Tag: chefs

Chef’s Christmas cake – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

Chef's Christmas cake


First prepare the cream: mix the egg yolks with the sugar, stir in the cornflour and vanilla, then also the warmed milk, then bring to the heat and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, until you obtain a smooth, dense cream.
Transfer to a large plate and leave to cool covered with cling film.

Also prepare the syrup by combining 1 glass of water with 1 tablespoon of sugar in a saucepan and bringing to the boil, then turn off the heat and add the rum (alternatively add the peel of 1 orange while cooking the syrup and avoid the rum).

Whip the cold cream from the fridge and add it to the now cold cream, stirring delicately so as not to cause the cream to deflate.

Let’s get to the most unpleasant part: arrange the 3 sponge cake discs on the work surface and proceed to cut them out: you will have to obtain 6 different discs in total.
You must cut out 1 circle of 17 cm in diameter and 1 of 5 cm plus a star from the first disk; from the second disk 1 circle of 20 cm in diameter; from the third disk 1 circle of 13 cm, 1 of 9 cm and 1 other of 5 cm.

Place the 20 cm disc on the serving plate and lightly moisten it with the syrup, then fill it with the cream and cover it with the second disc, the 17 cm one.

Wet and stuff the second disc as well and cover it with the third disc, the 13 cm one.
Wet it, stuff it and cover it with the fourth 9 cm disc, proceeding to wet and stuff this too.

Create the top tier of the cake with the 2 5cm discs, wetting and filling the first and leaving the second, the one on top of everything, without filling.
Now proceed to create a sort of Pavesini palisade on each level, leaving the cream itself to act as glue.

You will have to make 5 different Pavesini palisades, one for each level of the cake

Chop the chocolate and melt it in the microwave (or in a bain-marie).

Using a spoon, let the melted chocolate drip slowly onto the top of the Pavesini, so that it creates a decoration but also acts as a glue between them, once solidified.
Let the chocolate dry, then decorate with a little icing sugar.

The chef’s Christmas cake is ready, all you have to do is add the star and serve it.


Ever tried panettone meatballs? The pastry chefs’ recipe – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay


Never tried them Panettone meatballs? Two young and talented pastry chefs thought of it, Marta Boccanera and Felice Venanzi, APEI pastry chefs followed by the legendary Iginio Massari as a mentor. You can find them in the laboratory Grué pastry shop in Rome, where in addition to producing a range of fantastic creations, they also have a light catering section. Here it occurred to them to think of panettone meatballs, an intelligent and tasty recipe for recycling leftover panettone, which you can easily replicate at home.

Pastry chefs by personal choice and not family tradition, Marta Boccanera and Felice Venanzi have fueled the love for sweet art since 2008. Dissatisfied with the course of study undertaken – Political Science and International Relations for Felice, Mechanical Engineering for Marta – they decide, one step away from graduation, to revolutionize their lives by taking a high quality pastry shop among the most popular in Italy. After having worked with some of the most renowned pastry chefs in the Bel Paese and having continued to train with specialist courses, they set their sights on Rome. In 2014 they opened Grué where, from the beginning, they prepared their desserts without using semi-finished products and with high quality ingredients starting from butter, in a cutting-edge laboratory. In November 2022, Gambero Rosso’s “Pasticceri & Pastry Shop Guide 2023” awarded him the Three Cakes, which they confirm again this year and add the Best Digital Communication award. Another important recognition for 2023 is the inclusion in the list of “Best Pastry Chefs in the World – Luxury Pastry in the World by Iginio Massari”. The great Master Pastry Chef from Brescia is their mentor, also present in the romantic moment when Felice asked Marta for her hand last May during the Dolce Amore event in Naples.

RICCARDO ROBERTI

Iginio Massari he could be the grandfather of these two courageous pastry chefs who decided to give up everything to dedicate themselves to their passion, pastry making. Following the path indicated by a legend like the Maestro from Brescia is the best choice they could make for their professional career, they have no doubts. They had already met the Maestro before at a pastry making course – Marta remembers very well the first day in which Massari entered the classroom, wrote a greeting phrase with chocolate and stated succinctly «if you don’t know how to write something like that, don’t can you ever be a good pastry chef, because this is the pastry chef’s pen” – then they called him as a consultant in 2015. They were 5 really intense days, they both remember, in which everyone was called into question, weighed and weighed, everything ‘operated thus taking the path of success we know today. The first recognition comes with their chocolate panettone Gianduiosowhich wins the prize Best artisanal chocolate panettone in Italy in 2018. From then on, the path takes the right turn thanks to experience, study and continuous testing.

Does panettone win over pandoro? Iginio Massari and 7 great pastry chefs respond – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

Does panettone win over pandoro?  Iginio Massari and 7 great pastry chefs respond


Panettone versus Pandoro, the usual rivalry on the Christmas table that occurs every year – but really? I asked the question to Iginio Massari and 6 other pastry chefs exceptional on the occasion of the Panettone Senza Confini 2023 cruise. It was definitely the ideal opportunity to carry forward the flag of the Verona dessert, which seems to be too often put aside. Yet, just as often I find friends and relatives confessing that they love panettone “without” (gluten, candied fruit, raisins, depending), but that deep down they much prefer pandoro. What is certain is that the offer of artisanal panettone is very strong and the competition is therefore heavy to overcome. Yet, I say it here and you will remember my words, there is room for Pandoro to regain first place.

Iginio Massari as well as Achille Zoiafor example, are great Masters of festive leavened products and they too reserve a special place in their gourmet hearts for pandoro. Fausto Morabito, the inventor of the traveling Panettone Senza Confini event, now in its seventh edition, is willing to welcome the pandoro on the next cruise ship. In short, the pandoro trend is strong and there are all the cards to play for a winning game.

Pandoro VS Panettone: the data

According to data from Italian Food Union, last year the total production of the two leavened products was 73,502 tons equal to 552.1 million euros. According to the survey conducted by AstraRicerche according to Unione Italiana Food, in the last year over 95% have eaten at least one of the two. When it comes to consumer preferences, you come to find that the two are almost neck and neck: 81% for panettone and 82% for pandoro. It is adults who prefer panettone, while the new generations prefer pandoro. Furthermore, the preference for the traditional pandoro recipe is almost evident at 69.3% compared to 66% for panettone.

Here’s what Iginio Massari and the other 6 pastry chefs think

Proudly powered by WordPress

By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Click here to read more information about data collection for ads personalisation

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Read more about data collection for ads personalisation our in our Cookies Policy page

Close