Vanilla Gelato With Cherry Compote Recipes

Steps:

• Combine the brown sugar, water, rum, and vanilla beans in a saucepan. Squeeze the lemon juice into the pan. Stir to combine the ingredients and bring to a simmer. Add the pineapple and stir until well mixed. Simmer until the liquid has reduced to a syrupy consistency and the pineapple is soft.
• Let cool and serve as an accoutrement to yummy desserts like goat cheese cheesecake!

Steps:

• In a large bowl whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar until pale yellow and thickens up.
• Combine the whole milk, heavy cream and 1 vanilla bean, sliced in half lengthwise in a saucepan. Heat the mixture just until it starts to bubble along the edges. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Remove from the heat.
• Remove the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds with the tip if a small knife and add the seeds back into the milk mixture. Discard the vanilla bean shell.
• While whisking the egg mixture add in about a cup of the warm milk mixture and combine together. Then add in the rest of the egg mixture to the milk. Heat the mixture slowly to 175 to 180 degrees F. The custard should be thickened and coat the back of a wooden spoon. Do not allow the custard to simmer.
• Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve, cover and refrigerate until well chilled.
• You can transfer this custard into the ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions. This will make vanilla gelato, or you can make the following variations.
• Espresso: add 1/2 cup of chilled espresso coffee into the custard.
• Chocolate: add 3 ounces melted bittersweet chocolate into the warm custard before chilling.
• Pistachio or hazelnuts: In a blender add 6 ounces shelled pistachios with the heavy cream and puree before adding into the saucepan.
• Amaretto: Stir in 1/2 cup of crushed amaretto cookies into the milk before heating and add 1-ounce amaretto liqueur into the finished chilled custard before freezing.

Steps:

• Make the panna cotta: Fill a liquid measuring cup or small bowl with 1/2 cup cold water; sprinkle the gelatin on top and let stand 5 minutes.
• Heat the sugar and half-and-half in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and whisk in the gelatin mixture until dissolved. Stir in the buttermilk and vanilla and almond extracts. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a large liquid measuring cup or bowl. Let cool to room temperature, then divide among 6 glasses or small bowls. Refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours.
• Make the compote: Combine the cherries and sugar in a large saucepan; let sit at room temperature until juicy, about 4 hours.
• Add the ginger and star anise to the cherry mixture and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally and skimming any foam from the top, until thick and syrupy, about 30 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla extract and cook 2 to 3 more minutes; remove from the heat and let cool completely. (Refrigerate any leftover compote in an airtight container for up to 1 month.) Spoon on top of the panna cotta and sprinkle with almonds.

Steps:

• Place a small tray or a plate in the freezer. Remove the gelato from the freezer to soften, about 5 minutes. Remove the chilled tray from the freezer. Scoop out 16 bite-sized balls of gelato and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour. Remove from the freezer and quickly insert a wooden popstick into each gelato ball. Return them to the freezer for at least 1 hour.
• When the gelato balls have frozen with their sticks in place, place the chocolate in a double-boiler over very gently simmering water until melted. Next to the pot of chocolate, place the toasted, chopped hazelnuts in a shallow bowl.
• Remove the gelato balls from the freezer, 4 at a time. Working quickly, hold the gelato ball by the stick and dip into the melted chocolate, then dredge it in the hazelnuts. Return them to the freezer and continue with 4 more gelato balls, until all the gelato balls are covered in chocolate and nuts. Freeze the chocolate-and-nut-covered gelato for at least 1 hour.
• These are very fun, festive, and tasty. The ice cream scoop I used is a number 40 (holds 1 tablespoon, is 1 1/2 inches in diameter.)

Steps:

• Make gelato:
• Scrape seeds from vanilla bean with tip of a paring knife into a small heavy saucepan. Add milk and a pinch of salt and bring just to a boil, then remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, whisk together sugar and cornstarch, then add 1/2 cup hot milk, whisking until smooth. Whisk into milk in saucepan. Bring to a simmer, whisking, then simmer, whisking, 3 minutes. Immediately pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl set in an ice bath. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
• Remove from ice bath and chill, covered, 1 hour.
• Prepare cherries:
• Pulse cherries, sugar, and extracts in a food processor until finely chopped, then chill, covered, 1 hour.
• Make ice cream:
• Stir cherries with their juices into gelato mixture and freeze in ice cream maker. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, at least 2 hours.

Steps:

• Bring 3/4 cup water, sugar, and cinnamon to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer until sugar is dissolved, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cherries; bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until cherries soften, about 5 minutes.
• Mix 2 tablespoons water and cornstarch together in a small bowl; pour over the cherry mixture in the saucepan. Stir until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a container and refrigerate.