Pistachio gelato
Ingredients
300g roasted, unsalted whole pistachios
Pinch sea salt
500ml water
2 tablespoons cornflour
170g granulated sugar
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Green food colouring – optional
Method
- Put 225g pistachios in a bowl and cover completely with water, soak for 1 – 8 hours. Drain and rinse the pistachios in a strainer under cold running water until the water runs clear.
- Chop the remaining 75g pistachios with the salt in a food processor until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
- Put the soaked pistachios in a blender with 500ml of water. Process for 2 – 3 minutes or until the mixture is very smooth. It should be the consistency of very heavy cream. If too thick, add a little more water and blend.
- Take approx. 100ml of the pistachio cream and mix with the cornflour until completely blended. Pour the rest of the pistachio cream into a large saucepan, combine with the chopped pistachios and sugar and cook over medium-high heat until it just starts to boil. Add in the cornflour mixture and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Take off the heat and stir in the lemon juice. If you want the colour a little greener, stir in some green food colouring drops, a few drops at a time, until it becomes the desired shade of green.
- For a smooth gelato, push the mixture through a strainer into a bowl or for a chunkier texture just scrape the mixture into a bowl. Top with a piece of cling film placed directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Let the mixture cool to room temperature then refrigerate for about 2 hours or until cold.
- Put mixture into an ice cream machine and process for 20 – 25 minutes or according to the manufacturers instructions.
- Can be eaten immediately or stored in the freezer in an airtight container. Take out of freezer for about 5 minutes to soften before serving.
American Pistachio Growers