Nutella® was invented after World War 2 by the son of Pietro Ferrero, he of the Piedmont-based Ferrero Company also known for Ferrero Rocher and Kinder confectionery.
Nutella started out life as Pietro Ferrero’s SuperCrema, which, in turn, was a creamed version of his solid preparation called ‘Giandujot’ made from hazelnuts and a little bit of cocoa – cocoa was very rare during the war, so it was cut with Piedmont-grown hazelnuts to make it go further.
In 1963, Pietro’s son, Michele, revamped SuperCrema Giandujot and was set to market it under the same name, until he hit on the idea of calling it Nutella. The first jar of Nutella was produced in Alba, Cueno, on 20 April 1964.
While Italian in origin many would be forgiven for thinking that Nutella is German,. The Germans are completely crazy for it, and have even been known to ask about Nutella supplies when relocating for a job.
In our recipe for Nutella gelato, we take the spread back home to Italy and use it to create a superb riff on the traditional hazelnut gelato.
Nutella gelato
Ingredients
- For the basic gelato (1L):
- 650ml whole milk
- 120ml double cream
- 180g caster sugar
- 45g skimmed milk powder
- 1 teaspoon cornflour
- For the flavouring:
- 100g Nutella
Instructions
Place the milk and cream in a saucepan over a medium heat. While it’s warming, place the sugar, skimmed milk powder and cornflour in a measuring jug and mix well. When the milk reaches 40ºC, add the dry ingredients and the Nutella. Whisk together and stir continuously until it reaches 85ºC.
Plunge the saucepan into an ice bath and stir occasionally. You are aiming to drop the temperature to 10ºC within 30 minutes. When the mix is cooled, scrape into in a sealed container and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Once fully chilled, strain the mix through a fine sieve to remove any solids and blitz with a hand blender. Pour into an ice cream machine and churn until nearly frozen.
Box and freeze.
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