Macadamia gelato variegated with macadamia nuts. I am very proud of this flavor.
My passion for pastry making comes from gelato. Some time ago I took part in an artisanal gelato course and I fell in love with this art.
At the end of the course we had to conceive and make a flavor.
I opted for a Macadamia gelato variegated with macadamia nuts.
This assignment was not a contest but according to the Gelato Artisan who held the course my flavor was excellent.
It is true that my colleagues enbarked on some really weird combinations made of Indian spices and rosemary.
I was a bit of a smartass. I took the notions they gave us about gelato with nuts (pistachio, hazelnut etc) and applied them to macadamia. Moreover I roasted some chopped macadamia nuts with butter. Winnah!
Gelato makers are very jealous of their recipes. Everyone has secret recipes! But that’s understandable, at the end of the day it’s a treasure they built in years and it is what separates each one of them from competitors.
Everyone seems fixated on recipes and would like to steal them. Not me though. I love balancing the recipes of new flavors, it’s a very creative and satisfying process.
I am not a gelato maker, although for a period of time I dreamt about becoming one. So I have no secrets. Here’s my recipe for my Macadamia Gelato.
Like for most of my other gelato recipes I use ingredients that are used in gelato making (dextrose, skimmed milk powder etc..).
For this recipe a total of 250g to 300g (9 to 10 oz) of macadamia nuts are needed. I split them between normal and toasted/salted nuts.
Macadamia Gelato
Ingredients
For the macadamia paste:
- 200 g macadamia nuts 7 oz
- salt
For the gelato:
- 760 g milk full fat (1.67 lb)
- 240 g water 8.5 oz
- 172 g sugar - sucrose 6 oz
- 20 g dextrose 0.7 oz
- 56 g skimmed milk powder 2 oz
- 3 g carob flour optional (0.1 oz)
- 128 g macadamia paste 4.5 oz
- pinch of salt
For the macadamia nut crumble:
- 100 g macadamia nuts 1.7 – 3.5 oz
- 30 g butter 1 oz
Instructions
For the macadamia paste:
- Preheat the oven at 160° C (320° F)
- Put 100g (3.5 oz) of macadamia nuts on an oven tray line with baking paper. Toast them in the oven for 6 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle some salt and let them cool off completely.
- In the blender/mixer put the toasted nuts and the remaining 100g (3.5 oz). Blend until they become a paste. Be careful not to overheat the mixer!
- Set aside.
For the gelato:
- Put the milk and water in a pot on medium heat.
- Meanwhile weight the dry ingredients: sucrose, dextrose, skimmed milk powder and carob flour if used. Mix.
- When the milk gets to 45° C (113° F) add the solids and stir with a whisk.
- When it reaches 60° C (140° F) add the weighted macadamia paste. Add a pinch of salt, but don't exaggerate cause salt is a great anti-freezing agent.
- Mix with an immersion blender. Transfer the mix in the fridge.
For the macadamia nut crumble:
- Coarsely chop the macadamia nuts. Melt the butter in a pan on low-medium heat.
- Add the chopped nuts. Toast the nuts on medium heat while stirring continuously with a wooden spoon for 3-5 minutes. Set aside to cool down.
Make gelato according to your own gelato maker:
- If you own an ice cream make that utilizes the bowl to put in the freezer, then the gelato mix has to be totally cold before making the gelato itself. Better prepare the mix the day before and leave it to refrigerate overnight.
- On the other hand if you own a proper ice cream maker with compressor you can proceed to make gelato.
- Working times vary between different devices. Please refer to you ice cream maker's manual.
- Once ready add the macadamia nut crumble and stir to combine. Transfer the gelato in the freezer for 30 minutes. If consumed at a later stage, leave the gelato at room temperature for about 10-15 mins.