Gelato Recipe

Warm milk and cream

Combine 2 cups whole milk and 1 cup heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Add the split vanilla bean and scraped seeds (or 1 tbsp vanilla extract). Heat over medium until steam appears and small bubbles form at the edge (do not boil).

Whisk eggs and sugar

While milk warms, whisk 4 egg yolks with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 tsp fine sea salt in a bowl until slightly thickened and pale.

Temper the eggs

Remove vanilla bean pod from milk if used. Slowly pour about 1/2 cup of the hot milk into the yolk mixture while whisking constantly to temper. Continue adding hot milk in a slow steady stream until about three-quarters of the milk is incorporated.

Cook custard

Return the tempered yolk-milk mixture to the saucepan. Cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon, scraping the bottom, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon (temperature about 170–175°F / 77–80°C). Do not let it boil.

Strain and cool

Pass the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked egg bits and vanilla pod remnants. If using cornstarch for extra stability, whisk 1 tsp cornstarch with 1-2 tbsp cold milk to make a slurry and whisk into the hot custard before straining. Stir in 1 tbsp vanilla extract now if you didn't use a vanilla bean.

Chill

Cool the custard to room temperature, then cover and chill in the refrigerator until thoroughly cold (at least 4 hours or overnight).

Churn

Freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions. Churn the cold custard in an ice cream machine until it reaches a soft-serve consistency (usually 20–30 minutes).

Harden

Transfer gelato to a shallow, airtight container, press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent ice crystals, and freeze for 2–4 hours to firm to scoopable gelato.

Serve

Scoop and garnish with optional dark chocolate shavings or cocoa nibs if desired.

Combine dry cocoa

In a bowl, sift 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder to remove lumps. If using cornstarch for stability, whisk 1 tsp cornstarch into the sifted cocoa now.

Warm milk and cream with cocoa

In a medium saucepan, whisk together 2 cups whole milk, 1 cup heavy cream, 1.75 tbsp granulated sugar, and the sifted cocoa until smooth. Heat over medium, stirring often, until the mixture is steaming and small bubbles form at the edge (do not boil).

Melt chocolate

Remove the pan from heat and add 100 g finely chopped bittersweet/semisweet chocolate. Whisk until the chocolate is fully melted and the mixture is homogeneous and glossy.

Whisk eggs and sugar

In a separate bowl whisk 4 egg yolks with the remaining sugar (if any) and 1 tsp fine sea salt until slightly thickened and pale.

Temper the eggs

Slowly add about 1/2 cup of the hot chocolate milk into the yolks while whisking constantly. Continue streaming the hot mixture into the yolks until mostly combined.

Cook chocolate custard

Return the tempered yolk mixture to the saucepan and cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 170–175°F / 77–80°C). Do not boil; if the mixture shows signs of boiling, remove from heat and cool slightly while stirring.

Strain and cool

Strain the chocolate custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to remove any curdled bits. Stir in 1 tsp fine sea salt. If you omitted cornstarch earlier, you can whisk a small cornstarch slurry now into the hot custard before straining for extra smoothness.

Chill

Cover and chill the custard until thoroughly cold (at least 4 hours or overnight).

Churn

Churn the chilled chocolate custard in your ice cream maker per manufacturer's directions until it reaches soft-serve gelato consistency (about 20–30 minutes).

Harden

Transfer to a shallow airtight container, press plastic wrap on the surface, and freeze for 2–4 hours to firm up.

Serve

Scoop and serve. Garnish with dark chocolate shavings or cocoa nibs if desired.

This recipe makes approximately 1.25–1.5 quarts combined if both flavors are prepared separately (roughly 6–8 servings total). Estimated time includes chilling and freezing: active time ~45–60 minutes per base, plus refrigeration 4+ hours and final freezing 2–4 hours.