Grapefruit Gelato in Five Minutes: Your New Favorite Summer Dessert Recipe

July 11, 2011 in Desserts

Easy home made gelato

Say gel-ahhhhh-to

It’s officially the dog days, and you have a summer soiree to attend tomorrow. “What can I bring?” you asked. “Oh, just a little something for dessert,” they replied. But the very thought of baking something in this heat makes you deflate with fatigue. You still want to bring something homecrafted – some kind of ice cream would be great, but you don’t have an ice cream maker. What to do?

You spend a grand total of 5 minutes prepping this mock-gelato, that’s what. And then you’ll make it again and again and again. Really. Because it really is only 4 ingredients,  it really does only take 5 to mix it up, you really don’t need an ice cream maker, and, best of all, it really does work.

I know it may sound a little weird, but trust us. We swear it will surprise you. Something about the way that the acid in the citrus combines with the fat in the cream (and yes, you must use cream; we tried it with half & half and it just didn’t work texture-wise, though the flavor was still a total delight) creates a perfect dense, creamy texture that is so akin to ‘real’ gelato, though the technique is very different.

The original called for lemon, which is equally delicious, but there’s something about the subtle tang of the grapefruit here that Donna and I both were tickled by – so creamy & subtly tangy. It’s also incredibly rich. And it truly is amazing how well the texture comes out without churning! The whole thing is a revelation.

Read the rest of this entry →

Got 5 minutes? Then you can have homemade Grapefruit Gelato.

April 19, 2009 in Desserts, Gluten Free

A friend of mine is moving to Florida next month, and will be lucky enough to have grapefruit trees right in her backyard. So I post this in her honor – what’s more frugal than picking fruit right off your own tree and whipping up a luscious dessert? (More on gardening to come in future posts.)

Grapefruit Gelato

I know it may sound a little weird, but trust us. We swear it will surprise you. Something about the way that the acid in the citrus combines with the fat in the cream (and yes, you must use heavy cream; we tried it with half & half and it just didn’t work texture-wise, though the flavor was still a total delight) creates a perfect dense, creamy texture that is so akin to ‘real’ gelato. It’s a revelation!

FIVE MINUTE GRAPEFRUIT GELATO

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice (Recommended: 1 Texas Rio Star. Ruby red would probably be fine too.)
zest of said grapefruit, finely grated
1/2 tsp salt

Whisk it all together, pour it into a nice Tupperware container, and freeze for at least 8 hours, ideally overnight.  That’s IT. Yes, really!

It’s amazing how well the texture comes out without churning! So creamy & subtly tangy.

(Donna’s Note: This recipe is a result of kitchen synergy between Anne and I. The original recipe is from my friend Patty Ransom, who aksed me if I had ever heard of  “Five Minute Lemon Ice Cream.” I was thrilled and amazed after tasting it, and made it frequently. Then Anne and I were cooking together in January and decided the grapefruit flavor would be a great twist – It was even more amazing than lemon. Haven’t tried lime yet . . . Hmmmm . . . So, Patty – if you’re reading this – Thank You!)