Mascarpone Hazelnut Gelato, all the creamy richness of the mascarpone with a nice backdrop of hazelnut. A perfect little break from the summer heat coming.
Song of the day: You Make My Dreams Come True - Hall & Oates.
Father's day is fast approaching here in Canada. Sunday we'll be celebrating all the fathers out there and their awesomeness and what a way to show our appreciation for them than to make the food they like best.
Father's day in Italy was in March, specifically March 19th, Saint Joseph's Day, and on that day I made, here in Canada, and virtually shared with my father in Rome, the zeppole that he likes so much. If I wanted to find something else that he would appreciate more than other dishes, my thoughts would go to gelato. He doesn't have a sweet tooth, that is reserved for my grandpa, my mother and I, the real sweet lovers in the family. He eats the occasional homemade sweets my mother and I would bake but, in the summer, his ritual is having a gelato in a cone in one of the local gelaterie in Rome, his flavours always hazelnut and coffee. I've never seen him choose a different flavour, in all these years.
I am pretty sure he would love this Mascarpone Hazelnut Gelato and my guess is he would make espresso in the afternoon for him and my mother and drop a scoop of it to make an affogato.
My father is not the only one to love a good gelato. Here in Canada both my husband and my father in law are what can be affectionately called "gelato monsters". In the summer we make sure, in both houses, to have gelato or ice cream stashed in the freezer, to have it on a cone, in a cup, or towering on top of homemade pies. The look of satisfaction on their faces when they're eating ice cream is priceless.
This Mascarpone Hazelnut Gelato doesn't have egg yolks, the rich creaminess of the mascarpone is a perfect substitute. Its mild sweetness showcases the nuttiness and crunchiness of the toasted hazelnuts. It has not a smooth texture as the hazelnuts keep their crunchiness. We paired it with a lovely warm out of the oven rhubarb berry cobbler that we shared with some fellow blogger friends on a Saturday night, and from the comments and sounds it seemed truly appreciated.
Mascarpone Hazelnut Gelato is a flavour that you could easily find in any Italian gelateria, among many classic or more adventurous flavours. Together with pizza, and traditional pasta dishes, gelato is a must eat when visiting Italy.
Rome alone counts about a hundred amazing gelaterie, that I miss so much when I'm here. If you happen to be in Rome, these are, in my opinion (and also Loreto's since he tried them) the crème de la crème of the spots you cannot miss (#nosponsor), in no particular order:
And since Rome's eating "scene" is always evolving and ever changing, it seems we have a few more to try that we haven't tried yet: Otaleg, Rivareno, Fata Morgana, Gelateria dei Gracchi. They are quickly becoming a hot spot in Rome and I am hearing big praise about them. In about a month will be there, cannot wait to start the taste test, lol.
For now, we're enjoying this Mascarpone Hazelnut Gelato and its creaminess with a little crunch.
Happy Father's Day!
Song of the day: You Make My Dreams Come True - Hall & Oates.
PrintMascarpone Hazelnut Gelato
- Total Time: 29 minutes
- Yield: about 1 quart 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup hazelnuts, toasted
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup sugar
- 12 ounces mascarpone cheese
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C). Spread the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden, about 8 minutes, rotating the sheet 180 degrees halfway through the baking time.
- While the hazelnuts are still warm, rub them in a kitchen towel to remove the skin. Let cool completely.
- In a blender, or food processor, combine the hazelnuts (cold), milk, cream, sugar, mascarpone, vanilla, and salt and blend until somewhat smooth. The mixture will still be crunchy.
- Pour into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Pour the cold cream mixture into an ice cream maker and churn only for few minutes, or as soon as it looks like softly whipped cream. Do not overwhip, mascarpone can become grainy if overwhipped.
- Serve the gelato right away, or spoon it into a freezer-safe container, place parchment or waxed paper directly on the surface, cover tightly, and freeze for up to 3 days.
