Image by Tesa Robbins from PixabayIn my family, the combination of ricotta, orange and chocolate – the classic filling of Sicilian cannoli – an object of reverence, especially when using homemade candied orange peel. In the winter we love it in the fabulous crostata below and, when it gets warm, we churn it as a delightful gelato.
One of my favorite kitchen tools is a simple, inexpensive gelato maker. It’s a basic model that uses a pre-frozen canister with a coolant lining to chill the gelato mixture, eliminating the need for ice, salt, or a costly compressor (this is just an example).
Please note that most of my gelato recipes are eggless, so there’s no need to cook anything. As a consequence it is very easy to make gelato at home provided that one has the time to cool off the custard and churn it, approximately one hour.
For a dinner party, I usually blend the ingredients—cream, sugar, and flavorings—and let the mixture rest in the fridge until it’s time to serve dessert. I start churning the gelato just before the meal, and by the time we’re ready for dessert, it’s fresh, silky, and perfectly soft.
Freshly made gelato is worlds apart from anything store-bought, and it’s surprisingly easy to prepare. While this method only allows you to make one flavor at a time, please trust me—no one will complain, and there won’t be a single scoop left over.
Ingredients
- 170 g (6 oz) fresh ricotta
- 80 ml (1/3 cup) whole milk
- 250 ml (1 cup) whipping cream
- 110 g (1/2 cup) white sugar
- 40 g (1 1/2 oz) dark chocolate, shaved with a mandolin
- 1/2 teaspoon powder cinnamon
- grated zest of half an orange or 2 teaspoon homemade candy orange, finely chopped
Directions
Combine ricotta, milk, cinnamon and sugar in a blender. Blend until very smooth, then add cream.
Transfer the mixture in a closed container, cover and refrigerate until completely cold. This will shorten the churning time.
Churn in an ice cream maker until thick and creamy. Mix in the shaved chocolate and the orange zest or decorate with finely diced homemade candy orange.
Hi, Letizia.
Is there any way to make this without an ice cream maker?
Hi Nellie
there is but its quite a bit of work and never works very well. You would need to freeze the basic custard without chocolate and orange in a shallow container, then blend it when it’s solid but not hard. Repeat again until the mixture is quite smooth, may be another couple of times.The add chocolate and orange. Honestly I would try to buy a gelato maker like for example and learn to use it often in the summer. I have many recipes for gelato that I would be happy to give you!
Good morning (and Happy Mother’s Day!), Letizia —
Can you tell me how much gelato this recipe makes? Is a 1 liter ice cream maker large enough? Thank you!
Reply
Ciao Barbara and happy mother’s day to you! Here is a link to one that is very similare to the gelato maker I have which holds 1.6 l gelato https://www.amazon.it/Krups-Venise-VS2-Macchina-gelato/dp/B000CES2O0/ . This recipe will make a little less than one liter, so it should fit easily into your ice cream maker. If you have to buy one, I would definitely buy it a bit larger as it will churn the ice cream a little faster.