- 4
- 10 mins
- 50 mins
Ingredients
- For the plain base:
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2/3 cup sugar
- For the gelato:
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, preferably Key lime
- 2 teaspoons grated lime zest
- 3/4 cup crushed graham crackers (about five full unbroken sheets), frozen
Preparation
Step 1
To make the plain base:
In a heavy-bottom saucepan, combine the milk and cream. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally so a skin doesn’t form, until tiny bubbles start to form around the edges and the mixture reaches a temperature of 170°F.
Meanwhile, in a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Gradually whisk in the sugar until it is well incorporated and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Temper the egg yolks by very slowly pouring in the hot milk mixture while whisking continuously. Return the custard to the saucepan and place over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and it reaches a temperature of 185°F. Do not bring to a boil.
Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl and let cool to room temperature, stirring every 5 minutes or so. To cool the custard quickly, make an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water and placing the bowl with the custard in it; stir the custard until cooled. Once completely cooled, cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.
To finish the gelato:
Gently whisk the lime juice and zest into the base. Pour the mixture into the container of an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Just after churning quickly stir in the graham cracker crumbs. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.
Notes:
Oops, I forgot to freeze my graham cracker crumbs first. While I’m not sure what difference it would make – maybe they stay slightly more crunchy – I still felt the ice cream turned out great.
To take advantage of the more creamy gelato consistency it’s best to eat this the day you make it. As mentioned above, gelato is kept at a lower temp than regular ice cream and the longer it’s in your freezer the more likely it is to harden a littel too much. If it does, it’s OK, you’ll just have to find some way to enjoy it still. I bet it won’t be too, er, hard, to do so.
There were no Key limes available so I went with my store’s standard Persian limes and it was fantastic.