Mulberry Gelato

Neighborhoods are not the quintessential foraging grounds many think of, but you would be surprised at the abundance of foods that readily grow in the city limits. Acorns, pin cherry, crab apple, walnuts, and of course mulberry. Mulberry is not hard to mistake, just look for purple stained sidewalks. They drop berries that closely resemble blackberries, and are very sweet when ripe. Luckily this invasive is vast spread across the US and the globe, and usually can yield good numbers in berries.

Since mulberries tote low amounts of acid, they make a good candidate for cream based desserts, like gelato.

This recipe could be tweaked for any wild berry.

Ingredients for Base

3 C Whole Milk

1 C Heavy Cream

1 C Sugar

2 T cornstarch

2 Egg Yolks

Pinch of salt

1 t vanilla

Ingredients for Berry Mixture

3 C of Mulberry

1 C of Sugar

1 t Lemon Juice

Step 1

Add cream and milk to a pot on medium heat, bring to apprx . 150*F.

Step 2

Cream the sugar and egg yolks in a stand mixer on medium.

Step 3

When the cream mixture has reached 150, remove from heat and slowly add to the creamed egg/sugar mixture while the mixer is still on.

Step 4

Once the cream is added to the egg mixture, and fully incorporated, transfer the mixture back to the pot and bring back up to 150.

Step 5

Once the mixture is up to temp you can add the vanilla, stir, and pass through a fine mesh sieve to collect any particles. Transfer to a ziplock bag.

Step 6

Add berries, sugar, and lemon juice to a pot on medium heat and bring to a simmer. Once at a simmer, remove and blend. Pass this through a sieve and place fruit base in a ziplock bag, or small container.

Step 7

Place the bases in the fridge for at least 6 hrs to fully chill.

Step 8

Place some dry ice in a towel and pulverize with a mallet or rolling pin. It should be very uniform and have a sandy consistency. It can be passed through a sieve to make sure it is fine. This helps avoid having small dry ice particles in the final product. I typically go through about 2 lbs when I make a batch of ice cream or gelato.

Step 9

Pour both bases in a clean stand mixer on medium and add the dry ice one spoonful at a time. It will fog up and bubble so be careful not to add too much at a time.

Step 10

When the mixture has reached a nice consistency, and is properly chilled, remove and add to a container for the freezer. Freeze for at least over night.