Food Lover's Odyssey

Making Pasticciotto in Puglia

 

 

 

In Salento, dessert is all about the pasticciotto! The pastry from Lecce & the Salento region is as much a symbol to this part of Italy as the croissant is to France. Whether it be pastry shop, bar, or restaurant menu, you can be sure to find pasticciotto. It was the first gift I received upon arriving in Lecce. I was also able to see them being made at several of the Salento pastry shops I visited. The pastry consists of a short crust pastry filled with pastry cream. The classic pasticciotto uses your basic egg-yolky pastry cream, but once in a while the chefs get creative. Chef Luca Capilungo has two variations, the basic and one with chocolate pastry cream as the filling. And when I visited Bar Castello, they made pasticciotto with purple Olivotto flavored pastry cream. I've also had an all-chocolate, inside and out, pasticciotto.

 

 

Inside the classic Pasticciotto Leccese

 

 

The pastry was first created in Galatina in 1745 at Pasticceria Ascalone. Galatina is a small town south of Lecce, and Ascalone is still open and still making pasticciotto. In fact many say the current chef makes the best pasticciotto in Salento. Massimo, who grew up in Galatina, gave us a tour of the town and told me the legend of pasticciotto's creation. In 1745 Galatina was most widely known for the trance-like dance called the pizzica. At the time, the dance was looked down upon by those outside Galatina and its citizens weren't well regarded outside the city walls. Galatina wanted to find something to improve its reputation and make its citizens well-liked. What better to make people like you than pastry, right? Signor Ascalone created the pasticciotto to solve the problem.

At the pastry shop, Il Golosone Prato, a few minutes from Lecce in Novoli, I saw production of pasticciotto on a grand scale. The chefs even let me participate; I piped pastry cream into the molds.

 

 
A whole lot of pasticciotti just filled with pastry cream

 

Alessandro of Il Golosone forming the tops of the pasticciotti

 

I pasticciotti ready for their egg wash and then into the oven

 

Salvatore of Il Golosone with pasticciotti right out of the oven

 

The crust is traditionally made with lard, or strutto in Italian. I kind of anticipated the freak out that would happen if I posted a recipe that calls for lard, so I asked a few of the pastry chefs about substituting butter. Using butter changes the texture of the crust to one that is harder and crunchier, making the pastry harder to eat because the center is a cream. Using lard creates a moister and softer crust, so you don't have pastry cream splattering out everywhere when you bite into the pasticciotto.  However, in the recipe that follows, I've given you the option to use either lard or butter.

 

Pasticciotto
(Makes about 20)


For the Pasta Frolla (the pasta frolla recipe is adapted from Chef Luca Capilungo's recipe):

3 3/4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons (3 grams) baking powder
1 cup plus 2 tablespoon (250 g) lard (you can substitute the same amout of butter, at room temperature)
1 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated sugar
5 egg yolks

For the Pastry Cream:

3 ¼ cup (750 ml) whole milk
Rind of 1 lemon
8 egg yolks
2/3 cup (160 g) sugar
Scant ½ cup (50 g) cornstarch
3 ½ tablespoons (25 g) all-purpose flour

1 egg, beaten (for the egg wash)

20 oval molds for pasticciotto, each buttered and floured

To make the pasta frolla (short crust pastry dough):  In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix together on low speed the flour, baking powder, lard (or butter) and sugar until the mixture is the consistency of peas.  Add the egg yolks and stir together just until the mixture is combined.  Divide in half and create two round disks of pasta frolla. Wrap each disk with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours before rolling out.

To make the pastry cream:  Place the milk and the lemon rind in a nonreactive heavy bottom sauce pot and leave for 20 minutes. Then bring the milk to a scald.  Let the lemon rind steep in the milk for 10 minutes.  In the meantime, in another bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg yolks until the mixture becomes pale.  (The whisk must be nonreactive also.) Add the cornstarch and flour and whisk to combine.

Strain the lemon rind out of the milk, and slowly pour the warmed milk into the egg yolk mixture.  Whisking together as you pour.  Once all the milk and egg yolk mixtures are combined, place back into the saucepot and over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil, whisking vigorously the entire time.  Once the mixture has become dense and just started to boil, remove from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh seive into bowl over an ice bath and let cool for 10 minutes.  Spread the pastry cream into a 9x13-inch glass dish and cover with plastic wrap.  The plastic wrap should be touching the pastry cream to keep the cream from developing a film.  Refrigerate until cold.

 

Vladimiro of Bar Castello forming the dough into the molds

To assemble the pasticciotto: On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the disks of pasta frolla into a square until the dough is about 3/8-inch thick.  Line your pasticciotto baking molds so that when you place the sheet of pastry dough over them, it will cover all molds. Run the rolling pin over the dough to "cut" the dough into the necessary oval form. With your fingertips, press the dough into the mold, so that the dough sits against the bottom of the mold and completely up the sides.

Using a pastry bag fit with a large star tip, at least 3/4-inch in diameter, pipe the pastry cream into the molds. The pastry cream should reach the top of the mold. Roll out the second disk of pasta frolla in the same way you rolled out the first, but to 1/4-inch in thickness. Lay the pastry dough over the tops of the filled molds. This time using your fingers instead of the rolling pin, press around the top edge of each mold to make a cut in the dough. Along the edges of the mold, press down with your fingers to seal the pastry and to create a little "mound" in the center of each pasticciotto.  Brush the tops of each with egg wash and bake at 375 F for 15 minutes. The tops should be golden brown. Cool and serve. Enjoy!

 

Inside a pasticciotto with Olivotto-filled pastry cream

If you'd like to fill your pasticciotto with chocolate pastry cream, you can find a recipe for it here. And if you'd like to fill them with Olivotto-flavored pastry cream, you should join me in Puglia and pick up some Olivotto while you're there.

 

Join me in Puglia - Food & Wine Lover's Culinary Tour - September 1 through 9

Book before May 30, 2012 and receive $200 off per person!

 

Related Posts:

The Pastries of Lecce with Pastry Chef Luca Capilungo

Olivotto: The Sweet Side of Olives

Zeppole di San Giuseppe

Seafood and More with Chef Lino at Ristorante Donna Lisa

Orecchiette and Salentine Breads - Cooking with Mamma Giulia in Salento

Under the Salento Sun - The Masserie of Salento

Wedding in Puglia

Cheese in Puglia - Making and Eating Fresh Cheese in Salento

Artisanal Cheese at Masseria CinqueSanti in Puglia

Lecce: The Baroque Beauty of Puglia

The Art of Making Pasta by Hand: A Pugliese Pasta Lesson with Nonna Vata

Tour of Masseria L'Astore and its Frantoio Ipogeo in Salento

Lunch Salento Style at Cantine Menhir

 

Cassata Siciliana for a Blog Birthday

 

Today Food Lover's Odyssey turns three. Before anything else, I want to thank all of you for helping me get here. I truly appreciate all your visits to the site, your comments, emails and Facebook "likes." I've been able to meet and cook with so many great people as a result of this blog, and it's all thanks to you!

Besides my recipes and food stories, I hope you've enjoyed my tales of magical desserts, limoncello misadventures and meeting royalty, and thank you for making the weekly roundup of Italian food, Italy on a Plate a success. This year I've started to branch out beyond the blog by hosting a fabulous Culinary Tour to Puglia! (By the way, plenty of spots are still available for September's trip.) 

I would love to hear from you about what you'd like to see, or see more of, in the upcoming year.  What have been your favorite posts? What parts of Italy & France do you want to read more about? (I'll be traveling again soon and will use your input to make my travel plans.) Please let me know in the comments.

 

 

 

In the meantime, let's celebrate with cake! I've made a special cake from Sicily, the elaborate Cassata Siciliana. Although cannoli are probably more popular outside of the island, cassata is just as iconic of a dessert. I wonder how the popularity of both these Sicilian desserts might have been reversed if that famous line from The Godfather had been, "Leave the gun, take the cassata."

