This Mint Chocolate Chip Gelato Recipe Is the Perfect Sweet Treat for August

“With little more than milk and sugar, you too can create a shared moment of frozen, sweet happiness,” Jacob Kenedy writes in the introduction for his new cookbook, Gelupo Gelato, a sugary anthology of gelato recipes inspired by his Soho, London sweet shop. Although “a shared moment,” let alone one of “sweet happiness” might seem like a tough ask in this pandemic age, it’s easy to crack a smile over most, if not all, of his 80 recipe offerings, which range from white chocolate and lavender to Ricotta and sour cherry, and peanut butter and jelly.

A former student of Il Gelatauro in Bologna, Italy (considered by some to be the best gelato in Italy), Kenedy explains how, exactly, to turn your kitchen into a home gelateria. No idea what base bianca is? Don’t worry, he defines it on the vocabulary list page. “The sweetened and thickened milk mixture used as the base for making different flavors of gelato. While there are other bases (chocolate, egg custard, caramel, ricotta and so on), base bianca is the commonest.” Wondering what equipment you need as a home chef? He breaks it down with colorfully illustrated graphics (an ice cream maker and a blender are a must). Confused about the science? Kenedy gives a one page explanation on the interactions of sugar—and why you need a stabilizer. (In most cases, you can use corn starch.) And best of all, he offers gentle encouragement: “Its preparation is, broadly speaking, a simple process,” he writes.

As the days get hotter (and frankly, more stressful), perhaps a sweet treat that’s a culinary crafting adventure is the exact activity to take your mind off things. So, we asked Kenedy to share his mint stracciatella gelato recipe (essentially mint chocolate chip but with chocolate flakes, if you want to get technical about it) below.

Mint Stracciatella

Makes 15 scoops

Ingredients- for the base

• For the base bianca
• ⅓ cup skimmed milk powder
• Stabilizer: 1 level teaspoon locust bean gum powder; or 2 tablespoons starch (arrowroot or cornflour)
• 2 ¾ cups whole milk
• ⅓ cup glucose (aka dextrose) syrup or powder, or light runny honey

For the mint stracciatella gelato

• 1 ¼ cups mint, with stalks (2 really big bunches)
• ⅔ cups double cream
• 4 cups dextrose powder or confectioner's sugar
• ¼ cup dark chocolate (70%)
• 1 tablespoon chopped cocoa butter or coconut oil

Directions - to make the base bianca

In a small bowl, stir the sugar, milk powder and stabilizer powder together thoroughly.

Put the milk and glucose or runny honey in a saucepan. Heat gently until barely simmering.

Pour the contents of the bowl into the warm milk mixture in a steady stream, stirring as you go. Continue to stir until the mixture just returns to the boil, then remove from the heat.

Cover the pan and leave the base to cool to room or fridge temperature. (It will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge if allowed to cool, then refrigerated immediately.)

Directions - to make the mint stracciatella gelato

Have ready a large pan of boiling water and a bowl of iced water.

Blanch the mint for literally 10 seconds in the boiling water (stalks and all), then drain and immediately refresh in the iced water.

Drain the mint again and squeeze it dry.

Blend the mint finely with the cream, dextrose powder or confectioner's sugar and the base bianca, until it looks like a green paint.

Strain the mixture through a sieve into a bowl, pressing to get all the goodness out. (Discard the contents of the sieve.)

Transfer the verdant liquid to your ice-cream machine and churn until fully firm.

While the gelato is churning, gently melt together the chocolate and cocoa butter or coconut oil in a bowl set over a small pan of simmering water. (Or, use a microwave on low.) Allow the melted chocolate mixture to cool almost to room temperature.

When the gelato is as firm as you’d normally say it was ready, but certainly before it balls up on the paddle, pour in the chocolate in a steady stream with the ice-cream machine still running. The paddle will break the chocolate mixture into shards as it solidifies. A slower pour will yield finer strands; faster will be chunkier.

Before serving, put the mint stracciatella in the freezer for half an hour or so to firm up. If it has been stored in the freezer longer and is too firm, allow it to soften in the fridge.

Original article appeared on VOGUE | Author Elisa Taylor