Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Pomegranate Gelato


I will be blogging from the road again next week it seems. Just for a few days, don't worry. Mother Humble is in town again tomorrow and she will be dragging my three siblings and I to Eastern Washington. This is a annual method of Humble family tortu...family bonding. Forcing us Seattle based offspring to get a little vitamin D.

Usually I melt the moment the mercury climbs over 70°F and develop an instant lobster-red sunburn (despite copious amounts of SPF55), while Mother Humble contently suns herself like a lizard.

Mother Humble tends to cook up a storm on these trips, so I will probably have a chance to share one or two of her recipes.


So, today's dish. Gelato. Yum! Though, I'm not exactly certain this is a "gelato" rather than an ordinary "ice-cream". Defining these things is complicated and I'm just happy to eat the stuff, so I'll leave it to the team at Gourmet Magazine (RIP) to label this dessert.



If you're a fan of Häagen-Dazs Pomegranate chip ice cream, you'll enjoy this recipe.

A few notes:

I know some of you will be tempted to omit the booze and use something else. However we're not just using it for flavor, like the air in the ice cream, the alcohol helps give this dish a softer texture. Alcohol has a freezing point below that of water, temperatures below those of an ordinary home freezer. So, where ordinary juice would freeze solid, alcohol stays fluid.

Also, if you don't wish to drop $50 on a bottle of PAMA pomegranate liqueur, feel free to use an off brand. I'm using PAMA's ridiculously named cousin: Luscious Pomegranate Pleasure. I don't really drink so I can't tell you if one tastes better than the other, but I do think the Lusci...LPP's garish red hue helps boost the color of the ice cream.


Gourmet's Pomegranate Gelato
adapted Gourmet 2006 as seen at Epicurious
yields 1 quart
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/4 cups Pom-Wonderful*
1/3 cup pomegranate liqueur
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
pinch salt

1/2 - 1 cup chopped dark chocolate (optional)

*You may use other brands of pomegranate juices, just make sure it is 100% pomegranate juice. I've seen several brands that are diluted with grape juice.


In a medium, heavy-bottomed sauce pan, whisk together the cream, milk, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking occasionally, then once boiling, whisk constantly for two minutes. Remove from heat, pour through a mesh strainer into a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients.

Chill this mixture in the refrigerator until very cold.

Once cold, add the mixture to your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. If using, add the chocolate during the last 5 minutes of churning. Once finished, transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm.

Soften gelato slightly in refrigerator, about 20 minutes, before serving.

Enjoy!

17 comments:

  1. sounds very refreshing....
    i have never made ice cream & must invest in an ice cream maker... soon...
    looking forward to your posts w/mother h!!
    have a fun time w/your siblings as well!!

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  2. My, that looks good.

    I'd have to delete the liqueur for another reason; my husband has a life-threatening alcohol intolerance (for real: I once had to call 911 over some restaurant barbecue sauce), and pomegranate juice is one of the few fruits he likes. We'll just have to enjoy it on the hard side.

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  3. Yum!!! It isn't summer without gelato!! :)

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  4. Awww, well if alcohol is a requirement, then I guess I can't make this gelato. I'll just admire your photos and dream hahaha. Have a safe trip!

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  5. YUMMY... I will have to try it out! Does the little humble like it? I don't know if my kids would eat this... all the more for me!

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  6. Oh no, the little Humble doesn't get this batch (because of the small amount of alcohol per serving). This is more of a Mr. Humble dessert.

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  7. Ooooh, that looks awesome! I've only just started using my ice cream maker in the last year and I love it. I'm betting this recipe is a keeper -- thanks for posting. Have fun with Mother Humble!

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  8. Sorry I signed into my other account, that was me who deleted the comment above :$.

    Anyway! Yum! And you're so funny! Enjoy the heat, it's always over 90 degrees fahrenheit a day here in Jamaica...so I'm very glad its raining now.

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  9. Sweetie, Let's go find some sun! Bring your ice cream maker and that 80 spf that you wear. Kisses, MH

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  10. *boggle*

    Didn't your flight just land?

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  11. Yup. I've been up for 21 hours and counting and I'm posting on your blog. Could be dangerous... Let's have a blog contest on the best dish made with Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup. You must recreate and eat them all. xoxo

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  12. That's easy.

    Tater tot Casserole.

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  13. A classic.

    Now I'm submitting a precise recipe for this:

    Hamburger (or mince as they call it in the UK) browned with onions. Drain. Add can of cream of mush and 1/2 pint of sour cream. Mix, put in casserole pan. Top with frozen tater tots. Cook at 375 degrees until brown and bubbly. Serve to young children with cooked carrots which they will not eat, but will instead hold against you the rest of your life.

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  14. I love the gelato...it looks so creamy and delicious!! I just did the same with the Pama, looked at the price and brought home the smae bottle you did..lol...
    thanks for sharing!
    Dennis

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  15. Ooo, I've been wanted to try to add gelato to my summer frozen desert repertoire but hadn't motivated myself to figure it out exactly. This looks great!

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  16. What a great recipe! I've tried it out recently with grapefruit instead of pomegranate, because when I first saw the recipe I translated pomegranate with grapefruit in my head. Which is weird because the German word for grapefruit is also 'grapefruit'. Found out later about my translation error but by then I was fixed on grapefruit. Guess I have a slight baking OCD going on as well...

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  17. what do you use to store your ice cream in? I've seen the same container in a few of your other posts and it not only makes the ice cream look even tastier, but it looks like it works much better than these plastic containers that I use (they are supposed to be air tight, but who knows).

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