Let us Prepare for Holidays Step 4

The “tronchetto di Natale “ takes the form of  the block of wood, symbolizing Christmas. The wood was taken from the thickest part of the tree and kept waiting for Christmas Eve, when it was placed in the fireplace to heat symbolically Infant Jesus

The wood was burning up the New Year, so it was generally extracted from fruit trees such as oak or chestnut, which ensured a slow combustion, and the whole tradition has its origins in ancient pagan custom of propitiating, through this rite, the fertility of all the fruit trees.

Tronchetto di Natale

Prepare the cookie dough on a baking pan 40 x 35 cm.

Prepare the custard by adding the sifted cocoa powder and let it cool.

Stuff the roll of cookie dough, spreading the cream over the entire surface but leaving a few cm gap at the edgesCarefully roll up the cake, wrap it with greaseproof paper and place in refrigerator to cool at least an hour.

Meanwhile, prepare the ganache cream.
When the roll has cooled down and compacted, remove the parchment paper and place them plays  on a serving  plate , cut across the two ends of the roll, and set them aside: with cream ganache completely cover the cake (except the underside!) and then join the two ends of the cream previously cut, and laid one on top of the cake and the other side, to give the characteristic shape of the piece of wood.

 The parts cut opposite to the  diagonally cut   must join  the trunk

Cover with cream ganache  the side surfaces of the parts that have just attacked and leave  visible the diagonal sides cut in the shape of spirals, which represent the cut section of the trunk of a tree .
Now, with a fork,  practice lines on the cream from one end to the other , to simulate the bark of the trunk.

Let us Prepare for Holidays Step 2

We feel so much in the holidays and  so we prepare a wonderful base for  cakes  to be decorated in many ways.

Pasta Biscotto

Butter 60 g
Manitoba Flour 160 gr
1 pinch salt
8 eggs
Vanilla 1 bag
160 g sugar

Mix together in a bowl 2 eggs, 2 egg yolk and 70 grams of sugar.

Cooking in a double boiler, beat the ingredients until the mixture becomes soft and fluffy .

Remove the bowl from the double boiler  and fold the mixture gently . 

Unite, stirring in the same way, the flour previously mixed with the vanilla, making them fall gradually by a sieve, and finally, add the melted butter . 

In another bowl, place 2 egg whites and a pinch of salt: beat the egg whites until stiff, adding  10 grams of sugar and mixing  for 2 minutes. 

Add the egg whites into the mixture, folding  them . Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, grease it: roll out the mixture into the baking dish layer with a height of about 1 cm, bake for about 6-7 minutes at 220  C°. 

Take a clean kitchen towel, moisten it slightly with water and when the cookie dough is cooked, remove it from the oven and flip it over it. Now you have to remove the dough from the parchment paper , if this is difficult, brush the paper with cold water, and try to take it slowly with the dough already discovered with the other hand. After the operation is completed, roll the dough in the damp cloth. When the pasta is cold, unroll it  and stuff with chocolate ,cream or custard or jam, spread over the entire surface with a spoon or with a long  smooth blade knife. Wrap the roll again, and place in refrigerator for about 20 minutes. When serving, sprinkle with icing sugar , cut into at least 2  cm. thick slices and serve . 

You can drench  the pasta biscotto with rum, maraschino or  alkermes.