the wedding gift and a recipe: pomegranate gelato

Long, long ago, my soon-to-be-husband and I wandered through the housewares section of a local department store, searching for things to place on our wedding gift registry for our upcoming wedding. We registered for practical things – like dishes, Pyrex, pots, and pans – and for some frivolous things too. Like an ice cream maker. We had never made ice cream from scratch in our lives, but doesn’t every newly married couple need an ice cream maker?

The wedding happened in June of 1997. We went on our honeymoon, came home and unpacked gifts, wrote thank you notes, and placed the unopened ice cream maker on a shelf. And there it sat, untouched, for about 12 years. Turns out, being married doesn’t necessarily entail making lots of homemade ice cream.

Sometime last year, I pulled out the Cuisinart ice cream maker box, dusted it off, and pulled out the brand-new but decade-old appliance. And I made my first batch of vanilla ice cream.

I can’t recall who gave us that ice cream maker almost 13 years ago, but I’m really happy they did. It was a silly thing for the previous version of me (the I-hate-to-cook-and-can-barely-boil-water version) to register for, but this current version of me is pretty darn happy with it.

I made some pomegranate gelato that I want to share withย  you. It was my first try at gelato, and it was spectacular. The recipe came from a 2006 issue of Gourmet magazine (recipe here). The color was just beautiful – a lovely blush pink – and it was incredibly creamy and refreshing. It’s really a perfect summer dessert.

In the interest of full disclosure: I was sent samples of Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice by the good folks at Pom Wonderful. I accepted because I loved the product long before they offered to send me some, and I always have a bottle in my refrigerator.

Yield: 1 quart

Pomegranate Gelato

The recipe called for 1/3 cup pomegranate liqueur, but I used a smaller amount - 1 tablespoon - of citrus vodka instead. The alcohol gives the gelato a creamier texture, so I think it's important to use it.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 1/3 cup Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice
1 tablespoon citrus vodka
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Whisk together cream, milk, sugar, cornstarch, and Kosher salt in a 3-quart heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking occasionally, and boil while whisking for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in remaining ingredients.

Transfer mixture to a metal bowl and refrigerate uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Then cover and refrigerate until very cold, 3 to 6 hours.

Freeze mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer gelato to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours. Prior to serving, soften gelato slightly in the refrigerator, for about 20 minutes.

Slightly adapted from this recipe in Gourmet magazine, September 2006.

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17 Responses to “the wedding gift and a recipe: pomegranate gelato”

  1. 1
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    Chef Dennis — June 15, 2010 @ 8:50 pm

    sounds so refreshing!! I love the colour too! there is something magical about pomegranate juice!

  2. 2
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    Mauna — June 15, 2010 @ 8:53 pm

    The ice cream maker was the first major appliance that James and I bought together as a lovestruck couple; nothing frivolous about it! Consider adding this to your cookbook collection:

    http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Ice-Cream-Book-Granitas/dp/0688161499/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276649462&sr=8-1

    We’ve gotten A LOT of use out of it! It’s where we got the lemon ice cream recipe!

    • 2.1
      merrygourmet
      merrygourmet — June 16, 2010 @ 8:07 am

      Mauna – thanks for the link to the book!

  3. 3
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    Jean — June 15, 2010 @ 9:57 pm

    LOL, I thought waiting five months to open the box of my ice cream maker was a long time. I finally made gelato for the first time this weekend. It seems we were on the same wavelength. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Now I don’t think I’ll be able to stop–I think Cuisinart has made an ice-cream monster out of me.

    Nice reading this post!

  4. 4
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    jenmenke — June 16, 2010 @ 12:21 am

    Just wait till you misplace the freezer bowl, like I did!

    So, you think the liquor adds to the creaminess? I haven’t tried that before. Will do. I’m curious though: how do you store yours in the freezer? In a plastic tub?

    • 4.1
      merrygourmet
      merrygourmet — June 16, 2010 @ 8:06 am

      Jen – David Lebovitz writes about the benefits of alcohol in making ice cream softer here. He’s got lots of great facts about making ice cream on his site. I usually store mine in a plastic tupperware-like tub, but for this batch I used a stainless steel mixing bowl with a lid.

  5. 5
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    Trissa — June 16, 2010 @ 8:28 am

    I bought an ice cream maker four years ago – used it only once! But your post has inspired me – now I just need to find it again….

  6. 6
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    Vivienne — June 16, 2010 @ 9:08 am

    wow looks so good – now I REALLY want to get an ice-cream maker! pomegranate is one of my favourite fruits too…

  7. 7
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    Faye — June 16, 2010 @ 1:12 pm

    Um, yum?! The pomegranite gelato sounds delish! Getting married in Oct and still adding items to my registry on MyRegistry.com. Was on the fence about including an ice cream maker on my wish list…but the thought of pomegranite gelato (or pomegranite flavored anything) sounds too good not to try and make for myself.

  8. 8
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    Magic of Spice — June 16, 2010 @ 5:17 pm

    That gelato looks so good!

  9. 9
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    Sophia — June 16, 2010 @ 5:17 pm

    This looks so rich and delicious! Summer really is all about gelato!! I’m planning on making some sorbet weekend. The past weekend was so crummy! Since I have some fresh watermelon, I might try Summertime Delight Watermelon Sorbet. Or if I’m in the mood for pomegranate, maybe I’ll try that! Thanks for sharing!

  10. 10
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    Lynn — June 16, 2010 @ 6:10 pm

    Now I need to find a husband so I can register for an ice cream maker..

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  12. 11
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    Jason Phelps — June 17, 2010 @ 8:07 am

    Friends of our gave us a Cuisanart Ice Cream maker a few years back. We use it a couple time each year and really enjoy it. This recipe sounds fantastic and my wife is going to burst when she hears I am going to attempt gelato!

    Jason

  13. 12
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    Mackenzie — June 21, 2010 @ 3:04 pm

    somehow a Cuisinart ice cream maker showed up on our wedding registry at myregistry.com ::looks around guiltily:: and it’s the most brilliant gift idea. Hopefully I don’t wait 12 years to use mine but I’m an ice-cream addict and thankfully my fiancee is not lactose intolerant so we can both share whatever I make (because I’ll be damned if I let any treats go to waste! ๐Ÿ™‚ )

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