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Plum gelato - Sicilian style

Anders@icecreamnation.org
Luscious plums in an easy-to-cook Sicilian gelato base: What more could any plum-lover ask for?
5 from 1 vote
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Ingredients
  

  • About 8-10 plums (about 500 grams, yielding about 500 ml (about good 2 cups) puree)
  • 100+ 125 gram (about 0.4 - 0.5 cups) sugar
  • 200 ml (about 4/5 cup) milk
  • 200 ml (about 4/5 cup) cream
  • 5 tablespoons Arrowroot
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • Optional: 1-1 1/2 tablespoons Kirsch

Instructions
 

  • Wash, cut, peel and slice the plums. Mix with 100 ml (about 0.4 cup) sugar and the lemon juice and puree in a food processor or by using a mixer. Set aside for now.
  • Whisk the cold milk together with the Arrowroot starch, making sure that there are no remaining lumps. Set aside for now.
  • Mix the remaining sugar and the cream in a sauce pan. Warm until steaming hot (not boiling!) on medium heat.
  • Add the plum puree and allow the mixture a few more minutes to pick up the overall heat.
  • Then, blend in the milk-Arrowroot starch mixture and whisk away. Since Arrowroot thickens at lower temperatures than corn starch and also does not react well to overheating, limit the continued cooking to a couple of minutes or so. This will also protect the fruit from becoming too "jam-like".
  • Take the base off the heat, whisk well, and add - if using - the Kirsch. Let the mixture cool down. Refrigerate the base for a couple of hours to chill it further, and churn according to the instructions of your ice cream machine.
  • In case you have no ice cream machine, still-freeze the base in your freezer (see the post on how to best make ice cream without an ice cream machine). By the way - like Sicilian gelato in general, this base is perfect for still-freezing!
  • After the churning, place the ice cream in a freezer-safe container, cover with plastic film and a lid, and store in the freezer.

Notes

About the Kirsch: While some may prefer the "pure and plums-only" flavour, others might be interested in adding a couple of teaspoons of Kirsch or so to the puree which goes into the ice cream base. The small quantity does not really make your ice cream "alcoholic" in any significant sense, but the addition of Kirsch amplifies the fruit flavour, making the tasting experience somewhat deeper and more complex. However, again, the Kirsch is optional and even without, the ice cream should be delicious!