Gianduja Gelato

The Perfect Scoop

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Yields: 1 quart

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups hazelnuts, toasted
• 1  cup  whole milk
• 2  cups heavy cream
• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 4  ounces  milk chocolate, finely chopped (use top quality with at least 30% cocoa solids)
• 5  large  egg yolks
• 1⁄8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Rub hazelnuts in a kitchen towel to remove as much of the papery skin as possible; then finely chop them in a food processor or blender; set aside.
2. In a saucepan, warm the milk with 1 cup cream, sugar, and salt.
3. Once warm, remove from heat and add in chopped hazelnuts; cover and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.
4. Put milk chocolate pieces in a big bowl.
5. Heat the remaining 1 cup cream in a saucepan until it just begins to boil; pour it over the milk chocolate pieces and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth; set a mesh strainer over the top and set aside.
6. Pour the hazelnut-infused milk through a strainer into a medium saucepan, squeezing the nuts firmly with your hands to extract as much of the flavorful liquid as possible; discard the hazelnuts.
7. Rewarm the hazelnut-infused mixture.
8. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks; slowly pour the warm hazelnut mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
9. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula.
10. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the milk chocolate mixture; add the vanilla and stir until cool over an ice bath.
11. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions.