Popcorn Gelato Recipes

BUTTERED POPCORN GELATO

Steps:

• Pop the popcorn in the microwave. Combine the milk and cream in a sauce pan over low heat and add the popcorn. Cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl and discard the popcorn.
• Return the milk/cream mixture to the sauce pan and add 1/2 a cup of the brown sugar. Cook, stirring, over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Turn off the heat.
• In a bowl, beat the egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup of the brown sugar with an electric mixer until it is thick and light yellow - about 4 minutes. Add 1/2 a cup of the milk/cream mixture to the egg yolk mixture and stir to combine. Pour this into the sauce pan with the rest of the milk/cream mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly for about 8 minutes or until the mixture is thick and when you coat the back of a spoon with it, you can draw a line through it with your finger. Add the vanilla and salt to taste. (The eggs are cooked at this point; it's ok to taste.)
• Strain this mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Add the chilled mixture to your ice cream machine and churn for about 30 minutes or according to manufacturer instructions. (Start tasting it after about 25 minutes to check the texture; gelato is naturally a little looser than ice cream but it should be thick and not super runny.)
• Chill for another hour or until ready to serve.

POPCORN GELATO

Steps:

• Put the milk and popcorn in a pot set over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the mixture steep for 30 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing on the solids with the back of a ladle. The strainer will catch the coarse corn particles while allowing the milk and the broken-down popcorn solids to pass through. Discard the residue in the strainer and reserve the popcorn milk (you should have about 1,030 grams).
• Put the white chocolate in a Mason jar and lightly screw on the lid. Place the jar in a pressure cooker and add water to fill the chamber by one-quarter. The water creates steam in the chamber and forms a double-boiler pressure cooker. Seal the pressure cooker and bring up to high pressure. Cook the chocolate on high pressure for 30 minutes. Let the pressure dissipate naturally. Carefully remove the jar and let it cool. When the jar is cool enough to handle, remove the chocolate from it by running a butter knife or small offset spatula along the inside of the jar and gently shaking the chocolate out onto a plate. Alternatively, place the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl in a 250°F (120°C) oven for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it turns a deep golden brown. Let cool. Reserve the caramelized white chocolate. This step can be done in advance. The cooled caramelized white chocolate can be wrapped in plastic and kept at room temperature for up to a month.
• Chop the caramelized white chocolate into small pieces and put them in a blender. Prepare an ice bath.
• Pour the popcorn milk into a medium pan set over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Pour the hot milk over the chocolate. Turn the blender on low. Sprinkle in the salt and increase the speed to high. Puree the mixture for 1 minute. It should be smooth and creamy. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and cool the mixture in the ice bath. Refrigerate the ice cream base for at least 4 hours. Place a bowl for the gelato in the freezer.
• Fill a Styrofoam container halfway with liquid nitrogen. Pour the ice cream base into a whipped cream canister. Charge it with two nitrous oxide charges, then extrude the base in short bursts into the nitrogen. Use a slotted spoon to remove the gelato, which will now look like popcorn. Place the frozen popcorn pieces in the frozen bowl and set them in the freezer for 10 minutes. The gelato is too cold to eat when it first comes out of the liquid nitrogen and would cause frostbite on the inside of your mouth. It has to "warm up" in the freezer for 15 minutes to become edible. Alternatively, you can freeze the base using a traditional ice cream maker. It will keep for up to 1 week in the freezer.

SWEET-CORN GELATO

Steps:

• Cut kernels from corn cobs; reserve cobs. Break each cob into 2-3 pieces. Bring milk to a simmer in a large saucepan. Add corn kernels and cobs. Remove mixture from heat, cover, and let steep for 45 minutes.
• Remove cobs from milk; discard. Purée mixture in batches in a blender. Set a coarse strainer over a large bowl. Strain mixture, pressing on solids; discard solids. Add more milk if needed to measure 3 1/2 cups.
• Bring corn mixture, 1 1/4 cups sugar, and cream to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.
• Set a strainer over a medium bowl; set aside. Whisk remaining 1/4 cup sugar, egg yolks, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl. Gradually whisk in hot milk mixture; return to saucepan. Stir constantly over medium heat until custard registers 175° on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes.
• Immediately pour custard through strainer. Place bowl with custard over a large bowl of ice water. Let stand until cold, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Cover and refrigerate custard for at least 6 hours or, preferably, overnight.
• Process custard in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a container; freeze for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.