Like cannoli, this cake uses the ricotta cream made with Sicily's spectacular sheep's milk ricotta. (There's really none better anywhere else, so if you're in Sicily you must indulge in at least one ricotta dessert).  A traditional dessert of Easter so rich and sweet, it is a great way to end the long Lenten fast. The sugar overload and the Baroque decor are attributed to Sicily's Arab conquerers who brought sugar to the island. Long ago only nuns in monasteries and chefs of the rich made this cake, but now it is a standard in the pastry shops all over the island. You can also find it in pastry shops on Italy's mainland, especially in Puglia, Campania & even Sicilian pastry shops in Rome.

Sponge cake (pan di Spagna) that has been doused in liquor encases a thick layer of ricotta cream filled with a chocolate bits and candied pumpkin (zuccata).  The cake is wrapped in green-colored marzipan and covered, sometimes only on the top and sometimes completely, with a sugar glaze. If that's not enough sugar for you, whole pieces of candied fruits cover the top in an elaborate decoration resembling a flower petal. More decorations of thin piping finish off this extravagent, Baroque (some might say over-the-top) cake. The cake brings toghether the sweet tastes that are quintessentially Sicilian: ricotta cream, marzipan and candied fruits.

 

 

 

Being of Sicilian ancestry, I thought it fitting that I make this cake to celebrate turning 3.  The cassata I've made takes into consideration a few of my flavor preferences, no candied fruit inside and icing only on the top. You can find cassata made exactly like this in Sicily, but purists may want a little more. I've noted in the recipe where I've strayed off the traditional path, so you can make it in the very traditional way, with a thick coating of icing all around and filled with candied fruits. I did a little bit of fruit decoration to the top, although I only found the cherries and candied orange peel here in the suburbs of San Francisco.  Being more of a minimalist, I think I should have stuck with my initial idea of only three cherries in the center. The sweet smell of candied fruit and crushed almonds mixed with sugar, from the marzipan, sends scents of Sicilian pastry shops through your kitchen.

 

 

 

Cassata Siciliana
(makes one 10-inch cake)

For the pan di Spagna (sponge cake):
8 eggs, yolks and whites, separated and at room temperature
1 1/4 cups (240 g) granulated sugar, divided in half
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of cream of tartar
2 cups (240 g) cake flour, sifted


For the ricotta cream:
30 ounces (850 g) fresh ricotta, preferably sheep's milk, drained
2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
3 ounces (170 g) candied fruit*
3 ounces (170 g) dark chocolate chips*

*NOTE:  If you prefer, you can leave out the candied fruit and use 6 ounces of chocolate chips instead.

For the imbibing syrup:
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
Scant 1 cup (200 ml) water
2 to 4 tablespoons Maraschino liqueur or rum, to taste

For the marzipan:
10 ounces marzipan
2 to 3 drops of green food coloring
Powdered sugar, as needed to help keep the marzipan from becoming too sticky


For the sugar glaze:
6 ounces (150 g) powdered sugar
About 3 tablespoons water


For the royal icing:
8 ounces powdered sugar
1 egg white (or 1 tablespoon meringue powder plus 2 tablespoons warm water)

 

Whole candied fruit and candied orange peel for the garnish

 

 

Preheat an oven to 375 F

Butter the bottom and sides of one 10-inch round cake pan and one 8x8-inch square cake pan. Then lightly dust both with cake flour.

To make the pan di Spagna (sponge cake): In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk together the egg yolks, half the sugar and vanilla extract until the mixture is pale, thick and at the "ribbon stage" (meaning when you lift the beaters the batter falls back on itself in a ribbon-like effect), about 10 minutes.  Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Clean the mixing bowl and in it, whisk together the egg whites with the cream of tartar.  Once the mixture becomes frothy, slowly add the other half of the sugar.  Whisk until the mixture forms soft peaks. (You don't want firm peaks or the egg whites will be too stiff to fold in with the other ingredients.) 

Fold 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture to lighten the egg yolk mixture.  Then fold in half of the flour mixture.  (It's best if someone else sprinkles the flour into the egg mixture while you are folding it in; it allows the flour to be incorporated more slowly while keeping as much air in the batter as possible.)  Fold in another 1/3 of the egg white mixture.  Then fold in the remaining flour. Lastly fold in the remaining third of the egg white mixture. 

Pour 2/3 of the batter into the round cake pan and the remaining batter into the square cake pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes. The cake is done when you lightly touch the top of the cake and it springs back. Let cool for 10 minutes and remove from the cake pans.  Let cool completely before assembling the cassata.

 

To make the ricotta cream: Press the drained ricotta through a seive.  Add the powdered sugar and stir the mixture together, by hand or using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, until the mixture is creamy.  Add the candied fruit and/or chocolate chips and stir in.  Place in the refrigerator until you're ready to assemble the cassata.

 

To make the imbibing syrup: Bring the sugar and water to a boil. Let cool for 10 minutes. Add the Maraschino or rum, the amount depending on your taste. Refrigerate until it's cold and you're ready to assemble the cassata.

 

To prepare the marzipan: Add 2 small drops of green food coloring to the marzipan and knead in until the color is uniform and a light green. Add powdered sugar to the mixture as you're kneading in the color to prevent the marzipan from becoming too sticky. If you need to, add 1 more drop of food coloring to the marzipan to get the desired color. (Be careful as a very little coloring goes a long way.) Set aside until you're ready to assemble the cassata.  If the marzipan is too soft, put in the refrigerator until it firms up.

 

To make the sugar glaze: Do this only right before you are ready to ice the cake. In a small saucepan, melt the powdered sugar with the water, starting with 2 tablespoons and adding more if necessary.  The more water you use the thinner and more translucent the icing will be; it will also run more easily.

 

To make the royal icing: Make this when you are ready to decorate the cake.  In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk together the sugar and egg whites until it forms a thick icing.  Place in a pastry bag fitted with a small writing tip.

 

 

Assembling the cassata -

Line a 9-inch pie dish or pan with cling wrap.  (Ideally you would like the dish to have a smaller bottom in order to get the traditional dome-like shape of the cassasta.) Roll the marzipan out into one strip of 1/4-inch thickness and wide enough to cover the entire side of the dish. Place the marzipan strip in a ring-like shape along the side of the dish so that is covers the entire side of the dish. Trim any excess at the top.

Slice off  the thin layer of crust on the top and bottom of the round sponge cake. Then slice the round sponge cake in half horizontally, so that you have two round cake disks.  Using the bottom of the pie dish as a guide, measure one disk to fit the bottom, trimming away any excess.  Place that disk at the bottom of the pie plate. Using a pastry brush, give the cake a generous imbibing of the syrup.  

Cut four slices about 3/8-inch thick from the square sponge cake. Wrap the slices around the edges of the plate, laying they against the marzipan. Brush these pieces of sponge cake generously with imbibing syrup.

Fill the center with ricotta cream, filling it to the top and leveling the cream with an offset spatula.

Place the second round disk of sponge cake on top of the ricotta cream and brush generously with the imbibing syrup.  Bring the marzipan up around the sides of the cake.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, overnight is best.

When you're ready to finish decorating the cake, make the sugar glaze. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap.  Place a dish or cake plate on the uncovered sponge cake and flip the cake over. Remove the pie dish and plastic wrap.  Slowly pour the icing onto the top center and spread it outwards with a spatula.  If you would like to ice the sides, pour enough icing so that you can spread it down along the sides to cover the marzipan. If you want to ice only the top, pour a smaller amount of icing onto the center and spread it almost to the edge of the cake. It should settle itself into the edge. Let the icing cool completely until it hardens.

Decorate by adding to the top candied fruits, Maraschino cherries, and candied citrus peel in the shape of a flower petal. Finish decorating by piping royal icing along the sides and top of the cake.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Related Posts:

Fraisier to Celebrate My First Blog Birthday

Torta Setteveli - Seven Veils Cake from Palermo

Cassetelle Siciliana (Sweet fried "ravioli" filled with ricotta cream)

One Cannolo, Two Cannoli

Eggplant Caponata and Sicilian Market Etiquette

Pasta con le Sarde and Cooking in Palermo

Taste of the Sea and Spaghetti Siracusana

Good Eats and Good Views in Taormina

Foods Not to Miss in Sicily

Totano Festival and a Weekend on the Aeolian Islands

Take Anything but Leave the Cannoli

 

 

 

Zeppole di San Giuseppe

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A year ago, almost to the day, I arrived in Lecce for the first time.  I think you never forget your first impressions of a city, especially those cities that are close to your heart.  I remember stepping off the train late in the afternoon.  The streets of the historic center were so quiet, almost deserted.  The only sound I heard were the wheels of my suitcase click-clacking against the cobblestone street. As I made my first stroll through the baroque historic center, I felt a bit lonely.  The only eyes I met were those of the strange characters carved out of stone and hanging from buildings, churches and doorways.  They stared down at me with smirks that felt like recriminations for coming to Salento solo.

