Apicius - the great ancient gourmet

     When it came to entertaining, nobody did it like the Romans.  The books of Apicius are the oldest ones we know regarding the history of recipes and cooking techniques.  They date from as far back as the time of Christ, and provide valuable insights as to how cooking and gastronomy started.

     Scholars are at odds as to whether Apicius was one or several persons, and as to whether the book that we know as De Re-coquinaria was written all at once or it is actually a compilation, put together over several years.  The romantic side of the story attributes the collection of ten books to a Marcus Gavius Apicius, a notable gourmet that lived in Rome during the reign of Tiberius.  This Apicius used to dine on fresh crayfish, and a famous anecdote claims he took sail towards the coast of Africa on a whim, in search for the coveted crustaceans when they were not available in Rome.

     The notable Roman entertained almost constantly and, although possessor of great wealth, upon noticing one day that his fortune would more than likely not allow him the pleasures of such dining extravagances until his final days, he decided to commit suicide by overeating.  I’d say that for any gourmet, this is the ONLY way to go.

     There are several translations of the books of Apicius.  The one I read is the first one ever translated into English by scholar Joseph Dommers Vehling.  Although the recipes are vague and not a single one of them gives any clue on measurements, learning about the ways the Romans prepared their food has been an enlightening experience.

    Take, for instance, the way used to slaughter animals.  In one of the recipes for chicken, the slaughtering is described as raptum.  This has to be the cruelest way of killing an animal, which means none other than pulling it to pieces while it is still alive.  Romans believed that suffering increased the quality of taste in the meat.  Nowadays, of course – and thank God - we know the opposite to be true, as suffering only adds stress and makes the meat harder.  One can only imagine the bestiality that took place in Ancient Rome, not just for entertainment purposes but over day to day living. 

     In general, Romans seemed to believe suffering, on all levels, added a new dimension to life, which somehow made it worth living.  Hence the brutality present in all aspects of their lives, from killing slaves and throwing the bodies into fish ponds in order to fatten the mullets and eels living in them, to the invention of methods like crucifixion as punishment for crimes.

     But going back to the cooking, we see that spices like cumin and black pepper were omnipresent.  Also mulled wine and broth, which were used for sauces and rouxes.  A combination of ingredients that intrigued me was one of fennel, dry mint and vinegar, so I decided to try it in a salad. 

     I made it quite simply, and no recipe is required.  Just slice some fennel in thin strips, sprinkle about a tablespoon of dried mint over it, then season with red wine vinegar.  It’s refreshing and proves to be a nice digestive for something heavy as a lamb roast, with which I served it.  I also topped it with a dollop of crème fraîche seasoned with ras-el-hanout, a special Moroccan spice mix, which added yet another dimension and paired magnificently with the Moroccan-style lamb.

Murder, murder and more murder...

     I have a huge library.  It is intrinsic to me.  Whenever I’ve been, in all the places I have lived, books are the first thing that I start accumulating, even before clothes, or food!  Culinary mysteries are one of my favorite genres.  Since I am in a culinary state of mind lately, I selected as this week’s read Appetite for Murder by Francophile Cecille Lamalle (http://www.amazon.com/Appetite-Murder-Culinary-Mystery-Mysteries/dp/0446607622/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1336794783&sr=8-3). 

Ms. Lamalle is a cook, food editor and recipe developer, and her familiarity with the food industry is palpable almost from the beginning of the story.  Set in Van Buren county, in the outskirts of Albany, in New York state, Appetite for Murder is an interesting compendium of culinary secrets, ephemera, even recipes, of the first kind; all wrapped up in a nice, juicy mystery.

