In a time where “free” (gluten-free, lactose-free, fat-free, sugar-free…) diets are all the rage, we want to go against the grain by discussing the positive aspects of these ingredients that are “on trial”, within our realm dedicated to all things sweet. That is why in the last edition of 2015 we have decided to talk about sugar: as the saying goes… last but not least. We like sugar because it is good for our health (according to our nutritionist Professor Migliaccio). We like it because it can take on a hundred forms, as attested to by the stunning images from Internoconcucina, and is always delicious. We like it because all you need is something sweet to cheer you up and make a child happy. Because sugar makes everything better and everyone better… And it is just what you need at Christmas!
Gaia Passi
Gualtiero Marchesi
“My cooking is all about sweetness”
The Master of Italian Cuisine discusses the iconic dishes that have made him famous, extols the work of pastry chefs and confesses a few sins of gluttony…
«he who has taught
Cracco, Oldani, Berton»
Gualtiero Marchesi is perhaps one of the last remaining specimens of gentlemanly chefs. Our conversation with him ranges from butter to art, from music to omelettes, seamlessly winding through recollections, quotes and anecdotes, all recounted with a touch of irony.
However, when it comes to cooking, the Master has the last word. He who was the first in Italy to win three Michelin stars (which he then returned to the sender in protest against the guide's voting system), he who has taught Carlo Cracco, Davide Oldani and Andrea Berton (just to name a few), he who has never ceased to innovate in forty years, today he is talking to us about his personal conception of cooking, and of confectionery.
Q&A 1-3/5
Chef, do you like sweetstuffs?
Yes, even though I shouldn't, blood sugar, you know… I have a sweet tooth.
What role does sweetness have in your cooking?
I would respond as follows: my cooking is all about sweetness, the opposite of aggressiveness. Ingredients are the central features and all other culinary preparations aim to enhance them, not conceal them behind condiments.
Your Decalogue for Chefs list the ten golden rules for being successful in this profession. Do they hold for pastry chefs too?
Absolutely. I think that every chef must be a pastry chef first, or at least learn from that experience, from respect for the rules, the sense of proportions and quantity, which are part of this art. A confectioner is equal to a chef, at least in theory, with the exception of myself.
Q&A 4-5/5
In your last book you spoke about classic Italian cuisine from your perspective. What dishes (and desserts) represent it best?
Some dishes have become true icons: the gold and saffron risotto, open ravioli, fish dripping and many more. In terms of desserts, my thoughts go to my version of the Sachertorte first and foremost, in which I added coffee and replaced the apricot with orange. The result is a cake with a more Italian flavour, which is elegant and less dry.
How has Italian cuisine and confectionery changed in recent years and what are the challenges that they will have to face in the future?
In some ways they have changed for the worse. There is little to copy and to rack your brains over. Italian cuisine, from Sicily to the Alto Adige, is the richest in terms of micro-climates. All you would have to do is look to the past and present, then study and update our great tradition.
Decalogue for Chefs
(and pastry chefs)
Gualtiero Marchesi released his personal Decalogue for Chefs this year, ten commandments for being the perfect chef, which, it is said, hold for pastry chefs too.
The Decalogue was shared with the Scientific Committee of the Gualtiero Marchesi Foundation, made up of personalities from the worlds of culture and art.
Beyond the rules there is a warning: "Creating is: not copying", without this leading to the pursuit of the new as a qualifying feature in and of itself. In other words, innovation can be found in the unknown, but also in what is already established.
Decalogue for Chefs
1. Being a chef is a profession, or better yet, it is a service, a ministerium.
2. Your uniform must be pure white, reflecting the essential characteristics required to be a chef: honesty, cleanliness and respect.
3. The law of a chef is the recipe s/he is making: good implementation needs a certain amount of interpretation, carefully measured, not too much nor too little, added with respectful discretion.
4. Three figures correspond to the different levels of experience and expertise: the executor, the interpreter and the composer. To reach these milestones, a chef will have to master the technique and have practised in all areas: appetisers, first courses, meat, fish and confectionery, even if afterwards s/he decides to dedicate themselves to one of these.
5. Knowledge of the land is fundamental: the water, earth and air that hold the memory of the territory's character, giving substance and flavour to the fruit and animals; the inhabitants and climate, as they must inevitably face both.
6. Studying the gastronomic culture of other countries can help to form a broader understanding of the culinary art and its creations with different characteristics and content.
7. The skill of a chef is founded on two pillars: his or her knowledge of the ingredients and the ways of cooking them, while respecting nature.
8. Technical solutions and virtuosities cannot disregard technical expertise and knowledge of the ingredients when designing and creating.
9. A good chef knows the right thing to do as regards every recipe: the cooking times and methods, the exact temperature, the duration of any resting period and the choice of the most suitable container for the final presentation.
10. The diffusion of gastronomic culture, an essential element of the cooking profession, completes the Decalogue. This involves teaching the art of eating well and healthily, and training young chefs at the same time, passing the baton on to the worthy.
Italian cuisine.
The Great Cookbook
De Agostini
In this book Gualtiero Marchesi reinterprets more than 1200 recipes from classic Italian cuisine. Tradition and innovation find their perfect balance here: regional and family recipes are enhanced thanks to the techniques and secrets of haute cuisine. From the appetisers to the desserts, it is a cookbook with a wealth of ideas and suggestions for chefs at all levels.
Panettone Sformato
With this recipe, top chef Gualtiero Marchesi reinvents the most classic Christmas dessert. His panettone sformato evokes soft leavened panettone in terms of flavour, but its appearance is completely transformed. A perfect example of how you can innovate by following tradition.
RECIPE
n° 1
Panettone Sformato
Ingredients for 4 people
2 tbsp orange juice
1/2 orange zest
1/2 lemon zest
2 tbsp Grand Marnier
2 tbsp sugar syrup
300 g custard
2 sheets gelatin
20 g chopped raisins
20 g candied citron
20 g candied orange
1 dl whipped cream
100 g egg whites
30 g sugar
80 g panettone without the crust
Method
Combine the juice, citrus zests, raisins, the candied citrus fruit, Grand Marnier and the sugar syrup in a small saucepan and boil them until they reduce down to half the size. Stir in half of the still warm custard, the sheets of gelatin and the citrus sauce, which should also still be warm. Leave to cool and then add the whisked egg whites with the sugar and cream. Add the cubed panettone, pour the mixture into the special moulds and leave to harden in the fridge.
Spread the remaining custard onto the individual plates, remove the sformati from the moulds and place in the centre of each plate.
Giulia Marelli possesses the elegance of a woman of times gone by and an innate feel for beautiful things. That may well be the reason why she has covered an entire wall in her state-of-the-art kitchen in Milan with her grandmother's copper moulds. Arnalda Gourmet is her blog and her culinary alter-ego. It represents the most ironic and creative part of her, the part she loves to experiment with in the kitchen. After graduating in Economics from the Bocconi University, Giulia worked in fashion for a while before realising that she wanted different rhythms and other flavours in her life. Her passion lead her to the Cordon Bleu, the established French culinary school, first in Paris and then in London, where she graduated in cooking and confectionery. Today she is at the helm of her family's agricultural business, lives a bit in the countryside, a bit in the city, writes her blog and works as a consultant in the food world. She chats and smiles while making our Christmas cake, and it's clear to see that she is happy.
CHOCOLATE AND CINNAMON TARTE
This recipe is inspired by French patisserie tradition, one of Arnalda Gourmet’s passions. A fragrant short crust pastry, a velvety chocolate cream, a sprinkling of cinnamon, "which immediately makes you think of Christmas", and, last but not least, the magic of sugar, which transforms into a cascade of sweet and crunchy golden strands. The result is a delicious, refined Christmas dessert.
RECIPE
n° 2
CHOCOLATE AND
CINNAMON TARTE
Ingredients
For the short crust pastry
120 g butter
100 g powdered sugar
1 egg
200 g flour
A pinch of salt
For the chocolate cream
2 egg yolks
40 g sugar
130 ml milk
120 ml fresh cream
200 g chocolate flakes
For the caramel
200 g sugar
Ground cinnamon
Dry beans (needed for baking the short crust pastry)
Method
For the short crust pastry
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Mix the butter, powdered sugar, flour and salt in a bowl. Knead the mixture with your hands, until a sand-like texture is achieved (in fact, this process is called "sanding"). Add the egg and knead the dough until an even mixture is created. At this point, form a ball with the dough, wrap it in cling film and leave it to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Roll out the dough with a rolling pin and, once it is spread out in the cake tin, place it in the fridge again for another 10 minutes.
