So I realize the ricotta gnudi recipe I posted the other day was a little intense. Cheese and more cheese and a butter sauce to boot!? Scandalous. I wish I could say I learned my lesson, but unfortunately that is not the case. I had a little ricotta left in my fridge, and I decided the only sensible thing to do was add some cream and sugar and send it for a ride in the ice cream machine. Ricotta gelato, engage!

I found a lovely sounding recipe in an old issue of the now defunct Gourmet Magazine and rolled up my sleeves. Making your own ice cream or gelato is crazy-pants simple if you own an ice cream machine, and you have total creative freedom. Strawberry basil, perhaps? Peanut butter and jelly has your fancy? A craving for caramel popcorn? All are possible!  Whee!

After my recent forays into the ricotta arts, my pants are beginning to rebel against their zipper. Therefore, I promise my next post will be of the lighter sort. Maybe.

xo, Holly (The Apiarist)

Ricotta Gelato
Recipe adapted from Gourmet Magazine
This gelato recipe was accompanied by a recipe for a blackberry sauce. I had some frozen berries in my freezer, so I gave it a go. It turned out pretty tasty, but I didn’t feel the it was quite worth the effort (you have to make a caramel first; hot splattering sugar is involved). Next time I think I will add some berries at the very end of the churning and call it a day!

1 1/4 cups half-and-half
1 1/4 cups milk
15- or 16-ounce container whole-milk ricotta (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup sugar
3-inch cinnamon stick
2-inch strip of lemon zest removed with a vegetable peeler
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoons vanilla

In a saucepan whisk together the half-and-half, milk, ricotta, and sugar. Add the cinnamon stick, and bring the mixture just to a boil, stirring. Remove the pan from the heat, add the zest, and let the mixture stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve set over a bowl and stir in the corn syrup and the vanilla. Chill the mixture, covered, until it is cold and freeze it in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Pack the gelato tightly into a glass or plastic container, and freeze the gelato for 30 minutes, or until it is ready to be served.