     The first thing I noticed about the story is the abundance of characters.  So much so, that half way through the book, I had to start over because I no longer knew who was who and what their part in the story was.  There is, of course, our Frenchman Chef and amateur sleuth Charles “Charly” Poisson.  Original from the Jura mountains in France - the land of les vins jeune - he now owns “La Fermette” (or "The Farmhouse"), an upscale restaurant that, although labeled first class by everyone in the story, as well as the review that precedes it, I find quite ordinary in its menu choices.  Apple and pecan pies for dessert, sandwiches à la Americaine (not the nice French baguettes made with succulent country paté and fresh vegetables), hamburgers and just simple Gravlax in a French restaurant??  I would not consider “La Fermette” as a high end dining establishment for one minute, especially if one thinks of the original "La Fermette Marbeuf" in Paris, a restaurant that appears to be the model for Ms. Poisson's.

The original La Fermette Marbeuf.  Who wouldn't want to dine here?

     Ms. Poisson serves this menu following the suggestion of his favourite customer, an interesting character belonging to the mob by the name of Walter Maxwell, in order to make a living.  Sad, I must say, especially because no respectable Frenchman would sacrifice the quintessential food qualities and rituals of France to merely fit in anywhere, especially among banal gangsters in America.  Nonetheless, Ms. Poisson runs a highly profitable business. 

     Narrative-wise, this is one is a confusing, albeit rather entertaining, book.  There are several different events taking place at the same time.  The first body is found by Charly himself, one day in early October, while on a hunt for oyster mushrooms, which he would later use in a most excellent soup (and one which I intend to try this coming Autumn).  He finds the body of a very well-dressed woman, wearing an expensive Hermès scarf, buried in the rich humus of his land.  But this is not the only case currently on the curricula of the small Van Buren County Police.  Someone has been burning the barns of the local farmers, one by one, for the past several months, and the Police still do not have a clue on who the arsonist is.  Then one of Charly’s customers, a rich lady by the name of Honoria Wells, gets attacked – twice, once by her money-hungry boyfriend and later by… someone who shoots her while lounging in her living room.  This same sniper targets our French Chef as well – twice, but he miraculously escapes.

View of the bar area, which presumably was the inspiration for Charly Poisson's restaurant.

     In the meantime, a mischievous child is murdered, the barn burnings continue, and a cleaning lady disappears.  Is it all connected? Ostensibly so.  And the interesting part is, that unlike in most mysteries, the reader is shown the culprit from the moment the crimes are committed.  The reason one is compelled to continue reading is for the pure pleasure of seeing the characters come to their own realizations about the events in the story and, mostly, for the delightful leçons de la cuisine imparted by Charly throughout.  His favoritism for Bach flower remedies, his chewing of garlic for a strong heart and other eccentricities our Chef has make this an engaging book.

     I decided to test the recipe for Salmon Rillettes, which I came to find was sloppily written.  Properly made though, it makes for a very nice appetizer.  I chose to serve it in my Emile Henry terrine, which I found at a discount in Williams-Sonoma, and considerably added to its presentation glamour.  For 4 to 6 servings gather:

Ingredients:

• 1 pound skinned salmon fillets, very finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. vodka
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. dill, chopped
• Pinch of brown sugar
• Sea salt to taste
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• Dash or two of Tabasco sauce

Preparation:

     Steamed the salmon fillets for 8 minutes, turning them once at half time.  Then chop them and combine with remaining ingredients, tossing gently with 2 forks.  Press into a terrine dish and let the flavours marry in the refrigerator 5 to 6 hours, or preferably overnight.  Serve with rounds of toasted baguette and butter.  A crisp Chablis accompanies this appetizer very well.

     Now if I could only be the consultant for that menu…

Macaroons from Pavillon Ledoyen

     The word macaroon means different things to different nationalities.  Whilst in America we could care less as to whether it is macaroni and cheese or cheese and macaroni, Europeans take the matter of food very seriously.  Case in point, the macaroon.

     There is the Italian variety and the French one, the latter one being the one of interest for this post.  French macaroons are less dense and a lot more airy than Italian ones.  They’re basically made of meringue and have a creamy filling in-between, which can be anything from a fruit jam to a creamy mousse (ganache).  They are served at the end of a meal as petit fours secs, as accompaniment to coffee.