Before putting it in the oven, lay out a piece of baking paper on top of the cake base and cover it with beans. This will keep the shape of the short crust pastry as it bakes. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then remove the baking paper with the beans and continue to cook it for another 15 minutes, until the pastry is a golden colour. Let the cake base cool and gently separate it from the cake tin.
For the chocolate cream
While the pastry is in the oven, prepare the chocolate cream by whisking the egg yolks and sugar. Heat the milk and cream in a pan until it boils, then pour half of the contents over the beaten eggs and mix with a whisk. Transfer everything into the pan and cook until the cream "hugs the spoon" (meaning when a layer of thickened milk remains on the spoon when extracted).
Move the cream into the container with the chocolate flakes and mix until the chocolate melts and creates a thick cream.
For the caramel
Use a non-stick pan. Pour the sugar in the pan and add 2-3 tablespoons of water: wait patiently for the sugar to caramelise and, as soon as it takes on a light amber colour, take off the heat and leave to cool. Test it every so often with a fork to see if, when you move it, the caramel begins to produce small strands.
Dip one or more forks in the caramel and, with a swinging motion, spin it above a bowl until a "spider web" of fine strands is obtained. (To remove the caramel from the pan, add water and boil until it melts).
Assemble the cake
Pour the chocolate cream over the short crust base and leave to rest in the fridge. Just before serving, sprinkle the ground cinnamon on top. Place your strands of caramel on top of the cake, creating your preferred shape with your hands. Serve the chocolate tarte cold or at room temperature.
Amarenata cherry panettone
Domenico Medri from the Tazza D'oro patisserie in Lugo (Ravenna) is the winner — together with his brother Cristian — of the Panettone Day 2015 competition, in which around 500 artisan pastry chefs took part. A panel of industry experts chose the winners. The secret to victory? "As my father said often, everything artisanal must embody the love and passion put in by the person who made it, as well as being unique and one-of-a-kind, and distinguish itself due to its freshness, aromatic qualities and fragrance", explains the pastry chef. This recipe, for professionals, is a delicious variation on traditional panettone, with cherries adding an unexpectedly sweet touch to the dough.
Recipe
n° 3
Amarenata cherry
panettone
Ingredients (for 19 panettone)
For the first dough in the evening
1.75 kg sugar
1 l water
2.25 kg egg yolks
2 kg natural yeast
4 kg strong flour
0.5 l water (to be added after the dough has become firm and does not break when you stretch it)
2.5 kg butter
For the second dough in the morning
1 kg strong flour
350 g sugar
450 g egg yolk
500 g butter
120 g salt
3.5 kg amarena cherries
Method
Mix the sourdough starter that you prepared previously with the flour, water, sugar and egg yolk. Knead it until you achieve a firm dough that does not break when stretched, and then add more water and then butter. Leave it to rise for the whole night at a temperature of 26/28°C; the dough will triple or quadruple in size.
Add the flour to the first dough the next day and, when this is firm and does not break when stretched, combine the sugar, egg yolks, butter, salt and the amarena cherries. Leave to rise at a temperature of 26/28°C, place it in the fridge for a few hours and then bake in an oven at 160/170°C for 50 minutes. Once the panettone is cooked, leave it to cool upside down.
CESARIN
A TuttaFrutta Christmas
Cesarin, a leader in semi-finished products for the confectionery sector, is launching an entire line of products that are perfect for delicious Christmas recipes.
Why settle for your usual panettone? The Cesarin TuttaFrutta line is the perfect product for making outstanding leavened cakes with an original touch. Cesarin has been working alongside top pastry chefs since 1920, supplying them with the best products for creating sweet wonders for every season. The Verona-based company can boast the TuttaFrutta line amongst its flagship products. They contain only the freshest fruit, which is chosen by hand and cold processed using an innovative method, developed at the company's Research and Development Centre. This is how Cesarin can guarantee a natural tasting product, free from flavourings and colourings, with a low sugar content (60° Brix), which is easy to use and preserve as it keeps its lustrous appearance even at high temperatures in the oven, as well as in ice cream parlour refrigerators. Cesarin TuttaFrutta can be used as an alternative to traditional candied cubes to create exceptional leavened products with an original flavour, such as the raspberry TuttaFrutta, or an exotic taste with the tropical fruit TuttaFrutta. The orange, citron and lemon-flavoured semi-candied fruit stand out from amongst this year's new developments and were created with traditional Christmas desserts in mind. All you have to do is replace the traditional candied cubes with the new products from the TuttaFrutta line to get all the flavour of Italian citrus fruits. The TuttaFrutta line is the most complete expression of the Cesarin corporate philosophy, which combines the superior quality of artisan tradition with the innovation of its product lines.
Panettone with Cesarin TuttaFrutta
This recipe, for professionals, has been created by the master pastry chef Gennaro Volpe.
RECIPE
n° 4
Panettone with Cesarin TuttaFrutta
Ingredients
Pre-dough: 1st dough
190 g sourdough starter
700 g strong bread flour W 400
300 g water at 28°C
1 g compressed yeast
180 g egg yolks
300 g sugar
250 g butter
Pre-dough: 2nd dough
300 g strong bread flour W 400
180 g sugar
120 g water at 28°C
50 g honey
200 g egg yolks
14 g salt
20 g Cesarin PastaFrutta Arancia Oro
370 g butter
3 vanilla beans
450 g Cesarin TuttaFrutta Arancio 12x12
400 g Cesarin sultana raisins
For the icing
150 g hazelnuts
350 g peeled almonds
1250 g sugar
125 g starch
500 g egg whites
Method
For the 1st dough
After having purified it by soaking it for 15-20 minutes in 30 degree water, prepare the yeast by refreshing your sourdough starter three times. Mix the sourdough starter with the flour and the compressed yeast, add the 28°C water, the egg yolk, sugar and finally the butter and knead for around 35 minutes. When the dough is ready, put it in the proofer at 28°C for approximately 12 hours, until it quadruples in size.
For the 2nd dough
The next morning add the flour, water and the egg yolk to the first dough mixture. Keep kneading until the dough is firm and does not break when you stretch it, add the salt dissolved in a little water, the sugar, seasonings, honey and lastly the butter. Keep kneading for approximately 30 minutes, then add the PastaFrutta Arancia Oro and TuttaFrutta Arancio 12x12. Put the dough in the proofer at 28°C for approximately 45 minutes..
For the icing
Refine the hazelnuts, almonds, sugar and starch. Then mix with the egg whites.
Take the dough and create dough balls of approximately 1kg using the dough rounding method, known as pirlatura in Italian, (dough rounding consists of rounding the dough by turning it in your hands or on the work surface, until you get an even ball, which fosters proper rising. Pirlatura comes from "pirla", a word from the Lombard dialect meaning spinning top, ed.). Place in the special moulds and put in the cold store at 28°C for approximately 5 hours. Remove it from the cold store and leave it at room temperature for around 30 minutes, so that it forms a thin skin. Ice the surface, decorate with the peeled almonds and sugar granules. Put in the oven at 160°C for approximately 60 minutes. When the individual panettone are baked, they should be placed on the special racks, top down, until they cool. Package after 12 hours.
Panettone as it once was
In the heart of Milan, a long-standing patisserie continues to make panettone according to the recipe from the beginning of the nineteenth century. It is said that Giuseppe Verdi loved it…
Milan, mid-nineteenth century. A gentleman in a top hat walks into an elegant patisserie in the centre of town: "My panettone for Peppina", he says to the head pastry chef. The latter, in no way caught off guard, hastens to place a piping panettone into the hands of the gentleman. That gentleman with beard and moustache was none other than the master composer Giuseppe Verdi, who was shopping for the soprano Giuseppina Strepponi, his second wife (a practice he indulged in frequently). The patisserie was Cova, a historic Milan hot spot that has been making panettone since 1817 and is much loved by illustrious personalities and common citizens alike.
The recipe, invented at the beginning of the nineteenth century in the old workshop on Via Verdi, Cova's original site, has been safeguarded and passed down from master baker to master baker ever since. It is, of course, a secret. Actually it is more than that: Daniela Faccioli, heiress of the founders, defines it as "untouchable". We know only that the ingredients are of the highest quality: superior-quality flour, natural yeast, sugar and butter, as well as fresh eggs and candied fruit. All Cova panettone - without exception - is made in the workshop at Via Montenapoleone 8 and it is only here that you can buy it 365 days a year.
The ritual of Cova Panettone
When enjoying Cova panettone, you need to follow a few basic rules: the cake should be stored in a dry place at room temperature, as it cannot withstand moisture (you are forbidden from keeping it in the basement!).
