When the heat is on, I eat ice cream, or in this case gelato. Try two summer favorites that are bursting with fresh fruit flavor, Blueberry Cheesecake and Very Cherry Gelato.
One of Lisa’s favorite ice cream flavors is Bing Cherry Vanilla. And since cherries seem to be everywhere in the market I thought a Very Cherry Vanilla would be a good flavor to make. The Gelato turned out great, the only problem was the color, not quite pink, not quite red, luckily it didn’t effect the flavor at all, the Very Cherry Gelato was delicious!
For those of you that have never made Gelato, there are really two differences between Ice Cream and Gelato, one is a Gelato maker does not put as much air into the finished product, leaving a denser product with concentrated flavors. The other difference is that milk is used instead of heavy cream, which also allows the flavors to be more prominent, not masked by the richness of the cream. I think I also tend to use less sugar, which also lets your taste buds concentrate on the flavor of the gelato rather than the sweetness. At least that’s my take on it.
There are a lot of inexpensive ice cream makers on the market, which is what I started with, but not having a large freezer, having to store the bowl in the freezer every time I wanted to make ice cream really put a damper on my ice cream making. Last year I decided it was time to buy a unit with its own freezer, and the fact that I didn’t have a lot of extra room for yet another kitchen gadget, and not wanting to break the bank I ended up buying a Delonghi GM6000 Gelato maker on Amazon. The ratings on the gelato maker were really good and as far as gelato makers go, it was a lot less expensive than most on the market, you’ll be happy if you get one.
Since my gelato maker has its own refrigeration unit, I can make one batch after another, and after getting the Very Cherry done, I thought I’d be patriotic and make a blue ice cream as well. I wanted to change up the recipe a little, so I thought I’d be adventurous and make a Blueberry Cheesecake Gelato….let’s just say that it came out better than I expected! Two delicious frozen treats to celebrate National Ice Cream Month, Very Cherry and Blueberry Cheesecake Gelatos!
- 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen sweet cherries pitted (reserve 1/2 cup (65 gm) and cut into quarters), 325 gm
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar 150 gm
- 2 cups whole milk 480 ml
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 30 ml
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries 260 gm
- 1/2 cup sugar 100 gm
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk 360 ml
- 8 oz cream cheese 227 gm
- Remove the stems from the cherries and rinse in cold water, pit cherries.
- Place 2 cups (260 gm) of the cherries, lemon juice and the sugar in a food processor and process until liquefied.
- Add the milk and run the food processor until the mixture is smooth.
- add in the remainder of the cut up cherries and Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions.
- remove any spoiled blueberries and rinse in cold water.
- Place the blueberries and the sugar in a food processor and process until <g class="gr_ gr_66 gr-alert gr_spell gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="66" data-gr-id="66">liquified</g>.
- Add the cream cheese and run the food processor until all the mixture is fairly smooth.
- Add the milk to the food processor and continue to mix until well blended.
- Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions.
if you would like the gelato to be richer, substitute 1/2 cup (120 gm) of heavy cream for 1/2 cup (120 gm) of the milk.
This will work in a gelato maker or an ice cream maker
For more deliciousness try my Clementine Gelato and Grilled Peach Gelato.
I love adding cream cheese to ice cream! these both look delicious, Dennis, and very patriotic. have a safe and happy 4th, I’m off to visit your Dairy Spot page!
Chef Dennis , both ice cream looks really really good ! I’m so jealous about that gelato maker 😛 ;D , I too , made some cherry ice cream using canned cherries lol Will check you page !
What a delightful gelato!
Wishing you a happy and safe 4th!
Summer = gelato for sure. These look fabulous.
Chef Dennis, I am also jealous of your gelato maker 🙂 Your two gelatos looks slurrpy good. I wish I lived next door to Dennis ! LOL! seriously I am not joking…not only will I get a share of your gelatos but all your delicious cooking from your kitchen too :p
I really need to think about investing into a gelato maker. These look incredibly good! A recipe to bookmark!
And now I need a gelato maker! LOL!
Hmmm…I just recently published a gelato recipe too, but used heavy cream. Is it still gelato? Now I’m doubting myself. Your’s looks good too!
I’m sure it’s still gelato, I have seen some recipes using heavy cream. I have found you have more intense flavors using milk, otherwise the cream is the star.
this is the perfect summertime dessert, sounds delicious!
So amazing!! I love the big chunks of fruit!
Oooh, these gelatos are calling my name! They would be a perfect treat on such a hot day…
This looks so yummy, the perfect recipes to try out my brand new ice cream maker. Thanks for sharing.
i didn’t know july was national ice cream month! i got an ice cream maker for christmas and haven’t used it yet. the time has clearly come!
Ice cream with cream cheese? Wow something new for me. Thanks for sharing.
You know my love affair with all things ice creamy but I also have a huge love of all things cherry. You rock sir. Lisa has good taste. Nothing better than cherry ice cream. I like blueberry too but cherry rules.
Oh my! Where has this recipe been all of my summer days? Just lovely 😀
now I have cheesecake ice-cream on my mind. love the big chunks of cherry and the cheese in the blueberry one. makes me feel little less guilty
I’m not big on ice cream, but I could totally eat this. Love the cherry chunks!
Wow! A brave new berry gelato world! Love It
Thank you!
I didn’t know a gelato maker was different from an ice cream maker – all this time!!! And I like gelato better too! Ah well – on the wish list.
There’s not a lot of difference but enough for a subtle change. I figured since I was buying a machine I’d go for the gelato instead.