flipTorrone of Cremona with Honey and Almonds
Torrone of Cremona with Honey and Almonds
Why this dish? Torrone is THE confection of Cremona, Gatti's birthplace. Local tradition traces it to the wedding of Francesco Sforza and Bianca Maria Visconti (1441), where a sweet shaped like the Torrazzo tower was presented. In Gatti's time, it was the ceremonial sweet served on feast days and offered to patrons.
A firm white paste of long-cooked honey, whipped with egg whites and studded with toasted almonds, sandwiched between two sheets of wafer. The prestige confection of Cremona, cut into hard, shiny bars.
In Cremona, one does not marry or celebrate a saint without torrone, and they say it has the shape of our Torrazzo, the tallest tower in Christendom. The secret is in the honey: you must let it sing over low heat for hours, never burning it, then fold in stiffly beaten egg whites until the paste whitens like fresh plaster. I drown handfuls of toasted almonds in it, press it between two wafers, and offer the first bar to whoever commissions an altarpiece.
- •Honey — one pound (sweetener base)
- •Egg whites — two (aeration)
- •Almonds (and a few hazelnuts) — two pounds (filling)
- •Wafer sheets (ostie/cialde) — a few (wrapper)
- •Candied citron zest, orange flower water — a pinch (flavoring)
Torrone of Cremona with Honey and Almonds
A firm white paste of long-cooked honey, whipped with egg whites and studded with toasted almonds, sandwiched between two sheets of wafer. The prestige confection of Cremona, cut into hard, shiny bars.
Why this dish? Torrone is THE confection of Cremona, Gatti's birthplace. Local tradition traces it to the wedding of Francesco Sforza and Bianca Maria Visconti (1441), where a sweet shaped like the Torrazzo tower was presented. In Gatti's time, it was the ceremonial sweet served on feast days and offered to patrons.
In Cremona, one does not marry or celebrate a saint without torrone, and they say it has the shape of our Torrazzo, the tallest tower in Christendom. The secret is in the honey: you must let it sing over low heat for hours, never burning it, then fold in stiffly beaten egg whites until the paste whitens like fresh plaster. I drown handfuls of toasted almonds in it, press it between two wafers, and offer the first bar to whoever commissions an altarpiece.
Ingredients (period version)
- Honey — one pound (sweetener base)
- Egg whites — two (aeration)
- Almonds (and a few hazelnuts) — two pounds (filling)
- Wafer sheets (ostie/cialde) — a few (wrapper)
- Candied citron zest, orange flower water — a pinch (flavoring)
Ingredients
- Honey (acacia or wildflower) — 300 g (sweetener base)
- Sugar — 150 g (structure)
- Egg whites — 2 (≈70 g) (aeration)
- Blanched toasted almonds — 350 g (filling)
- Wafer sheets (azyme/ostie) — 2 large (wrapper)
- Lemon or citron zest — 1 tsp (flavoring)
Method
- Toast the almonds in the oven at 160 °C for 10 minutes; keep warm.
- Heat the honey (and sugar) in a double boiler or over very low heat to 145 °C, stirring regularly (45 min to 1 h).
- Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks, then pour in the hot honey in a thin stream while whisking constantly.
- Continue heating the mixture in the double boiler, stirring, until a drop plunged into cold water hardens.
- Fold in the warm almonds and zest, pour onto a wafer sheet placed in a frame, cover with the second sheet.
- Press under a weight, let set for several hours, then cut into bars with a heated knife.
How it was made : Torrone (from Latin *torrere*, to toast, or *turris*, tower) is attested in Italy since the Middle Ages; Cremona claims its paternity from the 15th century. The honey was cooked in copper basins for hours, the work so arduous that it was done by several people.
The contemporary twist : Dip the ends of the bars in amber syrup and present them standing in a bundle, like the arrows of a miniature bell tower.
Bernardino Gatti · Charactorium
