Coffee gelato Express with the Thermomix

The coffee gelato I make most often, because it has the fewest steps of any of them: no brewing a pot and waiting for it to cool, instant coffee dissolves straight into cold milk and in a few minutes the mixture is already ready for the ice cream maker.

Why instant coffee, not a real espresso

A freshly made espresso is scalding hot: before you could use it in a no-cook gelato you'd have to wait for it to cool down completely, otherwise you raise the temperature of the whole mixture and the ice cream maker takes much longer to churn it (with more risk of ice crystals).

Instant coffee fixes the problem at the source: it dissolves cold, straight into the milk fresh out of the fridge, without ever going through a hot phase. The flavor is still full and unmistakably coffee, not watered down as you might expect, because powdering the sugar first helps distribute everything evenly.

How much instant coffee to use

Four teaspoons (about 8 g) give a bold but balanced coffee flavor, without turning bitter. If you prefer something milder, start with three teaspoons and taste the mixture before pouring it into the ice cream maker: you can always add more, but you can't take it back out.

The most common mistake

Pouring in milk or cream that isn't cold enough. They should come out of the fridge only moments before you use them: the colder the mixture goes into the ice cream maker, the less time it spends in the temperature range where large ice crystals form, the ones that give that sandy feel in your mouth.

Variations

• With dark chocolate shavings: fold them in by hand at the end of churning, with a spoon.
• Reverse affogato: a scoop of this gelato with a fresh, hot shot of espresso poured over it, a classic flipped around.
• With torta tenerina: a warm slice of torta tenerina with a scoop of this gelato on the side is a dessert that never disappoints.

How to store it

In the freezer, in a shallow, wide container with cling film pressed onto the surface, it keeps well for about ten days. Take it out 10 minutes before serving: it goes back to being creamy on its own, nothing else needed.