GELATO DI LATTE DI MANDORLE
(ALMOND MILK ICE CREAM)
I describe the following dish especially for you, ladies of delicate, refined
taste, for I am sure that you will find it delightful; and since I often
think of you when I create these dishes, which, I hope, take into account
and satisfy your taste, I must take advantage of this opportunity
to say that I hope you long preserve the enviable qualities of blooming
health and beauty.
200 grams (about 7 ounces) of sugar
150 grams (about 5-1/4 ounces) of sweet almonds, and 4 or 5
bitter almonds
8 deciliters (about 3-1/3 cups) of water
2 deciliters (about 4/5 of a cup) of heavy cream
a dash of orange-flower water or coriander seeds
Boil the sugar in the water for ten minutes together with the coriander
seeds, if you are using the coriander or comfits for flavor, as described
in recipe 693 for Portuguese-style milk. Blanch the almonds and crush
them very fine in a mortar along with a few tablespoons of the syrup,
then stir them into the syrup. Strain the mixture through a loosely
woven cloth, squeezing well to extract as much of the flavor as possible;
crush the almonds in the mortar with some syrup a few more
times if necessary. Add the cream to the extracted liquid and then
freeze in the ice cream maker. Once it has hardened, serve it in stemmed
glasses.
This recipe serves nine to ten people.