Tomato and Biscotti Gelato

Rich, refreshing, fresh tomato gelato with chopped biscotti

Written by on in Recipes

Why not transform fresh-from-the-vine summer tomatoes into a sweet, refreshing dessert? If you’ve never tried tomato flavoured gelato – it might sound weird, but it’s delicious! We all know tomatoes go well with cream and lemon, and this recipe calls for one additional thing that will introduce some texture, vanilla, and crunch: some chopped almond biscotti.

This recipe is so simple, and requires no straining or peeling: the tomatoes are grated so that the skin stays in your hand in one piece. To maintain that fresh-picked flavour, the tomato pulp is then heated with cream and egg yolks – no boiling, no reducing. A squeeze of lemon, tomato paste, and biscotti brings everything together.

Gelato is meant to be churned and eaten fresh: and home-churned gelato (and ice cream) that stays in the freezer for a few days can become hard and difficult to scoop. All the more reason to make it often and eat it up quickly.

Rich, refreshing, fresh tomato and biscotti gelato
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Rich, refreshing, fresh tomato and biscotti gelato

Recipe by Tiny Kitchen CravingsCourse: DessertDifficulty: Easy
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

15

minutes
Total time (includes freezing)

10

hours 

45

minutes

Ingredients

  • 3-4 whole tomatoes, very ripe

  • 1 1/2 cups whipping cream

  • 3/4 cup sugar, divided

  • 4 tsp tomato paste

  • 4 egg yolks

  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

  • 50 g almond biscotti, coarsely chopped (approx. 3/4 cup)

Directions

  • Set a box grater in a large bowl and grate tomatoes using the large holes. The peel will remain intact in your hand in large pieces. Discard peels. If tomatoes don’t grate easily, they might not be ripe enough. 1 1/2 cups of tomato pulp is required.
  • In a large sauce pan, mix the cream and 1/2 cup sugar together over medium heat. Add tomato pulp and tomato paste. Stir until sugar dissolves. Clip a candy thermometer into the saucepan.
  • In a separate medium bowl, whisk egg yolks with the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar until well incorporated.
  • Stir 1 cup of warm cream into the egg yolks. Mix well. Add the egg mixture slowly into the saucepan while stirring the cream.
  • Stirring occasionally, allow the custard to heat until 180-188°F (82-87°C). The custard should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. A distinct link could be drawn into the custard with your finger.
  • Mix in lemon juice. Allow the custard to cool, and chill thoroughly in the fridge (approx. 4 hours to overnight).
  • Churn custard in an ice cream maker for the amount of time recommended by the manufacturer (usually 15-20 minutes). Gelato is ready when it has the texture of soft-serve ice cream.
  • Spread into a freezer-safe container and freeze for 1 hour. Stir in chopped biscotti and continue freezing until ideal texture is achieved (approximately 5 more hours).