    The Parisian bakery Ladureé is credited with the creation of the French macaroon.  As such, they should be on your MUST VISIT list when in Paris.  In the meantime, we can have these delicacies directly sent to our door via Pavillon Ledoyen, a purveyor of all things gourmet, also located in Paris.

     Pavillion Ledoyen opened in 1791 as a restaurant.  It passed through a number of owners, even overcoming a fire in 1848.  Eventually, the brand grew to what it is today, shipping French delicacies all over the world for those who do not have the good fortune of living in Paris.

     I was lucky enough to receive a box of their classic collection, which included both fruity and creamy flavoured macaroons in all the colours of the rainbow.  Presentation is important for the brand, as the red box in which the macaroons arrived demonstrates.  It makes them an ideal hostess gift (one that will make you look totally “non-desperate”). We tasted them with a nice espresso, freshly ground and brewed.  Our favorites were the coffee, chocolate and citrus flavours, closely followed by the blueberry and pistachio.  The strawberry one was the least favorite as the jam seemed too stiff; however all flavours had the dreamy, airy texture a proper French macaroon should have, and they melted in our mouth in a couple of bites, as will you.  

     Enjoy your happy coffee moment!

Nigella's first book was on pasta

     The first time I heard about Nigella Lawson was when I watched her program Nigella Bites on the Style Network.  Instantly, I took a liking to her.  She was witty, polished, modern and oh so British.  Her posh accent and vocabulary were enriching in itself, and the way she presented her cooking, quite unique.  She reminded me a bit of Doña Petrona, the great Argentine cook that was just as witty and wrote THE elementary  cookbook for the Argentine housewife.

     I remembered how her production team admired her after becoming a widow relatively early in life, and succeeded making it on her own whilst pulling her strings with two very young children in tow.  The idea conveyed was of a struggling, lonely housewife with almost no recourse other than her wit.  Although I’ve no doubt that the woman went through a difficult time (she admits to have suffered from depression at the time), she was hardly ever in a financially desperate situation.

     Lawson is the daughter of ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer during the Thatcher government Nigel Lawson, and Vanessa Salmon, a socialite and heiress to the magnanimous J.Lyons & Co. catering empire. Although her childhood was a bit difficult due to her parents’ disagreements and subsequent divorce in 1980, she shone academically and graduated from Oxford University.

A composite photo from 1965, showing a glummy Nigella to the left, with father Nigel,
deceased sister Thomasina and mum Vanessa, ever the great organized hostess.

      She became a journalist and wrote for prestigious publications, such as The Observer, The Telegraph, The Times in the United Kingdom  and Gourmet and Bon Appétit in the United States.  It was during this time that she met her first husband, also journalist John Diamond, and the father of her two children Cosima and Bruno.  They married in Venice in 1992, and Diamond died of throat cancer in 2001.  I still have recordings of Nigella Bites with him on it, sitting at the table with guests during a meal and unable to eat anything because of his terrible disease.  I thought at the time how cruelly ironic life can be, having a wife who is a famous cook, along with a disease that’s killing you, but also in the meantime, precludes you from tasting anything she makes.  Shortly after Diamond’s death she started dating art collector Charles Saatchi.  They married in 2003 and have been together ever since. 

     Lawson’s enjoyment for cooking came about from her mother, who loved to entertain and cook, being who she was, the heiress of such a large food-related organization.  Unlike Nigella though, her mother suffered from eating disorders.  This may have been the cause of her rather early demise at the age of 48 due to liver cancer.  In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, she declared her relationship with her mother was less than ideal: “I never thought I could please her,' she said.  'She was funny, but depressed and so sensitive to noise.” 

     Still, being the daughter of such entertaining-loving mother obviously influenced her life.  Her first book, How to eat, was published in 1998 and sold 300,000 copies.  But contrary to what most everyone believes, this was not her first written contribution.  I consider her very first work one called Il museo immaginario della pasta, which she co-wrote with Pier Luigi Bassignana, a curator and contributor to various technical Italian publications.  The collectors’ tome was written to commemorate the First World Congress on Pasta, which took place in Rome, between the 25^th and 28^th October, 1995.

