Strawberry Chocolate with Almonds Gelato Recipe
Making strawberry chocolate gelato with almonds combines the sweetness of strawberries, the richness of chocolate, and the nutty crunch of almonds into a truly decadent treat. This gelato offers a delightful twist on a classic Italian dessert by blending fruit, chocolate, and nuts for a unique and indulgent flavor profile.
Making gelato at home is rewarding. You can control the ingredients for a fresh and natural result. Whether you want to impress guests at a dinner party or treat yourself to a luxurious homemade dessert, strawberry chocolate gelato will surely deliver.
Unlike traditional ice cream, gelato is churned slower, resulting in a denser texture with a creamier mouthfeel. This dessert becomes irresistible when you add the vibrant taste of strawberries and the smooth, velvety notes of chocolate.
And for that perfect finishing touch, almonds add a satisfying crunch, balancing the sweetness with their subtle nuttiness. Whether you serve it in cones, cups, or as a frozen dessert plate, this recipe is bound to become a favorite in your collection.
On a recent trip to State College, PA, my wife stopped at Tait Farms to pick up some local products, including a Strawberry Dark Chocolate Sauce that my daughter thought would be a great ingredient to try in a new gelato or ice cream. I also had some Dark Chocolate Almonds with Sea Salt from Trader Joe’s that are incredible on their own, so how bad could they be in a homemade gelato?
Gelato
Gelato is an Italian-style ice cream known for its dense, creamy texture and intense flavors. While it shares similarities with traditional ice cream, gelato differs in several key ways, both in its ingredients and preparation method.
- Lower fat content: Gelato typically contains less fat than American-style ice cream because it uses more milk than cream and contains little to no egg yolks. This results in a lighter, less fatty mouthfeel, which allows the flavors to come through more distinctly.
- Churning process: Gelato is churned at a slower speed than ice cream, incorporating less air into the mixture. The reduced air content makes gelato denser and more velvety in texture.
- Serving temperature: Gelato is usually served slightly warmer than ice cream, making it softer and more spreadable. This also enhances its flavor intensity since your taste buds aren’t as numbed by the cold.
- Flavor focus: Gelato is known for its vibrant and bold flavors, often made with fresh ingredients like fruit, nuts, and chocolate. The lower fat content allows these flavors to be more pronounced.
Gelato is a delicious, rich alternative to traditional ice cream that highlights authentic ingredients.
Gelato Maker
A gelato maker is a specialized kitchen appliance for authentic gelato at home. Like an ice cream maker, it churns and freezes the ingredients but with specific features that cater to the unique characteristics of gelato. Here’s what sets a gelato maker apart:
- Slower churning speed: A gelato maker churns the mixture at a slower pace than an ice cream maker, incorporating less air into the gelato. This creates a denser, creamier texture that’s a signature of gelato.
- Temperature control: Gelato is traditionally served at a slightly higher temperature than ice cream, around 10°F (-12°C). A gelato maker is designed to freeze the mixture while keeping the temperature right for that soft, spreadable texture.
- Smaller batch size: Many gelato makers are built to handle smaller quantities than traditional ice cream makers, reflecting the Italian tradition of making fresh, artisanal batches of gelato.
- Paddle design: The paddles in a gelato maker are designed to gently stir the mixture without whipping in as much air as an ice cream maker would.
These machines allow you to craft creamy, authentic gelato at home with control over the ingredients and flavors.
There are different types of ice cream / gelato makers on the market. My first ice cream maker required you to first freeze the container before making the final product, but my new Cuisinart Commercial Quality Ice Cream & Gelato Maker has the freezing mechanism built in.
This makes it much easier to make ice cream or gelato at anytime without using up a lot of space in the freezer.
Strawberry Chocolate with Almonds Gelato Recipe
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups heavy cream
- 2¼ cups whole milk divided
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- pinch salt
- 1 cup strawberry chocolate sauce or some commercial equivalent
- ¾ cup dark chocolate almonds finely chopped, ours were from Trader Joes
Instructions
- Combine cream and 1½ cups of the whole milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
- While the cream/milk mixture is heating, combine the remaining ¾ cup whole milk, cornstarch, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- As soon as the cream/milk mixture comes to a simmer, add the milk/sugar mixture and stir to combine.
- Whisk in the strawberry chocolate sauce and keep stirring until this mixture comes to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer until the mixture thickens until you can coat the back of the spoon with it. This can take 10 to 15 minutes depending on your stove top.
- Remove the pan from the heat and cool to room temperature. The recipe says to strain this mixture but we did not and it did not seem to make much difference.
- Cover the bowl and stick into the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight. I read somewhere that the longer you let this mixture sit, the more the flavors get incorporated. We could only wait about 4 hours.
- According to the instruction manual, “chilling the mixture is not required….but this step will prevent any ice or fat crystals from forming during the freezing process for resting it in a chilled environment helps bind the ingredients together.”
- Before adding the chilled mixture to the gelato maker, re-whisk to make sure all the ingredients are well combined. Follow the instructions provided by your manufacturer’s booklet for the right amount of time.
- My machine said to process for about 30 minutes and add the chopped nuts after 25 minutes. You are going to find the gelato will be soft and creamy but if you want it firmer, like I do, stick it back into the freezer for about 2 hours.
- You “should” remove it from the freezer 15 minutes before serving if you can possibly wait that long. I could not.
