Medlar Gelato is a modern British recipe (based on an Italian original) for a classic ice cream that's flavoured with a puree made from medlars. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Italian version of: Medlar Gelato.
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Gelato is the Italian version of Ice Cream. It differs from the standard ice cream in the UK and the USA in that it contains less air whipped into the ice cream. Typical gelato contains 20% air by volume, whilst standard ice crams can contain up to 60% air. This makes gelato far creamier and more fully flavoured than its equivalents. This recipe is for a basic unflavoured gelato which can be used as the base for a whole range of gelati which your own personal flavourings added.
The medlar is a fruiting tree of the rose family. The most frequently found is the Common Medlar Mespilus germanica, a native of southwest Asia which has been introduced throughout Europe. Once common in farmhouse gardens and orchards they are not commonly planted today, though you may be lucky to have an old, gnarled, example in your orchard (the tree is sensitive to wind and this makes it grown in a very contorted shape). In northern Europe it's not warm enough for the fruit to ripen naturally. As a result the hard and acidic fruit only become edible after being softened (bletted) by the first frost (when the fruit begins to decay and ferment). You can also take ripe medlars from the tree and spread on some type of absorptive material (such as straw, sawdust, or bran) somewhere cool, and allowed to decay for several weeks before using. Once the process is complete, the flesh will have broken down enough that it can be spooned out of the skin. The taste of the sticky, mushy substance has been compared to sweet dates and dry applesauce, with a hint of cinnamon.
Ingredients:
200g sugar
4 egg yolks
400ml whole milk
120ml single cream
400g medlar puree (left-over after making medlar jelly) or 550g bletted medlars and 170ml water
1 tbsp lemon juice
Method:
If you do not have medlar purée to hand (you can freeze the cooked fruit after making jelly) combine the bletted fruit and 170ml water in a pan. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until soft (about 90 minutes, depending on the degree of bletting). Strain the cooked fruit through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl. Meanwhile combine the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and mix until pale and creamy.
Add the milk and cream to a pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Take off the heat and add half the mixture to the eggs. Return the egg yolk and milk mixture back to the pan, stir to combine then cook over very low heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens sufficiently to coat the back of a metal spoon.
Remove from the heat and strain into a bowl. Allow to cool then refrigerate over night. The following day add the medlar purée and the lemon juice then about 10 minutes before processing place the mixture in the freezer (this removes excess air, giving you a gelato not an ice cream).
Pour the the resultant mixture into the bowl of an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions.
