From  the elegant city of Milan comes this elegant, yet simple dessert..Charlotte Alla Milanese…. it’s a great way to make use of day old crusty bread and an elegantly simple dessert…

This recipe comes from my upcoming release The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style

It includes recipes that were influenced by DaVinci’s life and travels.  Leonardo was a foodie of his time and used dishes from his favorite cookbook of his day to paint the meal for the Last Supper and other famous masterpieces. The royal Sforza family of Milan were one of his many patrons  so he lived in and worked in Milan for some time. This recipe is an old, traditonal Milanese dish, still great today!

Charlotte alla Milanese

from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style (release date 09/11)

2 lbs (1 kilo) Granny Smith apples

1 cup (200 gr) granulated sugar

1/3 cup (80 gr) raisins

3 tblsps (45 grams) pinoli nuts

1 lemon

¾ cup (150 gr) dry white wine

3 tblsps butter (left out at room temperature)

day old baguettte or crusty bread

dry white wine

½ cup rum

Place raisins in warm water. Let soak for 20 minutes. Then drain and squeeze out water. Let dry on paper towels. Cut bread into thin slices. Set aside.

Peel, core, slice apples. Place in saucepan with ¾ cup sugar (150 gr), ¾ cup (150 gr)dry white wine, lemon peel, enough water to cover. Cook till apples are al dente. Drain and let apples dry on paper towels.

In a bowl, place 3 tblsps butter, remaining sugar. Blend till softened into a soft creamy texture.

Using a pastry brush, brush butter cream onto the sides of an angel food cake or charlotte pan. Then place bread slices on top of butter. Then fill in alternating apple slices with raisins and pinoli nuts. Pour a spritz of rum on each layer of fruits and nuts. Finish by topping with a layer of bread slices, Brush remaining butter cream on top of bread slices and bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 1hour. Remove from oven and let cool.

For more great recipe also get your  copy of the award winning book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas in Europe with the Christkindlmarkts of long ago that still exist today. I love to discover new ones .  This year I did just that by stopping by the Christkindlmarkts of the Northern Italian towns of Bolzano, Merano, Bressanone, Brunico, Vipiteno- are 5 cities in Northern Italy with 5 different styles of  celebrating  the festivities of the Christmas Season. This typical Nordic tradition in Middle Europe of the Christkindlmarkt (that began in Germany in the 14^th century) continues till January 6^th in the Alto Adige regions of Italy. The markets are filled with Christmas decorations and gifts. The main scents are of cinnamon and spices, of the wood burning in the mountains and sweet gingerbread, of vin brule (hot spiced wine). And the tastes? Many sweet gifts for the palate, the typical ‘zelten’ with candied fruits, apple strudel, homemade cookies known as ‘Lebkuchen’ and a type of sugar cake soaked in rum known as ‘Feuerzangbowle’. These sweets represent the classic and genuine recipes from Christmas markets of the past but updated for modern tastes. This year these sweets were made in 5 different shapes each one representing something special from each of the 5 cities:

*little angel for Bolzano

*lamb for Bressanone

*star for Brunico

*bell for Merano

*tower for Vipiteno

These sweets were sold exclusively during this year’s Christmas Markets and in Limited edition collectables. And with the purchase of the homemade ‘Lebkuchen’ a donation was made to a new project called”Francisville-The City of Mystery” for the Francesca Rava Foundation that will be used aid the children in Haiti.

Here is a recipe, for traditional ‘Lebkuchen’.  You can use these cookies as ornaments and cut into different shapes.

Lebkuchen 

• 3/4 cup honey 

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup butter

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp of powdered cocoa

•  1 tsp cinnamon,

•  1 tsp coriander  

• 1tsp cardamom 

• pinch of nutmeg 

• pinch of ground cloves 

•  Peel of one  dried lemon and 1 orange chopped finely 

• 1 cup flour

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 3 tablespoons of milk 
  1. Heat honey, sugar and butter in top of  a metal double boiler until sugar is almost totally melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
  2. Add in egg, cocoa and spices,dried orange and lemon peels, blend well. Sift flour and add in. Mix with wooden spoon till blended into a smooth dough.
  3. Dissolve baking soda in milk and add into this the dough. Blend in with hands till the dough is smooth. 
  4. Let pasta rest at room temperature overnight or for at least 24 hours.
  5. Place dough on well floured wooden board. Roll out to about 1/4  inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes.  If you want to use these as tree ornaments, place a hole in the top so that a ribbon can be strung through when cooked.

  Cover a cookie sheet with parchment or baking paper and arrange the cookies on the sheet leaving some distance between each of the cookies. Bake them in oven preheated to 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until golden.

   

For more info on the Christkindlmarkets you can also go to www.suedtirol.info

Have you ever made Lebkuchen, do you have a family recipe for Lebkkuchen you want to share?  Post them here…

Maria

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