Holiday Treat - Pistachio Gelato with Rosemary Sprinkles

If you read my article Landscape to Table you may remember I mentioned putting together a pistachio ice cream and rosemary dessert dish.

Well, I did, and wow! These two flavors complement one another so well, and with limited effort and very little amounts of rosemary.

I love to cook and I usually experiment with flavors from what's in the fridge and the cupboards.

This was simply a somewhat-educated-and-experienced hunch, and it worked - one attempt, no re-tries, no refinement.

I used gelato instead of ice cream because that is what I found first. It was Sicilian Gelato by talenti® purchased at Publix®. Feel free to use that heavily colored nuclear-glow green ice cream which is so common.

If you have a rosemary plant (If not, at least buy one in a pot - there's much for which it can be used.), cut off whatever you believe is necessary for the number of dessert dishes you are preparing. You'll figure this out after reading further.

If you wash the rosemary ensure it completely dries or completely pat it dry between two paper towel sheets. Chopping rosemary or most any other herb does not produce something able to be sprinkled, if wet.

For many dishes I don't worry too much about the stem, but for this purpose you want to pull or rake the leaves cleanly away from the stem and have no stem remaining for chopping.

If you hand chop the rosemary (see video below) you will want to use a chef's knife with a slightly curved (rolling) edge so that you can easily and accurately create fine minced cuts. You may have to make a few passes over the leaves alternating at 90 degrees to obtain a fine, almost powdery result - sprinkles.

If you use a food processor or similar device, definitely ensure the rosemary is dry and you may want to use more leaves as some may not be completely minced. In fact, avoid the preceding if at all possible.

Scoop your pistachio ice cream into its dish and lightly sprinkle by rubbing the rosemary between your thumb and finger.

Slide a sprig of rosemary between the ice cream and its dish as garnish.

Note: During the Christmas season or for any damn reason, you may want to shake a little ground paprika (powder) over this dish for some additional color.

Prep Time:

Four Servings - 3 minutes

Four Servings - 6 minutes, if you are really, really, really slow

Soon to be available in select Southern restaurants. Well, maybe.

P.S. The pot in the photo contains several japanese yew cuttings and some basil.

The following video was the shortest one I could find that truly gets to the point. Please notice her hand positioning and how easy and safe this can be.