Ricotta Gelato
If it is madness to shoehorn a coursed dinner for twenty of our friends into busy schedules, Ashley Palermo and I don’t want to be sane. We are both single moms, we both work (more than) full time, and between kid activities, work, homework, travel, unpaid writing gigs (ahem), etc. etc., neither one of us can remember the last time we sat on the couch. However, one night last summer, we hatched a crackpot plan to do just that.
Ever the gluttons for punishment, Ashley (of neighborhood staple Oasis Café and Bakery) and I have been hosting a pop-up restaurant roughly quarterly, and trust me, it’s a lot of work.
But it is so worth it.
We are calling this effort After Dark at the Oasis, and our second installment was a seven-part tasting menu featuring the flavors of the Mediterranean. Our recipe development process is painstaking, and sometimes demoralizing, but when we get it right, oh, man, it is good.
The last round of food (there was a surprise liquid course after) was our grand finale, and we were so proud of it. We served this velvety, super tangy ricotta gelato with a chiffon olive oil cake, fig caramel, a drizzle of olive oil & sprinkle of sea salt, and a crispy freeze-dried fig, but you don’t have to go that crazy, its delightful on its own. If you want to know about the cake, find my email and I’ll send you the recipe.
After five experimental batches, we settled on this version and sent it home with our guests in a little recipe book filled with tastes from the night.
We’ll definitely host another soon, and we’d love to see our neighbors there!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup full-fat ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup full-fat sour cream
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- ¾ cup "light" (clear) corn syrup
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, to taste
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Serve with fig preserves, or fig caramel and a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt, if desired
Directions
- In a blender (or using an immersion blender in a saucepan or other vessel with vertical sides) combine ricotta, sour cream, milk, corn syrup, and sugar. Blend until very well combined, about 30 seconds.
- Strain gelato base through fine mesh sieve to remove remaining lumps, stir in lemon zest.
- Chill strained gelato base in refrigerator until completely cool (fridge temp).
- Churn gelato base in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer gelato to airtight container and chill in freezer for at least 4 to 5 hours before serving.