 

 

Then I met up with Ylenia and Claudia who introduced me to Antonella, Pina, Antonella, and Debora.  We gathered in Piazza St. Oronzo for the Italian unification celebration.  Most of Lecce's population came out for the celebration, too, and it seemed that these ladies knew everyone in town.  More and more people joined our group, as we popped in and out of cafes, wine bars, bread shops, and pastry shops, meeting proprietors and even more people of the city. Those strange stone characters on the buildings no longer laughed at me, and I have never again felt alone in Lecce or Salento.

Another thing that stands out about this trip, and all trips to Salento since, was that everyone I met either gave me some kind of food gift or offered me something to eat.  As it was almost March 19th, St. Joseph's day in Italy, zeppole di San Giuseppe were the most offered gift.  In the same way one might offer to get you a coffee, I was offered a zeppola everywhere I went.  I remember the first zeppola I had in Puglia with my new friends, and how they waited with baited breath as I chose between the fried and baked version.  I can still hear their collective exhale of relief when I chose the fried one.  Whenever I see or eat a zeppola di San Giuseppe, I think of my first day in Lecce and all those that I met, who I now call friends.

Fried dough, with an crunchy crust and airy in the center.  There's a generous topping of pastry cream flavored ever-so-slightly with lemon and that little bit of chocolate to add even more decadence to the whole thing.  If you're in Italy, you're obliged to have at least one of these over the holiday.

 

Zeppole di San Giuseppe in the pastry case (these are the baked version)

 

On March 19, Italy celebrates St. Joseph's Day, a day dedicated to Joseph the husband of Mary the mother of Jesus.  The saint is honored with feasts and parades, especially in the south of Italy. It is the onomastico (a second birthday of sorts) for all those named Giuseppe or Giuseppina.  Since 1968, the day is also father's day in Italy. Basically, there's a reason for everyone in Italy to celebrate. 

Besides the feast, zeppole di San Giuseppe are a huge part of the holiday celebrations. I saw the zeppole in pastry windows at least a week before the actual holiday.  The pastry is choux paste fried in the shape of a ring (ciambella) and topped with pastry cream. In Naples, where the first historic account of zeppole di San Giuseppe was recorded in 1837, they add amarena cherries to the top of the pastry cream.  The zeppole I've made to celebrate San Giuseppe are the Pugliese version I had on my first day in Salento, topped with a swirl of chocolate ganache.

 

 

Zeppole di San Giuseppe
(makes about 12)


For the dough (choux paste):

1 ½ cups (350 ml) water
6 tablespoons (80 grams) butter, cubed
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 1/3 (180 grams) cup all-purpose flour
5 eggs

6 to 8 cups of peanut oil for frying


For the pastry cream:

3 ¼ cups (750 ml) whole milk
Rind of one lemon (only the rind, not the pith)
8 egg yolks
2/3 cup (160 grams) granulated sugar
Scan 1/2 cup (50 grams) cornstarch
3 1/2 tablespoons (25 grams) all purpose flour
4 tablespoons (55 grams) butter, cubed


For the chocolate ganache:

4 1/2 ounces (150 grams) dark couveture chocolate, finely chopped
2/3 cup (150 ml) heavy cream

 

To make the choux paste:  In a saucepan, bring the water, butter, sugar and salt to a rolling boil. (It's important that the butter is in small cubes, so it melts and combines with the water before the mixture comes to a boil.)  Add the flour all at once, and remove from the heat.  Stir until all the flour is combined.  Place back the mixture back on the stove and stir over medium heat for about 5 minutes to dry out the mixture.  Remove from the heat and, after allowing the mixture to cool for 10 minutes, add the eggs one at a time.  Stir in each egg completely before adding the next.

In a deep pot, heat the oil to 360° F (180° C).  Place the choux paste into a piping bag attached with a 14mm star tip (the tip opening should be about 1/2 inch in diameter).  Cut 4X4-inch squares of parchment paper.  Pipe the choux paste onto the parchment paper, making rings that are little smaller than the paper, 3 1/2 inches in diameter.  (I actually piped little "snails" filling the center, but it wasn't necessary as the dough rises quite a bit as it fries, leaving only a small hole in the center.)  Place the choux paste and parchment paper into the oil.  Once the dough starts frying, the paper will fall away easily; then remove it from the pan.  Fry the zeppole about 4 minutes on each side. Depending on the pan size, fry only 2 or 3 zeppole at a time, so you don't lower the temperature of the oil.  Once the zeppole are cooked through, place on paper towels to drain.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar once they've cooled slightly.

 

 

To make the pastry cream:  Place the milk and the lemon rind in a nonreactive heavy bottom sauce pot and leave for 20 minutes.  Then bring the milk to a scald.  Let the lemon rind steep in the milk for 10 minutes.  In the meantime, in another bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg yolks until the mixture becomes pale.  (The whisk must be nonreactive also.) Add the cornstarch and flour and whisk to combine.

Strain the lemon rind out of the milk, and slowly pour the warmed milk into the egg yolk mixture.  Whisking together as you pour.  Once all the milk and egg yolk mixtures are combined, place back into the saucepot and over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil, whisking vigorously the entire time.  Once the mixture has boiled, cook for another 2 minutes, again stirring the entiring time.  Remove from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh seive.  Add the butter to the top of the pastry cream, stirring in once the butter has melted. Place the bowl into an ice bath and let cool for 10 minutes.  Spread the pastry cream into a 9x13-inch glass dish and cover with plastic wrap.  The plastic wrap should be touching the pastry cream to keep the cream from developing a film.  Refrigerate until cold.

 

To make the chocolate ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl.  In a sauce pot, heat the cream just until it's scalding (little bubbles appear around the rim).  Pour the cream over the chocolate.  Let the mixture rest for a minute, then slowly whisk together.  To create a smooth ganache, place the whisk in the center of the mixture and whisk in a small, slow, circular motion until the chocolate and cream combine.  Let the ganache cool and thicken just to the point that it will hold its form when it's piped.

 

To assemble the zeppole:  Place the pastry cream into a piping bag fitted with a 12mm star tip.  Into the center of each zeppole, pipe the pastry cream.  I piped a generous two "snail-shaped" circles of pastry cream, one on top of the other.  Place the ganache into a piping bag fitted with a 10mm star tip.  Pipe a small ring of ganache on the top center of each zeppole.  They are best minutes after they've been garnished, and should be eaten the day they've been made.  Enjoy!

NOTE:  To make the Neapolitan version, with a cherry topping instead of the chocolate one, you need a jar of amarena cherries, or another type of sour cherries, in syrup.  Drain some of the syrup from the cherries, and top each zeppole with one cherry.

 

Zeppole di San Giuseppe from Scaturchio in Napoli

 

This week (and last) is dedicated to a "Taste of Puglia." Like this post, the others included little tastes of Puglia and some of the things we'll see, do and taste on this Food & Wine Lover's Culinary Tour in Puglia.  Ylenia will be with us the entire trip, and her love and knowledge of Salento and the people she introduces us to will be some of the most memorable parts of your trip.

Read more about the food and beauty of Puglia - Puglia section here on the blog.

