Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Things to Do in Bologna. Recipe: Torta Barozzi style...

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.”  Charles M. Schulz


We recently traveled to #Bologna, the capital city of the Emilia-Romagna region.  Back home, we learned about the bountifulness of the region listening to chef Mario Batalli, who highlighted the importance of Emilia-Romagna as a pillar of Italian food.  And why exactly is that?  Because in this region you find the birth places of #BalsamicVinegar, #Parmesan cheese (the King of all cheeses), Spaghetti Bolognese (which in Bologna is called Tagliatelle al Ragu), #Mortadella....

Apparently, all yummy food comes from Emilia-Romagna, and as seekers of yummy food, we took a long weekend to explore and eat our way through food heaven.


Years ago we had taken a tour with Italian Days Food Experience (Ranked #1 in Tripadvisor for activities in Bologna).  If you are a foodie, I highly recommend it.  This time, we contacted Alessandro from Italian Days Food Experience, and he recommended a stay at the B&B "Corte D'Aibo".  This country side B&B is just what we were looking for, peaceful, relaxing but with a five star restaurant and it's own wine production line.  Many of the ingredients used in their kitchen come from their land.  Needless to say, it's a true farm to table experience.


Breakfast there was simple but delicious.  In #Italy, #breakfast consists mostly of a sweet treat and coffee.  They had more than that, but we fell in love with a chocolate/coffee/almond cake that was out of this world.  Yours truly, was able to get the recipe from the kitchen manager.  After researching a bit about the recipe, I learned that it has been around since 1887, and it's been patented, hence the Torta Barozzi STYLE, and not just Torta Barozzi, as I don't have the money to fight a law suit ;).  Here it goes:


Torta Barozzi Style (gluten free!)


100 grams of sugar
100 grams of butter, softened
100 grams of baking dark chocolate, melted
100 grams of toasted ground almonds
1 tablespoon of ground coffee
1 expresso coffee (a shot)
1 egg yolk
2 egg whites, beaten

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boil.  In a bowl, mix the sugar and the egg yolk until you get a creamy consistency, then add the ground coffee, the shot of expresso and the melted chocolate/butter mixture.  In another bowl, beat the egg whites with a mixer until they form peaks.  Incorporate the other ingredients gently, mixing from bottom to the top.   Add the toasted ground almonds.

Put batter in a rectangular pan lined with wax paper.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in a 360º F oven or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I can't wait to try it at home!

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