Pistachio Gelato

Pistachios have been getting a lot of attention lately, especially with the rise of the viral Dubai chocolate. I am very late to the trend, but this gelato flavour is just so classic.

I am definitely not an ice cream expert and always turn to chefs such as David Lebovitz for guidance. Upon researching, there were many different approaches on how to make pistachio ice cream/gelato. Some people use an ice cream base with egg yolks and cream (creme anglaise), whilst others use a gelato base which allows the pistachio flavour to shine.

I opted for the gelato approach, and settled on David Lebovitz’s recipe. Most gelato recipes require ingredients such as dextrose and milk powder. These ingredients for me personally are single use – I would buy them for one recipe and most likely never use it again. I usually avoid recipes like this, and also avoid posting such recipes.

David’s recipe on the other hand is much simpler, enriched with only cornflour. The only specialty ingredient is the pistachio cream.

So, the pistachio cream is the next point of contention. You can make pistachio paste yourself by simply processing pistachios. I would almost always opt for the homemade version, but in this case I recommend store-bought. This is because it can be hard to find good quality pistachios,  and you won’t get as smooth of a result blending it yourself.

There is also a difference between pure pistachio paste and pistachio cream. Pistachio paste is 100% pistachios and has no sweetener making it highly concentrated. Pistachio cream contains about 40-50% pistachios, alongside sugar and other ingredients.

David’s recipe uses a pistachio cream, so the base contains less sugar to account for this. I used the Pisti Spreadable Pistachio Cream from Amazon, which worked surprisingly well. You want a pistachio cream that is at least 40% pistachios.

I was initially concerned that the gelato might be overly sweet and lacking in both pistachio flavour and its signature green hue. However, it turned out to be perfectly balanced – sweet, creamy, and rich with the pistachio taste I had hoped for. Paired with these brown butter tuiles, it is even more delicious!

Another way of serving it is as a baked alaska. I was particularly inspired by this reel from Onda Pasta Bar, and posted by own version on Instagram. So basically you scoop your gelato into the glass, then create a divet and fill it with a fruit compote (I used leftover roasted rhubarb jam). Finish by piping swiss meringue on top and blow torching until golden. I recommend freezing the gelato for at least 30 minutes before piping the meringue.

As usual, let me know if you have any questions!

Pistachio Gelato 

Adapted from David Lebovitz. Please read the post above for more information regarding the pistachio cream.

Ingredients

• 16g (2 tbsp) corn flour
• 500ml milk
• 65g sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 200g pistachio cream

Method

1. In a small bowl, mix together the cornflour and 60ml of milk until smooth.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat together the remaining milk (440ml), sugar and vanilla extract.
3. When it almost starts to boil, stir in the cornflour mixture and cook at gentle simmer for 3 minutes, stirring continuously. Remove from the heat.
4. Transfer the mixture into a bowl, cover with cling film, and refrigerate overnight
5. Once chilled, whisk in the pistachio cream until smooth. I recommend using an immersion blender.
6. Freeze the gelato in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Mine takes about 30 minutes.