Patsy's Italian Family Cookbook (44 page)

If you have ever had Italian gelato, you know that it is like American ice cream … and it is not like American ice cream. The main difference is that the flavors in the Italian version are much stronger, thanks to reduced amounts of fatty cream and sweet sugar and no eggs, all of which tend to mask the other ingredients when you use a heavy hand. Here is a chocolate and hazelnut gelato that has “Italy” written all over it. You will need an ice-cream maker for this, but there are many reasonably priced models on the market.

2½ cups whole milk

½ cup heavy cream

¾ cup cocoa powder, either natural or Dutch-process

¾ cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

½ cup toasted and coarsely chopped hazelnuts (see Note)

1.
Mix the milk and cream together in a liquid measuring cup. Whisk the cocoa powder, sugar, and cornstarch together in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in enough of the milk mixture (about ¾ cup) to dissolve the cornstarch and make a thin paste.

2.
Transfer the remaining milk to a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk the hot milk mixture into the cocoa mixture, and return it to the saucepan. Bring to a full boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Return to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface to discourage a skin forming. Poke a few slits in the plastic wrap with the tip of a knife. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight. (Or place the bowl in a larger bowl of iced water to cool completely.)

3.
Transfer the cooled cocoa mixture to an ice-cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions. During the last few minutes, mix in the hazelnuts. Scrape the gelato into a covered container and freeze in the freezer for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days to firm. Scoop into bowl and serve.

NOTE:
To toast the hazelnuts, spread them in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven, stirring occasionally, until the skins are cracked and the flesh underneath is toasted brown, about 12 minutes. Wrap the hot hazelnuts in a clean kitchen towel and let cool for 10 minutes. Using the towel, rub off as much as the skins as possible, but don’t worry if some skin is remaining. Let cool completely before chopping.

Strawberries with Cannoli Cream

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS; ABOUT 2 CUPS CANNOLI CREAM

We sell a lot of cannoli at Patsy’s. We have a bakery make the shells for us, and I recommend that you buy yours, too. Everyone loves our house-made filling. Somewhere along the line, we discovered that the ricotta cream is an amazing dip for fresh strawberries. Now, we serve it almost every day at our family lunch table when we all get together for a meal between lunch and dinner service about 3
P.M.

CANNOLI CREAM

1 pound whole-milk ricotta cheese, preferably fresh

⅔ cup sugar

Zest of ½ orange

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ semisweet miniature chocolate chips

1½ tablespoons finely chopped candied citron

1.
To make the cannoli cream: Set a wire mesh sieve over a medium bowl and line it with paper towels. Put the ricotta in the bowl and top with a paper towel and a saucer or bowl that fits inside the sieve. Refrigerate and let the excess whey drain into the bowl. Discard the whey. (Draining the whey is the secret to our cannoli cream. Some cooks use impastata, a thick ricotta cheese made specifically for desserts, but I find it too grainy. This method gives smooth results, even with commercial grocery-store ricotta.)

2.
Beat the drained ricotta, sugar, orange zest, and vanilla in a medium bowl with a handheld electric mixer on high speed until the mixture looks a bit fluffier than when you started, about 1½ minutes. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate chips and citron.

3.
Transfer to a bowl and cover. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. Serve chilled.

Grandma Josie’s Cream Puffs

MAKES 2 DOZEN; 8 TO 12 SERVINGS

My wife’s mother, lovingly called Grandma Josie by our kids, is an excellent cook, and we all enjoy just about everything she whips up. These miniature cream puffs are a treat that she seems to create in the blink of an eye. She saves time by making the filling from instant vanilla pudding. You can substitute your favorite flavor (chocolate pudding with orange zest is nice), or use 2 cups of the Pastry Cream or Cannoli Cream on
here
and
here
.

FILLING

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

One 3.4-ounce package instant vanilla pudding and pie filling

CREAM PUFFS

2 cups water

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 tablespoon-size pieces

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten to blend

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

1.
To make the filling: Whisk the cream, milk, and pudding mix together in a medium bowl until thickened, about 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

2.
To make the cream puffs: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Bring the water, butter, granulated sugar, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, stirring occasionally to help the butter melt by the time the water boils. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the flour all at once and stir briskly with a wooden spoon to make a stiff dough. Stir until the dough is beginning to film the bottom of the saucepan, about 1½ minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool for 5 minutes. Using a hand held mixer set on medium speed are whisk, beat in the eggs in four additions, letting the first addition be absorbed into the dough before adding another.

3.
Fit a large pastry bag with a ½-inch fluted pastry tip. Transfer the warm dough to the bag. Pipe 2 dozen mounds of dough, spacing them about 1 inch apart, on the parchment paper–lined baking sheet. (Or drop mounds of dough from a tablespoon onto the parchment paper.) Tamp down any pointed tops with a moistened fingertip.

4.
Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and continue baking until the puffs are golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes more. Let cool completely on the baking sheet.

5.
Using a serrated knife, cut each puff in half crosswise, keeping track of the tops and bottoms. Transfer the chilled filling to the cleaned pastry bag fitted with the pastry tip. Divide and pipe the fillings among the puff bottoms and replace the tops. (Or spoon the filling into the puff bottoms.) Refrigerate until serving time. Just before serving, dust confectioners’ sugar through a wire mesh sieve over the tops of the puffs. Serve chilled.