How to Make Gelato

If you love ice cream but can't afford to cheat on your diet due to its high fat content, there is an alternative that tastes just as great and is much healthier. Gelato tastes just like a cross between creamy ice cream and flavorful sorbet. Chances are you already have everything you need to make it at home, if not you can always purchase them at your local grocery store.

You will need an ice cream maker. You don't have to go and purchase an expensive one, one that has a freezer bowl. Make sure that you wash and place the freezer bowl in the freezer the night before you decide to make your gelato.

Once you are ready to get started with your gelato, you will need a few things from the fridge. You will need two cups of milk, a fourth cup of powdered milk, 8 egg yolks, one cup of half and half, one cup of sugar, a teaspoon of real vanilla extract and three cups of your favorite fruit. You will also need a large pit and a plastic spatula.

Combine the milk, nonfat powdered milk and sugar into the large pot. Place it on the stove and turn the eye to medium high. You need to dissolve the sugar, so you will need to continuously stir the mixture while simmering it. Once the sugar is all dissolved, you can leave the pot on low and remember to stir it occasionally. Place the egg yolks into a bowl and whip them for approximately two minutes or until they have gotten thicker.

Take a cup of the warm milk mixture and slowly whisk it into the egg yolks. Make sure that you blend them well. Then take the egg and milk mixture and incorporate into the pot with the rest of the milk mixture. Turn the heat up to medium and stir constantly. You will see the mixture getting thicker and check it with a thermometer for a temperature of 170 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once the mixture has reached 170 degrees Fahrenheit, you can then add the half and half and vanilla by stirring them in. At this point you can either refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Take your fruit and place it into a blender. You need to puree it so you can use it to flavor your gelato. If you want, you can do this step right before you take your mixture out of the refrigerator. Don't forget to wash the fruit before you put them into blender. In a bowl, combine your fruit puree and milk mixture together. Mix until it is well blended. Pour the gelato into the ice cream maker freezer bowl. Place the bowl into the ice cream maker.

At this point, all of your work is essentially done. Turn on your ice cream maker and allow it to work for the next half hour. You can allow it to work a little longer until the mixture is the constancy you like. Once it is done, you can enjoy the fruits of your labor and eat a healthy and cool treat that everyone will love.