Another Parmigiano recipe for you Italian food lovers, after my previous one (did you already try the Risotto in Bianco?), and Leigh’s exploration of the king of cheeses: Parmigiano-Reggiano.Authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano

Here in Parma we love Parmigiano-Reggiano so much, that we keep inventing always new ways to enjoy it, and explore its delicious taste.

Have you ever had Parmesan Ice Cream? Here in Parma we love Gelato di Parmigiano, you can surely find it at any top gelateria and gourmet restaurant in town.

Or you can make it at home, because this is also an idea for a simple dessert recipe that will surprise your Italian food lovers friends at the end of your lunch or dinner. It requires quite a long preparation, but the process is easy. Here we go.

GELATO DI PARMIGIANO
(Gelato of Parmigiano-Reggiano)

Makes 3 cups

INGREDIENTS

- 1½ cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 5 cups whole milk
- 3 extra-large egg yolks (or 4 medium ones)
- a pinch of salt
- freshly grated black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream

PREPARATION

Pour four of the five cups of milk in a glass bowl, and mix the freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano in. Leave the Parmigiano soaking in milk for about one hour.

Pour the content of the bowl into a medium-size casserole, and keep it at medium heat. Use a wooden spoon to stir constantly, so to keep the Parmigiano from sticking to the bottom of the casserole.

Simmer for two minutes. Line a strainer with heavy cheesecloth or paper towels, and place it over another bowl or crockery.

Pour the contents of the casserole onto the cheesecloth and let drain completely for about one hour, after which you can discard the gummy residue of cheese on the strainer.

This residue will have lost the flavor of years of aging, and will taste like the fresh curd of Parmigiano, while the Parmigiano flavor is now passed to the drained milk. Before going to the next step, make sure that there are no cheese grains in the liquid of the bowl.

Add the three egg yolks to the drained liquid to prepare a custard cream following the next instructions: place the egg yolks in a glass bowl. Season with salt and pepper, and use a wooden spoon to mix the egg yolks until they turn much lighter in color. Add the liquid and stir again.

If you don’t have a double boiler you can simply pour some water into a medium-size casserole wide enough to insert a copper or metal bowl to serve as the bottom of the double-boiler, and set it over medium heat.

Transfer the custard cream mixture to the top of the double boiler, and cook until you will see a loose cream start forming. At this point, transfer the cream into a crockery bowl, and let stand until completely cool.

Pour the cold custard cream in a bowl with the remaining cup of whole milk and the cup of heavy cream, churn for fifteen minutes, transfer the gelato to a plastic container, and freeze it for about three hours.

Serve in frozen glass bowls with a peppermint leave as decoration, or even with one or two drops of traditional Balsamic Vinegar from Modena for maximum gourmet effect, or simply enjoy it old-school with a spoon out of your favorite bowl or cup.

Enjoy your Gelato of Parmigiano-Reggiano!

Remember that you can always buy authentic Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano DOP at the Academia Barilla gourmet online store, we even have the entire wheel available!

Well, you don’t need that much for a Gelato di Parmigiano, unless you are a Chef and you have to cater to a big party… but you can also buy smaller cuts of Parmigiano to make this delicious dessert or for your gourmet pleasure.

I’ll post soon on Italian Food Lovers more traditional an innovative recipes from Parma, so stay tuned. Next week we’ll be exploring all the culinary secrets for making pasta at home, of course Parma-style!!!

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