    Lawson wrote for the book an essay entitled “A food with divine origins”, in which she traces the origins of pasta offering surprising revelations.  For instance, who would have thought the Arabs played a prominent role in the development of pasta?  Lawson reveals how the food was eaten in ancient Persia and appeared in the cookery books of medieval Islam.  She also delves into the history of badly cooked pasta, emphasizing the fact that this food should never be overcooked but always “al dente” and with a small amount of sauce, as opposed to drowning in it. 

     The amount of pasta shapes and sizes shown in the book is amazing, and has appealed to an esoteric taste like mine.  Recently I found some colourful pasta at my local Homegoods called “monumenti”.  They are just that – monuments and buildings of Italy in your plate.  It was very important, like Lawson suggests in her essay, not to overcook these shapes, as they would otherwise disintegrate very easily.  I found 4 minutes were more than enough, and I served them with an excellent Ligurian pesto topped with freshly grated Parmesan, and piece of cheese bread.  Simple, yet elegant comfort food to have while sitting cozily in front of the T.V.

     But who can claim they do not love pasta?  As far as Nigella’s first true written contribution to the world of cookery books, the English used to associate the word “pasta” with macaroni.  Here in America, macaroni and cheese is a classic, but for me, the best recipe for this dish does not come from Nigella, or from any American cook, but from a compatriot of hers, model turned celebrity chef Lorraine Pascale.  She makes a heavenly Glam Mac & Cheese, which elevates comfort food to a new ideal, that of the gourmet one.  This dish has it all – the meatiness of the pancetta and the aromas of the fresh herbs combined with the yummy cheeses, whilst offering the comfort of pasta.  I encourage you to try this tasty recipe, which will have you licking your fingers to no end.  The amount makes four generous servings.

Glam Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

• 340g macaroni
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 80g pancetta, diced
• 1 small handful of fresh thyme leaves
• 3 scallions, trimmed and finely sliced
• 100g breadcrumbs
• 1 handful of chopped parsley

For the cheese sauce:

·         3 Tbsp butter

·         5 Tbsp all-purpose flour

·         Pinch of ground nutmeg

·         1 tsp mustard powder

·         Generous ¾ cup milk

·         Scant 1 ¼ cup of heavy cream

·         200g dolce latte or Gorgonzola cheese

·         115g Parmesan cheese, grated

Preparation:

     Cook the macaroni in a large pot of boiling salted water.  They need to be cooked to just under what you would normally do, as the pasta will be cooked again in the oven.  Drain, then return to the pan and set aside.  Preheat the oven to 400 F. 

     Fry the pancetta in a medium skillet over gentle heat until it starts to brown and crisp up, then add the scallions and cook for an additional 3 minutes.  Remove the skillet from the heat and add its contents to the pasta.

     For the sauce, put the butter, flour, nutmeg and mustard in a small pan set over medium heat and cook until the butter has melted.  Mix the milk and cream together in a pitcher and add a little to the flour and butter in the pan, stirring well.  Keep adding the milk mixture, bit by bit, stirring well each time.  This will prevent the sauce from going lumpy.  Resist the temptation of putting all the milk in at once, since you will be left with clumps of flour floating on the surface.  Should this happen, take the pan off the heat and whisk it like crazy – it should make all the lumps disappear.  Make sure you get the spoon into the corners of the pan, as stray mounds of flour often lurk there.  Once the sauce has fully come together, turn up the heat and boil for a minute or two.  The sauce will thicken considerably.  Once this happens remove it from the heat and add two thirds of both the cheeses to it while it’s still hot and combine well.  It may be a bit lumpy, but that is fine.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and add to the pasta mix.  Stir everything together and spoon into a shallow casserole dish or 4 individual ramekins.  This latter option is my favourite, as I then have the freedom to freeze part of the preparation at this point in the recipe.   

    

     Once ready to eat, sprinkle the top with the thyme leaves, the rest of the cheeses and the breadcrumbs, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the cheese starts to bubble and the topping goes crumbly and brown.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve hot.

