Dulce de Leche Gelato

Dulce de Leche is a fairly recent discovery for me. Having never tasted it, I decided to make it (using this recipe) - why not? I like caramel, I like vanilla - how bad could it be? Bad enough to have me eating it out of the pot with a spoon, risking burning my tongue. I'm still amazed that I had enough left to make this gelato.

For those of you who may not know, the difference between gelato and ice cream is basically twofold. Gelato is made with more whole milk than cream, while ice cream is made with more cream than milk. In addition, true gelato is churned differently, which results in less air being worked into the finished product. This is difficult to replicate in a home kitchen, but together, these two differences make gelato taste richer than ice cream, while the fat content is actually lower.



Dulce de Leche Gelato

2 1/4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, cut in half, seeds scraped out
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dulce de leche
3 egg yolks

1. In a large saucepan, combine the milk, cream, vanilla bean, salt, sugar, and dulce de leche. Bring just to a simmer. While it heats up, whisk the egg yolks.
2. Take the warm mixture in two half-cup measures and pour it into the egg yolks, while whisking quickly. Once this has been combined, pour it back into the saucepan, whisking to combine.
3. Cook the gelato mixture over medium to medium-low heat, stirring or whisking constantly, until it reaches 165F on a candy thermometer. Strain through a fine mesh sieve , then refrigerate for at least four hours.
4. Once the gelato is thoroughly cooled, freeze it in your ice cream maker according to your manufacturer's instructions.

Currently, I'm reading... Uncle Tom's Children, by Richard Wright.