordingly: 50g if you are using a spread, 100g if you have found a pure pistachio paste. I’ve had fabulous results with ones from Sicily, made with the famous local Bronte pistachios. Of course, wonderful vivid green Iranian pistachios and when added coarsely ground to the smooth gelato deliver a more interesting texture and slightly more green to the rather olive-beige colour.

 

More ice cream, sorbet, gelato recipes here so far: Pedro Ximinéz Sherry raisin ice cream, black sesame ice cream, Lemon sorbet, Mascarpone ice cream with sweet woodruff syrup,

Gelato – ice cream, what’s the difference?

 

 

 

Deutsches Rezept:

 

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Pistazieneis

Ergibt ca. 0,5l

 

190g Pistazienpaste oder -creme*
250g Milch
4 Eigelb
50-100g Zucker (je nach Süße der verwendeten Pistaziencreme)
100g Sahne
100g grob gemahlene Pistazien (in der Küchenmaschine)

 

Nußpaste mit etwas Milch zu einer glatten Creme verdünnen und die Milch erhitzen bis sie kurz vorm Kochen ist. Eigelbe mit Zucker im Wasserbad aufschlagen und ein wenig heiße Milch zufügen. Weiter mit etwas mehr Milch rühren, schließlich restliche Milch hinzugeben und rühren bis die Eiermilch leicht dicklich wird (Holzlöffelprobe: mit einem Finger durch die am Löffel verbliebene Flüssigkeit streichen, Custard ist optimal wenn der Strich bestehen bleibt und die Flüssigkeit nicht sofort wieder verläuft). Vom Feuer nehmen und Pistazienpaste, Sahne sowie gemahlene Nüsse unterrühren. Eisbasis abkühlen lassen, dann im Kühlschrank weiter kühlen und schließlich in der Eismaschine zu Pistazieneis verarbeiten. In ein verschließbares Gefäß umfüllen und die Oberfläche mit Frischhaltefolie abdecken (um Formung von Wassereiskristallen zu vermeiden) und einfrieren.

 

* Es gibt viele verschiedene Pistaziencremes von einer reinen Pistazienpaste ohne Zucker bis hin zu Pistaziencremes. Hier sollte man eine mit dem höchsten Pistazienanteil und ohne künstliche Farbstoffe auswählen. Beide Varianten können hier verwendet werden, man sollte nur die Zuckermenge angleichen: 50g oder weniger falls gesüßte Pistaziencreme verwendet wird, 100g für reine Pistazienpaste. Ich hatte ganz fabelhaftes Eis mit verschiedenen Cremes aus Sizilien, die aus den dortigen Bronte Pistazien hergestellt werden. Sehr schön sind auch leuchtend grüne Iranische Pistazien, welche, grob in der Küchenmaschine gemahlen, dem cremigen Eis mehr (Pistazien-) Textur und der oliv-beigefarbenen Masse ein wenig mehr (Pistazien-)Grün verleihen.