11-02-2014
Corrado Assenza (left), who has taken part in each of the 10 editions of Identità Milano, in a photo with his son Francesco and assistant Corrado Lucci. The pastry-chef from Noto opened the afternoon programme dedicated to Dossier Dessert (photo credits Brambilla-Serrani)
The curtain was raised on Dossier dessert to show the volcanic talent of Corrado Assenza: the self-taught chef created an explosion of lava and lapilli over the casemates of official pastry-making. His Sicily, before being a territory, is in fact a stratified and visceral feeling. This was communicated y his Campagna iblea d’inverno (Iblean winter countryside) in which the cold is represented by the integrity in comparison with tourist alterations, and by a boreal contemporaneity. Citrus fruits were presented highlighting each unique variety: from the archetypical bitter orange to the moro variety, to the femminello siracusano lemon, up to the lumanziano cultivar; but also matured rice, a pastry as sparkling as a Champagne, wild carrots and beets, kiwi jam to add acidity. This spontaneous and non-ritual dessert, unfolds a tribute to unique and subjective imperfection, something as true as life is. Then there’s the winter garden, a countryside living room in which fabulous things are collected. At Caffè Sicilia, an orange juice parfait is served with an almond sponge cake, pears from Etna, dark cherry gelatine, couscous and passacrassana pear, filling the teaspoon with the Baroque exuberance typical of Noto. Intelligence is also a trend at the end of the meal, according to Thierry Bridron, academic at the Ecole Valrhona. This is so because a dessert should not stimulate fear, nor regrets, but it should represent a moment reserved for bonheur. Less sugar, less fats, more pleasure: this is his recipe, while avoiding any crossing of the border with dietetics. The same complex emulsion with custard cream and chocolate, is guaranteed by the three-fold rule: 35 degrees, saturations, frictions, a way of re-establishing the fundamentals too. After this mousse, served with a wafer, Struesel, milk mousse and mint gel it was the turn of a praliné emulsified with tofu, instead of cream – thus virtually sugar-free - matched with pineapple and Streusel. “Instead of creating a visual architecture, I wanted to build an architecture of flavours.”
Giovanni Passerini, an Italian in Paris
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Umbra di Perugia con residenza a Bologna, è giornalista e scrittrice di cucina. Tra i numeri volumi tradotti e curati, spicca "6, autoritratto della Cucina Italiana d’Avanguardia" per Cucina & Vini