Key Lime - Graham Cracker Gelato

It must be key lime season because I've been seeing those adorable little green ping pong balls everywhere. I don't know about you, but when I know something isn't available for long, it becomes almost irresistible to me. So I had to make them mine. Sure, I could have made a predictable key lime pie (which I totally did, but haven't posted yet because I made the crust way too tall for the amount of filling and it looked like it had a slow leak). Plus I wanted to try something new. So I made this - which is basically key lime pie turned into a refreshing gelato. It's tart, tangy, creamy and slightly crunchy - all at the same time. Fantastic.

  

KEY LIME - GRAHAM CRACKER GELATO

Makes about 1 quart

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

4 large egg yolks

2/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons fresh Key lime juice (or regular lime juice)

2 teaspoons grated lime zest

3/4 cup crushed graham crackers, frozen

1.      In a heavy-bottom saucepan, combine the milk and cream. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally so a skin doesn't form, until tiny bubbles start to form around the edges and the mixture reaches a temperature of 170° F.

2.      Meanwhile, in a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Gradually whisk in the sugar until it is well incorporated and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Temper the egg yolks by very slowly pouring in the hot milk mixture while whisking continuously. Return the custard to the saucepan and place over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and it reaches a temperature of 185° F. Do not bring to a boil.

3.      Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl and let cool to room temperature, stirring every 5 minutes or so. To cool the custard quickly, make an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water and placing the bowl with the custard in it; stir the custard until cooled. Once completely cooled, cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.

4.      Gently whisk the lime juice and zest into the base. Pour the mixture into the container of an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions.

5.      Just after churning quickly stir in the graham cracker crumbs. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

from The Ciao Bella Book of Gelato & Sorbetto: Bold, Fresh Flavors to Make at Home by F.W. Pearce and Danilo Zecchin)

whisking egg yolks and sugar

egg yolks tempered with hot milk/cream

custard getting thicker in the saucepan

straining

adorable key limes

juicing a key lime

Forget about peeling potatoes - if you really
want to punish someone, make them juice a
lot of teeny, tiny key limes (and that's coming
from someone who was using an electric juicer).

adding lime juice and zest to the cooled custard

key lime custard in the ice cream machine

crushing graham crackers

key lime gelato

adding crushed graham crackers

key lime - graham cracker gelato

getting perfectly melty

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