A PINT OR TWO - Stout Gelato + Chocolate Stout Gelato

Well aren't you lucky, getting the Gelatosmith's two-for-one deal today! I received a very generous donation of home-brewed Stout beer from a work friend. I put the bottle to good use, making both a Stout and Chocolate Stout gelato. I feel glad to be on the same team as this friend, as she hand-picks the beer selection for our work celebrations, ensuring that we always have the best craft brews!

This isn't the first time I've snuck some booze into my gelati creations. You may recall my Chamberry Sorbet - a blackberry sorbet with a dash of Chambord liqueur, which gave the sorbet a refreshing kick.

For those of you who aren't familiar, Stouts are a type of beer that is usually dark in colour and is made using roasted malt or barley, hops, water and yeast. They are generally a bit more alcoholic than lighter beers. Their malty flavour lends itself well to chocolate flavour combinations.

Home-brewing seems to be all the rage at work. And from all the beer I've sampled, I can safely assume that all engineers are naturals at home-brewed beer! I've tried home-brewed lagers, stouts and even (alcoholic) ginger beer.

The best thing about home-brewing is collecting the bottles, the perfect excuse to get your drank on!

I was so happy with how the gelati turned out! Aside from the amazing flavour of the stout, the success was also largely due to the fresh duck eggs I sourced from another lady at work. These enormous eggs came from a farm in the North-Western Sydney. These were the freshest eggs I have ever tried - the egg white was crystal clear and the yolk was such a vibrant yellow.

I preferred the Chocolate Stout gelato over the Stout gelato, which had a more subtle beer flavour. The Stout gelato had a very strong beer flavour and was slightly bitter. So with my sweet tooth, I naturally drifted more towards the Chocolate Stout gelato, which had a delicious and rich malty-chocolate flavour.

STOUT GELATO
Recipe based on Saveur's Stout Ice Cream

Makes about 1 litre


Gelato Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups Stout beer
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 6 egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Gelato Method:

• Separate eggs and whisk egg yolks in medium saucepan.
• Add and whisk in sugar, salt then cream to saucepan, whilst heating over medium heat.
• Heat until the mixture thickens and coats the heat-proof spatula. This should take about 4 minutes. 
• Strain the mixture through a fine mesh before whisking in the stout beer and vanilla. 
• Let mixture cool in an ice bath and/or chill the mixture in the fridge.
• Churn in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

CHOCOLATE STOUT GELATO
Recipe based on David Lebovitz's Guiness Milk-Chocolate Ice Cream

Makes about 1 litre


Gelato Ingredients:

• 200g (7 ounces) chocolate, finely chopped (I used dark chocolate, but milk chocolate works well too)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• pinch of salt
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup Stout beer
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Gelato Method:

• Place finely chopped chocolate pieces in a large bowl and place a mesh strainer over the top.
• Warm milk, sugar and salt together in a medium-sized saucepan.
• Separate the egg yolks into a medium-sized bowl and whisk.
• Take the saucepan off the heat and very slowly add the egg yolks, whisking constantly.
• Stir combined mixture constantly over medium heat, scraping the bottom and sides regularly with a heatproof spatula. Heat and stir until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula.
• Pour custard through the mesh strainer over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted.
• Once the mixture is smooth, whisk in the cream, then Stout and vanilla.
• Let mixture cool in an ice bath and/or chill the mixture in the fridge.
• Churn in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Time to make gelato, OH YEAH!