 

 

 

Related Posts:

The Pastries of Lecce with Pastry Chef Luca Capilungo

Making Orecchiette and Salentine Breads - Cooking with Mamma Giulia in Salento

Artisanal Cheese at Masseria CinqueSanti in Puglia

The Art of Making Pasta by Hand: A Pugliese Pasta Lesson with Nonna Vata

Cheese in Puglia - Making and Eating Fresh Cheese in Salento

Under the Salento Sun - The Masserie of Puglia

Wedding in Puglia

Traditional Salentine Dishes at Locanda Rivoli in Lecce

Lecce: The Baroque Beauty of Puglia

Pugliese Pasta Dish: Sagne Ncannulate con Sugo Schiattariciati

Classic Salentino Cuisine Reinvented at Sette di Sette in Lecce

Tour of Masseria L'Astore and its Frantoio Ipogeo in Salento

Lunch Salento Style at Cantine Menhir

Shopping and Eating Local in Italy - Farmers' Market in Lecce

Sagne Ncannulate Schiattariciati - Pugliese Pasta with Schiattariciati Tomato Sauce

The Dish from Lecce: Rustico Leccese

The Dish from Puglia: Ricci di Mare (sea urchins) from Porto Badisco

This Dish from Puglia: Friselle

Christmas Around Italy - Christmas Desserts in Salento

Eclairs with Chocolate Pastry Cream

Torta Setteveli - Seven Veils Cake from Palermo

Tiramisu

Journey Through the Pastries of Napoli

 

 

Nutella filled Venetian Frittelle for World Nutella Day & Carnival

 

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Today is the international holiday, World Nutella Day, hosted by Michelle from Bleeding Espresso and Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy.  Six years ago "with a dream and a spoon" they deemed February 5th the Nutella Day holiday and history was made.  So popular this holiday is, they've even made a book about it.

 

For the last three years I've been participating in the celebrations, not only by eating spoonfuls of Nutella, but also by making something sweet and even sharing the story of my first taste of Nutella. This year the Nutella holiday fell on the same weekend as the start of Carnival in Venice. I couldn't resist making these fried Carnival treats and filling them with the chocolate and hazelnutty goodness - Nutella!

 

 

Frittelle in Venice

 

During the Carnival season, you'll find pastry shop windows in Venice full of the various kinds of frittelle - with raisins & pine nuts, filled with pastry cream or cream chantilly, and apple fritters.  Only once last year during Carnival did I see frittelle filled with Nutella; it was on my food walk with Monica.  But once I saw them, I knew they would be the treats I made for this year's celebration.  Here's the recipe, adapted from the traditional recipe in the cookbook, Venice Tradition and Food, one of the many cookbooks I've brought home from my travels.

 

 

 

 

Frittelle Veneziane filled with Nutella
Adapted from Venice Tradition and Food by Pino Agostini, Alvise Zorzi & Luca Steffenoni

(Makes about 24 frittelle)


3 ½ cups (500 grams) flour
3 ½ ounces (100 grams) sugar, plus more for garnishing the frittelle
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, room temperature
1 ¾ cups whole milk, divided in half plus more if needed
1 ½ ounces (40 grams) yeast
6-8 cups sunflower oil (or another oil with a high smoking point) for frying
1 large jar (26 ounces) Nutella

 

In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt.  Stir the eggs and half of the milk together and add it to the flour mixture.  Stir together until combined.  Warm the other half of the milk and add the yeast, stirring until the yeast is dissolved.  Add the milk and yeast mixture to the flour mixture and stir until all the ingredients are combined, scraping down the sides to make sure the dough is homogenous.  The dough will be quite loose/wet. Cover the bowl with a towel and let rise for about 5 hours when it should have doubled in size.

When the dough is ready, stir it again.  It should still be very loose and sticky.  If it's not, add a little more milk. 

In a heavy pot for frying, heat the oil to 365° F (180° C). Spoon the batter, scooped into 1 1/2 inch balls, into the oil. (I used an ice cream scooper, spraying it with non-stick cooking spray).  Fry until the frittelle are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Don't overcrowd your pot, or you will reduce the temperature of the oil, and they will not cook properly.  I fried 5 frittelle at a time in my large pot.

Remove the frittelle with a slotted spoon and place on a plate covered with paper towels to drain.  Once they've cooled enough to handle, roll them in granulated sugar.  Once you've fried all the frittelle, poke a hole in the tops of them.  Fill a pastry bag fitted with a round tip with Nutella and pipe Nutella into each frittelle.  They should be eaten while they are still warm.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

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Happy Nutella Day!  What is your favorite way of eating Nutella and/or your best recipe with Nutella?

***************

 

 

 

 

Related Posts:

Gianduja and Nutella Cheesecake for World Nutella Day 2010

Nutella Love Cakes (Flourless Chocolate & Hazelnut Cake with Nutella Ganache) for World Nutella Day 2011

Italian Hot Chocolate Recipe and Carnival in Venice

Frittelle, Hot Chocolate and Costumes - Welcome to Carnival in Venice

Tasting Venice - A Food Tour with Moncia Cesarato

Favorite Scenes and Costumes from Carnival in Venice 2011

Gianduja Budino and a Chocolate Pass in Turin

History of Chocolate in Turin - Gianduja and Much More

 

 

Holiday Dessert Recipes

 

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"It's the most wonderful time of the year," yes?  Christmas is here and for someone that loves to bake and share what I make, it is a wonderful, and also busy, time of the year.  For those of you looking for holiday dessert ideas, I've put together a list of my favorite dessert recipes.  Inpsired by travels to France & Italy & baking memories with mom, all of them would be a sweet ending to a fabulous holiday meal, or make a great edible Christmas gift.  There are many super easy yet elegant recipes and also those that are a little more elaborate, but definitely worth the extra effort.

Wishing all of you a sweet and happy holiday!

 

 

 

~ Super Easy and Elegant Dessets ~

Apple Tart from Gascony - Croustade aux Pommes 

Gianduja Budino

Gianduja - Nutella Cheesecake

"Magical" Chocolate Kahlua Budino

Meyer Lemon Cheesecake

Tiramisu Cheesecake

Torta Caprese - Flourless Chocolate Cake from Capri

 

 

 

 

~ More Delicious Desserts ~

Cannoli Siciliani

Cassatelle alla Siciliana

Chocolate Eclairs with Chocolate Pastry Cream

Meyer Lemon Tart Topped with Lightened Lemon Cream

Nutella Love Cakes

Quince Crostata

Tiramisu

Torta Setteveli - Seven Veils Cake from Palermo

 

 

 

 ~ Cookies and Other Small Bites ~

Cantucci - Biscotti from Tuscany

Four-Spice Palmiers

Pignolata (or Neapolitan Struffoli)

Snowball Cookies (Palle di Neve)

 

 

 

 

Related Posts:

Christmas Around Italy - 10 Addresses for Christmas Sweets in Rome

Christmas Around Italy - Traditional Venetian Christmas Dinner

Christmas Around Italy - Christmas Traditions in Naples

Christmas in France - Aix-en-Provence Christmas Market

Christmas Gingerbread House

French Pastries and 10 Top Patisseries in Paris

Paris Pastry Binge - Some of the Best Pastry Shops in Paris

Paris Walks for Food Lovers - Along Rue de Seine and Bonaparte

 

Chocolate Eclairs: My Mom and Learning to Make Them

 

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“Keep stirring until the dough forms a ball,” the French chef explained during our basic class on pâte a choux.  This statement, the same my mom always used while teaching me, transported me through time to the first time I made éclairs. 

I was perched on a stool eyes glued to the saucepan. My mom stirred the éclair dough, while explaining the procedure.  Her thin but deft arms swirling like helicopter blades mixing the dough into a ball.  After that she handed the pan over to me and let me stir in the eggs, one at a time.  I was eager to do anything to be involved in making éclairs, even something as simple as stirring.  My mom would make cream puffs or éclairs only for Easter and Christmas. I, ever the chocoholic, pleaded each year for her to make éclairs instead of the cream puffs, whining, “But mommmm, there’s no chocolate in cream puffs.” To me, the cream puff was the ugly stepsister, and I wanted Cinderella, the éclair with chocolate. 

 

After I stirred in the eggs, she took back the saucepan and used two spoons to form lumpy mounds onto the baking sheet.  I took about 30 minutes to make two mounds. I started the second over and over again to make them exactly the same.  My mom just shook her head and laughed, “We don’t have all day to make them perfect.” How a piping bag would have helped, but we never had kitchen “gadgets” to make things prettier and easier.  Instead flatware was our baking equipment; spoons took the place of piping bags, butter knives were offset spatulas, forks were pastry cutters and crimpers.  “Gadgets,” she’d sneer, “are for people who don’t really bake.”  My guess is that we really didn’t have the extra money for gadgets, and she improvised with what we had.

