I SCREAMED! Gelatos That Confuse The Tastebuds

All these recent banana split posts on Foodbuzz featuring their fab home made/store-bought ice-creams concoctions have triggered some sort of uhh… I don’t know, ICE-CREAM envy(?) in me. Thank goodness it’s not banana envy, eh, because that would be some kind of difficult for me to deal with! Before I go any further, I'm using 'gelato' and 'ice-cream' interchangeably here because they're the same thing ... aren't they? Well, I'm not such a food snob to admit that I don't really know the difference. Perhaps I'll Google it up later.

Anyway, I brainstormed on some ice-cream flavour combinations and looking at what I came up with, you could be forgiven for thinking that I'm a member of a well-oiled Gelato Think Tank somewhere this side of the ocean. But you’re wrong, I’m just wired differently. Especially when it comes to food.

Without further ado, I introduce to you:

Roasted Capsicum and Vanilla Gelato

Ginger~Chocolate~Orange Gelato

I'm sure I'm not the first one on the planet to make these, it's just I haven't seen Haagen Daz come out with these combis (I know they do ginger, just ginger though). Now, before you think anything untoward about these rather odd couplings of flavours, let me assure you that they really do work, are utterly delicious and you are able to taste each of the distinct flavours of roasted capsicum (or bell pepper), vanilla, orange, ginger and chocolate.

Not having in my possession the famed “Flavor Bible”, I’m not quite sure how I came up with these matches made in heaven. Let’s just put it down to my scary imagination and the fact that I aced Chemistry at high school and college! *high fives*

Btw, I don't have an ice-cream machine to my name (BFFs: please take note), so I made these using the age-old method of freezing/whisking/freezing/whisking/freezing instead. It's really no hassle and I quite enjoy the feeling of anticipation!

Roasted Capsicum and Vanilla Gelato

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole milk

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 1 red capsicum (bell pepper)

• 1 egg

• 2 egg yolks

• ¾ cup sugar

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Method:
1. Slice the capsicum in half, remove the stem and seeds, and roast under a hot grill until the skin splits and the capsicum softens (about 10 minutes). Cool slightly and peel off skin, then chop into slices. Set aside.

2. Heat the milk and cream in a saucepan just to the point of boiling and add the chopped capsicum. Remove from heat and steep, covered, for 15 minutes. Add the sugar and vanilla and reheat the milk and cream.

3. Meanwhile, whisk the egg and yolks in another pan until well-combined. Once the cream mixture is almost boiling, gradually whisk it into the eggs, constantly beating so that the eggs do not curdle. Gently boil over low heat until the custard thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon.

4. Cool the custard mixture completely before churning either by hand or in an ice-cream machine. You can speed the cooling process by putting the bowl in an ice bath, but if you make your custard the night before like I did here, you can chill them overnight in the refrigerator and begin the churning process the next morning.

Some swirling action here.... and after 3-4 hours, Voila!

Ice-cream that tastes very cashew nut-like with a subtle peppery edge to it. Yes, it's really weird.

5. After I’m done chilling the custard, I put it in the freezer for an hour, take it out and stir the gelato to separate it from the edges of the bowl. I then blend with the hand mixer for about 15 seconds. I do this 3 times over the course of 3 hours then let the gelato freeze completely. If you’re diligent and willing to do this small task, take it from me, the results are better than the gelato in that swanky café down the high street!

Ginger~Chocolate~Orange Gelato

Ingredients:
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 (2-inch) piece of fresh ginger, sliced thinly
• 1 egg
• 2 egg yolks
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 orange, squeezed for the juice
• 125g (4oz) dark chocolate, chopped

1. Heat the milk and cream in a saucepan just to the point of boiling and add the sliced ginger. Remove from heat and let it steep, for 15 minutes. Then carefully fish out the ginger bits with a spoon and set these aside.

2. Meanwhile, whisk the egg and yolks in another pan until well-combined.

3. Add the sugar to the milk and cream and reheat. Once mixture is almost boiling, gradually whisk it into the eggs, constantly beating so that the eggs do not curdle. Gently boil over low heat until the custard thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon.

4. Remove the custard from the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate until it melts. Stir in the orange juice (strain for pips beforehand). I had a flash of inspiration at this point and decided to throw the ginger bits back into the custard! So glad I did, because these really added bite and enhanced the gingery-ness of the ice-cream. I mean, come on, it had to compete with the dominant flavours of orange AND chocolate!

Ginger bits, we LOVE you and therefore you're staying.

5. Cool the custard mixture completely before repeating the churning process in step 5 above.

Baby, churn ~ churn ~ churn ~churn...

The great thing about eating ice-cream at home is that you can just about plonk it in the bowl any old how and not have to worry about it having to look all fancy like in a restaurant. It still tastes exactly delish and you even have the liberty of licking off the bowl at the end!

I hope you try these recipes out and let me know if there are any other odd combi flavors out there that go well together. Happy days, people!