Ingredients
3 eggs, separated
sugar equal in weight to the eggs
125 grams (about 4 1/2 ounces) of potato flour
125 grams (about 4 1/2 ounces) of butter, melted
125 grams (about 4 1/2 ounces) of sweet almonds, with 3 bitter almonds [blanched]
lemon zest
For topping
icing sugar
Equipment needed
A baking pan with a diameter of about 22 centimeters (about 8 2/3 inches), greased with butter, and dusted with icing sugar mixed with flour
Directions
Blanch the almonds, dry them in the sun or on the heat, and crush very fine in a mortar with a third of the sugar.
Using a wooden spoon, blend the three egg yolks with the remaining sugar and the lemon zest until they have become a whitish color.
Then add the potato flour, crushed almonds and butter (melted), as you continue to work the mixture.
Lastly, add the egg whites, beaten, and when all of the ingredients are well blended, bake in a Dutch oven.
When it has cooled, sprinkle the cake with icing sugar.
If you use a baking pan with a diameter of about 22 centimeters (about 8 2/3 inches) the cake will turn out just he right height. You can use some of the butter to grease the pan, which as you know should be dusted with icing sugar mixed with flour. This is a delicate tasting cake that serves 8 people.
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. Olga Ragusa's selection of recipes from Pellegrino Artusi's famous cookbook, titled "The Italian Cook Book," can be found in its entirety at www.archive.org (It's free). The University of Toronto recently published a new English edition of Pellegrino Artusi's "Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well"; many of the recipes in this edition can be found at www.books.google.ca.... Photo: Mary Melfi. |
