Velvety Nutella-flavoured gelato, generously mixed with crunchy Ferrero Rocher bits and luscious swirls of chocolate-hazelnut goodness. A treat inspired by my recent Italian adventure.
Place the sugar and egg yolks in a small bowl, and beat together using an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. When you pull the beaters out of the mixture, it should fall back on itself in ribbons. Set aside.
Pour the milk, cream, and Nutella into a medium saucepan and heat on medium-low until almost boiling, stirring occasionally to stop a skin from forming. Remove from the heat. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of the hot milk into the egg and sugar mixture and stir together to loosen up the eggs. Then pour all the egg and sugar mixture into the saucepan with the milk, immediately stirring together well.
Return the saucepan to a medium-low heat and heat for 8-10 minutes, or until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. Make sure to constantly stir the mixture while cooking, as you do not want it to burn.
Once the custard is thick enough, stir in the Frangellico if using, and remove from the heat. Place the saucepan in a sink of cold water to cool down (not letting any water get into the gelato batter). Stir occasionally to avoid a skin forming. Once cooled to almost room temperature, cover the surface of the batter with cling film (or plastic wrap) and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours – overnight is best. This is to ensure the batter is as cold as possible before churning.
The next day, place the gelato batter in the frozen ice cream maker bowl and churn as per the manufacturer’s instructions. My machine takes about 25 minutes to churn this gelato batter. Once the gelato is the consistency of soft-serve ice cream, remove from the machine and place in an ice cream container or loaf tin, adding chopped or crushed Ferrero Rocher pieces and swirls of Nutella between the layers of gelato. Top the gelato with more Ferrero Rocher pieces. Place in the freezer to firm up – this should only take a couple of hours or so.
Video
Notes
Homemade gelato or ice cream will not keep as well as store-bought, so do not keep for longer than a month. If the top of the gelato crystallises, then the ice cream underneath may still be good, so don’t throw it away just yet!