The Innovative Gelato of Four Seasons Hotel Milano Meets Modern Dietary Needs Without Sacrificing Taste and Texture

Daniele Bonzi, Pastry Chef of Four Seasons Hotel Milano, has revisited the classic gelato recipe to reflect new culinary trends in line with greater attention to health and wellbeing.

Driven by his experience and passion for pastry and desserts, Daniele undertook a long research process to create a new gelato that meets the needs of contemporary guests who are increasingly attentive to nutrition and health.

Without wanting to sacrifice gelato’s classic taste and texture, Chef Bonzi recalibrated his recipes using less sugar and fat.

The goal was to create the same sensation as the classic recipes by identifying the functional aspects and the role of each ingredient to arrive to a recipe not of “less" but of "better." No ingredient was seen as a taboo, instead, more attention was placed on the quantity and, where necessary, new plant-based ingredients such as cocoa butter were added.

Cream, milk, and sugar are present only in some flavours, such as chocolate, vanilla, coffee, and cream, but are dosed exclusively for what is really needed, in smaller quantities and nothing more, ensuring creaminess through “technical sugars” that balance the recipe and make the result leaner.

In the pistachio and hazelnut flavours, fats were removed, so milk and cream are not used, but Daniele chose to optimize the fat naturally present; thus, the "good fat" in pistachios, for example, replaces that of dairy products, which can be removed without affecting the result.

All fruit flavours, such as raspberry and passion fruit, are made from purees prepared without added sugars and are supplemented with fruit coverings. The result is a sorbet that, thanks to vegetable cocoa butter, is creamy and becomes a plant-based gelato.

Additionally, and importantly, the suppliers chosen for the raw materials all have great attention to ethical and sustainable production. The mango for instance is grown only on small plantations in India; the proceeds from the sales go directly to the farmers, without intermediaries, and even the waste (seeds and peels) is used as fuel and for energy production.

The milk and cream used are exclusively produced by the Latteria Sociale Valtellina Consortium, where an environmental responsibility project involving all 110 farmers is carried out, resulting in a regional product of high taste and organoleptic qualities.

Four Seasons Gelato

• Roasted Vanilla Bean
• Valtellina Milk Cream
• Pure Macaé Brazil Chocolate
• 100% Arabica Ethiopia Coffee
• Salted Pistachio (plant-based)
• Langhe Hazelnut (plant-based)
• Siracusano Femminiello Lemon IGP (plant-based)
• Raspberry Inspiration (plant-based)
• Passion Fruit Inspiration (plant-based)
• Mara de Bois Strawberries (plant-based)
• Costa Rica Pineapple and Jamaican Pepper (plant-based)
• Single-Origin India Mango (plant-based)

These are the 12 flavours of the new Four Seasons Milano gelato that guests can find on the menu at Zelo, the restaurant by the Executive Chef Fabrizio Borraccino, and on the Stilla Garden menu, a must-visit during the hot summer days in the heart of the city.

It is also possible to order take-away gelato for private occasions or a dinner at home.

Bookings:

Four Seasons Hotel Milano

Zelo.mil@fourseasons.com

Via Gesù, 6/8, 20121 Milano

+39 02 7708 1478