Notes
It is best eaten the day it's made to appreciate the rich creaminess at its best. The longer it sits in the freezer the more icy and crystallized it becomes.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 9 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6-8 servings
Disclosure: All links in our post are NOT affiliate links. They are only about products we normally purchase, or places and blogs we like.
I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
Denise @UrbnSpice says
Oh, I want to try this Mascarpone Hazelnut gelato! It not only looks delicious, but it reminds me of our visit to Giolitti (since it was Pope Paul 11 favourite gelato place). We went to this famous gelateria in the pouring rain and almost slipped on the cobblestones, but we did it! I love the idea of using mascarpone, too. As always, I enjoy reading your posts and stories so much! Thank you. 🙂
sugarlovespices says
Thank you Denise! Giolitti is a good one, but now many more have popped up and are even better. Glad you had the chance to try it, even on a rainy day 😉 .
Gabrielle @ eyecandypopper says
Oh my this sounds amazing! I love anything with hazelnuts, and I can just imagine how creamy this would be with mascarpone! So decadent! Yum!
sugarlovespices says
Hi Gabrielle! Yes, decadent is the word, very rich and creamy, with the crunch from the hazelnuts. Thank you!
Marisa's Italian Kitchen says
Sorry sometime I have butter fingers! Meant to say that nothing beats homemade gelato and this must taste heavenly with the mascarpone cheese. I wish I can reach out and have a bite!!????????
sugarlovespices says
Oh, that happens to me too, Marisa! Thank you for your comment! I wish there was a way to share our creations with our fellow bloggers!
diversivore says
PERFECT. I absolutely adore mascarpone, but I haven't used it to make ice cream yet. (YET - you can bet I'm going to now). I don't really mind making custards for ice cream, but it's nice to have the opportunity to do something very different, yet still decadent. On top of that, I love the flavour of hazelnut, and while it's incredible with chocolate, it's also really nice to see it get a chance to shine in the spotlight on its own. Fantastic work, and incredible flavours. I'd be very to have this on Father's Day... or any day 🙂
Thanks Sean, so true on the hazelnut thing. So many times it is mixed with cocoa, or chocolate, but in this gelato it comes through so well with that smoky, nutty taste and feel, that I absolutely enjoyed emmensly. I even made a smothy with it,, so good.
Have a great weekend Sean, and thank you for your always wonderful comments that enjoy reading so much!
Loreto out.
bergetrk says
I love that you've used mascarpone in this gelato. This is a lovely treat for Father's Day...or any day! I make a lot of ice cream during the summer time. I will need to try this recipe!
Hi Bergetrk
Summer is my favorite time of year and I remeber the days of the bycycle ice cream sellers and those bells. We would run like bats out of hell to catch up to the icecream man and fumble for change to pay for a ice cold icecream, the we so savored to prolong the inevitable, when it was gone!. What kinds of icecream that you make are your favorite? Would love to hear.
Cheers
Loreto
Dawn @ Girl Heart Food says
'Gelato Monsters' - that's cute! This one looks too good! Love the mascarpone/hazelnut combo; I bet it's super creamy! I think I would turn into a gelato monster too if this was presented to me, lol 😀 Pinning this one and trying this summer (but I may have to make extra of this one 😉 ).
Hi Dawn I thought so too, gelato monster, had a vision of the cookie monster from sesame street taken off cookies and smearing gelato everywhere, lol. This gelato was wonderful. I even mixed up a melon smoothy and added some in. The texture and flavor it added was stupendous.
Thanks for the shout out on this one.
Heres to a great weekend
Loreto
VeronikasKitchen.com says
Oh, I just love this recipe! I am a huge fan of mascarpone and gelato and would love to taste it together)
Hi Veronika
Thank you for taking the time to comment. We are just loving making home made icecream and the marscarpone was just so rich and creamy with the hazelnuts nutty texture.
Happy Weekend to you!
Loreto