Chocolate Gelato

Gelato means “frozen” in Italian, and, in a way, the translation is apt for a dessert whose flavors remain so true to their original sources. Gelato differs from what we think of as ice cream in a few ways, its delicate taste among them. Small bits of chocolate or nuts occasionally make an appearance, but more often the dessert is smooth and simple, its flavors derived from a careful infusion of natural flavors. Steeping the ingredients in warm milk for at least 30 minutes gives the dessert its purer, more intense taste, so pistachio tastes exactly like pistachios, mango like mangoes, and so on.<br/><br/>Gelato also has less butterfat than American ice creams; whereas ice cream is made from cream, gelato is traditionally made with egg yolks and milk. (Another frozen dessert called gelato alla crema is made with egg yolks and cream, but this is not what is usually sold as simple gelato.) This, along with the increased amount of air pumped into the mixture during churning, makes for a much lighter, more velvety dessert than rich, dense American-style ice creams.