This stracciatella gelato recipe is a milk ice cream, known as crema di latte or fior di latte, mixed with chocolate shards to add a delightful crunch. Crema di latte is a traditional base for many Italian gelati, especially those with fruit or sorbet. It’s lighter because it does not use heavy cream. To enhance its creaminess, Italian meringue is added after the base has cooled, creating the traditional luscious texture.
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Stracciatella gelato is very similar to American chocolate chip ice cream.
You can find various versions and shortcuts, but this is the Stracciatella gelato I grew up in Italy.
It originates from Northern Italy, where it draws its name from the classic Italian flavor known as stracciatella, which means "shredded" in Italian.
This name is shared with stracciatella soup, a type of Italian egg drop soup featuring thin, silky strands of eggs cooked in broth.
Stracciatella resembles the fine shreds of chocolate traditionally mixed into gelato.
This creamy and crunchy combination offers a sweet resemblance to its more savory counterpart from the same region.
For a different version of this stracciatella you can check the strawberry gelato with white chocolate.
For more Italian gelato recipes you can check: Italian gelato (vanilla chocolate and pistachio, coffee granita, Italian coffee cream, lime sorbet.
Ingredients
Milk Cream Base:
- Whole Milk: The foundation of the gelato, whole milk provides a rich, creamy texture that balances flavor and smoothness, making it essential for a delicate yet luscious gelato base.
- Caster Sugar: Fine caster sugar dissolves easily, ensuring the gelato mixture is smooth without any graininess. It sweetens the gelato just right, enhancing the natural flavors of the other ingredients. You can substitute sugar with fructose for a sugar-free version but the texture will not be the same
- Egg Yolks:Egg yolks enrich the gelato's base, contributing to a creamier, denser texture. They also help in stabilizing the mixture, providing a luxurious mouthfeel.
Italian Meringue:
- Egg Whites: The egg whites are whipped to form a fluffy, airy meringue, introducing lightness into the gelato that offsets the richness of the milk cream base.
- Caster Sugar and Water: Cooked to a syrup and then gradually added to the beaten egg whites, this combination helps stabilize the meringue, ensuring it holds its structure when folded into the cold gelato base.
Chocolate:
- Dark Chocolate: Good quality dark chocolate is crucial for a profound depth of flavor. The melted chocolate is added to the partially frozen gelato, and solidifies upon contact, creating enticing, irregular shavings of chocolate throughout the gelato, offering a delightful contrast to the creamy texture.
Find the measurements in the recipe card.
Note on Authenticity: Some recipes might use cornstarch as a thickening shortcut to simplify the gelato-making process. However, using Italian meringue gives the gelato a fluffier texture. Making Italian meringue might sound complex, but it is a straightforward technique that significantly enhances the gelato's final quality, making it worth the extra effort.
Instructions with step-by-step images
Making the Crema di latte
Here are the steps to prepare the milk cream base for your stracciatella ice cream:
- Whisk egg yolks and caster sugar together until smooth and slightly pale, ensuring full sugar incorporation. Small bubbles will form, indicating that the mixture is well-aerated.
- Heat whole milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until it is just about to simmer then remove from the heat
- Gradually pour some of the warm milk into the egg yolk and sugar mixture while continuously whisking to prevent the yolks from scrambling.
- Slowly add the remaining warm milk while continuing to whisk until fully combined.
- Return the combined mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat.
- Stir constantly, scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking and burning, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Immediately remove the mixture from heat and strain it through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl to ensure the base has a smooth texture.
- Allow the mixture to cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, ideally for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Making the Italian meringue
Here are the steps to prepare Italian meringue for your stracciatella gelato:
- Combine caster sugar and water in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat and allow the sugar to dissolve completely without stirring, as stirring can cause the sugar to recrystallize.
- Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat slightly to bring the mixture to a slow boil. It's important to maintain a gentle boil without stirring to prevent the sugar from recrystallizing.
- While the syrup is cooking, start whipping the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until they form soft peaks. This is best done using an electric mixer to ensure the egg whites are sufficiently aerated.
