Tuesday, July 2, 2024 Daniele Bonzi, Pastry Chef at Four Seasons Milano, reimagines gelato with health-focused recipes, reducing sugar and fat while maintaining classic taste and texture. Daniele Bonzi, the Pastry Chef at Four Seasons Hotel Milano, has revolutionized the traditional gelato recipe to align with modern culinary trends and an increased focus on health and wellbeing. With his extensive experience and passion for pastry and desserts, Daniele embarked on an in-depth research journey to develop a gelato that caters to the nutritional and health-conscious preferences of today’s guests.
Aiming to preserve the classic taste and texture of gelato, Chef Bonzi restructured his recipes by reducing sugar and fat content. The objective was not to create a “lesser” product but a “better” one, focusing on the functional roles of each ingredient. No ingredient was off-limits; instead, the emphasis was on precise quantities and, where needed, the inclusion of new plant-based ingredients like cocoa butter.
Traditional ingredients such as cream, milk, and sugar are only used in select flavors like chocolate, vanilla, coffee, and cream. These ingredients are carefully measured to achieve the desired creaminess, complemented by “technical sugars” that help maintain a leaner profile. For flavors like pistachio and hazelnut, Daniele eliminated added fats by utilizing the natural fats found in the nuts.
This approach ensures that the “good fat” from pistachios, for in.