Before cutting it (with a serrated knife), it should be placed on the heater or close to the fire to reawaken all of its aromas. It should be eaten within a few days of purchasing, but this will be no problem at all!
Recipes of Christmas Past
Samanta Cornaviera is a “culinary archaeologist”: on her blog, Massaie Moderne (Modern Housewives), she rediscovers and experiments with sweet and savoury recipes from the first half of the Twentieth Century. Now that the festive season is almost upon us, she is “dusting off” the Christmas Cake recipe for us, which was published on 15th December 1942 in La Cucina Italiana magazine.
Her mission is to «bring the lost flavours of the Twentieth Century to life once again», to salvage outmoded ingredients and to experiment with the forgotten recipes of our grandmothers and great grandmothers. By doing so, Samanta Cornaviera appears to have invented a new discipline: culinary archaeology. «I'm not a historian; this project grew out of my passion and from La Cucina Italiana's endless archive. I focus on the first half of the Twentieth Century because it is a period that has greatly influenced our current culture».
From the “Pietri Dorando pudding” in 1911 to the “Corrado Mantoni rice cake” in 1961, moving to the futurist risotto of 1930 and the vampire salad from 1967, every dish has its own story and its own secrets. «The hardest part is being able to understand the recipes. Sometimes there are bits missing, other times the ingredients to use are not clear - says Samanta -. What I like is being able to give shape and flavour once again to a dish from a hundred years ago». Her blog, Massaie Moderne (www.massaiemoderne.com), was inspired by the “La rubrica della massaia moderna” (the modern housewife column), the feature that La Cucina Italiana launched in 1929. It provided young brides and housewives with useful ideas and advice on domestic finances and etiquette. So what has changed? «The housewives of today do the same things as before, but in a different way. Men and women are in the kitchen equally. The stove is no longer the sole domain of women. However, we have lost our vocation for teaching a little, for passing down traditions and good habits from generation to generation». For Christmas, Samanta has rediscovered a cake from 1942 for us.
1942 The Christmas Cake
It was the 15th December 1942 when La Cucina Italiana published this recipe, which was written by a reader from Milan. The sweet stars of Christmas were panettone and pandoro even back then. This method is «the poor man's version of panettone, prepared with salvaged ingredients, as was done during the war».
RECIPE
n° 5
1942 The Christmas Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
225 g flour (you can choose whether to use only white flour or to mix different kinds, depending on what you have in the house)
450 g grapes and raisins
110 g mixed candied fruit
50 g butter, or fat, or oil (Samanta used homemade goose lard, ed.)
2 tbsp of mixed herbs: cinnamon, vanilla (not vanillin), cloves, nutmeg.
Milk to taste
1 tsp of baking soda dissolved in the milk
For the almond paste
60 g chopped almonds
40 g rice flour
100 g sugar
1 egg yolk
For the frosting or royal icing
250 g powdered sugar
1 egg white
Method
For the cake
Once you have chosen your flour, mix it with all the other cake ingredients. Add the milk, estimating the right amount. Dilute the mixture until it is doughy enough and not too hard. Put the dough into the cake tin and then into the oven, for an hour or so, at 160°C.
For the almond paste
Finely grind the almonds, adding the rice flour, sugar and egg yolk. Knead vigorously until the dough is smooth. Let it stand in the fridge until the cake is baked and has cooled.
For the frosting or royal icing
Beat the egg white, begin to add the powdered sugar halfway through, mixing it in little by little. At the end, add a few drops of lemon, which will make the icing glossier and tastier.
When the cake has cooled, cover it with the almond paste and a layer of icing and decorate it as you please. In this version there are dried blueberries (not overly sweet) to give a touch of festive colour to this white Christmas cake.
Sweetness comes from the North
Gourmet locations in Amsterdam
The Dutch capital is the ideal destination for a winter trip: besides the Christmas markets and the extraordinary light installations along the canals, the main attractions include the best patisseries in the city. Here are the gourmet locations that are not to be missed, tried and tested just for you by a globe trotter that has been “adopted” by the city.
Article by Silvia Giorgetta
Silvia is author of the One More Cherry blog (www.onemorecherry.com), where she shares what she loves the most: food, travelling, her favourite places and her two cities, Milan and Amsterdam.
Amsterdam is full of delicious patisseries where the Dutch love to spend lazy afternoons savouring slices of cakes and biscuits. Sugar is one of the main ingredients in some of the most beloved and famous desserts in Holland: stroopwafel, biscuits made up of thin wafers filled with cane sugar and syrup, poffertjes, battered treats made from buckwheat flour dusted with powdered sugar, and the ubiquitous appeltaart, the apple cake that is served with copious amounts of cinnamon and cream. Here are the sweet addresses that should not be missed if you get the chance to spend a few days in Amsterdam.
– Amsterdam, Holtkamp
This 18 square-metre shop is the most famous patisserie in the city. It features a light blue and yellow ochre tiled floor, oak wood and rosewood walls, Art Deco style paintings and windows full of sublime sweet delicacies: sachertorte, meringue, tarte tatin, madeleines, macarons and much more. Specialising in classic products, over the years the Holtkamp has introduced small changes to make its recipes even tastier, yet always in keeping with tradition.
– Amsterdam, Chocolat
If you are looking for artisan chocolate of the highest quality, this is the right place. Chocolatl offers a vast selection of bars and sweets: milk or dark chocolate and flavours that range from lime and Persian salt to black sesame and cardamom, as well as pralines that come from the laboratory of the Belgian master chocolatier, Geert Vercruysse. Every chocolate bar has a story and the owner, Adil, cannot wait to share it with his customers. The choco-consultancy is extremely interesting, which is provided to help customers figure out which kind of chocolate is best suited for their own personal tastes.
– Amsterdam, Lanksroon
Lanskroon is a patisserie, but it is also a tea room and ice cream parlour. Its management has been entrusted to Claudia Dunselman, who has spent a lot of time in Italy and continues to convey her passion for the Bel Paese in the way she lovingly prepares coffee, tiramisu and torrone nougat. Here only the freshest organic ingredients are used and particular attention is paid to the long periods of time that confectionery - from cakes to croissants - require to rise and rest. The stropkoeken are a must, biscuits that contain a caramel syrup filling.
Amsterdam Light Festival
From the 28th November to the 17th January the canals of the Dutch capital will be illuminated with wonderful light installations, created by the best Dutch and international artists for the Amsterdam Light Festival.
The light show can be admired by boat or on foot. This year, the event - which is in its 55th year - is dedicated to the theme of friendship.
Sugar Art
by Barbara Castiglione
Barbara Castiglione, member of the Italian Excellence Pastry Team, has won several awards in recent years with her sugar sculptures. Student of world champion Stéphane Klein, today she teaches sugar art, pastry and chocolate techniques and is a consultant for various international pastry academies, spanning from Austria to Hong Kong. We have asked her to reveal the tricks and secrets of sugar art.
Out of all pastry decoration techniques, sugar art techniques are the most amazing. Sugar allows us to create otherwise unobtainable transparency, to make pieces with improbable balances that seem suspended over nothing, to give life to personalities and items that are hyper-realistic. Our imagination and flair are the only limitations.
What is isomalt?
Isomalt is a substitute for classic sugar. Within decorative art it is preferred over sucrose because it is easier to work with: it retains its clear, transparent look even at 180-190°C, crystallises slower than common sugar and can be easily re-heated to its melting point and reused. Last but not least, it can be cooked without adding glucose, water or acids and keeps for a long time without losing its properties. Isomalt is especially suitable for making items that are delicate, sheer and pearlescent, such as extremely thin silver strands, snow flakes, diamonds and other precious stones and so on.
What does it look like, how do you cook it and how do you conserve it?
Isomalt is available commercially as granules and in powder form. It has to be kept, both before and after cooking, in airtight packaging containing silica-gel sachets, as it cannot withstand humidity. To prepare it, it has to be cooked in a copper or steel double bottom pot, preferably placed on an induction plate. The melting point occurs around 150°C but for the final cooking stage you need to get to 180°C (you should use a sugar thermometer to check the temperature). Once it has reached the right temperature, immerse the pot in cold water briefly to stop cooking. Liquid isomalt can therefore be poured on a silicon mat or into cupcake holders, which should also be made from silicon. Once cooled it will be in a solid form.
Colouring isomalt
Unless you need a particular colour from the outset, you may want to keep the sugar in its transparent state: colours can be added gradually, as and when needed. To dye isomalt you will need Pyrex containers, inside of which we will place the cooked sugar in its solid form. A few minutes in the microwave will be enough to heat it to its melting point, allowing us to add the desired colouring. For this task I recommend using powdered, water-soluble food dyes diluted in water or food alcohol.
