Gelato Alla Crema

Gelato Alla Crema

Italy's classic 'fior di latte' custard gelato — silky, pale, and gently scented with vanilla. The trick is a low-fat custard base churned quickly so little air is incorporated.

Prep

15 min

Cook

10 min

Total

25 min

Serves

6 (about 750 ml / 25 fl oz)

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 ml (2 cups + 2 tbsp) whole milk, full-fat, about 3.5% fat
• •150 ml (⅔ cup) heavy cream, about 35% fat; do not double — true Italian gelato uses more milk than cream
• •4 whole (4 large) egg yolks, about 70 g / 2½ oz total
• •130 g (½ cup + 2 tbsp) granulated sugar
• •1 pinch fine sea salt
• •1 piece vanilla bean, split and scraped; or 1 tsp vanilla extract stirred in off the heat
• •20 g (4 tsp) skim milk powder, optional but traditional — raises protein for a smoother, denser gelato

Steps

1. 1 In a heavy saucepan, combine the milk, cream, salt, and the scraped vanilla bean (with its seeds). Heat over medium until it just begins to steam and small bubbles form around the edge — about 70 °C / 160 °F. Do not boil. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep 10 minutes.
2. 2 In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and slightly thickened, about 1–2 minutes. Whisk in the milk powder if using.
3. 3 Temper the hot milk into the yolk mixture: ladle a little at a time into the yolks while whisking constantly, then whisk the yolk mixture back into the saucepan.
4. 4 Cook the custard over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it reaches 80–82 °C / 176–180 °F and coats the back of the spoon (a line drawn with a finger should hold). Do not let it simmer or boil, or the yolks will curdle. Safety: the yolks must reach at least 80 °C / 176 °F for safe consumption.
5. 5 Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. If using vanilla extract instead of a bean, stir it in now.
6. 6 Cool quickly: place the bowl over an ice bath and stir for a few minutes, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, until completely chilled (around 4 °C / 39 °F).
7. 7 Pour the chilled base into an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions, typically 20–30 minutes, until it reaches a soft-serve consistency.
8. 8 Transfer to a loaf pan or lidded container, press a piece of parchment directly on the surface to prevent ice crystals, and freeze for at least 2 hours to firm up to a scoopable texture.
9. 9 Scoop and serve slightly softened — true gelato alla crema is best at about -10 to -12 °C / 14–10 °F, a few minutes out of the freezer.