Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks, the remaining 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 mixture to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula or a wooden spoon, until the custard registers 185F on an instant-read thermometer.

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, or, preferably, overnight.

Freeze the gelato in an ice cream maker according 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.) (The gelato is best served the day it is made.)

Sprinkle a few flakes of Maldon salt and drizzle a stripe or two of olive oil over each serving of gelato.

Sweet Corn Gelato MAKES ABOUT 5 CUPS.

This is a great summer dessert when fresh corn is in season and you can"t get enough of it, but it is essential that the corn that you use is sweet and full of flavor. The natural starch in the corn helps give the gelato its creamy texture.

3 ears sweet corn, preferably white, husked 3 cups milk, plus more if needed 1 cup heavy cream 1 cups sugar 8 large egg yolks 1 teaspoon salt Slice the kernels off the corncobs, reserving the cobs. Break each cob into 2 or 3 pieces.

Bring the milk to a simmer in a large saucepan. Add the corn kernels and cobs, remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 45 minutes.

Remove the corncobs from the milk and discard. Use an immersion blender to buzz the milk and corn to break up the kernels; or transfer the milk and corn to a regular blender, in batches, and blend to break up the kernels. Strain through a coa.r.s.e strainer into a bowl (discard the remaining corn mush). Measure the milk and add more if necessary to make 3 cups.

Combine the milk, cream, and 1 cups of the sugar in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring just to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks, the remaining cup sugar, and the salt together in a medium heatproof bowl. Gradually whisk in 1 cup of the hot milk mixture, then return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula or a wooden spoon, until the custard registers 185F on an instant-read thermometer.

Immediately strain the custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl and chill over an ice bath, stirring occasionally, until cold. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or, preferably, overnight.

Freeze the gelato in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer"s instructions. Pack into a freezer container and freeze for at least 1 hour before serving. (The gelato is best served the day it is made.) (The gelato is best served the day it is made.)

Sorbetto Campari Grapefruit Sorbetto MAKES ABOUT 1 PINT PHOTO GELATO & SORBETTO.

Use Ruby Red grapefruits for the best flavor and color. Since grapefruits do not always have the same natural sugar content, fine-tuning, using the egg test, may be necessary for the best taste and texture. Remember that liquor acts as an antifreeze, so don"t be tempted to add more Campari.

2 cups fresh grapefruit juice (from about 4 medium grapefruits), or as necessary cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, or as necessary 1/3 cup Campari cup Campari Combine the grapefruit juice and sugar in a bowl and whisk together well. Do the egg test (see Gelato & Sorbetto) and add more juice or water or more sugar if necessary. Cover and refrigerate for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally to dissolve all the sugar, until thoroughly chilled.

Stir the Campari into the grapefruit juice. Freeze the sorbet in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer"s instructions. Pack into a freezer container and freeze for at least 1 hour before serving. (The sorbet is best served the day it is made.) (The sorbet is best served the day it is made.)

Cantaloupe Sorbetto MAKES ABOUT 5 CUPS PHOTO GELATO & SORBETTO 221 221.

Make sure to use very ripe melons for this recipe. Cantaloupes vary in their sugar content, so we definitely recommend doing the egg test for this sorbet.

3 cups strained cantaloupe juice (from 2 large ripe cantaloupes; see Note), or as necessary 1 cups Simple Syrup (recipe follows), or as necessary Juice of 1 lemon teaspoon salt Combine the cantaloupe juice, simple syrup, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl, stirring well. Do the egg test (see below) and add more juice or water or more sugar syrup, a little at a time, if necessary. Cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours, until thoroughly chilled.

Freeze the sorbet in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer"s instructions. Pack into a freezer container and freeze for at least 1 hour before serving. (The sorbet is best served the day it is made.) (The sorbet is best served the day it is made.)

Note: If you don"t have a juicer, peel, seed, and chop the cantaloupes and puree, in batches if necessary, in a food processor. Set a strainer lined with dampened cheesecloth over a bowl and strain the puree into the bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much juice as possible.

