Pistachio Gelato

I'm starting to doubt David Lebovitz.

Back in the fall of last year, my parents took a trip to Italy and brought back home with them some delicious Italian delicacies. One of those delicacies was a jar of pistachio paste, which just so happened to be in the exact size and percentage that David Lebovitz calls for in his pistachio gelato recipe—7 ounces and 40 percent! It seemed like the world was urging me to make pistachio gelato, so that’s what I made this week. But as the subtitle to the post indicates, this week’s effort was a real disappointment, leading me to question one of my ice cream heroes. :(

Anyhoo…

Pretty simple ingredient list here. The thickening agent in this gelato is corn starch. According to Lebovitz, corn starch is commonly found in gelato made in Sicily and southern Italy. When I made Jeni’s vanilla (many months ago now), I characterized corn starch as the evil, Monsanto-funded Republican thickener. That seems a bit simplistic now, even if part of me still likes the description. But if it’s good enough for Italian gelato, it’s good enough for me! Or as they say: when in Rome! Or, uh, Naples! Or, uh, Palermo!

Now, despite having to heat and constantly stir the cornstarch for it to thicken properly—similar to what is required with custard—the process of making this ice cream was actually very easy. You begin by making the corn starch slurry.

Measure 2 cups of milk, measure 2 tablespoons of corn starch, add them together, and combine into a slurry.

Next, you combine the rest of the milk and sugar, and then add the slurry when it’s almost at a boil.

Once you’ve added the slurry, you continue simmering it until the mixture thickens (about 2 to 3 minutes), and then remove it from the heat and let it cool completely.

Once it’s cooled (I put it in the fridge for 3 hours after letting it fall to room temp), add in the pistachio paste, a few drops of lemon juice, and then whisk until combined.

The color is not very appetizing. Doesn't look at all like what Lebovitz documented on his blog.

I let cool in the fridge for another few hours before churning.

Here it is just prior to churning.

In terms of results, this ice cream was great…

All joking aside, the texture came out just fine, but it was overly sweet and the pistachio flavor was way too overpowering. This wasn’t just my assessment; the rest of the fam felt similarly.

Perhaps it was the specific pistachio paste I used, but honestly, I’m starting to doubt Lebovitz and his recipes. This is the third time one of his recipes has failed in some fundamental way, so I’m starting to think maybe it’s the source. I also wondered if using pistachio paste—instead of steeping pistachio nuts in the dairy—was the culprit here (it certainly feels like a quality reducing shortcut), but I consulted Melissa Clark’s pistachio recipe and the pistachio recipe in Bruce Weinstein’s cookbook, and they both call for some form of pistachio paste as well.

Anyway, I’m feeling uninspired right now, so I’m going to end this here. Not sure what I’m making next week, but whatever it is, I hope it comes out better than this week’s effort.