Ingredients
For the cake batter
150 grams (about 5 1/4 ounces) almonds, blanched
150 grams (about 5 1/4 ounces) sugar
100 grams (about 3 1/3 ounces) chocolate, grated
60 grams (about 2 ounces) potato flour
50 grams (about 1 2/3 ounces) butter, melted
3 deciiters (about 1 1/4 cups) milk
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites, beaten stiff
a touch of vanilla sugar
Additions
"Crazy dough"
Ricotta cheesecake
Original Italian text
Mandorle, grammi 150
Zucchero, grammi 150
Cioccolata, grammi 100
Farina di patate, grammi 60
Burro, grammi 50
Latte, decilitri 3
Uova, N.4
Odore di vainiglia
Directions
Blanch the almonds and dry well, and then crush them in a mortar with a third of the sugar.
Using low heat, put a pan on the burner and add butter, potato flour and milk, mix together until the mixture is right consistency.
Add the grated chocolate and remaining sugar to the mixture.
Add the crushed almonds, stirring constantly.
When the mixture is thoroughly blended stir in the vanilla sugar.
Remove from heat, and cool.
Add beaten egg yolks, and then fold in beaten egg whites whites.
Bake in a Dutch oven, and cool.
Using 100 grams of flour, prepare the crazy dough as described earlier, and then follow recipe for ricotta cheesecake, making sure the mixture is about one finger deep when poured in the baking pan.
Bake in a Dutch oven and like the ricotta cake, cut in almond-shapes when it has cooled.
Original Italian Text
Per chi ama la cioccolata, questa, se non m'inganno, e una torta squisita:
Mandorle, grammi 150
Zucchero, grammi 150
Cioccolata, grammi 100
Farina di patate, grammi 60
Burro, grammi 50
Latte, decilitri 3
Uova, N.4
Odore di vainiglia
Le mandorle sbucciatele, asciugatel bene al sole o al fuoco e pestatele finissime nel mortaio insieme con un terzo del detto zucchero. fate un intriso al fuoco col detto burro, la farina di patate e il latte versato a poco per volta. Quando sara giunto a consistenza versate la cioccolata grattata, lo zucchero rimasto e, dopo essersi sciolti bene l'uno e l'atra, aggiungete le mandorle pestate, rimestando continuamente. Quando il composto sra bene amalgamato dategli l'ordore collo zucchero vanigliato e lasciatelo diacciare peruirci le uova frullate a parte.
Con grammi 100 di farina fate la pasta matta e con la medesima, regolandovi come nella tora di ricotta, versatela in una teglia ove riesca della grossezza di oltre un dito, per cuocerla nel forno da compagna. Va tagliata a mandorle come quella, quando sera ben diaccia.
Notes
The recipe in this entry was taken from "La Scienza in Cucina e L'Arte di Mangiar Bene manuale Pratico per le Famiglie" compilato da Pellegrino Artusi. The book was first published in 1891. Since then many Italian editions have been published. English translations of this cookbook under the title "Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well" are available. At www.archive.org Olga Ragusa's selection of recipes from Artusi's famous Italian cookbook can be found in its entirety (It's free).... P.S. I didn't try this recipe because I generally don't like cakes made with potato flour. Also I had difficulty understanding the last part of the directions (regarding making "the crazy dough" and a "ricotta cheese" cake -- were these recipes part of this cake or not, and if they were how were they to be used?). The part about making the chocolate almond potato cake seemed simple enough, but the rest didn't make any sense to me. It's possible the chocolate almond cake is used as part of an elaborate dessert, but what it looks like I couldn't tell from this recipe. All I did gather was that whatever cake was made should be cut into almond-shaped pieces. Comments and photo: Mary Melfi. |
