Ritz Hazelnut Gelato Sandwich Recipes

Steps:

• Toast hazelnuts and rub off any skins in a kitchen towel, then cool completely. Pulse with 1/4 cup sugar and a pinch of salt in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a 3-quart heavy saucepan and add milk and heavy cream. Bring just to a simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat and let steep, covered, 1 hour.
• Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on and discarding solids.
• Beat together egg yolks and sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until thick and pale, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in milk mixture and transfer to cleaned saucepan. Cook custard over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until an instant-read thermometer registers 175°F (do not let boil). Immediately pour custard through cleaned sieve into a metal bowl, then set bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and cool, stirring occasionally. Chill custard, covered, until cold. Freeze in an ice cream maker, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.

Steps:

• Lay out 3 or 4 RITZ Crackers, salted side down, on a parchment-line baking sheet. Quickly scoop 1 tablespoon gelato onto each cracker. Top each with a RITZ cracker. Press down lightly to flatten gelato to extend to cracker edges; wipe off excess and immediately place in the freezer until frozen solid, about 3 hours. Repeat with remaining crackers and gelato to make 25 sandwiches.
• When the sandwiches are frozen, melt chocolate on top of a double boiler.
• In small batches and working quickly, dip sandwiches halfway into melted chocolate. Immediately dip chocolate half into chopped nuts. Place sandwiches back into the freezer. Freeze 2 to 3 hours to set.

Steps:

• Toast the nuts in a dry pan for 5 mins until golden. Leave to cool. Roughly chop 25g and set aside. Heat the cream, milk and sugar in a pan until nearly boiling. Whisk together the eggs yolks in a small bowl. Pour a little of the hot cream over the eggs and whisk together.
• Pour the egg mix to the pan and gently cook for about 8-10 mins until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Set a medium-size bowl over another bowl of iced water. As soon as the custard has thickened, strain into the bowl, then stir through the 150g hazelnuts. Leave to cool a little, then pour the mixture into a blender and whizz until smooth. Freeze according to your ice-cream maker's instructions. Will freeze for up to 1 month.
• For the sauce, heat the cream with the coffee in a pan until boiling. Take off the heat, stir the chocolate until melted, then stir in the liqueur, if using. Serve scoops of ice cream in bowls with some sauce drizzled on top and the reserved chopped nuts scattered over.