Gelato Ice Candy - 3 Flavors

Copyright 2014 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

Summer time in the Philippines is quite hot and humid. I remember growing up that we used to snack on ice candy that we would either buy from the neighbors or ones that we made ourselves. Now, Ice candy in the simplest terms is a poor man's ice cream frozen in little plastic bags so you end up with a tube-like ice treat in various flavors ranging from mango, avocado, cantaloupe, coconut or even just simply, milk. It was always fun preparing them to eat or to sell. However, what is even more fun is eating them on a hot summer day. 

This summer, I decided to revisit this childhood memory by recreating this wonderful treat but in a more adult version. I used to make gelato while living in the US and I figured, how about I make a gelato base and add three different kinds of fruits. The gelato base will create a much more creamy consistency that will result to an ice candy that melts in your mouth just like any regular ice cream would. Since it was the height of summer, I decided to make use of the abundant supply of mangoes, avocados, and cantaloupe. Because the avocados have a tendency to turn brown when exposed to air, the mashed avocados were mixed with the juice of 1 lemon. 

Gelato Ice Candy, Three Flavors

2 cup fresh milk (full fat)
1 cup cream
1 cup granulated sugar
4 egg yolks
2 tbsp corn starch
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups of mashed fruit (avocado, mango or cantaloupe)
20 ice candy wrappers 

1. In a small pot, warm the milk over medium low heat. When almost boiling,
    simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. 

2. In a small bowl, combine the corn starch with the sugar and egg yolks. Mix 
    well with a fork. Add to the cooled milk and stir well. 

3. Turn on the heat at medium low and cook the egg milk mixture until it 
    thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Set aside until it 
    cools to room temperature. 

4. Once the gelato base is cool, add your choice of fruit and the cream. Stir 
    well and pour into the little bags and tie the ends tightly. Freeze overnight 
    or until the ice candy is set.