Gelato Trio Recipe

Prepare vanilla

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into a mixing bowl. Reserve the pod.

In a medium saucepan combine whole milk, heavy cream, half of the granulated sugar (110 g), invert sugar, the vanilla seeds and pod, and salt. Warm over medium heat until just below a simmer (steam appears and bubbles form at the edge), stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar.

While milk warms, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining granulated sugar (110 g) in a bowl until pale and slightly thickened (ribbon stage).

Temper yolks: slowly ladle about 200 ml of the hot milk into the yolk mixture in a steady stream while whisking constantly to raise temperature without curdling. Then pour tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk, whisking.

Cook custard over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula and scraping the bottom, until mixture thickens and coats the back of the spatula (nappe), reaching 82–84°C (180–183°F). Do not boil.

Immediately remove from heat and strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked bits and the vanilla pod. Stir in the heavy cream if you prefer the slightly higher-fat texture (add the optional 50 ml here only for the vanilla portion; see below).

Split the warm custard evenly into three bowls (approximately 600–650 ml each). Cover each bowl with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface to prevent a skin forming and cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until fully chilled (4 hours or overnight).

Make pistachio paste: place the roasted pistachios and the neutral oil into a food processor or high-speed blender. Process until very smooth, pausing to scrape down the bowl. This can take several minutes; add the optional pistachio paste if using to deepen color and flavor. If mixture is still gritty, add up to 1–2 tbs of warm milk from the reserved custard to loosen while blending, then continue until paste is silky.

Warm about 150 ml of the chilled base custard gently in a small saucepan (or microwave briefly) and whisk in the pistachio paste until fully incorporated, then blend with an immersion blender or in a food processor for 30–60 seconds to emulsify and ensure smoothness.

Taste and adjust: if you want a more pronounced pistachio flavor add up to 20 g additional pistachio paste or 10–15 g finely ground pistachios. If too thick, thin with small amounts of chilled milk (1 tbs at a time).

Churn: transfer the pistachio mixture to an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer instructions until it reaches a soft-serve consistency (typically 20–30 minutes).

Finish and freeze: transfer churned gelato to a shallow container, smooth the top, press plastic wrap onto the surface, and freeze at least 4 hours to firm before serving. Gelato is best served slightly softened (5–10 minutes at room temperature before scooping).

Warm about 150–200 ml of the chilled base custard gently in a saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder until fully dissolved and smooth.

Remove from heat and stir in the chopped bittersweet chocolate until melted and smooth. If needed, return to very low heat briefly while stirring to finish melting; do not overheat.

For extra silkiness, blend the chocolate-custard mixture with an immersion blender for 20–30 seconds to emulsify and remove any micro-crumbs of chocolate. Taste and add a pinch more salt or 5–10 g sugar if you prefer it sweeter.

Churn: cool the chocolate custard to refrigerator temperature if it has warmed, then churn in an ice cream maker until thickened and creamy (about 20–30 minutes).

Finish and freeze: transfer to a shallow container, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface, and freeze at least 4 hours before serving. Allow to soften 5–10 minutes before scooping.

If you reserved the vanilla pod, you can finely chop or scrape and stir additional scraped seeds into the portion of the custard for a stronger vanilla presence; alternatively, stir in 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste into the chilled custard portion.

If you opted to add the extra 50 ml heavy cream for the vanilla portion, add it now to the chilled portion and whisk to combine for a silkier mouthfeel.

Churn: transfer the vanilla portion to the ice cream maker and churn until creamy and thickened (about 20–30 minutes).

Finish and freeze: place churned vanilla gelato in a shallow container, press plastic wrap on the surface, and freeze at least 4 hours. Serve slightly softened.