Chocolate-Hazelnut Gelato

Gelato is Italian for "ice cream." It doesn't contain as much air as American ice cream, so it has a denser texture. My friend Meredith (and former roommate) and I went to Italy when we were in college, and we absolutely loved walking into the local gelaterias to get gelato.
This recipe (from Giada De Laurentiis) may be the best homemade ice cream / gelato that I've ever put in my mouth. It's really creamy unlike some ice creams that can become really hard after re-freezing. This was a really easy recipe for me to pick out since it has Nutella in it. I absolutely LOVE Nutella. FYI: It's right next to the peanut butter in the grocery store.
The recipe says to add the crushed hazelnuts for garnish, but I added about 1/4 cup into the batter about 2 minutes before it was finished, and I added a little extras for garnish.



Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup
4 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, crushed, for garnish

Directions:
In a saucepan combine the milk, cream, and 1/2 cup sugar over medium heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whip the egg yolks with the remaining sugar using an electric mixer until the eggs have become thick and pale yellow, about 4 minutes. Pour 1/2 cup of the warm milk and cream mixture into the egg mixture and stir. Add this mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 7 to 10 minutes.
Place a strainer over a medium bowl and pour the warm custard mixture through the strainer. Stir in the vanilla and hazelnut spread until it dissolves. Chill mixture completely before pouring into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions to freeze. To serve, scoop gelato into serving bowls and top with hazelnuts.