First things first:  as the title suggests, this is not my recipe.  I really have never messed with making ice cream or gelato except while in culinary school.  Things change and I have put my big toe into the frozen dessert pool.  I made up a recipe using farm fresh strawberries, balsamic vinegar, and cracked black pepper to get the ice cream party started.  It turned out well but it wasn’t as creamy as it might have been (which frankly was my error for cutting back on sugar and probably not allowing the custard to get to the proper temperature before cooling but live and learn).  My next great ice cream experiment HAD to be Otto’s Olive Oil Gelato.  Tara and I have gone there a good number of times…great place.  It’s a casual pizza/pasta eatery with great charcuterie, fabulous bread, a great wine list and the beat goes on.  Anyway, one of the most wonderful unexpected treats came out of our first visit to Otto.  We ordered a trio of gelatos and our waiter strongly encouraged us to try the olive oil.  Up to that point, I’d never thought of olive oil as a flavoring for a frozen dessert nor had I ever tried anything like it.  So, loving olive oil and with a sense of adventure we decided to take the recommendation and dive in head first into olive oil gelato.  Our decision ended up working out.  If anything, the waiter probably undersold just how good the olive oil gelato is there.  In my opinion it’s nearly perfect.  We have gone back to Otto a good number of times since and every time, we don’t leave without ordering a scoop.  As an aside, if you are in the city, you can swing by Otto restaurant and buy the real thing in quarts to go.

When I made this recipe, it turned out great.  It was creamy and smooth.  It was buttery with a hint of pepper from the olive oil and it had the sugary vanilla custard flavor as well.  This is not a time to skimp on olive oil…break out the good stuff as the taste is front and center.  Let’s face it, with 10 egg yolks, 4.5 cups of good cream and whole milk, and a half a vanilla bean in the mix, you may as well go for it with regard to your olive oil choice.  This is a decadent dessert and using the best quality ingredients you can really will make the difference (which is basically true for every dish you’ll ever cook but that’s ok).  Of note for my batch, I used sel gris for the salt.  I’m loving this type of salt and will post more about it in the coming days but it’s definitely become my new favorite friend. 

Here’s the link for the gelato recipe.  Enjoy!  http://www.iloveicecream.net/recipes/gelato/olive-oil-gelato/

Oh, and a special thank you to Kay and Tony Charvat, my Mother-in-Law and Father-in-Law.  They gave us our ice cream maker when we moved into Berkeley Heights and I’ve definitely been enjoying it!