The weather in Connecticut this weekend was just the excuse I needed to bust out my ice cream maker. I’m still new to the whole make-your-own-ice-cream-thing, but this year my goal is to branch out from vanilla and try interesting flavor combinations. Well, this lemon mint ricotta gelato was just what I was looking for and was the ultimate way to close out a beautiful long weekend.
Lemon Mint Ricotta Gelato
(via iPhone Epicurious App, adapted from Gourmet, August 1993)
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups half and half (Arethusa Farm Dairy)
- 1 1/4 cups milk (Arethusa Farm Dairy)
- 15 oz. ricotta
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 5-6 fresh mint leaves (my backyard)
- 2-inch strip of lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons honey (Hannan Honey)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
- In a saucepan whisk together the half and half, milk, ricotta and sugar.
- Add the fresh mint leaves and bring the mixture just to a boil, stirring.
- When it just comes to a boil, remove the pan from the heat, add the lemon zest, cover the pan with the lid, and let it stand for 10 minutes.
- Force the mixture through a fine sieve set over a bowl.
- Stir in the honey and vanilla.
- Chill the mixture until it’s cold.
- Then pour it into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. For me this took about 25 minutes.
- Pack the gelato into a glass container(s) with lid and place it in the freezer for at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve.
I just garnished each serving with an extra mint leaf and a curl of lemon zest. It was slightly minty with a hint of lemon and not overly sweet. It tasted like the filling in a cannoli. Oh yes, I think we could get used to this make-your-own ice cream routine!
Photo by Renato Ghio