- When the syrup reaches 240°F (115°C) on a candy thermometer, known as the soft-ball stage, carefully and gradually pour it in a fine stream into the whipped egg whites.
N.B. Continue beating at high speed while doing this, aiming to pour the syrup between the whisk and the side of the bowl to prevent splattering.
- Continue to whip the mixture until it becomes glossy and forms stiff peaks. This indicates that the Italian meringue is ready.
N.B. The Italian meringue cannot be made ahead of time. Once ready it should be used immediately in your gelato recipe to ensure it retains its structure and airiness.
Melting the chocolate
To melt the chocolate you can use two methods:
Double Boiler Method:
- Place a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
- Break the chocolate into small, even pieces and place them in the bowl. Stir occasionally as it softens.
- Once the chocolate is smooth and fully melted, carefully remove the bowl from the pot, being mindful of any steam.
- Keep the chocolate warm by leaving it over the warm water turned off, or periodically warming it over a few seconds of gentle heat to ensure it remains fluid.
Microwave Method:
- Chop the chocolate into small, uniform pieces and place them in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Microwave on medium power for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each interval to help the chocolate melt evenly.
- As the chocolate begins to melt, reduce the intervals to 15 seconds to avoid overheating.
- Continue until the chocolate is completely smooth.
- To keep the chocolate from solidifying, set the microwave-safe bowl in a larger bowl filled with warm water or give it a few seconds of microwave heat if it starts to thicken.
Making the ice cream
- Pour the chilled milk cream mixture into your ice cream machine and start the machine. Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions until the ice cream is thick and almost solid, typically about 20-30 minutes.
- Add the Italian meringue to the machine while it is still churning. The blades will incorporate the meringue into the ice cream, ensuring it is evenly mixed while maintaining its fluffy texture.
Adding the chocolate
Check the temperature of the melted chocolate before adding it to the ice cream.
The chocolate should be warm to the touch but not too hot.
If the chocolate is too hot, it could melt the ice cream unevenly and potentially damage the machine by causing sudden temperature changes.
This is why I use my fingers to check its temperature and to crumble the chocolate into the ice cream.
This method ensures that the chocolate is not too hot and solidifies quickly upon contact with the cold ice cream, creating crisp, delightful shreds.
- Crumble the soft, warm chocolate, adding it to small pieces.
- Continue churning the ice cream until the chocolate is evenly distributed and the ice cream reaches the desired consistency, typically a few more minutes.
- Serve the ice cream immediately
How to serve it
Stracciatella gelato is best enjoyed fresh to maximize its creamy texture and rich flavors.
It's ideal to serve it immediately after churning, as gelato tends to solidify and lose some of its creaminess when stored in the freezer.
If you are hosting guests, consider timing the gelato preparation so that it finishes churning just as you are ready to serve dessert.
Starting the ice cream machine just as you begin your meal will allow the gelato to be ready for serving at the perfect moment.
Some ice cream makers, like the Magimix, have a feature that keeps the ice cream cold for up to two hours after it has finished churning, providing flexibility in serving time.
Stracciatella gelato pairs wonderfully with other gelato flavors, especially fruit-based gelati.
The contrast between the creamy, chocolatey texture of stracciatella and the bright, fresh flavors of fruit gelato makes for a delightful dessert experience.
On hot days, a Nambe metal serving dish is a practical choice to ensure the gelato remains cold and refreshing when brought to the table.
Nambe is known for its thermal retention properties.
Placing the Nambe dish in the freezer overnight and serving the gelato in this chilled dish helps keep it cold throughout the dessert course, even in warm temperatures.
How to store it
Proper storage is crucial for maintaining the quality and texture of stracciatella gelato.
To help maintain the gelato's texture, pre-chill your storage container in the freezer before adding the gelato.
This ensures that the gelato starts freezing quickly without undergoing temperature fluctuations that could affect its creaminess.
If possible, store the gelato in a shallow container.
A broader surface area helps the gelato freeze evenly and allows it to soften uniformly when you're ready to serve it.
Always store the gelato in the back of your freezer where the temperature is most constant.
