Italian food lovers everywhere know that our coveted EVOO and Gelato are perfect culinary partners. When you add dark chocolate to the mix, however, you get a combination of sweet flavors and creamy, velvety textures that are truly divine.

This recipe hails from Olive Oil For Dummies which I co-wrote with Dr. Simon Poole, and relies on the rich, butter flavors of the Taggiasca olive to improve the taste, texture, and nutrient quotient of this warm-weather dessert. As we enter the summer season this is the perfect decadent recipe to have on hand. Buon appetite a tutti!

Olive Oil Gelato with Homemade Chocolate Taggiasca Sauce

PREP TIME: 15 MIN, PLUS CHURN TIME. COOK TIME: 10 MIN. YIELD: 8 SERVINGS (MAKES 3½ QUARTS)

Ingredients        

3½ cups whole milk    

1 cup heavy cream        

1 cup granulated sugar, divided     

10 large egg yolks        

1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt         

1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract (optional)  

¼ cup Taggiasca or other good-quality extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling        

Ravida Sea Salt or other flaky sea salt

Directions

1) Combine the milk and cream in a large heavy bottom saucepan and bring just to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat. Add ¾ cup of the sugar to the milk and bring just to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dis- solve the sugar.

2) Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks, the remaining ¼ cup sugar, and the salt together in a medium heatproof bowl. Gradually whisk in about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture, then return the mix- ture to the saucepan and cook, stirring con- stantly with a heatproof spatula or a wooden spoon, until the custard registers 185 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.

3) Immediately strain the custard through a fine- mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl. Stir in the vanilla extract, if using, and chill over an ice bath, stirring occasionally, until cold. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably, overnight.

4) Freeze the gelato in an ice cream maker accord- ing to the manufacturer’s instructions, stopping to add the olive oil about halfway through the freezing process. Pack into a freezer container and freeze for at least 1 hour before serving. (The gelato is best served the day it is made.) Sprinkle a few flakes of sea salt and drizzle with EVOO.

5) Serve the Chocolate Taggiasca Sauce hot over the gelato.

Chocolate Taggiasca Sauce

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup dark chocolate chips

2 tablespoons Taggiasca, or other good-quality extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place the sweetened condensed milk and choc- olate chips in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the chocolate chips are melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the olive oil and vanilla until the sauce is glossy.

NOTE: I chose Taggiasca olive oil from Liguria once again for this recipe because of its butteriness that enhances the cream flavor of the milk in the recipe. Serve with prosecco or espresso.