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What likely originated as a simple cake recipe made from egg, sugar, almond flour and ricotta creme is now one of Sicily's most coveted desserts - the Cassata! Cassata is a springtime cake traditionally made as an Easter specialty.
Crafting the Cassata from scratch is what Sicily is all about. You can't buy it anywhere and if you could find it, chances are the gorgeous pastry would be a much smaller version, a Cassatine, perhaps. Many attempts have been made to commercialize the Cassata, but it's just one of those traditional pastry recipes that due to the quality of the ingredients and delicacy of it's architecture, is impossible. If you think you have had a true Cassata outside of Sicily...you haven't. Which is why I feel so lucky to be part of the Cassata's genesis at Case Vecchie! Every time it comes to life, I learn something new from its assemblage. While their are a number of variations in the design of the Cassata, we typically make ours with a simple arrangement of sliced and whole candied fruit (as shown above). The design can be as complex or as understated as you want it to be, so long as that first bite slingshots you into another dimension.
There are 5-key ingredients to a well-balanced Cassata.
Sponge Cake
- Soft, delicate, fluffy...sponge cake. It speaks to you. When you back it and it's perfect, it should give a little squeaky sound, a kind of sponge cake melody if you will.
- Fresh, FRESH ricotta cheese (filling). We source our ricotta cheese from Primavera, a local farm who produces the BEST ricotta cheese. For any vegans reading this post, I understand the concern for the well-being of the sheep. I assure you that they are treated very well. The shepherd loves his flock and makes sure enough milk is saved for the lambs.
- The third mandatory ingredient that should be of the highest quality is the marzipan (almond flour/paste) which forms the outside crust of the pastry. The Regaleali estate supports a number of almond trees so fresh almonds always around. In fact, once per week I take a wood chopping board and mallet and spend 20-30 minutes crushing the nuts from their shells.
- Lemon juice and powdered sugar
- Crowning the Cassata is an orchestra of candied fruit. The process of making candied fruit is difficult. Many try and fail to make it properly. The process of candying whole fruit is something of a lost art. There aren't many people today that do it. Most pastry shops in the U.S that make Cassata or claim to make it, outsource their candied fruit from abroad. Even then it's not that good.
Happy Easter, everyone!
Really? Such a popular dish and yet nobody has tried to cash in on it and sell it commercially? Italy truly must be a marvel. That equates to like not being able to buy fried chicken in the USA.
ReplyDeleteHey! Thanks for reading. Food lovers unite!
DeleteMost Sicilians and I think Italians in general eat at home most of the time. They rarely eat out. Reason being, NOTHING is better then what they make in their own kitchen.
Recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation cannot be replicated outside the home. At least that's the attitude. A restaurant could have all of the same ingredients, but it would never "be the same". I think this is why the Cassata hasn't really been commercialized. A Cassata that wasn't made in the home kitchen just wouldn't be as good. It has to be made by hand. Plus, obtaining all of the quality ingredients isn't easy. Even if someone were to produce it commercially, there's no way they would be able to get access to the quantities of fresh ricotta cheese needed to scale the business. The cheese would age and change the flavor of the pastry. It wouldn't be a "true" Cassata...Sicilians are very particular about their food!
There are just some things that cannot be replicated at a scale that makes business sense. I like this idea, even though like yourself, I'm business minded and think "opportunity!?". In that way it stays sacred and close to the heart and close to the kitchen.