Frequent temperature changes, as might happen with door openings, can cause the gelato to soften and refreeze, leading to a grainy texture.
Homemade gelato is best enjoyed within two weeks of making it.
Over time, even under ideal storage conditions, ice crystals can develop, and flavors may begin to diminish.
More gelato recipes
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Traditional Stracciatella Gelato Recipe With Milk Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
For the milk cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 ¼ cup caster sugar
- 5 egg yolk
Italian Meringue
- 1 egg white
- ¼ cup caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
Chocolate
- 3 oz dark chocolate chip
Instructions
Making the Crema di latte
- Whisk egg yolks and caster sugar together until smooth and slightly pale, ensuring full sugar incorporation. Small bubbles will form, indicating that the mixture is well-aerated.5 egg yolk, 1 ¼ cup caster sugar
- Heat whole milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until it is just about to simmer then remove from the heat2 cups whole milk
- Gradually pour some of the warm milk into the egg yolk and sugar mixture while continuously whisking to prevent the yolks from scrambling.
- Slowly add the remaining warm milk while continuing to whisk until fully combined.
- Return the combined mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat.
- Stir constantly, scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking and burning, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Immediately remove the mixture from heat and strain it through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl to ensure the base has a smooth texture.
- Allow the mixture to cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, ideally for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Making the Italian meringue
- Combine caster sugar and water in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat and allow the sugar to dissolve completely without stirring, as stirring can cause the sugar to recrystallize.¼ cup caster sugar, 1 tablespoon water
- Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat slightly to bring the mixture to a slow boil. It's important to maintain a gentle boil without stirring to prevent the sugar from recrystallizing.
- While the syrup is cooking, start whipping the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until they form soft peaks. This is best done using an electric mixer to ensure the egg whites are sufficiently aerated.1 egg white
- When the syrup reaches 240°F (115°C) on a candy thermometer, known as the soft-ball stage, carefully and gradually pour it in a fine stream into the whipped egg whites.
- Continue beating at high speed while doing this, aiming to pour the syrup between the whisk and the side of the bowl to prevent splattering.
- Continue to whip the mixture until it becomes glossy and forms stiff peaks. This indicates that the Italian meringue is ready.
Melting the chocolate
- Place a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water.3 oz dark chocolate chip
- Break the chocolate into small, even pieces and place them in the bowl. Stir occasionally as it softens.
- Once the chocolate is smooth and fully melted, carefully remove the bowl from the pot, being mindful of any steam.
- Keep the chocolate warm by leaving it over the warm water turned off, or periodically warming it over a few seconds of gentle heat to ensure it remains fluid.
Making the ice cream
- Pour the chilled milk cream mixture into your ice cream machine and start the machine. Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions until the ice cream is thick and almost solid, typically about 20-30 minutes.
- Add the Italian meringue to the machine while it is still churning. The blades will incorporate the meringue into the ice cream, ensuring it is evenly mixed while maintaining its fluffy texture.
Adding the chocolate
- Crumble the soft, warm chocolate with your fingers, adding it to small pieces.
- Continue churning the ice cream until the chocolate is evenly distributed and the ice cream reaches the desired consistency, typically a few more minutes.
- Serve the ice cream immediately
Video
Notes
- Chop the chocolate into small, uniform pieces and place them in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Microwave on medium power for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each interval to help the chocolate melt evenly.
- As the chocolate begins to melt, reduce the intervals to 15 seconds to avoid overheating.
- Continue until the chocolate is completely smooth.
- To keep the chocolate from solidifying, set the microwave-safe bowl in a larger bowl filled with warm water or give it a few seconds of microwave heat if it starts to thicken.
Adding the chocolate
Check the temperature of the melted chocolate before adding it to the ice cream. The chocolate should be warm to the touch but not too hot. If the chocolate is too hot, it could melt the ice cream unevenly and potentially damage the machine by causing sudden temperature changes. This is why I use my fingers to check its temperature and to crumble the chocolate into the ice cream. This method ensures that the chocolate is not too hot and solidifies quickly upon contact with the cold ice cream, creating crisp, delightful shreds.Nutrition
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