Chocolate Gelato

The two main differences between Italian gelato and American ice cream are that gelato contains less butterfat and less air than it?s American counterpart. This recipe is for Sicilian style gelato, which is even further away from American ice cream than the gelato served in the north of Italy. Sicilian gelato contains neither cream nor egg; it uses as its base what is called a crema rinforzata, made from milk, sugar and cornstarch. The result is a gelato that is lighter and at the same time more intensely flavored than American ice cream or northern Italian gelato. Serves 6 to 8 3 cups whole milk 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped coarsely 3/4 cup sugar 2 tbsp cornstarch

1.		Place 2 cups of the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat when milk just begins to simmer.
2.		Add chocolate to the hot milk and stir in until completely melted.
3.		Combine remaining 1 cup of milk, sugar and cornstarch in a bowl, then stir into hot milk and chocolate mixture.
4.		Return pan to medium heat and cook, stirring until mixture thickens, approximately 10 minutes.
5.		Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.
6.		Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.


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