Cuban Oregano Gelato (for the Ninja Creami)

Fresh Cuban oregano is savory, but it also has sweet, floral notes that absolutely sing in dessert. It doesn’t taste like a novelty flavor at all.

The best part about coming up with weird, never-been-done-before flavors is the welcomed surprise of inventing something both new and delightful.

I think of oregano as “the pizza spice” (okay, I know it’s technically an herb) and used to use it exclusively in its dried form. Until someone in my family started growing Cuban oregano, that is. If you live in a tropical environment, this variety of oregano grows like a weed. I can’t use it quickly enough before it grows back even fuller than before. It is, admittedly, a good problem to have.

Cuban oregano is savory, but it also has sweet, floral notes that absolutely sing in dessert. It doesn’t taste like a novelty flavor at all. Someone who tried this Cuban oregano gelato compared it to lavender ice cream, which makes a lot of sense considering I actually adapted this recipe from my lavender gelato/neutral gelato base.

I wanted to make this in a Ninja Creami, so I made gelato instead of ice cream. Gelato’s lower fat content lets it stand up to the Ninja’s powerful blade. No risk of this one churning into butter.

Compared to other recipes for the Ninja Creami, I must admit that this one is relatively fussy. Most people want to just blend ingredients and freeze them, not cook something over a stovetop, but I promise this recipe is worth the extra effort. This gelato is light, bright, milky, floral, refreshing, and flavorful. As a small reward for your efforts, this Cuban oregano gelato is scoopable directly out of the freezer, so there’s no need to respin the leftovers (assuming you have any).

I have not tested this recipe with any other kind of oregano, and I do not recommend using dried oregano as a substitute. Storebought, fresh oregano would probably work, but I cannot vouch for it since I have not tried it. It also might not be as floral as the Cuban variety. Try it at your own risk!

Sorry I don’t have pictures for this post. It just looks like vanilla ice cream. You can totally dye it green with a few drops of food coloring to help clue people in—not that anyone will be able to guess this refreshing and delightful gelato is made with “the pizza spice.”

Cuban Oregano Gelato Recipe

Ingredients

·       ¼ cup (53 g) sugar

·       ⅛ teaspoon (0.77 g) salt

·       ⅛ teaspoon (0.62 g) xanthan gum

·       18 g Cuban oregano leaves, torn or chiffonaded (about 6 large leaves)

·       3 ½ tablespoons (47 g) invert sugar*

·       ½ cup (116 g) heavy cream

·       1 ⅓ cups (325 g) milk

Directions

1.       Mix sugar, salt, and xanthan gum until evenly dispersed. Mix in the oregano. Then, add invert sugar and heavy cream.

2.       Heat the mixture in a pot on medium-low heat and stir to homogenize.

3.       Once the sugars have melted, raise the heat to medium-high and cook the mixture until it bubbles. Then, turn off the heat and move the pot off the burner. Cover and steep for at least an hour until cool.

4.       Add milk and rewarm over medium-high, stirring until it looks and feels homogenous. Let cool, covered, for 30 minutes.

5.       Strain mixture into an empty Ninja Creami pint. Discard the spent oregano.

6.       Freeze the pint overnight.

7.       The next day, churn the pint on the regular Ice Cream setting, respinning as needed until the gelato reaches a smooth texture. Store in the freezer. Enjoy!

Notes

*Invert syrup can be ordered online, but it’s extremely easy to make at home. I made it using a recipe from a cookbook and am not sharing it out of respect for the author, but this Wikihow tutorial should do the trick. I’ve also heard that light corn syrup is a good substitute for invert sugar, but I haven’t tried it myself and can’t guarantee favorable results.

If you would like to make this recipe in a regular ice cream machine instead of the Ninja Creami, double all of the ingredients and proceed as normal until step 4. Then strain the mixture, let it chill overnight in the fridge, and churn the next day in a regular ice cream machine. Transfer to an ice cream container and freeze for at least four hours before serving.

Q and A

Q: What herbs are used in ice cream?

A: Some popular herbal flavors are lavender and basil. If you want to explore beyond oregano, check out my recipe for Lemon Basil Olive Oil Gelato.

Q: What makes Italian gelato different?

A: Gelato, which comes from Italy, has less fat than ice cream. It is also served at a slightly warmer temperature.

Q: Is oregano Mexican or Italian?

A: Wikipedia said it’s from the Mediterranean. That led me down an oregano rabbit hole (which is not a phrase I ever thought I’d say) where I found out that apparently Cuban oregano isn’t actually oregano at all. So I guess that makes everything I’ve said up until now a lie. I don’t know how to feel about this.

Q: What does oregano go well with?

A: Oregano goes well with Italian, Greek, Mexican, and Cuban food, among others. Try serving this gelato after a hearty meal of moussaka. Cuban oregano gelato is great all on its own, but you could also pair it with a glug of a nice olive oil to drizzle over the top.