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Gourmet Magazine’s pomegranate gelato is strawberry ice cream’s sultry, brooding cousin. It’s also super easy to make. Here’s how to do it.
Why we love this recipe
Cheers to the erstwhile Gourmet Magazine, which coexisted with Umami Girl for only a few years. Their easy pomegranate gelato is still in our regular rotation. I especially love to serve it at fall and winter dinner parties. It feels so seasonal that you’d never guess it’s made with good old bottled pomegranate juice.
This gelato is:
- Smooth and creamy
- Lightly sweet and gently tangy
- Make-ahead friendly
- So much easier than you may think
I first published this recipe here in 2009 (adapted from a 2006 issue of Gourmet). I’ve updated the post for clarity, but the recipe remains the same.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- A combination of heavy cream and whole milk creates a just-rich-enough texture that’s not overwhelming.
- Bottled pomegranate juice makes things easy and accessible.
- Crème de cassis is blackcurrant liqueur. It’s widely available, but if you can’t find it or don’t have an open bottle, you can substitute pomegranate liqueur or a fruity dessert wine.
- Cornstarch imparts both a bit of thickness and a bit of silkiness to the mixture.
How to make it
Here’s what you’ll do to make a great batch of pomegranate gelato. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- First, whisk together the cream, milk, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium pot.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer for two minutes, whisking constantly.
- Pour into a bowl and stir in pomegranate juice, crème de cassis, and lemon juice. Chill for at least an hour.
- Pour into an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions. Gelato is ready to serve. It will be soft and delicious at this stage. You can also place it into a pint container and freeze for a few hours — up to a few days — for a more solid consistency.
Expert tips and FAQs
There are a few key differences. Gelato typically has a higher ratio of milk to cream and doesn’t contain egg yolks. It tends to feel creamier, denser, and silkier despite a lower fat content, with more underlying flavor shining through. You can read more here.
It’s a sweet liqueur made from black currants and traditionally comes from the French town Dijon in Burgundy. Stir it into white wine for a Kir or into sparkling wine for a Kir Royale. And splash a bit into your next fruit salad to subtly elevate that simple dish.
The texture of homemade gelato is best when made and consumed within a few days. You have a few options for making ahead.
You can make the mixture up to a week in advance and refrigerate, then churn just before serving for a softer consistency or three to four hours before serving for a firmer scoop. Or churn up to three days in advance and let sit for five minutes at room temperature before scooping.
More favorite frozen fruit desserts
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Gourmet Magazine’s Pomegranate Gelato
Ingredients
- 1 cup (237 ml) heavy cream
- 1 cup (237 ml) whole milk
- ¾ cup (133 grams) sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons (12 grams) cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ¼ cups (296 ml) bottled pomegranate juice
- ⅓ cup (79 ml) creme de cassis, pomegranate liqueur or fruit dessert wine
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- In a medium pot, whisk together the cream, milk, sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally.
- When the mixture boils, reduce the heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook, whisking constantly, for two minutes.
- Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl and add the pomegranate juice, liqueur or wine and lemon juice. Whisk to combine thoroughly.
- Chill the mixture for at least an hour, either in the fridge or by carefully setting the bowl into a larger bowl of ice water and stirring occasionally.
- Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The gelato will be very soft (although perfectly edible!) at this point and will firm up if transferred to an airtight container and placed in the freezer for a few hours.
Notes
- A combination of heavy cream and whole milk creates a just-rich-enough texture that’s not overwhelming.
- Bottled pomegranate juice makes things easy and accessible.
- Crème de cassis is blackcurrant liqueur. It’s widely available, but if you can’t find it or don’t have an open bottle, you can substitute pomegranate liqueur or a fruity dessert wine.
- Cornstarch imparts both a bit of thickness and a bit of silkiness to the mixture.
- The texture of homemade gelato is best when made and consumed within a few days. You have a few options for making ahead. You can make the mixture up to a week in advance and refrigerate, then churn just before serving for a softer consistency or three to four hours before serving for a firmer scoop. Or churn up to three days in advance and let sit for five minutes at room temperature before scooping.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hungry for more?
Subscribe to Umami Girl’s email updates, and follow along on Instagram.
These photos are absolutely beautiful – and what a great homage to Gourmet.
Absolutely gorgeous photos, UmamiGirl! :o)
I feel your pain about the loss of a fave mag… you know me well…so sadly for me its not Gormet! HA… but something a little dorkier. But still, I feel ya!
I will miss Gourmet. Ironically, I neglected to renew my subscription a few months ago.
Gorgeous photography!