Watermelon Gelato

Doesn't that just look like summer? It kind of makes me sad that it's almost over...kind of. I love fall. It's my favorite time of year. But I digress...

Patti has a crazy garden as usual this year and shared one of her watermelons with me. I couldn't just let it be eaten as boring watermelon slices, so I decided to try something new and make myself some watermelon gelato. It just sounded so good and creamy with the sweet of watermelon.

Now...we may have a lot of things in our kitchen, but we don't have an ice cream maker. That made this process a little more fun. You can certainly make this with an ice cream maker, but for those of you who are disadvantaged like me...fret not. It's still a possibility.

Now...granted...I may have used a gelato recipe, but I failed to compensate for the amount of water content in watermelon. So...it's more like a granita. You can see the grains pretty clearly in the close up pictures. Still delicious, but not quite the texture I had in mind. Maybe next time. I still consider it a success since it's very much edible and only my first attempt.

Even though it is perfectly yummy, I still couldn't help messing with it. I busted out some chocolate fudge syrup and drizzled it over the top. Oh...my...yum. I won't eat it without the chocolate now. Seriously. It's yummy.

So...if you have the hankering to try a little of this craziness at your house...

Here's what you'll need:

3-4 cups cubed/seeded watermelon
2 cups milk
1 + 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar

Here's what you do:

1. Beat egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until it becomes light and frothy.

2. Mix the milk and 1 cup of cream in a medium saucepan. Heat over low to medium heat until small bubbles begin to form around the edges.

3. Slowly add the warmed milk into the egg and sugar mixture, whisking constantly.

4. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Continue to heat until the mixture thickens slightly and leaves a film on the back of the spoon.

5. Strain the mixture. (FYI...the strained out pieces can be refrigerated and eaten as a custard. Yum again.) Cover the mixture and chill for a minimum of four hours.

6. Blend the watermelon in a mixer until even and smooth. Add the custard mixture to the watermelon mixture and blend on low until combined.

7. Pour until a mixing bowl, cover and place in freezer. Remove from freezer every 1-2 hours and mix to break up forming ice.

8. After about 8 hours, add the remaining cream. Beat with a wooden spoon until consistent. (Using a hand mixer or blender will be too aggressive and can make the mixture more grainy.)

9. Serve with or without chocolate syrup (if you leave out the chocolate you're crazy). Store in freezer in covered container. Additional servings may require allowing the gelato/granita to thaw slightly before serving.

Mmm...chocolaty, fruity goodness...