Basic Gelato Base

Directions

1. 1
   The Base:
2. 2
   In a medium saucepan, mix milk and cream. Warm until foam forms around the edges. Remove from heat.
3. 3
   In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until frothy, thick and ribbon like. Gradually pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture gels slightly and coats the back of the spoon. If small egg lumps begin to show, remove from heat immediately.
4. 4
   Pour the mixture through a sieve or fine strainer into a bowl. Cover, and chill for several hours or overnight.
5. 5
   At this point, you can add 2 tablespoons of any alcohol you think would taste good with your flavors. This would also be when you would want to add the vanilla extract.
6. 6
   Place your mixture in the freezer for 20 minutes before churning, so the mix is as close to 0°C (32°F) as possible.
7. 7
   Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a sealed container, and freeze until firm.
8. 8
   A little tip for service: because gelato contains less fat, it tends to freeze a lot harder. Take your gelato out of the freezer approximately 15 minutes before serving to soften it.
9. 9
   Adding Flavors:
10. 10
    Add fruit purees, or real juice, make sure that the puree does not exceed 1/2 the base volume (unfrozen), or the juice 1/4 the base volume.
11. 11
    Add Nuts, chucks/chips, dried fruit or chopped fresh fruit; no more than 1/4 the base volume. Added in the last 1-2 minutes of the freezing cycle. Can be folded in before after churning but before freezing.
12. 12
    Chocolate sauce (Hershey's (R)), Nutella (R), or peanut butter can be added to base before freezing, or after cooking based on consistency of product being added. 1/4 - 1/2 cup.