Desserts recipes

Soft Zelten

Ravioli dolci con castagne e cioccolato

Ingredients for 8-10 servings:
For the short pastry:
650 gr white flour
250 ml milk
500 gr a mix (equal parts) of raisin, walnuts, almonds, candied citrum and dry figs
100 gr butter
80 gr sugar
30 gr brewer's yeast
3-4 coriander seeds
2 shots of Grappa
1 organic orange
3 eggs
Salt

Ready in: about 60 minutes

How to prepare the recipe: "Soft Zelten":
Pour 200 gr of flour in a bowl, crumble the yeast with your hands and add to the flour with 100 ml of warm milk in order to obtain an elastic dough. Slightly knead the dough, carve an “x” on the surface and let it leaven covered with a cloth.

Cut into little pieces the figs, the citrum and the walnuts, add the raisin and mix. Take a bowl and pour inside the Grappa and coriander seeds, then add the mixture and let it steep for an hour. As soon as the dough has doubled its volume, “refresh” it with 200 gr of flour and a little warm milk. Knead well and then let it leaven covered again.

Take a bowl and pour inside the butter with 2 yolks and the sugar; mix until you get a cream. As soon as the dough is leavened, put it on a pastry board and combine with the butter cream, a little salt, 100 gr of flour and the remaining milk; knead until you get a smooth dough. Let it leaven covered for the third time.

Pour 100 gr of flour on the pastry board, add the grated orange zest and the drained fruit. As soon as the dough is leavened again, beat it on the pastry board and add the dry fruit and the flour. Then make the mixture elastic and divide it in 2 parts diamond-shaped.
Let it leaven in the mold with baking paper for 20 minutes, brush with 1 yolk beated with a little milk and bake at 180 °C for about 55 minutes. Let it cool and enjoy after two days.

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Difficulty: hard


Chef's advice
This is a typical Christmas sweet from Trentino Alto Adige, a region in the north-east of Italy.
I suggest to match this cake with Alto Adige Malvasia Spumante.