Basic sugar
art techniques
In order to work with isomalt you need to become familiar with a series of special techniques. You will be able to create high-impact decorations by understanding the secrets of each one.
The simplest technique is cast sugar. Isomalt in its liquid form can actually be cast inside silicon, PVC or metal moulds. All you have to do is wait for the isomalt to cool and solidify to obtain the desired form.
Satinising is a basic technique in sugar pulling and allows for glossy, pearlescent items to be achieved. It is often used to create leaves, petals, feathers, ribbons or items in which you want to emphasise their delicateness and glossiness. To satinise sugar, it needs to have reached a semi-solid state and the right temperature in order to handle it. Taking care to wear glove liners and gloves, the sugar is stretched out and folded back on itself up to 25-30 times. Throughout this process, the isomalt will change colour and consistency, taking on pearlescent nuances and more subtle, delicate colours. Once the desired level of satinisation has been reached, you can cut the mass into small pieces which, when cooled, can be preserved.
Modelling is one of the most advanced techniques, which lets us use isomalt as though it were clay and create original and complex items, like animals and human beings, down to the littlest details. It is a technique that is very similar to sculpture and therefore requires that a strong feel for aesthetics and proportions be developed. It also entails the use of an infra-red light, which keeps the isomalt at the perfect temperature for manipulation. Each complex item is made by starting from individual modelled pieces, which are then joined together by heating the surfaces where they meet or using liquid isomalt that acts as glue. The joints between the pieces are then treated with the coating technique, which allows for the seams to become practically invisible by heating the contact points and working them by hand.
To finish off, a piece of advice: when doing sugar work don't let yourself be discouraged during your first attempts. It is a technique that requires patience, meticulousness, passion and physical and psychological strength. What you need for sugar art can be summarised in an extremely Zen way: "Assume an open mind". Happy meditation for everyone.
THE BASIC RECIPES OF SUGAR ART
isomalt: cook the isomalt in a copper or steel pan with a double bottom, heat it to 180° C. Once cooked, quickly immerse the pot in cold water to stop the cooking and cast the isomalt on a silicon mat or in moulds. Typically there is no need to add water (you will add it later when you colour the isomalt) but for some preparations (blown or pulled sugar) it may be useful to add 20-30 grams of water per kilogram during cooking (160g) and continue cooking up to 180° C.
Classic pastillage melt 16g of gelatin in 200g of water. Add 1.5kg of powdered sugar to the mixture, until a pliable, but not sticky, dough is achieved. Quantities may change a little, for example, depending on the level of humidity in the environment. Keep the pastilagge in airtight containers. When used it has to be kneaded and rehydrated in such a way so as to achieve the initial consistency again.
Pastillage with starch: the method is the same as before but the ingredients are: 130g water, 12g gelatin, 1kg powdered sugar and 200g potato starch.
Japanese pastillage: this kind of pastillage is stretchier than the previous two and is whiter in colour. The ingredients: 285g water, 12g titanium dioxide powder, 80g tragacanth, 250g potato starch, 250g rice starch and 250g powdered sugar.
Pastillage according to Stéphane Klein: 45g gold gelatin, 135g water, 15g tartaric acid and as much powdered sugar as required to obtain a pliable texture. Add the tartaric acid to the water. Leave the mixture to rest for at least 12 hours.
In order to get good results with sugar art you should have a few key pieces of equipment. They are as follows:
scalpels, knifes, tweezers and scissors: useful for engraving, cutting and handling small pieces of isomalt;
silicon mat: needed for casting the cooked isomalt, letting it cool and as a work base;
copper or steel pot with a double bottom for cooking the isomalt;
pastry thermometer for measuring the precise temperature of the isomalt during cooking;
gas torch: key for gluing isomalt pieces, for detaching pieces blown from a copper pipe and to gloss created pieces;
silicon cupcake and cake moulds, useful for heating small portions of isomalt, for cooling and keeping cooled isomalt and for creating custom moulds;
blowing pump for blown sugar, essential for creating items with the blown sugar technique;
powdered, water-soluble food dyes: diluted in water or alcohol, they are a must for colouring isomalt;
microwave for heating cooked isomalt and when in its solid state. If not available you can use your pre-heated home oven, at least at the beginning;
induction plate, useful for accelerating cooking times, but not fundamental: your home stove is fine as long as it lets you easily reach high temperatures;
hair dryer with a cold air jet: essential for cooling pieces once glued, cast or blown;
airtight boxes, calcium salts or silica-gel sachets, essential for preserving the isomalt, both before and after cooking, as moisture makes it opaque and fragile;
latex gloves without finger prints and cotton glove liners: essential for compliance with safety regulations and to be able to work with pieces without leaving unsightly marks;
SAVOURY PANETTONE
Panettone, now enshrined as being a sweet food all year round, can actually be made in a myriad of ways; there are not only sweet varieties but savoury ones too. We're bending the rules with this recipe. The dish is savoury, but its main ingredient is sweet. It can be prepared as an amuse bouche or a delicious appetiser to tempt the palate. Agnese Gullotta — Sicilian born and bred and a contestant in the second edition of Masterchef Italia — made it for us. She writes for and works in the food world, and has fun in the kitchen.
RECIPE
n° 6
SAVOURY PANETTONE
Ingredients for 4 people
1 panettone
100 g broccoli
100 g shrimp
Basil leaves
1 lime
Ginger
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Peanut Oil
Bottarga
Method
Blanch the broccoli in water, drain it and sauté it in a pan with one anchovy in oil. When ready, blend them together and whisk the mixture as if it were mayonnaise.
Roughly chop the shrimp and leave it to marinate in the oil, lime and ginger for a few minutes. Wash and dry the basil well and then fry it in peanut oil. It will only take a minute. To finish, toast two slices of panettone in the pan.
All that is left to do is assemble our ingredients. Place the faux broccoli mayonnaise on the bottom slice of panettone, then spread the shrimp tartar well, add a few leaves of rocket, the fried basil and a sprinkling of bottarga. Finish it off with the second slice of panettone and enjoy your snack!
Not just sugar:
natural sweeteners
by Marina Manieristi
Contrary to what you believe, sugar is not the sweetest ingredient that there is. Many substances occur naturally in nature and boast heightened sweetening power, which can be used as valid alternatives in many sweet recipes.
There can be no sweetness without sugar. Or at least that’s what people think. It is undoubtedly difficult to imagine cakes and pastries without this magical substance that is able to stimulate the release of endorphins, fostering a feeling of well-being.
The sugar that we usually consume undergoes a refinement process that robs it of minerals and vitamins (especially B group vitamins), which are so useful to our bodies in order to correctly metabolise this sweetener. The result is a product lacking in nutrients and made up of 99.8% sucrose. It is the latter that can bring about intolerance, which — fortunately for us — occurs only rarely.
Personal sensitivity aside, an excess of sugar is still, however, one of the main causes of imbalance in modern man: diabetes mellitus and obesity are rooted precisely in the excess consumption of this foodstuff.
The collective imagination tends to think that nothing could be sweeter than sugar. In actual fact, there are naturally occurring substances that have a much higher sweetening power, but which have a lower glycaemic index.
“there are naturally occurring substances that have a much higher sweetening power”
1
Maple syrup
The Native Americans in the north of the United States and in Canada were using it even before Columbus arrived. This sweetener is extracted right from the tree, from two types of maple to be specific, which produce a clear sap. The sweetening power is 25% higher than refined sugar. From a nutritional point of view, it stands out due to its lower sucrose content (from 10 to 40%), the rich presence of mineral salts (potassium, magnesium, calcium, manganese, iron) and vitamins (B2, B5, B6, B3, folic acid and biotin). It has a low calorie content (250 kcal per 100g) and approximately 45 on the glycaemic index scale. It is considered to be purifying and reinvigorating.
2
Agave syrup
It is the sap from the Agave Salmiana, a Mexican plant that is also used to make Tequila. It has the advantage in that it keeps for a long time, does not solidify and even melts into cold liquids. It is excellent in cakes and keeps them soft. It consists mainly of fructose, contains little glucose, and so does not stimulate excessive insulin secretion. Its sweetening power is one and a half times higher than sugar. Its calorie content is around 312 calories.