 

After the éclairs baked for the first 25 minutes, she used a wooden spoon to jar the oven door open and let the steam exit.  Instead of fondant and chocolate pastry cream, we used melted chocolate chips for the icing and made out-of-the-box pudding for the filling.  To fill the éclairs, she cut them in half, sacrilege to the French pastry chef.  With a butter knife, she plopped the melted chocolate chips onto the éclair top, and flicked her wrist once to spread it, one éclair after the other, not paying attention to any of the chocolate dripping from the sides. 

 

 

 

As she spread, I used a paper towel to wipe away the drippings and any smears.  She let me help with the pudding, and I carefully filled each éclair trying to make sure no pudding ran off the sides.  Again, she shook her head and mumbled my nickname, “piddicusa,” (Sicilian dialect for the Italian term, pignola – meaning excessively fussy).   My mom didn’t have time to be piddicusa.  She had three holy terrors adorable kids, a tight budget, and even tighter amount of time to spend worrying about chocolate dripping from the side of éclairs. 

 

We made about 20 éclairs, not all the same length, with ragged and uneven tops, resembling mountain ranges.  They were not the perfect little cylinders exquisitely coiffed with fondant that you see in Parisian patisseries but they were good. I was so proud of my first endeavor into French pastry, looking upon them like a mother swan admiring the potential of her baby ducklings.  My mom packed them into her Tupperware and carted them off to my Aunt Rosalie’s, where I displayed them on a crystal platter with paper doilies underneath.  Now my aunt, who has never baked once in her life, had all the “gadgets.” 

 

 

 

Somewhere in the background, I heard someone ask, “Kathy, what’s wrong?”  Suddenly, I was back in the present, in class in Paris, and the chef was piping one clone after another onto the parchment-lined sheet tray. Each strip of dough was exactly 12 mm in width and 4 inches in length.  I blinked away the tears and wiped them from my cheek, responding “Nothing, I'm just happy to be learning how to make éclairs.”

As many of you who follow this blog know, my mom passed away almost 8 years ago.  She is still a huge part of my food-loving life.  She wasn’t a professional like her father, from whom she learned to bake. After arriving in the U.S. from Italy, he had a bakery in New York.  (I wonder if he used “gadgets”?)  She did make delicious and simple baked goods that people still remember and talk about today.  Even though I can make fancy French pastries, I’m constantly asked by my family, and long-time friends, to replicate her pies, cakes, cookies, and cream puffs (only I loved the éclairs more).  Although I use more of the professional techniques, even gadgets, than my mom did, I hear my mom every time I stir the flour into the milk mixture "until it forms a ball."

I do enjoy sampling the many varieties of pastries in France, but the chocolate eclair is still my favorite.  When I make them and when I eat them, I think of my mom.  I share this story and the recipe in honor of her.  The technique for making these is what I learned in France, but the icing on this recipe, a ganache one, is closer to my mom's version than the one of fondant that you'll find in French patisseries. 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Eclairs

(makes 20 eclairs)

For the pâte a choux:

2/3 cup (150 ml) whole milk

2/3 cup (150 ml) water

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (120 g) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cup (180 g) all-purpose flour

4 to 5 eggs, at room temperature

In a sauce pot, bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to a rolling boil.  Keep the mixture on the heat until it has expanded and then fallen.  Remove from the heat, and pour the flour in all at once.  Stir vigorously until the mixture becomes a ball.  Place back over medium-low heat and continue stirring about 10 minutes to dry out the dough.  Remove from the heat and stir until you no longer see steam rising from the dough.  Place the dough in a stand mixer using a paddle attachment (or you can do this by hand), and stir in one egg at a time.  With the electric mixer or by hand, the dough will break up into pieces and come back together as you incorporate each egg.  After the fourth egg, lift the dough up with the spoon or paddle attachment to test if it's ready.  As you lift it, it should come to a point, stay for a few seconds, then fall back on itself.  If it doesn't fall, add the fifth egg, or part of it. 

Using a pastry bag and round tip, 12 mm or 1/2-inch in diameter, pipe out cylindars 4 1/2 inches long onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.  Leave 2 inches between each eclair you pipe.  Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 F and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes more.  Turn off the heat and open the oven to keep the door ajar (yes, you can use a wooden spoon to do this, if necessary).  Let the eclairs dry out for 20 minutes more with the oven off.

 

 

For the chocolate pastry cream:

3 1/4 cup (750 ml) whole milk

1 cup (185 g) granulated sugar, divided in half

8 egg yolks

1/3 cup (65 g) cornstarch

9 ounces (300 g) quality dark chocolate, 70% cacao, melted

Bring the milk and half the sugar to a boil.  As the milk is heating, whisk together the othr half of the sugar and the egg yolks until the mixture is combined and has lightened in color.  Whisk in the cornstarch.  Once the milk boils, slowly pour it into the egg yolk mixture, whisking the entire time, until you have added all the milk into the egg yolks.  Pour the mixture back into the sauce pot and bring to a boil, whisking constantly.  Once the mixture boils, keep over the heat for about 30 seconds more, whisking continuously.  Remove from the heat and pass through a fine mesh seive into a bowl.  Add the chocolate and stir until all the chocolate has been combined into the pastry cream.  Place the mixture over an ice bath and let cool for 10 minutes.  Spread the mixture into a 13x9-inch glass dish and cover with platic wrap (the plastic wrap should be touching the pastry cream, so a film doesn't form).  Refrigerate until the pastry cream is cold.

 

 

For the chocolate ganache icing:

2/3 cup (150 ml) heavy cream

4 1/2 ounces (150 g) dark couverture chocolate, finely chopped

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl.  In a sauce pot, heat the cream just until it's scalding (little bubbles appear around the rim).  Pour the cream over the chocolate.  Let the mixture rest for a minute, then slowly whisk together.  To create a smooth ganache, place the whisk in the center of the mixture and whisk in a small, slow, circular motion until the chocolate and cream combine.  Break the butter into four pieces and place on top of the mixture.  Once the butter melts, slowly stir it in with the whisk.  Let the ganache cool and thicken just to the point that it will not run when you frost the eclairs, about 90 F.

 

To assemble the eclairs:

 

 

The eclairs should be completely cooled, and the pastry cream should be cold before assembling.  It is best to assemble the eclairs 1-2 hours before serving. Using a star tip about 1/4 inch in diameter, poke three holes in the bottom of each eclair. 

 

 
 
 

Fill a pastry bag with a round pastry tip that is 1/4-inch in diameter.  Fill each eclair by piping the pastry cream into the holes you've just made in the bottom of the eclairs.  Continue piping until the cream starts to run out from each of the holes.  (This will ensure that you have a nicely filled eclair.)  Wipe away the excess pastry cream with a spatula.

 

 

To ice the eclairs, the ganache should be just at the point where it won't run, about 90 F.  The ganache should also be in a bowl that it at least as wide as each eclair.  Gently and lightly lay the top portion of the eclair into the ganache, stopping right when the eclair has just touched the ganache.  Pull the eclair back up and run an arched finer over the top's center to smooth out the icing.  You should only have excess at one end of the eclair.  At that end run your index finger around the edge to wipe of the excess.  Do the same for each eclair.

Refrigerate until serving. Enjoy! 

 

A Few Notes: 

Like my mom, you can use chocolate pudding mix, but once you've tasted chocolate pastry cream, you'll never go back to the box stuff.

When making ganache, I wouldn't recommend using chocolate chips for cookies.  They have a wax in them so they will keep their shape in the heat, exactly the opposite of what you want when making ganache.  A high quality couverture chocolate will not only taste better, but also give you the shine you want on the topping.

 

 

  

 

 

 

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What is one of your most memorable cooking or eating moments with your mom?

*************** 

 

 

Related Posts:

Slow Cooked Meat Ragu to Honor Mom

Paris Walks for Food Lovers: Rue de Seine and Rue Bonaparte

French Pastries and Ten Top Patisseries in Paris

Journey Through the Pastries of Paris - Part 1

Journey Through the Pastries of Paris - Part 2

The Dish from France: Viennoiserie

Fraisier - To Celebrate My Blog Birthday

Meyer Lemon Tart Inspired by Gerard Mulot

Galette des Rois - Celebrate Epiphany

Flaky Apple Tart from Gascony - Croustade aux Pommes

Four-Spice Palmiers

Cooking Classes for the Culinary Traveler in Paris

Easter Chocolate in Paris Windows

 

 

 

Chiacchiere - Ready for Carnival in Italy

 

 

Are you ready for Carnevale? I certainly am.  As with every celebration that happens in Italy, food is a huge part of the festivities.  Carnevale is no exception.  I've fried up some sweet treats, an essential food for any Carnival celebration, for my post at Napoli Unplugged.  These fried treats are as much a Carnival tradition in Italy as are masks, costumes, parades and pranks.

