Tag: gateau

Not the usual gateau: the sweet potato pie – Italian Cuisine

The potato gateau it is a dish that everyone likes, just everyone.
Would you like to try it in an "American style" version?
We use them sweet potatoes then.

Don't call it a gateau

The sweet potatoes are now available in all supermarkets and are prepared exactly like yellow potatoes, but they have a slightly sweeter taste and a very hard texture.
They should be cooked a little longer and are perfect for the preparation of savory dishes, but above all sweet.
We want to try using them to cook one potato pie a little revisited.
We will then add del tasty cheese to counter the sweetness of potatoes and then many herbs to give an aromatic touch. Are you curious to try?

Sweet potato pie recipe

First cook, starting from cold water, 500 g of potatoes peeled and cut into equal pieces.
Once soft mash with a fork or a potato masher.
They must become a puree, but you can also leave them a coarse p0 ′ for a more rustic version.
Then mix them with two small eggs or one large egg, a nut of butter, two spoons of parmesan, herbs mixed chopped with knife and bread crumbs just enough.
You can then decide whether to create a pie with a "cheesy" heart, or directly add the pieces of cheese in the mixture before baking.

But which cheese?

You can really choose what you prefer because with sweet potatoes everything is fine.
If you want a sharp contrast choose the feta which is super savory; if you want a tasty contrast choose the gorgonzola creamy and blue; if you want a delicate contrast choose the fontina which is also racy.
You can also add the mozzarella cheese, but remember to dry it very well first.

How to cook the pie

You can choose to serve the pie in portionsthen buttered aluminum molds, sprinkle them with breadcrumbs and then fill them, perhaps with the heart of cheese.
Once cooked at 200 ° for about 15 minutes portion them with a side dish of vegetables like Brussels sprouts which are a little bitter and perfect in contrast, or with leafy vegetables sauté in the pan.
If you want to prepare one instead single pan, in the same way butter it well, sprinkle it with the breadcrumbs and then fill it.
The surface of the pie must always be sprinkled with breadcrumbs mixed with Parmesan and before baking it is important to add a few flakes of butter that will melt during cooking and create a nice golden crust.

Browse the tutorial for more tips on preparing sweet potato pie

Pumpkin Gateau – Pumpkin Gateau Recipe from – Italian Cuisine

First rinse the potatoes under water, then put them to boil and cook for 30-40 minutes.
Once well cooked, drain and mash with a potato masher and leave to cool.

while they are cooking the potatoes, clean the pumpkin (removing seeds and peel) and cut it into cubes.

Then steam it for about 10-15 minutes, until it is very soft, then shake it and let it cool.

Add potatoes and pumpkin in a large bowl, add egg, parmesan and salt and mix.
Then add cheese and speck into cubes and stir.

Transfer the dough into the mold, level the surface well, then cover with breadcrumbs and add flakes of butter.
Bake in a convection oven preheated to 180 ° C and cook for about 40 minutes (if you wish you can light the grill for the last 5 minutes of cooking).

Take the pumpkin gateau out of the oven and let it rest for at least 20 minutes before serving!

The gateau à la broche, the spit cake – Italian Cuisine

The gateau à la broche is a rare spiced conical cake that can be found in some mountainous areas of eastern France

The gateau à la broche, also said spit cake or Koeken, is a truly unique cake of its kind; has one characteristic conical shape and is cooked on the spit, with a long and complex preparation process that involves a gradual addition of different layers.

Widespread in various parts of Eastern Europe, especially in mountain areas and in the French regions Hautes-Pyrénées and Aveyron, its particular recipe and its rarity, attested by Slow Food, make it a sought-after dessert, often linked to fascinating local traditions, handed down from generation to generation and prepared mostly for special celebrations and holidays. Part of the charm of the gateau à la broche also lies in the uncertain origins and legends narrated over the years, which increase the myth.

Recipe and preparation-ritual of the gateau à la broche

The appearance of this dessert is as fascinating as its preparation. The ingredients of the basic recipe of the cake are sugar, butter, flour and eggs, while the additional and optional ones, to flavor it, may include lemon, orange blossom and even rum. Once the mold is prepared, that is a wooden cone attached to a spit that spins evenly, the first layer of dough is poured, to which the next seven or eight will gradually be added.

After browning the last layer, the cake must be removed from the fire and removed from the conical mold. Once cooked, the gateau à la broche is rather soft, with a golden and rough surface and an intense yellow color and can be stored for several days. Given the effort and time that this procedure requires, it is not surprising to find that the average dimensions are quite abundant: in general, the gateau à la broche is 20 to 80 cm tall and weighs between 150 g and 4 kg. The most fascinating aspect of this preparation is however the social aspect; in many areas and in many villages in Europe, and in particular in France, in the Massif Central and in the Hautes-Pyrénées, the tradition of gateau à la broche is alive and well and is handed down over time as an integral part of popular culture.
For example, in Arreau, in the Hautes-Pyrénées, for over twenty years a brotherhood has been organizing the spit-roasting of the cake every summer, in July, while in Morlaàs, about 90 km to the west, the Salon du Vin et de la Gastronomie, a traditional food and wine fair, which also includes the gateau à la broche as a gastronomic appointment, but also as a celebratory moment of community and social gathering.

History and diffusion in Europe of spit cake

The origin of the spit cake is much discussed. Self tradition attributes the creation of spit-roasted cake to the master pastry chef of the Prussian king in 1790 in SalzwedelIt is however certain that this specialty was born in Central Europe, where it still exists under various names including Kurtoskalacs (Hungary), baumkuchen (Germany). According to legend, when Napoleon's soldiers withdrew from their invasion of Russia in 1812, they brought it back to France with them. In France, a country where the rare gateau à la broche is more present, the recipe has since been transmitted orally.
Many European variants of the gateau à la broche, from the festive cake consumed alone or accompanied by jam or honey in Germany, to the English cake of medieval origin with figs, dates and spices, to recipes that include a covering of sugar or chocolate. One last curiosity: the spit cake has become popular even in Japan, thanks to the German confectioner Karl Joseph Wilhelm Juchheim who introduced it in 1919.

Photo: Rouge's Gâteau à la broche_Wikipedia Commons_Varaine.jpg
Photo: Gâteau à la broche preparation_Wikipedia Commons_Roland Darré.jpg
Photo: Gâteau à la broche cotto spiedo_Wikipedia Commons_Darreenvt.jpg