While there is something called a gelato maker, an ice-cream machine will work just fine.
HAZELNUT-DARK CHOCOLATE GELATO (Gelato alla Nocciola e Cioccolatto fondente)
Makes about 3/4 quart.
Notes:
**Replace the hazelnuts with almonds or pistachios. You can buy them already skinned and skip a step.
**Replace the egg yolks with 1/2 cup cream and skip the whole custard process.
**Use low fat milk instead of whole. The nuts have enough fat.
**If you like chocolate ice cream, you can melt 2 to 3 ounces of chocolate and add it to the mixture instead of adding shavings at the end.
**The original recipe uses 3/4 cup granulated sugar. We used demerrara sugar.
**The mixture needs to be strained twice if using eggs, once if you aren’t. Do not skip the straining process and use a mesh or metal strainer rather than a cheesecloth if you want to get all the precious nut oils and maximise the flavour.
1.5 cups hazelnuts
3 cups organic milk (whole or low fat) plus more if needed
1/2 cup granulated sugar (or more)
**demerrara or light brown sugar is preferred, though white or raw cane sugar will work
4 egg yolks (about half cup)
pinch of salt
1 cup organic heavy cream, chilled (or half and half)
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup dark chocolate shavings or chips (optional)
1. Toast the hazelnuts. Put them on a lined cookie sheet at 350F and toast for about 12 minutes. Then put the hot nuts in a kitchen towel and rub until some of the skins come off. Remove the skinned nuts and put the unskinned ones back in the oven for about 5 minutes. We got about 70% of the skins off.
2. Puree the hazelnuts with 2 cups milk until they form a fine paste. Then add the remaining cup of milk and simmer for 15 minutes. Cover and let it sit for about an hour. Then strain through a mesh strainer into a bowl using a spatula until you get most of the pulp out. You should get about 2 cups of mixture. If you get less, add more milk to make 2 cups. (Do not discard the grainy residue. Add it to a smoothie or to thicken a sauce.)
3. Heat the mixture along with half of the sugar (1/4 cup) until it reaches 170F and take it off the stove top.
4. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks until foamy with the remaining sugar.
5. Make the custard base. Put about a third of the hot milk into the egg yolks while whisking continuously. Then put the tempered egg yolks into the rest of the hot milk mixture and stir continuously on medium until the mixture reaches 185F or until you can draw a line on the back of a spoon after it is coated with the mixture. Make sure the mixture does not boil at any point.
6. Let the mixture cool a bit. If it is lumpy, blend it until smooth. Else, strain it into the chilled cream to discard any cooked eggy bits. Add the salt and vanilla extract, mix and taste to check if you need more sugar.
7. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least eight hours. Make gelato using an ice cream machine or without one using the instructions HERE. If you are using the machine, add the chocolate shavings two minutes from the end of churning. If not using a machine, simply fold the chocolate in before freezing.
You may need to harden the gelato some more after churning in the machine by placing it in the freezer in a covered container or moulds.
http://jugalbandi.info/2010/04/hazelnut-dark-chocolate-gelato/