They start popping up in pastry shops right after the Epiphany. Although you will find them throughout Italy, their name and shape differs throughout the boot.  Never have I seen so many names for such a simple treat:  Called chiacchiere (meaning chatter - gossip - chit chat) in the south of Italy, they also go by other names in other areas: frappe (tassels) in Rome, cenci - (rags) in Tuscany, bugie (lies) in Piedmont, sfrappe in Le Marche, sfrappole in Emilia, nastri (ribbons), lattughe (lettuce), guanti (gloves), fritole, crostoli, galani, cioffe.  These are the names I've seen for them, but I'm certain there are even more.  If you've heard them called by any other name, please add it in the comments below.

 

 

For as many different names as these treats have, they might have as many variations in forms.  I've seen squares, sheets, strips, diamonds, knots and twisted ribbon like shapes. Sweet fried dough with the requisite dusting of powdered sugar, they are a sweet and simple indulgence, both delicious and addictive.  It's impossible to eat just one.

For the recipe and a tidbit on another Carnival traditon, make sure to check out my post on NapoliUnplugged: Chiacchiere for Carnival

 

 
 

Related Posts:

Italian Hot Chocolate and Carnevale in Venice

Cassatelle alla Siciliana - Sweet Fried "Ravioli" filled with Ricotta Cream

One Cannolo - Two Cannoli

A Lesson in Venetian Mask Making

Gnocchi alla Sorrentina: A Taste of Sorrento - my post for Napoli Unplugged

 

 

Nutella Love Cake with Nutella & Chocolate Ganache for World Nutella Day 2011

 

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It's World Nutella Day! Five years ago Michelle from Bleeding Espresso and Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy declared February 5th as World Nutella Day, the official day to celebrate their and the world's love for Nutella.  The love has spread and this celebration has certainly taken off. There are almost 19,000 fans of World Nutella Day on Facebook.  Last year I joined in the love, sharing my first taste of Nutella (in Florence) with you and my recipe for Gianduja - Nutella Cheesecake. 

On Monday, February 7, 2011, Sara and Michelle will post links to ALL the recipes of those that created something and posted it on their blogs for World Nutella Day.  I'm guessing there are going to be a lot of recipes!  In the meantime, you can check out the Nutella Day Flickr Pool for photos of what's being created and eaten and to see how others are celebrating Nutella today.

 

 

 

 

This year, I thought I'd share the Nutella love with individual cakes shaped in the form of a heart.  The cake is a flourless chocolate and hazelnut cake.  There are two fillings; one a nutella ganache with chopped hazelnuts and on top of that is a whipped milk chocolate ganache.  Then the entire cake is slathered in Nutella ganache and finished with a garnish of roasted hazelnuts.  I had a very handy heart shapped cutter and made individual cakes, perfect for romantic Valentine's Day dinners for two or a big party, might I suggest a Nutella love fest. And this cake is also gluten free. 

 

 

 

While making this cake, scents of chocolate and roasted hazelnuts mingled together and filled the house.  I had a flashback to a day when I was in Alba, Italy.  We were there to check out the market and then take a bus to Barolo and sip some wine.  That same seductive scent filled the entire city.  At the time we didn't know that the Ferrero plant, the makers of Nutella, was located in Alba. We kept guessing what was being made and tried to follow the scent.  We wanted some of whatever that sweet aroma was.  We asked a guy at the osteria where we were eating.  He told us about the Ferrero plant.  All day I had been smelling the scents of Nutella being made.  No wonder I had been in such a good mood.

 

 

 

Below I've given the recipe for making the individual cakes, using a heart shaped cookie cutter.  The recipe will work if you'd also like to make one large 9-inch round cake.  Instead of baking the flourless cake on a sheet pan, divide the cake batter into two 9-inch spring form pans.  Follow the same assembly instructions, instead making only one cake.  Enjoy and Happy World Nutella Day!  Thanks again Michelle and Sara for sharing and continuing the Nutella love!

 

Nutella Love Cake

(makes about 10 individual heart cakes or one 9-inch round cake)
 

For the Flourless Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake:

9 ounces good quality dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 cup butter
¼ cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
1 cup finely ground blanched and toasted hazelnuts
6 eggs, room temperature

Preheat an oven to 310°F and line the bottom of a 15x7 jelly roll pan with parchment paper.

Slowly melt the chocolate and butter over a double-boiler.  In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk together the melted chocolate mixture, the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and sugar until combined.  Add the ground hazelnuts and whisk until combined.  Add the eggs one at a time, adding each egg after the first has been incorporated into the mixture.  Pour the mixture into the spring form pan.  Make sure the mixture is level and smooth on top. Bake for about 15-20 minutes.  It is ready when you place a toothpick in the center and only a few moist crumbs attach to the toothpick. 

 

For the Whipped Milk Chocolate Ganache:

1 cup heavy cream

10 ounces good quality milk chocolate, finely chopped

Scald the cream.  Pour over the milk chocolate and let it sit for about 2 minutes.  Starting from the center of the bowl, slowly whisk the mixture until it comes together.  Pour into a 9x13-inch glass dish and refrigerate until it is chilled, 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from the refrigerator.  In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip to soft peaks.  Set aside until assembling the cake.

 

For the Nutella Ganache:

1 jar (13 oz) Nutella

3/4 cup heavy cream

2 1/3 cups blanched and toasted hazelnuts, finely chopped

In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the nutella and cream until they are combined. Pour 3/4 cup of the ganache in a bowl and combine it with 1/3 cup of the chopped hazelnuts. Set aside both mixtures until you're ready to assemble the cake.  The remaining 2 cups of hazelnuts will be used for the garnish.

 

For the Simple Syrup:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

Pour the sugar and water into a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Remove from the heat, cool and refrigerate until ready to use.  It should be cold before using. 

 

To Assemble the Cake:

Cut out the heart forms for the individual cakes.  With a pastry brush, dab simple syrup onto the bottom layer of each cake, enough so that it soaks through.  Place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the Nutella ganache with the hazelnuts onto each bottom layer of cake and spread it in an even layer out almost to the edge.  Using a piping bag with a round tip, pipe a layer of whipped ganache, about 3/8-inch in height on top of the Nutella ganache, covering the entire area of the heart.  Place the second layer of cake on top of the whipped ganache layer.  With a pastry brush, dab simple syrup onto the top layer of each cake until it has soaked through.  Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.

Place a baking rack over a sheet pan. This is for icing the cake.  Once the cakes have chilled, remove them from the refrigerator and place them onto the rack.  Pour the Nutella ganache, the mixture that does not have nuts in it, over each cake to ice it completely.  If you need to, you can recuperate the icing in the sheet pan and do a second glazing.  Chill for about 10 minutes in the refrigerator.  Coat the sides with the chopped hazelnuts and serve.

 

 

 

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How are you celebrating World Nutella Day? What's you're favorite way to eat Nutella? 

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**The World Nutella Day Image is provided with permission by World Nutella Day.  All other photos, the recipe and all content are mine and may not be copied or reproduced without my permission.

 

Related Posts:

Gianduja - Nutella Cheesecake for World Nutella Day 2010

Gianduja Budino and a Chocolate Pass in Turin

Torta Setteveli - Seven Veils Cake from Palermo

Eurochocolate Perugia - Italy's Biggest Chocolate Festival

Chocolate Eclairs: My Mom and Learning to Make Them

History of Chocolate in Turin - Gianduja and Much More

Scenes from CioccolaTo - Chocolate Festival in Turin

Italian Hot Chocolate at Carnevale in Venice

Italy in Chocolate at Turin's CioccolaTo Festival

Seven Sensational Gelaterie in Turin - After 100 Scoops

Torta Caprese - Flourless Chocolate Almond Cake from Capri

Say I Love You with Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

Romantic Italy - Best Places to Kiss in Italy

Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream and Berthillon in Paris

 

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If you're a Paris food lover, especially if you love the sweets of Paris, you've probably heard about and tasted Berthillon ice creams. Berthillon is the famous Parisian glacier on the Ile Saint Louis. Popular with Parisians and tourists, there is almost always a long line at their main take away location on Rue Saint Louis en L'ile.  