3
Stevia (Stevia Rebaudiana)
Stevia is a plant from the Composite family, which grows wild in South America. There are around 150 species, but Rebaudiana is undoubtedly the sweetest. Some indigenous tribes in South America have been using it for centuries. The credit for its discovery by the western world goes to the Italian botanist, Moises Santiago Bertoni, who started studying it in 1903. It has been used in France since 1931, and has been adopted in Japan, starting from the mid-1970s. No side effects have ever been reported, it can be consumed by diabetics and does not cause tooth decay, yet in Italy its sale was forbidden until 2012. We can find it in powder, drops and dried (leaves). It is 300 times sweeter than sugar and features a slight after taste of liquorice (some kinds do not have this). The only downside to Stevia is practical in nature: in baked goods it negatively affects leavening and browning. It is excellent in sweet stuffs containing chocolate or lemon and does not require yeast.
4
malt
Malt comes as a viscous, brown liquid and is suitable for both sweetening drinks, ice creams and yoghurt, as well as making baked goods, especially if they contain chocolate, as it enhances the taste. It is extracted from the germination of grains, barley especially. The way in which this organic product is prepared is completely natural and leads to no alterations. Its sweetening power is 1/3 lower than white sugar, but its mineral salt and protein content is higher. In addition to barley malt (held to be the only real malt), you can find various kinds of malts and syrups: rice, corn, wheat and spelt. Only rice syrup can be used by people with gluten intolerance.
5
molasses
Molasses is a by-product of the sugar cane or sugar beets refining process. It is syrup that is rich in sucrose, yet unsuited for crystallisation, which is boiled to evaporation point in order to concentrate it. Sugar cane molasses, also known as blackstrap molasses, is dark and viscous with a pleasing taste that tends to be bitter. It contains 44% sucrose and 25% other sugars, all the B group vitamins and potassium. The calorific content is equal to 288 kcal, while the sweetening power is low. Beet molasses contains more sugar (63%) than the previous variety, but has a lower calorie content (273 kcal) and a lower amount of mineral salts. Molasses contains chromium, a trace element which means it does not increase blood sugar when taken in small quantities. On the contrary, according to macrobiotic principles, it can actually lower it over time.
6
Lucuma
Lucuma, like Stevia, has also been used for centuries in South America. It has medicinal, anti-inflammatory and healing properties and it is also rich in anti-oxidants, fibre, carbohydrates and protein. It features several minerals, including significant quantities of potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. The powder is obtained from the subtropical fruit of the Lucuma tree native to Peru, Chile and Ecuador. The fruit is yellow-green in colour and an ovoid shape. It is free from gluten and can be consumed by diabetics, as it does not raise blood sugar levels.
7
fructose
Also known as levulose, it is fruit sugar and a highly water-soluble monosaccharide that possesses a superior sweetening capacity (one and a half times) compared to sucrose. Although this type of sugar does not directly increase insulin production, a diet that is especially high in fructose raises insulin resistance. Therefore using it in confectionery as a substitute for sugar has no value.
8
honey
It was known to be a medicine for both internal and external use in ancient times, as well as a preservative for other foods. It is a complete and highly energising food. Natural honey is not the pasteurised, liquid and clear kind that is commercially available and suitable for wide-spread distribution. When pasteurised (heated to a temperature between 75-78°C) it loses its nutritional properties. It is not suitable for vegans.
Berlin bread
This bread is perfect for use with agave syrup: delicious during the winter and Christmas period, it comes from German tradition, which liberally uses spices and nuts. It is perfect for people that have problems with hyperglycaemia and can even be consumed by people that are sucrose intolerant by replacing the icing with a sugar-free dark chocolate coating. The lack of fat in no way affects flavour and, if we use spelt or gluten-free flour, it can also be consumed by people with other intolerances.
RECIPE
n° 7
Berlin bread
Ingredients
For the dessert
2 eggs
2 tbsp of hot water
170 g agave syrup
65 g concentrated apple syrup
3 tbsp rum
a pinch ground cloves
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
65 g grated dark chocolate (or drops)
250 g flour
1 level tbsp baking powder
125 g peeled whole almonds
35 g lemon juice
For the icing
100 g powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp of boiling water
Method
Beat the eggs together with the water until foamy, then add the agave syrup. Gradually combine the apple syrup, lemon juice, spices, chocolate and the flour mixed with the baking powder. Finally, add the coarsely chopped almonds. Pour the mixture into a rectangular baking tin that has been greased and floured. It should be around 5 millimetres in thickness. Cook in the oven at 200-225°C for 15 to 20 minutes.
Fresh from the oven, spread the icing that you previously prepared and leave to cool. Cut the bread into rectangular or square slices.
Frustingo
Frustingo is a traditional Christmas dessert from the Marche region made from figs and nuts. It boasts ancient origins. The legend goes that the recipe was inherited by the Picentes over two thousand years ago and was inspired by the original Etruscan one. It is extremely simple to prepare, but the result is exceptional. Spices and aromas intermingle, releasing a scent that immediately brings Christmas to mind.
RECIPE
n° 8
Frustingo
Ingredients
300 gr di zucchero
250 g raisins
500 g dried figs
200 g mosto cotto
1000 g breadcrumbs
100 g candied fruit
100 g nuts
100 g almonds
50 g of unsweetened cocoa
75 g corn oil
50 g coffee liqueur
Cinnamon to taste
Nutmeg to taste
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Method
Soak the raisins several hours before. Dry the figs in the oven at 100°C for around an hour. Mosto cotto, cooked must, is a traditional rarity from the Marche region and can be obtained by boiling must from crushed grapes for hours: when the water evaporates, a thick, flavoursome mixture remains, thanks to the caramelisation of the sugars.
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until the mixture is smooth. Place it in the fridge overnight, then roll it out with your hands into the moulds that you have greased with butter beforehand. Cook in the oven at 180°C for 30 minutes.
pastry chef
Marco Massi
Marco Massi learnt the art of confectionery in the field. After a debut as a young talent, he went on to attend dozens of specialist courses held by internationally famous chefs over the years. Today he runs the Bar del Commercio Pasticceria Gelateria in Montegranaro, in the province of Fermo. He also teaches confectionery making and is the representative for the International Federation of Pastry, Ice Cream and Chocolate for the Marche region.
Christmas sweet
The pastry chef Giuseppe Russi has succeeded in capturing all the magic of Christmas in a single dessert. Creamy, delicate, bright red, his Christmas Sweet is a scrumptious alternative to traditional festive classics. The recipe for confectionery professionals can be found below.
RECIPE
n° 9
Christmas sweet
Ingredients
For the white chocolate mousse
320 g white chocolate
250 g whole milk
6 g gelatin
480 g 35% cream
For the red berry cream
500 g red berry purée
195 g dextrose
24 g gelatin
For the honeyed biscuit
500 g egg
250 g sugar
50 g honey
230 g sugar
180 g flour
40 g potato starch
For the almond streusel
250 g cane sugar
250 g butter
240 g flour
260 g ground almonds
2 g salt
For the red berry glaze
250 g sugar
150 g red berry purée
150 g water
15 g gelatin
600 g glucose syrup
Method
For the white chocolate mousse
Warm the milk, adding the chopped white chocolate, then add the hydrated gelatin and mix it all together with the cream.
For the red berry cream
Blend the purée with the dextrose, heat to 45°C and combine with the hydrated gelatin.
For the honeyed biscuit
Whisk the eggs, honey and 250 grams of sugar. Whisk the egg whites and 230 grams of sugar together in a separate bowl, then combine the two mixtures and finally add the flour and starch. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes at 200°C.
For the almond streusel
Mix the sugar and butter together, then add the almonds and flour. Let the mixture cool, pass through a sieve and shape a disk that is slightly larger than the dessert and cook at 160°C for 25 minutes.
For the red berry glaze
Mix the red berry purée, sugar and water together, bring to the boil and then add the glucose syrup and gelatin.
Assembling the cake
Pour the white chocolate mousse into the mould, filling half way. Pat it down slightly and then add the red berry inclusion and finish filling the mould with the mousse. Finish off the dessert with the honeyed biscuit and store it in the blast chiller. Once cold, glaze the dessert and place it on the almond streusel. Decorate with raspberries, blackcurrants, chocolate and sugar paste snowflakes.
Pastry Chef
Giuseppe Russi
Giuseppe Russi began expressing his passion for confectionery at a very young age. After graduating from an hotelier institute, he attended courses at the most famous schools in Italy and opened Pasticceria Russi in Laterza, in the province of Taranto, in 2008. His attraction for sugar art drove him to taking part in several competitions. He won the gold medal in the Rome-based "Artistica" competition in 2014 and became the Italian national champion in cake decorating at the Italian world championships in 2015. He is also the representative for the International Federation of Pastry, Ice Cream and Chocolate for the Basilicata region.
