Homemade Ice Cream and Granita

When the summer season starts, the simple pleasure of going to The Marble Slab and ordering a double scoop of Vanilla Bean ice cream with raspberries and ‘smores is pure heaven. Having discovered this amazing paradise a couple of summers ago, it became my number one place to get some of the most amazing, made on site, ice cream ever created. I dragged everyone I knew there, and it immediately became their favorite place as well.

This past December a tragedy of major proportions struck………I developed a quick and severe allergy (can we say anaphylaxis) to peanuts, tree nuts, coconut and coffee. It is one thing to have this allergy but to have it develop so close to Christmas, when these are on every table that ever existed, was absolutely horrifically unfair.. As the weeks came and went the realization of the severity of the allergy stuck, I was overwhelmed. I have been in the food industry for 25 years, and have always been able to eat anything. I now had to completely change my eating habits, what restaurant I ate at, what groceries I bought (this alone is a major undertaking), even what I touched.

Now that summer has essentially arrived I am once again devastated by the fact that I can no longer go to my little slice of paradise and order my favorite vice. How cruel can life be………

So, being the resilient individual that I am, I decided to try to make my own ice cream. It was either this or eat the only brand of ice cream available for us nut allergy people. (I’m sorry, but this brand of delectable treat, tastes horrendous. Cardboard tastes better than this stuff. It is cruel and unusual punishment to be relegated to this, which is something I don’t even think my dog would eat. You can’t put enough berries or syrup on this to make it taste even remotely tolerable.)

Making my own ice cream seemed like a phenomenal idea. The more I thought about it the better it sounded. I could make any flavor I wanted, no matter how bizarre. Gelato and Granita are my two favorite ways to do this. So here are a few recipes that I hope will help those of you with being able to enjoy a favorite summer delicacy.

Fruit Granita

1 liter Apple Juice

1 liter Pineapple Juice

1 liter Passion Fruit Juice

1 liter Simple Syrup

250 ml sparkling Sparkling Wine (optional)

1. Place all ingredients into a stainless steel bowl

2. Pour the juice into an ice-cream machine filling it half full then churn-freeze for approximately 10-15 minutes.

3. If you do not have an ice cream machine pour the liquid in a shallow pan about 1 inch deep and place in freezer. As the liquid begins to freeze, use a fork to shave into crystals every half hour or so until completely frozen.

Gelato.

4 c Milk

½ c Sugar

8 ea Egg Yolks

1 ea Vanilla Bean ( or 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract)

1. In a stainless steel bowl stir together, using a wooden spoon, the sugar and yolks until well blended. (Do not let this mixture sit too long or a film will develop on the yolks.)

2. In a small saucepan heat the milk and vanilla bean just to the boiling point. Remove from the heat and whisk a few tablespoons of the milk into the yolk mixture. Then gradually add the remaining milk, whisking constantly.

3. Pour this mixture into a medium saucepan and, over medium heat, or using a bain marie ( a double boiler), gently heat the mixture to just below boiling point (170-175 degrees F)(77-80 degrees C) You will notice that steam will begin to appear and the mixture will be slightly thicker than heavy cream. Do not boil or the eggs will curdle. Check to see if it is the right consistency by holding a wooden spoon sideways that is covered with the custard and run your finger along the back of the spoon. If the streak remains without cream running down through the streak, it is ready.

4. Immediately remove from the heat and pour through a strainer, scraping up any thickened cream that settles on the bottom of the pan. Remove the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the sauce. Stir until seeds separate. (If you are using pure vanilla extract, instead of the vanilla bean, add it to the cream now.)

5. Allow the crème anglaise (English custard) to cool in the fridge then put in an ice cream maker and follow the instructions to create gelato.

6. NOTE: If sauce becomes overheated and curdling occurs, pour instantly into a blender and process until smooth before the straining. If necessary, add a little heavy cream to the mixture before blending.