I don't remember when I first found out about Berthillon, but while I lived in Paris it became my usual Sunday haunt.  Countless Sundays included a few boules (balls) of Berthillon ice cream after mornings at the Bastille Market, wandering through the Marais, or after a Sunday matinee.  We'd sit along the banks of the Seine or wander over the bridge and lap up our ice cream with the buttresses of Notre Dame in our view. 

 

  

 

 
 



My Parisian friend Richard, a Berthillon faithful, gave me many lessons in French ice cream etiquette.  See, I love the combination of chocolate and raspberry.  "Quelle catastrophe!"  He told me one day when he heard me order that combination.  Mixing sorbets and glace (ice cream), as I found out, is just not done.  It ranks up there in the faux pas world with cutting your lettuce with a knife, wearing sweats anywhere besides the gym, bright white tennis shoes and is possibly as bad as wearing a dreaded fanny pack. He also explained that one should never order less than 3 parfums, meaning 3 different parfums (flavors).  I still think the the three flavor minimum rule is one only he follows. Hating to be in the same category as a fanny pack wearer, I decided the chocolate and raspberry combo was out.  Once I did order chocolat, chocolat noir and chocolat blanc.  To Richard it was boring; for me the combination was pas mal. 

 

 

 

 

In an effort to avoid any ice cream faux pas and to avoid "boring" status, each Sunday I'd order different flavor combinations.  What happened was that I found two fabulous flavors I liked more than chocolat noir and even better than the triple chocolate combination: caramel beurre sale and pain d'epices. The salted butter caramel is a full dose of caramel flavor that includes a hint of bitterness, the caramel flavor both balanced and enhanced by the salt and butter.  The pain d'epices is a cream-based ice cream with quarte epice (four spices) added to the base and little chunks of gingerbread mixed into the ice cream.  Comfort food on a cone. 

Alas, I again became boring because from then on my order has always been the same: dark chocolate, salted butter caramel and spiced bread/gingerbread.

 

During my last trip to Paris, I made my usual stop at Berthillon.  I paid around 6 euros for my three boules. However, this trip to Berthillon I was left disappointed.  It seemed to me that the boules had shrunk. I felt each one was the size of a walnut.  The quality and taste of the ice cream was the same, I guess.  It was hard to tell with such a small little tease of a taste.  Maybe I made some faux pas, breaking one of the many and infinite French food rules? Maybe the lady scooping  my ice cream was having a bad day? 

Also part of the problem was that I had just spent the previous month in Italy with daily doses (or more) of gelato.  Instead of walnuts, scoops of gelato were closer to the size of tennis balls and prices were rarely over 3 euros for 3 flavors.  It's only natural that I made the comparison.  Yep, from my experience Italian balls are bigger than French ones......at least when it comes to ice cream. 

 

 

 

 Berthillon's Chocolat Noir and Caramel Beurre Sale

 

 
Chocolate and Pistachio Gelato in Italy

 

I still love the taste of Berthillon's ice cream, even though the size of my last scoop left me wanting more.  I came home craving salted butter caramel ice cream and worked on recreating the recipe from my taste memory.  One thing is certain, when you're in charge of the scooping, you can make the size of your boules as small or as big as you like. 

 

 

Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream
(makes about 2 quarts)

1 3/4 cups (375 grams) granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
2 cups (500 ml) whole milk
2 cups (500 ml) heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, scraped
10 egg yolks, at room temperature
½ cup (1 stick/115 grams) salted butter, room temperature and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
5 grams sea salt

 

In a copper or heavy bottom saucepan caramelize the sugar and water.  Do not stir the mixture with a spoon while it's cooking, or the sugar will crystalize and make the mixture grainy.  While the sugar is cooking, mix together the milk, cream, vanilla bean, and bean scrapings.  When the mixture starts to turn from a golden color to an amber one, immediately remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour in the cream mixture.  (Be careful because it will initially bubble up.)  Once you've poured all the milk/cream mixture in, place back on medium heat and stir until the caramel has dissolved into the mixture. 

In a very large bowl, that will hold the milk mixture and the egg yolks, whisk together the egg yolks.  Very slowly pour the milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly.  (Slowly pouring the milk mixture onto the egg yolks, will slowly bring the yolks up to temperature without them curdling.)  Pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan and heat to 170 F (82 C), stirring slowly and constantly.

Once the mixture has reached 170 F (82 C), remove from the heat and strain into a bowl that has been placed into an ice bath. Add in the butter and stir until all the butter has melted.  Cool completely.  Stir in the sea salt and place in the refrigerator.  It's best to leave the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours before churning.  Churn based on your ice cream maker's instructions. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

Related Posts:

 

Paris Walks for Food Lovers: Rue de Seine and Rue Bonaparte

Mini Macarons and Ice Cream from LaDuree

 

French Pastries and Ten Top Patisseries in Paris

Sunday at the Bastille Market in Paris

Fraisier for my Blog Birthday

Meyer Lemon Tart with Lightened Lemon Cream Topping

Four Spice Palmiers

Cooking Classes for the Culinary Traveler in Paris

Seven Sensational Gelaterie in Turin - After 100 Scoops

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Torta Setteveli - Seven Veils Cake from Palermo

 

 

Sicilian sweets are some of the most popular in all of Italy.  There is the cannoli, quite possibly the most famous.  Cassata, marzipan treats, and granita are also quite popular.  However, not many people outside of Sicily are as familiar with the Torta Setteveli. The cake of the seven veils, named after the dance of the same name.  The dance of Salome to make Herod confused with want and lust.  Well, this cake definitely elicits want and lust.......for more cake!

The Torta Setteveli is the typical birthday cake in Palermo.  It's a combination of alternating chocolate and hazelnut layers, with a crunchy layer that combines both those flavors.  It's also the cake my cousins introduced me to when I made the mistake of saying I thought French pastries were better than Italian pastries.  They certainly showed me. 

There are many stories about who actually created the cake. Some give credit to Capello of Pasticceria Capello in Palermo, other to Luca Mannori of Prato, whose Torta Setteveli helped him win the 1997 Pastry World Cup in Lyon, France. You can find the cake throughout Sicily, but it is in every pasticceria in Palermo. The Palermitani see it as the ultimate dessert to enjoy on special occasions, especially for birthdays. 

While I was visiting relatives in Palermo, it was my little cousin Francesca's ninth birthday. I snuck out of the house to surprise her and get the cake.  Two hours later and one long half-mile, crowded bus trip back to their apartment, I returned.  I got odd looks both on the bus and walking back to the apartment as I carried the cake in my hands as carefully as I would a baby.  Francesca had her birthday cake, and I had my first taste of the Setteveli.  It definitely lived up to its billing.  Each layer is creamy and rich but also as light at as a veil from which its name derives. 

These are the seven layers of the Torta Setteveli:

7th layer (top layer): Chocolate Glaze

6th layer: Chocolate Mousse

5th layer: Hazelnut Bavarian Cream

4th layer: Chocolate Sponge Cake

3rd layer: Hazelnut Bavarian Cream

2nd layer: Praline Crunch

1st layer (bottom layer): Chocolate Sponge Cake 

 

 

 

This cake was the second of two desserts in the Sicilian-Inspired Holiday dinner I made last weekend.  I had been wanting to recreate this cake since I tasted it last year.  It takes a little time to make, so I would save it for a special occasion like a birthday, Christmas, or it would be a perfect chocolate treat for Valentine's Day.  It could and should be made a day in advance.

 

 

 

Torta Setteveli - Seven Veils Cake

(makes one 10 1/2 inch torta)

 

Chocolate Genoise Cake

This sponge cake is adapted from Lidia's Italian Table by Lidia Bastianich

(makes one 10-inch cake to be sliced in half)

2 cups cake flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

6 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Preheat an oven to 375 F. Butter and flour a 10-inch springform pan

Sift together two times the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda; set aside.