Christmas Atmo-Sphere
This dessert looks like a glass bauble that you hang on a Christmas tree. In actual fact, it is an extremely thin isomalt shell that holds a soft and tasty flavoured cream. It is "the 2.0 alternative to the classic profiterole", explains Silvia Celi, the confectioner that came up with the recipe. The decoration is only a suggestion. Everyone is free to create their own personalised Atmo-Sphere.
RECIPE
n° 10
Christmas Atmo-Sphere
Ingredients
For the mixture
500 g white chocolate
500 g cream
300 g pomegranate (seeds)
120 g granulated sugar
80 g egg yolks
For the shell
Isomalt
Edible glitter
For the decoration
Wafer paper
Food dye
Method
For the mixture
Melt the white chocolate together with the cream. Blend the pomegranate seeds with the sugar, put through a fine-mesh sieve and strain. Reduce the mixture in a pot until it is half of its original size, then leave it to cool. Whisk the egg yolks with the pomegranate syrup in a bain marie until a frothy consistency is achieved. Whisk the chocolate and cream mixture. Combine the two mixtures little by little, one spoonful at a time, until they are mixed well.
For the shell
Dissolve the isomalt, bring to room temperature and satinise. Use the baster to create spheres with extremely thin shells, so that they can be cut. Leave the opening on the bottom of the sphere and try to expand it a little to allow for it to be filled. Fill the spheres with the mixture and place them like profiteroles on a serving dish.
For the decoration
Print or colour a piece of wafer paper with an airbrush. Cut out the shape of a flower, in this instance a Poinsettia, or any other kind of decoration that you like. In order to give a little movement to the petals, simply wet the back of the decoration with water and leave to dry and the movement will happen on its own. Once dry, glue each petal individually with a little water. Shade the edges with the food dye that has been diluted in water. Sprinkle with glitter or metallic powdered food colouring.
Pastry chef
Silvia Celi
Silvia Celi began her professional training under the guidance of the master confectioner Valentino Tontodonati. She fell in love with this art in all its forms and today she is devoted to the confectionery world in every way. She is the owner of a company selling professional items for the food sector, she teaches professional pastry and cake design and won the bronze medal at the 2014 Italian Cake Design Championships. She is the representative for the International Federation of Pastry, Ice Cream and Chocolate for the Abruzzo region.
Eclisse
This recipe is dedicated to professional pastry chefs and is a dessert that enhances typically wintry flavours and fragrances: the aroma of the figs and oranges mingle with the dark chocolate, while the Cointreau provides a feeling of enveloping warmth.
RECIPE
n° 11
Eclisse
Ingredients
For the biscuit
135 g egg
80 g sugar
11 g cocoa
16 g starch
39 g flour
For the icing
50 g sucrose
50 g water
15 g cocoa
15 g glucose
100 g single origin Dominican Republic 75% cocoa
Neutral gelatin to taste
For the Cointreau ganache
80 g cream
10 g glucose
100 g single origin Dominican Republic 75% cocoa
20 g butter
10 g Cointreau at 40°C
For the orange compote
50 g orange
50 g sucrose1/2 vanilla bean
For the fig syrup
100 g water
69 g sucrose1 vanilla bean
For the light chocolate cream
65 g semifreddo base
65 g single origin Dominican Republic 75% cocoa
130 g cream
Method
For the biscuit
Heat the eggs and whisk them with sugar. After sifting the powdered ingredients a few times, mix everything together and spread it out to create approximately 4 millimetres in thickness. Cook at 235° C for 8 minutes.
For the icing
Boil the sugar, water, cocoa and glucose, pour over the chocolate, emulsify and add the same amount of neutral gelatin.
For the Cointreau ganache
Boil the cream and glucose and pour over the chocolate layer. Emulsify, heat to 35/40°C, then add the butter and liqueur.
For the orange compote
Simmer the oranges for 10 minutes, add the sucrose and the vanilla bean and cook it all in a pot at 104°C and then blend.
For the fig syrup
Boil the ingredients for 30 minutes on a low heat, then strain.
For the Cointreau and fig syrup bath
combine 89g of fig syrup with 32g of Cointreau
For the light chocolate cream
Whisk the base of the semifreddo. Add the chocolate to a third of the semi-whipped cream and add a part of the remaining cream to the whisked base. Blend the two mixtures together and then add the last of the cream.
For the ganache inclusion
Create the inclusion with a chocolate biscuit, a thin layer of orange compote and approximately ½ cm of the Cointreau ganache. Place in the blast chiller.
Assemble the cake
Spread 2 figs, cut up into small pieces, over a chocolate biscuit. Spread approximately 1 cm of light chocolate cream and place the ganache inclusion that you chilled earlier in the middle. Finish with light chocolate cream, chill and frost with the icing at approximately 30°C.
pastry chef
Ernesto Milani
Ernesto Milani can boast vast expertise in the confectionery world: in a career spanning over 35 years he has opened and managed several patisseries and has attended master classes from the greatest pastry chefs, chocolatiers and ice-cream makers in Italy. He has been the owner of the Dolci Tentazioni patisserie in Rovigo since 2002, which was featured in the Gambero Rosso guide.
Veronese Pandoro
Pandoro, along with panettone, is a classic Italian Christmas dessert. Its story seems to date back to the time of the Venetian Republic, when it was known as "pan de oro", golden bread. However, it was Domenico Melegatti who patented this soft-dough dessert for the first time on 14th October 1884; its eight-pointed star-shaped design is the work of the artist Angelo Dall'Oca Bianca. We requested the professional recipe from a Verona-based pastry chef, the birthplace of pandoro.
RECIPE
n° 12
Veronese Pandoro
Ingredients
For the first dough
90 g fast-rising yeast
30 g Italian 00 flour
24 g egg
21 g granulated sugar
15 g butter at room temperature
For the biga pre-fermentation
2 g brewer's yeast
36 g Italian 00 flour
5 g malt
24 g egg
9 g sugar
For the second dough
55 g Italian 00 flour
24 g egg
18 g granulated sugar
30 g butter at room temperature
For the third dough
200 g Italian 00 flour
150 g egg
12 g honey
95 g granulated sugar
6 g fine salt
150 g soft butter
21 g grated cocoa butter
1 vanilla bean
Method
For the first dough
Mix the yeast and flour together. Add the egg, granulated sugar and the butter at room temperature gradually (each ingredient must be completely blended into the mixture before adding the next). Knead it all together for approximately 10 minutes until you get a smooth, even mixture. Shape a ball and leave it to rise for 3 and a half hours at 26°C. (Total dough weight 180 g).
For the biga pre-fermentation
After the first dough has been rising for an hour, move onto the biga pre-fermentation. Mix the brewer's yeast with flour. Add the malt and the egg little by little, letting it all mix well. Add the sugar gradually. When you have a smooth, even dough, leave it to rise with the first dough until the 3 and a half hours are up. (Total biga pre-fermentation weight 76 g).
For the second dough
Take the first dough and the biga and mix them together with the flour. Then add the whole eggs bit by bit, the granulated sugar and finally the butter at room temperature. Knead until you get a smooth, even dough. Leave it all to rise for 2 and a half hours, until it has doubled in volume. (Total dough weight 383 g).
For the third dough
Take the dough you have made until this point and add the flour. Knead for approximately 10 minutes, then add the egg and honey and, afterwards, the granulated sugar and salt. When it is all mixed well, add the emulsion made with 150 g soft butter, grated cocoa butter and the seeds of a vanilla bean. Whisk it in a food mixer before adding it to the dough, which should be smooth and even. (Total dough weight 1,017 g).
Leave the dough to rise for 4 hours at 26°C, then shape a ball and put it in the mould to rise for 10/12 hours at 28°C. When the dough exceeds the edge of the mould by about a centimetre it means that it is ready to be baked. If you are using an aluminium mould, remember that it has to be greased and floured. Bake at 170°C for approximately 50 minutes.
Once the pandoro has cooled, turn it upside down and remove from the mould. Leave to rest for a night before wrapping it.
The pastry chef
Denis Montresor
Denis Montresor inherited his passion for cooking from his mother and, after graduating from the hotelier institute in Verona, he began his pastry chef career, first in his home town in the province of Verona — Pescantina — then in the Milani patisserie in Bussolengo, which is also in the province of Verona. He is also the representative for the Federation of Pastry for the city of Verona. Moreover, he combines his passion for music with his love for desserts; in actual fact he is the timpanist for the City of Bussolengo Marching Band.
The benefits of sugar
Sugar, although often demonised due to its high calorie content, is actually a fundamental element for a healthy diet. Pietro Antonio Migliaccio, President of the Italian Society of Nutritional Science (S.I.S.A.), a nutritionist and dietician, explains its functions. With one warning: beware sweeteners.
