Sicilian pistachio gelato recipe

sicilian pistachio gelato

The most celebreted and appreciated of all gelato flavors: Pistachio.
In this creamy gelato recipe you will discover the true taste of Sicilian pistachio, the most precious of nuts.

Ingredients

for 700 gr of gelato

  • whole milk (3.9% in fat): 470 gr / 16.58 oz
  • cream (36% in fat): 27 gr / 0.95 oz
  • sugar: 135 gr / 4.76 oz
  • pistachio paste: 67 gr / 2.36 oz

You can also create your own recipe by following the instructions in my article on how to balance ingredients, where an online calculator is also present.

Nutrition facts

for 140gr (4 scoops) - Energy (kcal/140gr):276

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Click on bubbles to see % of Daily Values for adults

Steps

  1. Place the tube on the scale and weight the milk; reset and add the cream;
  2. weight the sugar in the bowl then add to milk and cream in the tube;
  3. reset the scale and add pistachio paste;
  4. mix with the immersion blender till all the sugar is completely dissolved;
  5. if milk and cream are already pasteurized go to the next step, otherwise pasteurize the mixture rising temperature up to 82 °C (180 °F); stir slowly the mixture using the whisk and check frequently the temperature with a kitchen thermometer; when the pasteurization temperature is reached take off from fire and low quickly the temperature placing the pot in a cold water or ice bath;
  6. let the mixture rest in the fridge for 6-8 hours; because there isn't any emulsifier in this recipe, fats will be on top of the mixture so stir again for a while;
  7. pour the mixture in your gelato or ice cream maker, following the manufacturer's instructions; if you don't have one yet, you may find useful my Guide on gelato and ice cream makers;
  8. leave the gelato in the freezer for 30-60 minutes before consuming it.

You can find more details on preparation steps in my article The home-made gelato preparation steps.

Tips & insights

Pistachio Paste

A good pistachio paste is made just with nuts, nothing else.
Forget about the creams where you see added oils, sugars and dyes; pistachio nuts are very expensive and other ingredients are added just to lower the cost.

Probably the best pistachio in the world comes from Bronte, a small village close to Etna vulcan in the Sicilian countryside . Is not easy to find and very expensive (it's called the green gold), but it has a unique flavour and taste.

sicilian pistachio nuts

The pistachio plant originates from the Mediterranean basin, in particular from the Middle East; the cultivation was first introduced by Romans and then encouraged during Arab domination of Sicily.
The nut is rich in in proteins and contains healthy unsaturated fats.

I usually use the paste produced from IlPistacchio, but if you are not able to have a true pistachio paste from Sicily, look for a paste made only with nuts like this one.

You can also try preparing your own paste starting from nuts, but you need a very good food processor. In this case, be careful not to overheat it during production.

Serving gelato

To get the crunchy feeling, you can also add chopped pistachios when the gelato is ready.
If you store the gelato in freezer for a long time I suggest to leave at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. In this way it will reach the right temperature and all the flavours will come out.