Over a double boiler, whisk together the eggs and sugar until they are warm (about 80 F) and almost doubled in size.  Place the mixture into a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and whisk until the mixture has tripled in size, about 7 minutes.  It's the proper consistency when you lift the batter with the whisk, and as the batter falls back into itself, the part that fell will stay on top of the batter for 30 seconds before sinking (called the ribbon effect because the form it makes looks like a ribbon).

Sift half of the flour onto the egg mixture, then fold it into the batter, being careful not to deflate the air whipped into the batter.  Sift the other half of the flour on the egg mixture and fold it until all the flour is combined.  Pour the batter into the springform pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  A skewer/toothpick poked into the center of the cake should come out clean when the cake is done.  Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes.  Remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack.  You should make the sponge cake at least one hour before assembling the torta.

 

Simple Syrup for Imbibing

75 grams granulated sugar

75 grams water

In a saucepan bring the sugar and water to a boil.  Remove from the heat and cool.  Refrigerate.  The imbibing syrup should be cold when assembling the torta.

 

Praline Crunch

65 grams dark chocolate 64%

25 grams butter

80 grams hazelnut paste**

40 grams cornflakes, crushed a bit by hand

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler.  Mix together the melted chocolate & butter, the hazelnut paste and the cornflakes.  Set aside until you're ready to assemble the tart.

 

Hazelnut Bavarian Cream

(makes about 1 quart)

8 ounces whole milk

8 ounces cream

4 ounces hazelnut paste**

5 egg yolks

90 g granulated sugar

12 g gelatin (3 leaves that are 4 grams each), placed in water

16 ounces heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

Prepare an ice bath in one large bowl

In a large saucepan, heat the milk, cream, hazelnut paste to scalding. The mixture will start bubbling around the outer edges.  While the milk mixture is heating, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until they become pale.  When the milk mixture is scalding, pour a little bit of it at a time onto the yolk mixture, whisking it as you pour. (You want to pour a little at a time so you bring the eggs up to temperature slowly and don't curdle the eggs.) Continue whisking until all the milk mixture has been incorporated into the egg mixture.  Pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan, and stir slowly with a spoon over medium heat until the mixture reaches 82 C/160 F.  Strain into a bowl that has been placed on top of the bowl you prepared with the ice bath.  (NOTE: At this point you've made hazelnut creme anglaise.) Squeeze all the water out of the gelatin, and add the gelatin to your creme anglaise, stirring until it has melted and has been incorporated.  Stir over the ice bath until the mixture is chilled.  Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the hazelnut mixture to lighten it.  Fold the remaining whipped cream into the hazelnut mixture in two more stages.  Prepare this bavarian cream right before you will be using it.

 

Chocolate Mousse

150 grams cream

150 grams dark chocolate 64%

250 grams cream, whipped to soft peaks and set aside (out of the refrigerator)

Chop the chocolate into shavings and place into a bowl.  In a saucepan, heat the cream to scalding.  Bubbles will form on the outer edges.  Pour the scalding milk over the chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute.  Slowly whisk together the mixture until they are combined into a creamy ganache.  Let cool to 100 F. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate ganache in three stages, as you did for the bavarian cream. Prepare right before assembling the torta. (NOTE:  It's important that the temperature of the ganache is 100 F and that the whipped cream is not cold.  If the temperatures of the two mixtures are too far apart, the chocolate will seize up and you will not have a smooth mousse.)

 

Chocolate Glaze

85 grams water

80 grams cream

40 g cocoa powder

120 g granulated sugar

12 grams gelatin leaves (3 leaves that weigh 4 grams each), soaked in water

In a saucepan bring to a boil the water, cream, cocoa powder and sugar whisking constantly.  Once the mixture boils, keep on the heat for another 4 minutes whisking constantly.  Cool to 100 F.  When the mixture reaches 100 F, wring out all the water from the gelatin and add it to the chocolate mixture.  Cool to 90 F.  Make right before using.  At 90 F, use to ice the torta.

 

**Hazelnut paste is not easy to find in the United States.  You can order Hazelnut paste online, and sometimes you can find it at high end supermarkets, but you can also make it yourself.  You must have a food processor to make hazelnut paste yourself.  Below is the recipe.

Hazelnut Paste

250 grams granulated sugar

75 grams water

3 cups hazelnuts with the skins removed

1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons hazelnut oil or walnut oil preferred, can substitute vegetable oil

In a saucepan caramelise the sugar, by heating the sugar and water until it is a light amber color to about 340 F.  You do not want to wait until the mixture is darker because it continues cooking after you've taken it off the heat.  Once it is a light amber color, off the heat add the hazelnuts and stir so that each nut is coated with caramel.  Pour onto a silpat or parchment paper and cool completely. Once it has cooled, break the candied hazelnuts into pieces that will fit into your food processor. 

In your food processor, working in batches of 2 or 3, grind the candied hazelnuts until they are a thick paste.  Add all the paste back to the food processor and drizzle in the oil just until its a creamy paste, a texture similar to peanut butter.

 

Assembling the Torta:

Organization is key to easily preparing the torta.  You will want to have the hazelnut cream ready, the sponge cake cooled and the imbibing syrup cold before you start on the other components of the cake. 

Once the above components are ready, slice the sponge cake.  First remove any dome from the cake so you have a flat top surface, then cut the cake in half.  Place one slice at the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan.  It's easier to unmold the cake if you place a mylar plastic strip around the rim of the springform pan.  With a pastry brush, dab the simple syrup onto the cake, imbibing it well. Refrigerate.

Meanwhile, make the praline crunch.  Remove the cake from the refrigerator and spread it onto the top of the imbibed cake layer.  Refrigerate.

Meanwhile, make the hazelnut bavarian cream.  Remove the cake from the refrigerator, and ladle about 2 cups of the bavarian cream onto the chilled praline layer of the cake.  With the bottom of the ladle, spread the bavarian cream to the outer edges of the cake so that you have an even layer of bavarian cream.  Ideally, the layer of bavarian cream, should be the same height as the layer of cake.  Place in the freezer for 15 minutes, so the bavarian cream will set more quickly. 

Remove the cake from the freezer, and place the second slice of cake on top of the bavarian cream layer.  With a pastry brush, dab the simble syrup onto the cake, imbibing the cake well with the syrup.  Place in the freezer for 10 minutes. 

Remove the cake from the freezer, and ladle 2 cups of bavarian cream onto the cake layer.  With the bottom of the ladle, spread the bavarian cream out to the outer edges of the cake, so you have an even layer of bavarian cream.  Again, ideally you want all the layers of cake and bavarian cream to be of equal height.  Place in the freezer for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the chocolate mousse.  Once the bavarian cream has completely set, remove from the freezer.  Remove the springform rim from the cake, and the mylar plastic rim if you used it.  Spread the mousse onto the top of the cake and the sides.  The mousse should be as smooth and level as possible on the top and on the sides - and again, ideally the mousse layers should be the same height as the cake slices and the bavarian cream.  Place in the freezer for 45 minutes.

About 15 minutes before you are ready to take the cake out of the freezer, make the chocolate glaze.  In the 15 minutes, or so, it takes to make the glaze and to let it cool to 90 F, the cake will be ready to take out of the freezer.  If your cardboard disk is bigger than the diameter of the cake, you should carefully replace it with one that is no bigger than the diameter of the cake.  (This will allow the glaze to run off the cake instead of forming a puddle at the bottom.) Place a baking rack into a sheet pan, and place the cake on the baking rack. (It might be wise to have a second sheet pan ready, in case you have to glaze the cake a second time.  Slowly pour the chocolate glaze over the cake, starting at one end and moving to the other end.  At the same time make sure that the glaze covers all sides.  If the glaze has not covered all sides after the first glazing, move the rack (with the cake on it) to the second sheet pan.  Pour the glaze at the bottom of the sheet pan back into the saucepan and reglaze in the same manner you did for the first glazing.  Ideally, you will want to glaze only once, but if you have to glaze a second time, you want to work quickly before the gelatin starts to set.  You should not glaze more than 2 times, or you risk having an uneven and lumpy glaze.  Place back into the refrigerator until the glaze has set and chilled, at least one hour, before serving.  Slice and serve.  Buon Appetito!

 

 

 

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