February is D&B chocolates month

     To say that I am a lover of chocolate does not even begin to describe how I feel about it.  To me, chocolate is all about elegance, debauchery, exquisiteness and uniqueness.  It is something worth anything and everything, one of the pleasures of life that make it worth living.

     I have always been in pursuit of the best possible chocolate I could lay my hands on.  Places like La Maison du Chocolat or Neuhaus, the ultimate Italian chocolates like Amedei and Pernigotti, etc.  It was not too long ago that I came upon a series of amateur detective stories named the Lady Arianna Regency Mysteries.  Written by Andrea Penrose and set in England’s Regency period, they supply the best of both worlds for an avid reader of mysteries like me, and each chapter starts with a bit of chocolate trivia and a recipe.

     The first installment, entitled Sweet Revenge, introduces us to the main characters – Lady Arianna and the Earl of Saybrook, who will become more than just partners in crime.  Arianna finds herself entangled in the possible poisoning of Prinny (a.k.a. the Prince Regent), and Saybrook is employed by England’s government to uncover the culprit.  The story also introduces one of the oldest, and most distinguished chocolate houses in the world – Debauve & Gallais.

     Ms. Sulpice Debauve started his business as a chemist in the France of Marie Antoinette.  He was the pharmacist to the Royal Household.  As chocolate made its appearance in Europe at the time, he devised a way to hide medicines into “pistoles”, basically chocolate coins embossed with the house’s logo, so that the Queen did not have to taste the unpleasantness of her medication.  Marie Antoinette liked the chocolate confections so much that she commissioned them regularly, and thus Debauve & Gallais was born.  By 1804 they had expanded to over sixty shops throughout France.

Debauve & Gallais store at Rue de Sèvres

     After learning all of this, I naturally had to see what all the fuss was about.  I have tasted some pretty good chocolate in my lifetime, so the reason as to why this particular chocolate house would make chocolates worth up to $600 for a few dozen piqued my curiosity to no end.

Shop-window with "Le Livre", on the top right-hand corner.
A huge box of about 3' X 2' which will set you back 300€

Some of the selection available at the store at Rue de Sèvres, which is not sold in the U.S.
The aromas and subtlety of the flavors are unique.  Huge sizes too!

     I gladly found that there is a shop inside Barney’s in New York City that will deliver next day.  So being Valentine’s week and all, I ordered a modest two dozen for just over a hundred dollars.  The chocolate melts in the mouth unlike any other I’ve ever tasted.  In all reality, it feels as if one is sucking on a lump of butter but with the taste of chocolate, which, coming to think of it, is how chocolate should taste every time.  The dark chocolates are dark and opaque, the milk ones, creamy and unctuous.  The pistols of Marie Antoinette show the prominent house logo, and one can understand how the chic Queen would have had no problem in taking her medicines disguised in this way.  Mss. D&G made them in different cocoa concentrations for the Queen to savor.

The modest box I was able to acquire in U.S.

     Debauve & Gallais are chocolates for that rare special occasion.  You cannot just buy them for the sake of having some chocolate.  After all, they were especially made for royalty and they should be given their status.  With a nice liqueur they will round up your evening nicely, and will make your honey feel ultra special if given as a gift, all the more for Valentine’s Day.

Simple French cuisine in Winter Park

     Even though I have yet to visit, I am a Parisian at heart.  I love the French excellence in all its forms – fashion, food, their ideal of what beauty should be, etc.  I always have and always will.  Through my quest of all true things French, I have discovered it is not easy to find true representations of the French savoir faire outside of France.  This is especially true in what concerns food, and especially here in America.  Some ingredients readily available in France are impossible to find in the United States – such as true fresh cream and butter, bread that does not contain any preservatives, etc.  This makes it, to a certain point, impossible for French chefs to cook like they would at home.

     But during one of my strolls through Park Avenue in the neighborhood of Winter Park, I came across the Café de France.  This jewel of a restaurant was opened in 1982, and after over three decades, it continues to delight the locals with its quaint, yet distinguished, French cuisine.  The place has but a few tables, and the décor is reminiscent of the famous bistros in France, with prints of them on its walls – such as the Café de Flore, Le Napoleon et al.

