Getting your parlour winter ready is the name of the game at this time of year, and 2023 is no different. As we enter the final stretch of 2023 there is only one word on all our minds here in the ice cream industry – Christmas.
With the Antonelli Academy in the full festive swing of things, our training courses and sessions have been focusing on creating the latest and greatest Christmassy ice cream and gelato recipes. And what a line up we have this year!
Gingerbread with Butterscotch
When we think of those nostalgic Christmas winter warmers we think of seasonal spices. For example, our Technical Manager, Jonny, is known amongst the Antonelli customer base as a bit of a gingerbread fiend; a gingerbread man if you will (not literally of course), and this is the perfect spice to use within a festive ice cream recipe.
The great thing about a gingerbread recipe is that it is a very simple biscuit-based paste used within your ice cream, alongside a blend of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and ground ginger blended through.
This year we’ve gone that one step further and taken inspiration from a gingerbread and butterscotch bomb dessert that we saw in the local supermarket. To achieve this delicious flavour, we’ve rippled my gingerbread gelato with a butterscotch ripple which has gone down an absolute storm in the Antonelli offices, as you have the sweetness of the butterscotch cutting through the warmth of the tasty gingerbread flavour. And, of course, what better way to decorate a gingerbread gelato than with actual gingerbread men.
Mince Pie with Salted Caramel Crumble
The humble mince pie is a staple in countless homes throughout the UK during the festive season, so why not make it a staple in your cabinet?
This year we’ve looked at taking on this classic flavour but with an extra special twist. Instead of using the traditional pastry-based pastes, we have instead opted for a caramelised biscuit crumble.
For this we will blend our crumble into the base, alongside biscuit paste and mincemeat (for mince pies not lasagne of course). We will then ripple through a salted caramel ripple with further caramelised biscuit crumb for that much revered texture.
Pear and Chocolate Panna Cotta
For our next recipe we’re classing it up. This year we have seen a big revival in the panna cotta paste, and why wouldn’t we?! This is a brilliant addition to any ice cream base, adding creaminess and tones of vanilla.
Alongside this you can ripple through whatever takes your fancy, but in our opinion, pear works perfectly when complimented with dark chocolate stracciatella. Your finished product is layered with sweet vanilla creaminess, tart pear and bitter dark chocolate.
Apple Pie with Salted Caramel
Another classic for the winter months is the iconic apple pie. Now there are many apple pie pastes around and we can once again warm up the flavour with some cinnamon, but what will really take that festive cheer to the next level is to add a salted caramel ripple to your mix.
Rhubarb and Apple Strudel
Rhubarb season is upon us so why not make the most of this delicious fruit and utilise it in your gelato recipes?
One of our personal favourites is to use rhubarb and compliment it with a spiced apple to create rhubarb and apple strudel. And since we’re all about turning up the volume this festive season, use rhubarb in your base, add apple strudel ripple and top it off with a delicious caramelised biscuit crumb.
Snowballs
We’re adding a bit of nostalgia with our next recipe and a popular piece of nostalgia at that!
Recreating the classic snowball flavour is straightforward but highly effective (not to mention delicious). Simply add marshmallow paste into your base, ripple through with coconut ripple as well as milk chocolate stracciatella before dressing with desiccated coconut. You could even go that extra mile and throw in some biscuit crumb to create that biscuity base.
Christmas Pudding
Of course, it wouldn’t be Christmas without the iconic Christmas Pudding!
Now this is an ice cream that is quite literally bursting with different flavours (as its dessert counterpart). We’ve got brandy, cinnamon, sponge and caramel all working together to create that classic taste. When translated to an ice cream we like to add a light dosage of biscuit paste to create the flavour of the sponge and a low dosage of caramel paste to add both flavour and darken the colour of your mixture.
To add that alcohol flavour, use a light dosage of whisky paste, followed by cinnamon paste to add that warmth that we look for in a xmas pud. When extracting, we then like to throw lots of different candied fruits alongside raisins that have been soaked in brandy (or whichever alcohol you wish to use).
And there you have it – our festive favourites for 2023! If you’d like further details of any of the recipes mentioned above, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.