Pastry chefs like to experiment by adding delicious, sophisticated or unusual ingredients to the Christmas leavened dough to create something new every year, or they return to the recipes of lesser-known and somewhat lost desserts that deserve to be rediscovered. We have put a bit of everything in our selection, the only constant: we have tasted each product, and it was all delicious
Artisanal Saffron Panettone by Maccari
Montalcino, as we know, is known for its Brunello wine, but it is an area of Val d'Orcia also famous for saffron, a spice that has been grown here since the Middle Ages and that was bought or exchanged along the Via Francigena. And it is to saffron that two young entrepreneurs, brother and sister, have dedicated their company, Pura Crocus. They are Filippo and Viola Maccari who, this year, have decided to also deal with the most famous leavened dessert there is, obviously in the "red gold" version. The pastry chef is Alessandro Giani which has a laboratory in Montepulciano (Pasticceria Tentazioni). The format is low and the dome is glazed with white chocolate. The inside is a bright yellow – thanks also to the saffron – while the fruity part is given by the Pellecchiella apricot from Vesuvius. The sweetness of the apricot is well balanced by the slightly umami taste of the saffron. Undoubtedly intense flavor. The dough is good, with a flaky texture, not tough, and calibrated alveolation. Saffron is truly the ingredient that makes the difference. The only flaw we could say is the glaze. It would be better to study a less sweet alternative.