     I came in and sat down to a simple table covered in a white linen cloth and a single rose (it was Valentine’s Day after all).  The waiter came after a minute or two and provided me with a menu that immediately denoted I was inside a true French restaurant – only a few dishes but classic and with simple ingredients.  This could only be good.  I was going to order the comforting coq au vin (being a rainy, sort of chilly day and all), but the waiter recommended the special of the day, seafood crêpe.  My instincts told me this was a place of knowledgeable waiters, so I went with his suggestion and ordered a glass of fruity rosé to go with it.

     While I waited for my order I visited the toilet.  For one, I always like to wash my hands before eating, but from my table I could also see that if I did so, I could get a good peak into the kitchen.  And I’m very glad I did.  It had a look of a country, yet professional cooking space, small but with all that is necessary accoutrements to make it impeccably efficient, yet cozy; a place where a chef would look forward to coming to work every day.  The fact that I got an invitation to go into it for sure next time I visit can only increase my confidence in what I would see happening in it.

     The seafood crêpe was heaven.  I could taste every single piece of fish inside it and the silky Mornay sauce enveloped the filling beautifully.  Scallions were added as a garnish, just sautéed, which rounded the flavours without overpowering them.

     For dessert I let the waiter choose for me as well.  Again, it was a wise decision.  The chocolate trio provided the much needed chocolate element for the day in question, with a foamy but not at all soggy chocolate mousse, espresso ice-cream – which was not melted when it got to my table, thank God (I HATE melted ice-cream) – and a tiny espresso.  

    The warm days of Spring offered an opportunity to taste a unique delicacy - steak tartare.  The origin of this dish goes back to the Mongolian hordes, who used to spend most of their lives on horseback.  As they went along pillaging from village to village, the soldiers of Genghis Khan carried chopped raw meat in their saddles in order to tenderize it.  After several hours of "grinding", it was quickly seasoned and eaten raw.  The French version tops the heap with a raw egg yolk, providing for a hearty dish.

     Although some people may have reservations about eating raw meat and raw egg all at once, I'm certainly not one of them.  As long as one is using quality product, like the best rib-eye, grass fed one can find and farm fresh eggs, there is absolutely no problem.  We must also remember that meat, especially when grilled, shouldn't really be cooked too much.  At Café de France, the dish is accompanied by crusty baguette slices, slightly grilled (heaven!) and paillés frites, the thinnest of French fries.  A light Beaujolais or a fruity Côtes du Rhône will pair beautifully with this rich dish.

     A light dessert was all that was needed after the the hearty steak.  A selection of sorbets both aided digestion and cleansed the palate.

Sorbet flavours from top, then right: mango, lemon and strawberry

    The service was superb, both friendly and personalized and I commend the use of the freshest of ingredients in a restaurant that has remained incorruptible for over three decades.

     A third visit to Café de France proved average, although no less enticing.  It was Saturday night and the place was quite busy.  I ordered guyères as a starter.  These are basically savory profiteroles which are offered as an "amuse bouche" with an apéritif.  They are made with gruyère cheese and are quite addictive.  Café de France serves them with crème fraîche seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  One spoons it into the guyère and pops it into the mouth.  The savory combination bursts into the palate and definitely opens up the appetite.  Ideal to accompany with a glass of champagne.

     The main course I chose was - finally, the Coq au vin, a dish I've always wanted to try.  It was a very chilly evening, and this dish, which Café de France chooses to serve with a slab of mashed potatoes, did wonderfully its work of warming me up.  The pieces of chicken were tender and pulled apart from the bone.  They were not reddish on the inside, so I'm not sure they were marinated enough time in the wine, but the dish was tasty nonetheless.

