Chocolate-dipped gelato pops

Who can deny that a really good chocolate ice beats the lot on some occasions, especially when made with your own favorite ice cream?

* Makes 6–8 (more if using a very small scoop)

• 1 recipe luxury vanilla gelato
• 1 recipe chocolate sauce
• finely chopped nuts or sprinkles

Make the ice cream into scoops of various sizes. Place them immediately on waxed paper and refreeze really thoroughly.

Prepare the chocolate sauce and then leave in a cool (not cold) place until cooled but not thickening.
Cover several sheet pans with waxed paper. Push a popsicle stick into the center of a scoop of ice cream and dip it into the chocolate to completely cover. Hold it over the bowl of chocolate until it has finished dripping and then place it on the clean waxed paper.

Sprinkle with nuts or colored sprinkles if you wish. Put the ices in the freezer and leave until really hard (several hours). Although they will keep for several weeks, depending on the variety of ice cream used, it is better to eat them as soon as possible.

Variations:

• Strawberry gelato pops with white chocolate coating

Follow the basic recipe, using strawberry gelato. Make the chocolate sauce with white chocolate.

• Coffee gelato pops with milk chocolate coating

Prepare the basic recipe using coffee gelato. Make the chocolate sauce with milk chocolate.

• Pistachio gelato pops with dark chocolate coating

Follow the basic recipe, using pistachio gelato. Coat with dark chocolate sauce.

• After-dinner gelato pops

For an occasional after-dinner treat, use a small melon baller to make very small scoops or balls of blood orange sorbet or another favorite ice cream. Dip the balls into the prepared chocolate sauce as described (and into sprinkles too, if you wish) and then transfer straight to the freezer. Serve on a plate over ice so they stay frozen for as long as possible.