Old Fashioned Vanilla Bean Doughnut Gelato Recipe

Follow Me Foodie to an Old Fashioned Vanilla Bean Doughnut Gelato Recipe!

It’s been 3 weeks and I’m definitely getting into the groove of using my Cuisinart Pure Indulgence Ice Cream Maker and Cuisinart Ice Cream and Gelato Maker! It’s actually made me even more particular on ice cream and gelato now. Since I can control the ingredients when I make it at home it has almost ruined the enjoyment of ice cream when I go out. And I’m an ice cream/gelato fanatic!

There are still artisan gelatos and quality ice creams in Metro Vancouver that are certainly worth buying, but for the most part the options are limited. I named artisan ice cream as a Top 10 Vancouver Dessert Trends 2012 and it has already taken off in many other food forward cities, but it still lacks love here. I won’t deny that the convenience of making it at home is a luxury I’m getting spoiled by. Sure it takes some effort, but once you do it a few times it becomes routine and super easy.

Call The Kettle Black Promotion

**This weekend Saturday August 11 and Sunday August 12 Call the Kettle Black is giving $20 off the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence Ice Cream Maker (2 qaurts). Promo price of $79.99 (Reg. $99.95). This is an in-store offer only at all locations in Vancouver and Edmonton – see their locations here. Spread the word, spread the joy because we all scream for ice cream… and gelato!

Old Fashioned Vanilla Bean Doughnut Gelato Recipe

The Inspiration

Old Fashioned Doughnut + Vanilla Bean Doughnut

The Finale

Old Fashioned Vanilla Bean Doughnut Gelato

I was actually inspired to make this gelato after having a vanilla bean doughnut at Cartems Donuterie. It was called a “Vanilla Bean Donut”, but I could taste nutmeg and it reminded me of an old fashioned doughnut. Nutmeg is a very addictive spice and while it does have health benefits, you can get high off of too much. Make sure you use freshly grated nutmeg in this recipe instead of the powdered stuff because it will make a big difference. Don’t worry, you won’t get high off this little… but if you want to, I take no responsibility and you’re on your own.

I really winged the recipe and it ended up working out. I was delighted! I debated sous-viding the doughnuts in milk, infusing the doughnuts in the milk, and then just chopping them up and tossing them in at the end. However I wanted the gelato to almost be like cake batter with a thick, creamy and distinct doughnut flavour. Therefore I added the egg yolks for richness and cake mix for flavour. I treated this gelato as if I were baking a cake or preparing for doughnuts, except I was cooking instead of baking the batter.

If you like cake batter ice cream then this was comparable, after all cake and doughnuts have a lot of similarities. Since this was a gelato instead of an ice cream it was a bit softer. However next time I might swap half the whole milk for cream and turn this into an ice cream. It would make it firmer so that I could roll them into balls to make deep fried Old Fashioned Vanilla Doughnut ice cream balls. It’s something I’ll still have to try, but I’ll report back if it’s successful!

About 1 quart (1l)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (½ liter) whole milk (I prefer Avalon milk)
• 1/3 cup (65 gr) sugar (I use **vanilla sugar)
• 2 tbsp (16 gr) vanilla cake mix
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise ( I prefer Mexican)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (I prefer Mexican)
• 2 large egg yolks (I prefer organic)
• 1 tsp grated fresh nutmeg (about 1 whole nutmeg)
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup doughnut pieces (optional)

Directions:

1. Make a slurry by mixing the 1/4 cup of the milk with the cake mix, mixing until the cake mix is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.

2. Heat the rest of the milk with salt and sugar in a saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk with a paring knife, then add the bean pod to the milk.

3. When it almost starts to boil, stir in the cake mix mixture and cook at gentle simmer for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Taste it to make sure flour flavour is cooked out.

4. In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks. Rewarm the milk then gradually pour some of the milk into the yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Scrape the warmed yolks and milk back into the saucepan.

5. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula. If you curdle the custard, don’t worry about it. You can strain it later. Just don’t burn it.

6. Strain the custard. Add the vanilla extract, nutmeg, and cinnamon then refrigerate to chill thoroughly. Preferably overnight.

7. Remove the vanilla bean and freeze the custard in your Cuisinart Ice Cream and Gelato Maker machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. My batch only needed to go for about 25 minutes instead of the advised 40 minutes. Just keep an eye on it and it should be smooth and creamy in texture, not frozen, icy and hard.

The machine actually has a 10-minute “Keep Cool” feature which keeps the ice cream or gelato cool after the timer has gone off and the machine stops. I loved that feature!

8. Optional: Add doughnut pieces at the end.

**Note: Used vanilla beans can be rinsed and dried, then stored in a bin of sugar. That sugar can be used for baking and, of course, for future ice cream or gelato making.

Old Fashioned Vanilla Doughnut Gelato