Pistachio Gelato, Lactose-Free

I've done some research about gelato after enjoying it in Italy. We just don't have the right equipment or the right temperature of freezer storage to make it at home in the US (our freezers are too cold), so I've been researching approaches that at least approximate the results.

I decided to try this David Liebowitz recipe, which calls for pistachio paste, then found a recipe to try making pistachio paste.

I used natural pistachios we'd purchased at Fleet Farm. I ground a cup of them in the food processor, adding 1/4 c water as directed. I froze it for a few weeks until I could get around to the next step.

Since by appearance it looked like about 4 oz of pistachio paste, I cut the gelato recipe in half:

• 1 c lactose-free whole milk
• 2 1/2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 3.5 oz pistachio paste
• couple drops lemon juice

I combined the cornstarch with 2 Tbps of the milk in a small bowl. I heated the remaining milk and sugar in a small saucepan. When it almost starts to boil, stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook at gentle simmer for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Chill mixture thoroughly, then whisk in paste and lemon juice. Process in the ice cream maker. I added copped pistachios as it was nearly done. 

This gelato is pretty hard frozen and needs to thaw some before you try to put some in a dish.