THE EGG TESTAt Otto, we use an instrument called a refractometer to measure the sugar density of our sorbets. The unit of measurement is degrees Brix, and we shoot for 26 to 28F for the best texture and flavor. But there is a fairly reliable home trick for gauging sugar content: the egg test. Pour the sorbet base into a tall narrow bowl at least 8 inches deep, and gently add a well-washed raw egg in the sh.e.l.l. The egg should float to the top and, ideally, show a circle about the size of a nickel above the surface. Too much egg showing means the sugar content is too high, and you should add a little more fruit juice or water. Too little egg showing means not enough sugar, so you"ll need to add more. It is useful to keep some simple syrup on hand so you can quickly adjust the sugar level-just add it in small increments to avoid losing the flavor you are looking for.

SIMPLE SYRUP.

MAKES 3 CUPS.

2 cups water 2 cups sugar Stir the sugar and water together in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Pour the syrup into a bowl or other container and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. (The syrup keeps for up to 1 month in the refrigerator.) (The syrup keeps for up to 1 month in the refrigerator.) Lemon Sorbetto MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART PHOTO GELATO & SORBETTO.

Lemon zest and its fragrant oils give this sorbet its intense flavor.

10 to 12 lemons, preferably organic cup sugar 2 cups Simple Syrup (opposite), or as necessary Zest 4 of the lemons, using a Microplane or other rasp grater. Put the sugar in a small bowl and, using the palms of your hands, rub the zest into the sugar.

Juice enough of the lemons to make 2 cups, and transfer to a medium bowl. Add the simple syrup and sugared zest and whisk well to combine. Do the egg test (see Gelato & Sorbetto) and add more juice or water or more sugar syrup, a little at a time, if necessary. Cover and refrigerate for about 3 hours, or until thoroughly chilled, stirring occasionally to dissolve all of the sugar.

Strain the lemon juice mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer"s instructions. Pack into a freezer container and freeze for at least 1 hour before serving. (The sorbet is best served the day it is made.) (The sorbet is best served the day it is made.)

Pa.s.sion Fruit Granita MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART.

A granita is an easy-to-make form of shaved ice, delicious on its own and a nice textural component for a coppetta of gelato and fruit (see the Olive Oil Coppetta, Gelato & Sorbetto). Don"t be tempted to oversweeten the granita base, or it will not freeze properly. The best results come from sc.r.a.ping the ice every half hour or so, rather than sc.r.a.ping away at a frozen block of ice. After trying a number of high-tech methods at the restaurant, we found that a cold metal pan in the freezer and an ordinary kitchen fork yield the best, flakiest results.

1 cup pa.s.sion fruit puree 1 cup cold water 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar Combine the pa.s.sion fruit puree, water, and 2 tablespoons sugar in a bowl, whisking well to combine. Taste and add up to 1 tablespoon more sugar if desired. Refrigerate for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally to dissolve all of the sugar, until thoroughly chilled.

Chill a small baking sheet or a cake pan in the freezer (the thinner the layer of granita base, the faster the ice will form).

Pour the granita mix into the chilled pan and freeze for 30 to 45 minutes, until it is beginning to freeze around the edges. Stir the slushy mixture with a fork and return to the freezer. Continue stirring and sc.r.a.ping the mixture every 30 minutes or so, until you have an evenly granular mixture. Cover and keep in the freezer until ready to serve. (The granita can be kept frozen for up to 1 week.) (The granita can be kept frozen for up to 1 week.)

Coppette Sweet Corn Coppetta SERVES 6 PHOTO GELATO & SORBETTO.

Catching summer corn at its sweet flavorful peak can be a challenge, but it yields delicious results. Blackberries come into season at the same time as corn, and the two are wonderful together. The polenta cake adds textural interest and reinforces the "corniness."

3 cups Sweet Corn Gelato (Gelato & Sorbetto) About 1 cups Polenta Cake cubes (recipe follows) Blackberry Sauce (recipe follows) Cold Whipped Zabaglione (recipe follows) About cup blackberries for garnish Divide the gelato among six sundae dishes or bowls. Scatter about cup cake cubes over and around the gelato in each bowl and drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of the blackberry sauce. Top with the zabaglione, and garnish with the blackberries.

BLACKBERRY SAUCE.