     Last but not least, the dessert was another classic, Tarte Tatin, served with homemade vanilla ice-cream.  Of the ice-cream all I can say is that my homemade vanilla ice-cream tastes better.  I can see the speckles of vanilla when I make it and, since I use only pasteurized cream (and not ultra-pasteurized), it tastes very natural and light.  Café de France's wasn't bad, but I feel they should've done better.  As far as the tarte, I was hoping for a base of pâte briseé instead of millefeuille, and a more homogeneous dessert.  Still not bad, but could've been better.  

     Regardless, I hold Café de France as one of Orlando's best restaurants and one of my favorites, where I can see myself coming again and again.  It's good food, cooked like one would at home but with a refined twist, which makes it worthy of coming to this restaurant.  Reservations, especially on weekends, are highly recommended.

Il Carnevale di Venezia

     One of the things in my bucket list pertaining to travel is to attend the Venetian Carnival.  Ever since I read Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of Read Death I’ve been fascinated with images of a grand masquerade ball, although not necessarily ending as gruesomely as Poe’s story.

"And thus was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death..."

     The Venetian Carnival, or Carnevale di Venezia, started on 28^th January and will run till 12^th February, 2013.  For some it may be perceived as an ode to the grotesque, for others – like me – is yet another occasion to fully indulge the senses.  The feast dates as far back as 1162, when Venice flourished as an independent city.  The Carnival was very famous during the Renaissance but its spirit dwindled in the 18^th century.  Then in the 1980’s Venetians started celebrating it again.

The opening night of the colourful 2013 festivities.

    The most distinguishing aspect of the Carnival is the attendants’ highly ornamented costumes and the masques.  In the olden days, they were manufactured by highly skilled craftsmen called mascherari, who enjoyed a position of privilege in the Venetian society.

Masques at Disney World's Epcot.

The masques were worn throughout the holiday season, well into January and February, right up to Ash Wednesday, when the season of Lent – and the end of debauchery – was to end.  Masques were also particularly welcome during the plague that decimated Europe in the Middle Ages, with doctors specifically wearing a white one with a hook-like beak, appropriately named medico della peste – or “Plague Doctor”. 

      My dream of visiting Venice is of attending a ball in costume with a floor-length cape, a beautiful masque, and being photographed at dusk running through one of its bridges across the canals.  In the meantime, I’ve decided to celebrate at home by making Sanguinaccio, a typical sweet of these festivities. 

     The original Sanguinaccio included, as its name disturbingly implies, blood.  It was the blood of a freshly killed pig.  The Neapolitans, not the Venetians, were its creators.  They used to make it for the Lent festivities and disguised the blood with chocolate because, let’s be honest, how else would you dare someone to drink the warm blood of a pig?  Yet as disturbing as it sounds, the fame of the pudding spread quickly throughout Italy.

     In any case, mine did not include the blood – although for the future it would prove an interesting experiment (after all, I do love morcilla).  I substituted it instead with milk and a touch of liquore Strega Alberti, a sweet aromatic elixir made with saffron and a bouquet of herbs which pairs great with chocolate.  It can also be drunk on its own as a digestif after meals.

     The recipe I found was in Italian and not a good one.  Hence I ended up with a Sanguinaccio that look more like a cold soup than a pudding.  Still, it was creamy and tasted gloriously, but a little goes a long way (and that’s without the blood!).  Perfected however, the recipe should be as follows:

Ingredients:

• ½ liter of whole milk (but if you are really adventurous you may want to try ¼ liter of whole milk and ¼ liter fresh pig’s blood.  Ouch!)
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1.5 oz. cornstarch
• 3.5 oz. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2.8 oz. semi-sweet (60%) chocolate, melted
• 1 oz. unsalted butter
• 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
• 1 pinch of cinnamon (Vietnamese style)
• 3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3 Tbsp. liquore Strega Alberti
• A few candied orange peels, chopped

Preparation:

Melt the semi-sweet chocolate on a bain Marie.  Add the milk (or milk and blood!), cornstarch, sugar, butter, cocoa, vanilla seeds and cinnamon and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens – about 15 to 18 minutes.  

Place in small pots and chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

My first attempt at Sanguinaccio.  Great flavor, not great texture.