Fior di Latte gelato is an Italian icy dessert made just with milk, heavy cream and sugar (absolutely no eggs).
It has a fairly neutral taste and is an excellent base for any gelato recipe. Since there are no eggs in the recipe, Fior di Latte Gelato is lighter than other gelato flavors made with eggs.
Like all simple recipes made with few ingredients, their success is all in the quality and genuineness of its ingredients. So you need high quality fresh whole milk and fresh heavy cream. DON’T use skim milk or long-life milk or milk powder. Rather change recipe and make a cake! 😉
Fior di Latte is the easiest classic gelato to make at home. Thanks to its creamy consistency and soft taste, it goes very well with other ingredients, especially with chocolate and fruits.
Fior di Latte gelato lends itself to many recipes and, with a little imagination, it can become a new dessert every time you want to eat something differet. If you add some chocolate flakes, for example, it can become a delicious Stracciatella gelato.
If you want to make gelato with eggs, which we call Gelato alla Crema, then have a look at this authentic Italian gelato recipe.
Now we are going to show you how to make an excellent Fior di Latte Gelato at home, both with and without an ice cream maker.
See Also:
- How to Make Italian Affogato
- Lemon Sorbet Recipe
- Pumpkin Semifreddo
- Strawberry Gelato Recipe
- Stracciatella Gelato
- Homemade Lemon Gelato Recipe
Fior di Latte Gelato Recipe
WITH Ice Cream Maker:
- Prep Time: 1 H (about half an hour of cooling in the refrigerator + about 30/40 min in ice cream maker)
- Cook Time: 5 Min
- Servings: 6/8 people that is about 650 g (3 cups) of Fior di Latte Gelato
WITHOUT Ice Cream Maker:
- Prep Time: 5 1/2 H (about half an hour of cooling in the refrigerator + cooling in the freezer for about 5 H)
- Cook time: 5 Min
- Servings: 6/8 people that is about 650 g (3 cups) of Fior di Latte Gelato
Ingredients
- 150 g (3/4 cups) of granulated sugar
- 350 ml (1 1/4 cups) of fresh whole milk
- 250 ml (1 cup) of fresh heavy cream
Kitchen Tools and Equipment You May Need for Making Fior di Latte Gelato
Gelatiera (Ice Cream Maker)
The most useful tool for making authentic Italian gelato is for sure an ice cream maker or Gelatiera. Lets see some of them:
Lello 4080 Musso Lussino 1.5-Quart Ice Cream Maker is easy to use, perfect for professional results at home. Small, with a large, non-removable bowl. The spatula is made of stainless steel. It has a powerful and robust refrigeration system to achieve professional performance without pre-cooling.
Another high-performance ice cream maker we recommend is the Whynter ICM-200LS Automatic Ice Cream Maker with a built-in compressor.
Incredibly easy to use, you can create delicious gelato in the comfort of your own home. Ideal for entertaining, this high capacity unit makes up to two quarts of your favorite frozen dessert in a single batch.
Other types of gelato makers, without a compressor, plan to keep the special container of the machine in the freezer many hours ahead of time to cool the ingredients while mixing them, but its autonomy is quite short. Among these we recommend Cuisinart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker which in our opinion is inexpensive and practical.
Other Kitchen Tools
If you want to make gelato without an ice cream maker, the result is still good if you follow our recipe well. In this it’s useful a gelato container. You need it in any case, even if you don’t eat immediately all the gelato, even if you make your Fior di Latte with the ice cream maker.
Other accessories to serve your homemade gelato can be the tool to make the ice cream scoops or the handy scoops to make sundaes of gelato. Finally the waffle cones that kids love so much!
Directions
So first of all we are going to show you how to make Fior di Latte gelato with the ice cream maker. Then, since not everyone has an ice cream maker but still wants to try making homemade gelato, we’ll show you how to make gelato without an ice cream maker.
Making gelato without an ice cream maker takes more time and more patience but your homemade gelato will be as good as the one bought in an Italian Gelateria!
How to Make Fior di Latte Gelato WITH an Ice Cream Maker
Step 1) – Pour the sugar, milk and heavy cream into a thick-bottomed saucepan. Mix everything and cook over low heat, NEVER BOILING, for about 5 minutes until all the sugar is well dissolved. Take care to remove the saucepan from the heat or to lower the heat if you see that is starting to boil. Finally turn off the heat and transfer the mixture to a stainless steel bowl with lid. Let cool in the refrigerator for about half an hour.
Step 2) – After this time, pour the mixture into the ice cream maker. Start up the machine following the manufacturer’s instructions. Usually you have to let the ice cream maker work for about 30/40 minutes.
Fior di latte gelato now is ready! Enjoy it immediately because freshly made gelato is terrific!
PLEASE NOTE: The best ice cream maker you can find on the market is the one with a compressor that cools while churning the gelato. This ice cream maker is very similar to the professional ones and is the one we used for this recipe.
How to Make Fior di Latte Gelato WITHOUT an Ice Cream Maker
Step 1) – Place the sugar in a saucepan and add the milk. Stir with a wooden spoon and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, being careful not to let it boil. Transfer the mixture to a stainless steel bowl with lid. Let cool in the refrigerator for about half an hour.
Step 2) – Meantime whip the cream with the help of a stand mixer or an electric whisk.
Step 3) – Then add the sugar/milk mixture that has cooled down and stir gently from bottom to top to combine.
Step 4) – Pour the mixture into a gelato container and place it in the freezer for about 5 hours. Every 30 minutes you have to break the frozen surface. So remove from the freezer and mix for about 30 seconds using a hand whisk or an electric whisk on low speed. This step is necessary in order not to create ice crystals in the gelato and have a creamy result. Of course this is a bit more laborious process, but it’s worth it!
Storage
Make Fior di Latte gelato and eat it right away. If you leave it in the freezer for too long, crunchy ice crystals form and your gelato is no longer so good. So eat your homemade gelato immediately or keep it in the freezer and eat it within two days.
Tip: if your it’s too hard and frozen, let it thaw in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes before serving.
How to Serve Fior di Latte Gelato
Fior di Latte gelato is a popular Italian gelato with no flavor added. You can taste it as it is, fresh just made, or you can enjoy it by adding other flavors.
You can serve fior di Latte gelato with sour cherries in syrup for example. Or you can add fresh fruit such as strawberries or berries.
Serve fior di latte gelato matched with chocolate gelato: a classic Italian treat!
A simple sprinkle of bitter cocoa make it much more delicious in an instant!
You can add chopped hazelnuts or pistachios: the aesthetic effect is guaranteed but for sure even the taste!
It’s irresistible even in winter, with melted hot chocolate, poured over it. Or you can make a good hot coffee and pour it over, making the classic Italian “Gelato Affogato al caffe'”
Fior di latte is an excellent dessert even at Christmas, served with pieces of marron glacé or nougat crumbs.
Whatever the season or the occasion in which you want to taste For di latte gelato, the first thing to do is to choose ingredients of excellent quality. In short, the only limit is your imagination and the success is obvious, even with such a simple gelato recipe!
Fior di Latte: Meaning
“Fior di latte”, if translated literally means “flower of milk”. It refers to the most precious part of the milk, the one that makes cow’s milk precious, its flower, that is … the cream.
In ancient times, heavy cream was referred to as the flower of the milk, and the word has stuck.
Fior di Latte gelato is made with fresh heavy cream and whole milk, as well as sugar. Few terrific ingredients for a terrific taste. White, creamy and delicious as his flower.