Q&A 1-3/6
Sugar forms the basis of all sweet recipes. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this ingredient at a nutritional level??
Sugar, also known as sucrose, is part of the simple carbohydrate family and is a dietary requirement, which is actually essential for our bodies. However, you shouldn't think that it is only found in sweets. On the contrary, it is found in many kinds of food, like fruit, honey and jams.
What is the right amount of sugar to be eating in a healthy diet?
According to LARN (Reference Intake Levels of Nutrients and calories for the Italian population in their 2014 edition), between 45% and 60% of our daily calories should come from carbohydrates, and of these approximately 10% should come from simple carbohydrates, such as fructose, sucrose, lactose and glucose. This means that an adult must consume a total of at least 200 grams of sugar every day.
What are the risks if not enough sugar is consumed?
Our central nervous system and our red blood cells function by using glucose. In other words, sugars nourish our brain and our red blood cells. High protein diets, which eliminate sugar, cause ketosis and our brain is forced to use ketones. This also leads to weight loss, yet this occurs at the expense of muscle mass.
Q&A 4-6/6
Are sweeteners a good alternative to traditional sugar?
Sweeteners are suitable for diabetics, but they are not always recommended in people who do not have this disease due to the fact that they are made up of synthetic substances that can produce side effects. Some studies suggest that, despite being calorie free, sweeteners can bring about metabolic changes that foster the onset of diabetes and obesity. It is therefore down to the nutritionist to evaluate the costs and benefits for the patient resulting from sweeteners. In any case, they should be avoided in children under three years of age, pregnant women and when breast feeding.
Which is better, white sugar or cane sugar?
In terms of calories there is no difference, they're the same.
Are there ingredients that we can use instead of sugar, when dieting for example?
A natural alternative to sugar is honey. From a nutritional perspective, the difference compared to common sugar is essentially based on the fact that there are traces of vitamins and mineral salts. It it also slightly less calorific in equal doses because honey contains a percentage of water, which is not found in sugar.
ANNA PRANDONI
“More food, less cuisine”
Fifteen years spent working closely with chefs, producers and food experts have convinced her of one thing: «Recipes mean nothing, technique and organisation are what counts». With her new project Una ricetta al giorno (A Recipe A Day), Anna Prandoni is teaching «the definitive method for changing your life in the kitchen». And she explains to us how to survive Christmas, amongst gingerbread biscuits and other treats.
«food is nourishment, cuisine is spectacle»
Talking about cuisine is strictly off limits: for Anna Prandoni there is only food. The reason? It's very simple: "food is nourishment, cuisine is spectacle". Anna is a journalist who has always been enamoured with cooking, as well as the director of Gualtiero Marchesi's Accademia. After years spent with Michelin star chefs and recipes, she has now decided to put her experience to work for us "common mortals" (not the so-called foodies, so to speak, but people that cook out of necessity): this is how the Una ricetta al giorno project (www.unaricettaalgiorno.it) came about.
«I consider myself to be a housewife. I have always tried to put everything that I have learnt from great chefs into practice in my own cooking, using the timings, tools and ingredients that I have at home - says Anna -. My method works with everyone. With a little organisation and the right technique, anyone can cook well, quickly and to their satisfaction». Una ricetta al giorno is a project that came to life on Twitter, with a daily recipe consisting of 140 characters. It then moved to Facebook and on 31 August 2015 it became a site. The latest development is that it has moved out of the digital world to offer a calendar of meetings, events and initiatives that explore the world of food in all its forms.
«clean your balcony, because it will become your second fridge»
Looking towards Christmas, which is the real test for any cook — amateur, enthusiast or expert — Anna Prandoni is organising a few themed courses, because in these instances, «either you get organised or you're done for». Here is a preview of her advice for surviving Christmas dinner. The first thing you need to do in order to get prepared for the culinary marathon of Christmas is «clean your balcony, because it will become your second fridge». Then you need to construct your menu in an intelligent way, excluding dishes that you need to cook “last minute”: «forget about risotto»! At this stage, planning is key: you can use an Excel file, or a simple diary. The important thing to do is to prepare every dish well in advance, taking advantage of every free minute in the weeks in the run up to Christmas. Doing so, on the 25th December everything will be ready and there will be time to unwrap gifts and enjoy your time with your family and friends without the fear that the roast will burn.
Pan meino
One of Anna's favourite recipes is so-called millet bread, known as "pan meino" in Lombard dialect, which takes its name from the fact that it was traditionally made from millet flour: «It is a soft, large biscuit made from corn flour and elderflower that reminds me of my childhood, when my grandmother would send me to collect elderflowers».
RECIPE
n° 13
Pan meino
Ingredients
200 g fine-grain corn flour (Fioretto)
150 g white flour
100 g coarse corn flour (Bramata)
150 g butter
100 g sugar
15 g yeast
3 egg yolks
3 tbsp of elderflower
Milk
Oil and flour for the baking tray
Salt
Method
Mix the three kinds of flour and make a volcano shape on the pastry board. Place a pinch of elderflower, the melted butter, sugar and the egg in the middle. Carefully mix them together and add the yeast dissolved in one finger of tepid milk. Leave the dough to rest in the fridge for an hour.
Prepare the dough for the slightly squashed loaves that are around ten centimetres in diameter. Place them with space in-between on the baking tray. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and with the rest of the elderflowers and bake at 19O°C for approximately half an hour.
.
Anna's Christmas menu
Anna's Christmas menu is a "great Lombard classic". Every single dish is home-made, including the bread, butter and toffees. With one exception: the panettone.
Mixed appetisers: pate, canapés and vegetable flans
Smoked salmon on rye bread with dollops of flavoured butter
Cappelletti or tortellini pasta in broth
Salmon lasagne
Christmas stuffing (“without meat, just the stuffing”) with puréed vegetables, glazed onions and pomegranate salad
Panettone with flavoured mascarpone
Candied orange and chocolate
Toffee
Focaccia and bread sticks
Let’s cook Italian, A family cookbook
Cuciniamo italiano, Un ricettario di famiglia
Anna Prandoni – Editore Quarry Books
has come out in the United States in December 2015: a fun and interactive volume featuring many simplified traditional Italian recipes that can be prepared with the help of your kids. Every dish is explained in both Italian and English and comes complete with cute illustrations.
IGECO88
A “tailored ensemble” for every sweet
The IGECO88 packaging company has been producing custom packaging for the confectionery sector for 30 years.
Finding the right ‘ensemble’ for cakes and sweets, creating packets and packaging which make each and every sweet beautiful as well as tasty: this is the mission of IGECO88, which has been committed to the art of printing for 30 years. Luciano and Alessandro Marinotti chose to specialise in the confectionery sector so they could distinguish the work of master pastry chefs who, with passion and sacrifice, produce unique and extraordinary creations. IGECO88 offers different types of avant-garde prints: serigraphy, flexography, press and offset. Thus every customer can personalise packaging for their products, with their own style and brand, choosing the materials, shapes and colours which are most suitable. Like a tailor making made-to-measure suits, IGECO88 is able to dress up your pastry creations.
Papabubble
The kingdom of sugar
Papabubble is place where you can get lost in scents, flavours, colours and sensations and rediscover the ancient artisanal techniques for making sweets. The flavours of times gone by are enclosed within charming packaging, and each and every store worldwide is a veritable find.
Papabubble is not just any sweet shop: it is "the" sweet shop. Here machinery is strictly forbidden: the production process is done entirely by hand, following ancient artisanal techniques. The sweets seem to come together as if by magic, all in front of the eyes of a captivated audience. Established in Barcelona in 2004 from the desire to revive the ancient art of confectionery, today Papabubble has more than forty stores worldwide, spanning from Tokyo to New York and Beijing to San Paolo. Every store is different to the next, yet all share a minimalist and stylish design.
The sweets are the only real stars on the scene: packed into transparent tubs, colourful bags or elegant glass jars, they cover the shelves and line the walls from floor to ceiling. Within this kingdom of sugar all you have to do is close your eyes for an instant and you are a child again.
THE FORM OF SUGAR
by Internoconcucina
Sugar is a chameleon-like ingredient. When transformed it gives life to the different forms, colours and flavours that fill our days, making every moment of our lives sweeter.
The rituals of sugar
When we think about sugar, memories and rituals tied to this ingredient — so emblematic of sweetness — come to mind. Our long pauses in front of patisserie windows, our first pocket money spent on sweets from the corner shop opposite our school and the pleasure of unwrapping our favourite piece of candy. Right from childhood, sugar holds sway over man (maybe this is why our grandparents and parents tell us not to take sweets from strangers). When we grow up, our love for sugar in no way becomes diminished and we continue to carve out moments for sweet comfort. It's no coincidence that every special occasion is marked by a cake.
