And of course, we also love love love chocolate gelato!
... especially if a chocolate ice cream or gelato contains the maximal amount of chocolate and the minimal amount of sugar! Sounds legit, right?
So far, I have found the BEST chocolate ice cream recipe at here and it is a non-oily ice cream is made with a good balanced amount of cream, milk, sugar and chocolate. No doubt that the recipe is the best that I have tried but I wonder if I can make this chocolate ice cream with MORE chocolate!!!
After attending a gelato making course at Florence, I have learned that an ideal gelato needs to have:
16-22% sugar
6-12% fat
32-42% solid
58-68% liquid
With the concept in my mind, I have also learned to calculate and formulate several gelato recipes that incorporate a maximum amount of chocolate and minimal amount of sugar. After many trial and errors, I have finally found a chocolate gelato recipe that we really like...
This is our favorite Dark Chocolate Gelato
that is made with no cream, maximal amount of chocolate and least amount of sugar.
If you have not read my skinny vanilla gelato post at here, you might wish to know that gelato and ice cream are actually quite different! According to Food Network, both gelato and ice cream contain cream, milk and sugar but the authentic gelato uses more milk and less cream than ice cream and doesn’t contain egg yolks and any egg, which are a common ingredient in ice cream.
Being a health conscious mum, I want to make a good chocolate gelato that has NO added cream! And it must contain the maximum amount of chocolate and least amount of sugar. Based on my calculation, I have formulated an initial recipe that contains:
230g dark chocolate with 70% cocoa
25g unsweetened cocoa powder
100g caster sugar
1g (1/4 tsp) guar gum, optional but good to have so that gelato is smoother and less icy
1 tsp vanilla paste or 1 tbsp vanilla extract
650g regular milk with 4% fat
And the recipe contains:
16% sugar which is the minimal within the range 16-22%
12% fat which is the maximal within the range of 6-12% and this is due to the max amount of chocolate added
36% solid which is within the range of 32-42%
64% liquid which is within the range of 58-68%
See my pics...
Wow! This dark chocolate gelato is fully loaded with chocolate!!!
... but its texture is too solid rock hard! So hard that it is actually very difficult to scoop!!!
Obviously, this is due to its maximum fat content.
Therefore, I re-calculated and adjusted the fully-loaded chocolate gelato recipe to contain less chocolate but more cocoa powder so that the overall fat content is actually lesser than 10% fat.
And my improved recipe that we prefer contains:
16% sugar which is the minimal within the range 16-22%
10% fat which is within the range of 6-12% but it will contains max amount of chocolate with less compact texture
36% solid which is within the range of 32-42%
64% liquid which is within the range of 58-68%
And this chocolate-loaded gelato is so much nicer with fluffier scoop-able texture!
"How's this chocolate gelato?" I was watching my husband and son savouring every mouthful of this chocolate-loaded bittersweet gelato while waiting patiently to hear their verdicts.
They didn't say much but did asked for more... Always so cheeky!
If you wish to make this chocolate gelato, I have a quick video showing how I made it. It's really easy but please note that an ice cream maker is a must for making this yummy chocolate-loaded no-cream gelato!
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Despite of my busy working mom schedule, I will try my best to keep sharing my recipes. To do that, I will need tonnes of your moral support to keep me going...
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Here's our favorite chocolate gelato recipe that contains no cream.
For the best consistent result, it will be good to measure all ingredients by weight, not measuring cups. DO NOT reduce and change any of these amounts!
Make 1 quart or about 1 liter
160g dark chocolate with 70% cocoa - I used Callebaut callet.
680g regular milk with 4% fat, cold
50g unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted - Mine is Dutch processed.
120g caster sugar
1g guar gum*, optional but good to have so that your gelato has a nice thick creamy texture
1 tsp vanilla paste or 1 tbsp vanilla extract
*Without guar gum, the frozen gelato will be ok but the semi-melted gelato won't be thick and creamy.
Place chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Melt and stir chocolate mixture by using a microwave, pulsing with low power or placing the heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stop heating immediately when the chocolate are just melted as overheating can cause the chocolate to burn and change its texture. Mixture should be thick and smooth.
Weigh out the exact amount of milk. Transfer about 1 1/4 cup (310g) of milk and heat with low heat until lukewarm. DO NOT OVERHEAT or BOIL the milk.
Add the lukewarm milk into the melted chocolate and mix until well-combined. If the chocolate and milk are still separated, heat mixture slightly by using a microwave, pulsing with low power or placing the heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Heat and stir until both chocolate and milk are well-incorporated. DO NOT OVERHEAT or BOIL the mixture.
Combine cocoa powder, sugar and guar gum (optional). Add tablespoonful of cocoa powder mixture into the milk-chocolate mixture and stir well after each addition. Keep adding and mixing until all of the ingredients are completely added and incorporated.
Pour the milk-chocolate mixture through a sieve. Then, stir in the remaining 370g cold milk and vanilla.
Pour mixture into a container and chill it in a fridge for about 1-2 hrs or until completely chilled but do not leave mixture to chill overnight. This pre-chilling step is optional if you are using an ice-cream maker that has a chilling unit.
Transfer the mixture to a pre-chilled ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions. This gelato will take about 50 mins to churn if the mixture is not pre-chilled or 30-40 mins to churn if the mixture is pre-chilled. If your ice cream maker is not cold enough to churn the gelato after 20 mins, place the maker back into the freezer with the gelato in it and let it freeze for another 1-2 hrs, Then, continue to churn further until the gelato reaches the right consistency.
Transfer gelato into an airtight container and let the gelato to set in the freezer for about 3-4 hrs before serving. Due to its high fat and liquid content, this gelato will be hard after freezing for more than 3 hrs. Allow gelato to thaw for a while at room temperature or microwave for low power for a short pulse of 10 sec before scooping and serving.
Freeze for up to 1 week in home freezer because this gelato hasn't been stabilised with eggs and might become icy and hard after 1 week or more.
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