As an ice cream maker who has churned more batches than I could possibly count, it’s almost insane to realize I’d never made something as elemental as Fior di Latte—or Fleur de Lait in French. To be fully honest, I don’t think I’d even tasted it before making it this one time.
Whenever I visit a new ice cream or gelato shop, I like to sample a few flavors, but I will always try the vanilla. It’s my litmus test, the measure of whether a place truly understands the craft. People call vanilla basic, plain—but they’re wrong. Vanilla is an enigma, its depth impossible to replicate when executed properly with high-quality beans, extracts, and pastes. You’ll hear me go on about this at length—maybe even more than my strong opinions on fruit and chocolate (gross) or the criminal act of garnishing a dessert with mint leaves when there is no mint anywhere in the dish.
Fior di Latte doesn’t hide behind the delicious mystery of vanilla. There are no added flavoring agents, no embellishments—just milk in its purest, most essential form. Its simplicity is its philosophy. At its core, it’s just milk, heavy cream, sugar, salt, and cornstarch—some recipes omit even the starch, though I imagine the texture would be a bit icy and brittle without it.
When working with so few ingredients, every element has to be exceptional. I scoured recipes, browsed books and websites, searching for what defines a truly great Fior di Latte. The consensus was clear: less is more. No powders, no gums, no stabilizers, no extracts. This is neither a custard-based ice cream rich with egg yolks nor a Philly-style mix that relies mostly on cream, butterfat or stabilizers. I kept it as simple as possible—grass-fed milk, local heavy cream, kosher salt, granulated sugar, and cornstarch. When dairy is the star, it needs to be the best you can get. Organic, grass-fed, local—it makes all the difference. But, as always, work with what you have.
The texture turned out perfect—smooth, creamy, and remarkably scoopable, even straight from the freezer. Home freezers are notoriously unforgiving, designed for deep, unrelenting cold, yet this recipe remained pliable. If you want an even softer texture and a fuller expression of its flavor, let it sit at room temperature for five to eight minutes before serving. Then scoop. Then savor.
Fior Di Latte Recipe:
505 g. grass-fed milk, divided
155 g. sugar
½ t. kosher salt
26 g. cornstarch
235 g. heavy cream
· In a bowl, whisk together half of the milk, sugar, salt, and cornstarch until the sugar is fully dissolved.
· In a saucepan, heat the remaining milk and heavy cream over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil.
· While whisking constantly, slowly pour in the cornstarch mixture. Bring the mixture back to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-high and let it simmer for 2 minutes.
· Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl set over an ice bath. Stir occasionally with a spatula until the mixture is fully cooled.
· Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
· Once chilled, stir the mixture vigorously with a spatula, then churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
· Transfer to a clean container and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.
I've never made ice cream... and now, I MUST! Love this.