Gelo di Limone
The recipe for the Gelo di Limone comes from the book „La Cucina Siciliana” by Maria Teresa di Marco and Marie Cécile Ferré.
I love it exactly as it is but depending on the sweetness of the lemons I tend to change the quantity of sugar. I usually prepare the gelo when lemons from the Amalfi coast are available. They are wonderfully fragrant and sweet, hence I add less sugar (about 220g)* than it says in the actual recipe.
Serves 6:
- 80 g of potato (corn or wheat) starch
- 250 g of sugar *
- 1l of water
- 3 organic lemons
Wash the lemons and grate their zest, making sure not to grate the white bitter parts as well.
Add the grated zest into a bowl with the water, stir and leave covered in a fridge overnight, allowing the water to infuse.
On the following day pour the water into a smaller pot passing it through a strainer first.
Dilute the starch in a small part of the infused water and stir it into the rest of the water along with the sugar, making sure that no lumps have formed.
Pour the mixture into a smaller pot and set it over a medium heat string occasionally.
In the meantime squeeze the juice from three lemons (the ones you used the day earlier to great the zest) and pour it through a strainer in order to catch any pips.
As soon as the infused sugared water starts to boil and release it’s first bubbles pour in the lemon juice. Stir everything gently, lower down the heat and carry on cooking for another 10-15 minutes.
In order to make sure that there are no lumps it is best to keep an eye on the gelo at all times and stir the mixture frequently.
Once it has thickened up, take it off the heat and let it cool a little.
Next pour you thick lemony mixture into a mould. Let it cool down further before placing it in the fridge and leaving it there for a minimum of 3-4 hours, or longer if needed, until it sets completely.
To serve: plunge the mould up to about two-thirds into a deep dish of a very warm water. Hold down for a few seconds, then gently loosen the edges of the gelo with a knife.
Place a serving dish over the top and invert both to turn it out.
Serve chilled.