The symbolism of sweetness
Within our symbolic universe, sweetness has always been associated with joy and positivity. Just think about such sayings as "sweet anticipation" or "sweet dreams". Sugar is associated with all that is good and desirable, yet which we cannot always have. In other words, it is a luxury that should be savoured in small quantities.
One, no one and one hundred thousand
Sugar is an extremely malleable ingredient. When transformed it creates a vast range of forms, textures and colours, which only emphasise its pronounced chameleon-like character. Yet, sugar is able to hide at the same time. It dissolves into food and drinks without leaving any trace visible to the naked eye, bringing a feeling of well being with it.
su·gar
sugar
As regards the etymology of the word "sugar", it derives from the Sanskrit "sarkara", meaning sand.
SOMETHING SWEET
A mini lollipop factory
Tessa Geuze, a young Dutch student studying Industrial Design, has created a kit for preparing home-made sweets with natural and seasonal ingredients. The project was presented at the 2015 Salone del Mobile exhibition. In our opinion, it is simply genius.
A miniature candy factory that produces sweet, natural lollipops. This is the project from Tessa Geuze, a young Dutch student from Lund University in Sweden. The kit contains everything you could need to make lollipops at home: aluminium moulds, scoops, heatproof gloves and a display stand, which also serves as a storage box for the tools of the craft. The idea came about when she worked for a day in her friend's confectionery factory: «Once upon a time sweets were an exquisite luxury, while today they are made using industrial processes and artificial ingredients - explains Tessa -. I wanted to salvage the ancient artisan method, thereby reinventing the concept of sweets».
And here are Tessa's four recipes, inspired by the four seasons and made with Scandinavian ingredients. For winter there is the square, meringue and caramel flavoured lollipop. For spring we have the rainbow-shaped lollipop made with honey and roasted almonds. The circular mould is for the summer lollipop, which is made using fresh raspberries and mint. And lastly, for autumn, there is the trapezium-shaped, cranberry and sea salt lollipop. These are just a few ideas. With the Something Sweet kit, all you sweet-toothed people can go wild creating your favourite flavours.
Confectioners on the top of the world
The Pastry and Cake Design World Championships was held from 24th to 27th October, organised by the International Federation of Pastry, Ice Cream and Chocolate at Host Fiera Milano and sponsored by Expo 2015. Let us tell you how it went.
Four days of pure sweetness, an adrenaline-fuelled competition and a great show. In Milan from 24th to 27th October, dozens of talented people came from four continents to challenge one another in the most refined techniques of haute patisserie with the aim of winning the title of world champions. The Italian national team took to the podium in both competition. The confectionery team, made up of Diego Mascia, Paul Occhipinti and Antonino Bondì, came in second behind Japan and before Austria.
They also won the special award for the best modern cake. It was our own Serena Sardone who won the gold medal in cake design, bestowing Italy with the world champions title. Second and third place went to Venezuela and Switzerland respectively. Mexico created the best praline, while the best ice cream title went to Poland. A jury of international experts, made up of the coaches of the competing teams, judged the young pastry chefs' creations.
serena sardone
Cake Design World Champion
Serena Sardone, 28 years old, from Cassano Murge in the province of Bari, took Italy right to the top at the Cake Design World Championships. At her side there was her coach Christian Giardina and her twin sister Sara, who took to the podium with her.
Q&A 1-3/5
The theme of the cake design world championship was "Italian art". How did you decided to interpret it?
I chose to draw inspiration from The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, because it is the greatest literary work of all time.
What cake design techniques did you employ in your pieces?
I included many different techniques in my display piece: modelling, isomalt, ice, wafers, realistic flowers (jasmine and orchids), painting, airbrushing and submersed isomalt modelling. I then faithfully used these techniques in the cake that I decorated live, as per the rules.
How did you manage to represent Dante-esque Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise in a dessert?
I structured the tasting cake with three layers of flavour, to refer to the three levels of my theme. I used a raspberry cream for the lowest layer, as the red colour brings the flames of hell to mind. I used a white yoghurt-flavoured cream for the middle layer, which is reminiscent of the foggy environment of Purgatory. Lastly, I made a lime mouselline, featuring a green colour, that evokes the foliage in Paradise. These three colours are also the colours of the Italian flag!
Q&A 4-5/5
What were the key factors in you winning?
The many techniques that I included in my creation, the set-up of the table, the airbrushing on the sampling plates, the tidiness and cleanliness of my stand and also the fact that I finished my work right on time. However, given all the other creations, I in no way thought that mine could actually win.
Now that you are the Cake Design World Champion, what are your upcoming projects?
At the moment I am enjoying this victory, in the hope that it opens new doors and leads to new horizons. My dream would be to open a school with my sister Sara where we could hold cake design courses.
Japan conquers the
Pastry World Championships
The Japanese team, consisting of Nakano Kenta, Emori Hiroyuki and Studa Reisuke, won the world title thanks to their artistic sculptures inspired by the symbols of Japan. The team coach, pastry chef Marco Paolo Molinari, Italian by birth but Japanese by adoption, tells us about this immense undertaking.
Q&A 1-3/3
What is the “secret” of your victory?
The secret to our success is our dedication to our work, combined with discipline, attention to detail and frenetic training. In Japan there is no distinction between private life and work life. The only hobby for a Japanese pastry chef is work.
What is the main difference between Japanese and European pastry making?
In Japan it is essential that a dessert is aesthetically beautiful and not just delicious. We are always trying to interpret classic desserts with a modern twist, personalising them as we go.
What meaning do the sculptures that you presented at the World Championships hold?
Our creations depict a few animals that are symbolic of Japan. The sugar piece, entitled Water, represents the whale, which is a symbol of longevity, prosperity and abundance in our country. The pastillage piece, called Earth, depicts the deer, the animal protector of all Japanese Buddhist temples. A series of elements follows, like electrical plugs and cables, which are emblematic of modern-day life and innovation. Lastly, the chocolate sculpture, entitled Air, represents the pheasant, which is considered to be a bearer of wealth and beauty in Japan.
Cake design
Renato Ardovino – Malvarosa
In the latest book from Renato Ardovino, an Italian expert in cake design, he reveals his most beautiful creations and explains the most important techniques for decorating cakes using images and tutorials. It is a manual dedicated to people who are coming to this world of confectionery for the first time. In Italian
The art of confectioner Sugar work and pastillage
Ewald Notter – John Wiley & Sons Inc
Award-winning pastry chef Ewald Notter, founder of a renowned patisserie school in the United States, has created a comprehensive guide to artistic sugarwork. The book covers all the techniques - sugar pulling, sugar blowing, pastillage - as well as the variations on each one, and provides an overview of new trends (pressed sugar, sugar crystals, candyfloss, saturated sugar, sculpting on sand bases and so on) and offers advice on how to face competitions. Available in English only
Recipes from the Heart
Alice Agnelli - Publisher, La tana del Bianconiglio
"My journey, my story, every emotion that has influenced my life up until this point, is linked, as if by a common thread, to memories of dinner tables, scents, flavours and recipes". The food blogger Alice Agnelli (agipsyinthekitchen.com) has written her first book in which she talks about cooking and love with her unmistakeable sweet and spontaneous style, amongst recipes, photos, notes and memories. In the desserts we also find the apple crumble that Alice made just for Sweet Journal. In Italian
Europain & Intersuc
–
Paris-Nord Villepinte
Europain & Intersuc
An international exhibition just for confectionery, ice cream, chocolatier and bakery professionals, with 800 brands and exhibitors, 80,000 participants and 2,500 demonstrations. It is a chance to get up-to-date on the most state-of-the-art technology and the latest trends in the confectionery world.
This issue was made possible thanks to the collaboration of:
Barbara Castiglione
Silvia Giorgetta
Agnese Gullotta
Internoconcucina
Marina Manieristi
Marco Massi
Ernesto Milani
Denis Montresor
Giuseppe Russi
Silvia Celi
Bruno Noaro
The mission of the International Federation of Pastry, Ice Cream
and Chocolate is to form a capillary network of all the businesses
in the sector on a national and international level (schools,
wholesalers, associations, businesses, etc.). Its objective is to
promote collaboration and support growth in the sector,
offering visibility to artisan companies and local products.
To this end, the Federation organises professional training
courses, events and fairs.
To subscribe to the International Federation of Pastry, Ice Cream
and Chocolate download the registration form and follow the
instructions on the website:
www.internationalfederationpastry.com
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