House-made Gelatos And Sorbets Recipe

Infuse milk with vanilla

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds into a medium saucepan. Add the pod, whole milk and heavy cream. Warm over medium heat until just below simmer (steam and small bubbles around edge), then remove from heat and let steep 20 minutes.

Whisk egg yolks and sugar

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, granulated sugar and invert sugar until pale and slightly thickened (ribbon stage).

Temper and cook custard

Re-warm the infused milk until hot but not boiling. Slowly pour about 1 cup of the hot milk into the yolk mixture while whisking continuously to temper. Pour tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with remaining milk. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon (170–175°F / 77–80°C). Do not boil.

Finish base

Remove from heat, strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove the vanilla pod and any cooked bits. Stir in the fine sea salt and heavy cream if not already combined. If using immediately, chill the custard quickly in an ice bath until under 40°F / 4°C, then refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Churn

Churn the chilled base in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions until soft-set (about 20–30 minutes). For gelato, aim for a slightly softer texture than ice cream. Transfer to a shallow container and freeze at least 2 hours to firm up before serving.

Cook apples

While the custard is steeping or cooling, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the diced apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender but not mushy, about 8–10 minutes.

Thicken and cool

If the mixture is very loose, stir together cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water to make a slurry and add to the skillet. Cook 1–2 minutes more until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and cool completely. For best texture, you can slightly mash some of the apples to create both chunks and a saucy component. Chill the apple mixture fully before adding to the churned gelato base.

Fold into gelato

When the vanilla gelato base reaches soft-set in the machine, fold in the chilled apple pie filling in two additions so you maintain visible apple pieces and swirls. Continue to churn briefly just to incorporate or fold by hand if the machine is off. Transfer to container and freeze until firm (2–4 hours).

Make simple syrup

Combine the water and granulated sugar in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Purée fruit

In a blender or food processor, purée the mixed berries until smooth. For a very smooth sorbet, press the purée through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds; otherwise leave as-is for texture.

Combine and adjust

Stir the cooled simple syrup into the berry purée. Add the fresh lemon juice, optional liqueur and a pinch of salt. Taste and adjust sweetness or acidity as needed—add more sugar syrup for sweetness or more lemon for brightness. Chill the mixture thoroughly (1–2 hours) until very cold.

Churn and set

Churn the chilled sorbet mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions until set (20–30 minutes). Transfer to a shallow container and freeze until firm, 2–4 hours. Serve straight from the freezer, letting sit 3–5 minutes to soften slightly.