Bonet, original recipe of Piedmontese dessert with cocoa and amaretti

The dessert spoon Bonet it is a delight for the palate. With a soft consistency similar to a pudding and the unmistakable flavor of macaroons and cocoa, this dessert represents one of the confectionery traditions of Piedmont, in particular of the Langhe, together with Lady’s Kisses and ai Krumiri. With a few simple ingredients you get a substantial dessert perfect for any occasion. The cooking method is in a bain marie, just as it used to be, for a dessert to be enjoyed simply with a teaspoon. The origins of its name are still debated today, but the certainty is its exquisite goodness. Let’s see together the Piedmontese Bonet recipe: its preparation is easy and requires only a few simple precautions.

Ingredients for 6 people (20×15 cm mold)

  • FOR THE CAKE:
  • Milk: 600 ml
  • Yolks: 340 g (about 7)
  • Sugar: 150 g
  • Bitter cocoa powder: 50 g
  • Dry macaroons: 150 g
  • Rum: 15 ml (1 small glass)
  • FOR THE CARAMEL:
  • Sugar: 100 g
  • Water: 50 ml
  • TO DECORATE:
  • Whole dried macaroons: to taste
  • Whipped cream: to taste
  • Preparation: 30 minutes
  • Cooking: 1 hour, 15 minutes
  • Total: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Preparation

1

To prepare the Bonet, start by pouring the egg yolks into a large bowl together with the sugar.

2

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar, using a high-speed electric mixer, for at least 10 minutes: it should be a light and very creamy mixture.

3

Separately, in a blender, reduce the macaroons to a very fine powder (leaving some whole aside for the final decoration of the cake).

4

Add the sifted cocoa to the amaretti flour (so that later lumps do not form in the dough).

5

Take the bowl with the egg yolks whipped with the sugar and add the rum, the macaroons reduced in flour and the cocoa. Mix to incorporate them.

6

Finally, add the milk as well.

7

Stir with a spatula to better mix the ingredients. Keep aside.

8

Proceed to the preparation of the caramel: in a saucepan pour the sugar and two tablespoons of the water required for preparation. Put on the fire over a very low flame and without stirring.

9

Meanwhile, in another saucepan, boil the rest of the water. As soon as it reaches a boil, add it to the sugar.

10

Raise the heat slightly and continue to swirl the saucepan with the handle, without stirring with the spoon. Proceed in this way until the mixture reaches a light amber color (it will take about 15 minutes in all).

11

Once the caramel is obtained, pour it directly into the bottom of the loaf pan, being careful not to burn yourself. Rotate the mold quickly so as to also cover part of the walls with the caramel.

12

Take the previously prepared cake dough and pour it immediately into the mold, covering the caramel.

13

Place the loaf pan in a larger mold or pan in which to pour hot water until 3/4 of the loaf pan is covered on the outside.

14

Bake in a preheated static oven at 180 ° C for 1 hour.

15

Once the Bonet is cooked, the walls will detach independently from the mold.

16

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Then put the cake in the refrigerator with the mold for an hour to harden it, covering it with cling film. Once removed from the refrigerator, move on to removing it from the mold: immerse the mold in boiling water for a minute, then place a serving dish on the mold and turn the cake upside down to make it slide out of the mold.

17

Decorate with whole macaroons and a few sprigs of whipped cream to taste and finally serve.

Tips and tricks

  • The water used for cooking in a bain-marie must be very hot but it should never boil. This is because cooking must be slow and delicate and must not risk making the Bonet too firm and dry.
  • If you want to avoid adding rum because even the youngest children will eat this Piedmontese sweet, you can replace it in the same doses with some lemon juice or zest. Alternatively, if you don’t like the aftertaste of rum, you can add the same amount of cold coffee for an even stronger aroma.
  • For all lactose intolerant, it is possible to replace it with the vegetable milk of soy or rice to taste.
  • The phase of extracting the Bonet cake from the mold is the most delicate one. Once the mold is immersed in boiling water, the cake should detach itself from the walls, but if not, you can facilitate the operation by helping yourself with the tip of a small knife to detach the edges.
  • The Piedmontese Bonet dessert can be consumed immediately as soon as it is baked, letting it cool slightly, or it is also perfect served coldlike a normal pudding.

storage

Store the Piedmontese Bonet in the refrigerator, covered with cling film so as not to form an unsightly and annoying crust on the surface in contact with the air. Consume it within 2 days. We do not recommend freezing this dessert instead.

History

Bonet is one of the symbolic sweets of the ancient Piedmontese culinary tradition. In particular, this spoon dessert would have been born in the Langhe and the first testimonies would even go back to the 13th century, when it was offered in noble banquets. Originally, however, Bonet did not contain chocolate, an ingredient that was added only after its import from South America, after the new European conquests of the seventeenth century. Initially, in fact, a white ‘Bonet alla Monferrina’ was prepared which today is little consumed.

But why is it called Bonet? There are two equally reliable versions of the origin of the name of this Piedmontese spoon dessert. In the regional dialect, the term ‘bonèt‘means cap or hat. And it is precisely from this object that we reconnect with the two versions: in the first there is a connection with the mold that in ancient times was used for the preparation and cooking of puddings, in the shape of a truncated cone, which was called ‘bonèt ëd cusin-a‘(i.e. kitchen hat, of the cook).

In the second interpretation of the origin of the name, the connection is to the hat that after a meal is worn last before getting up from the dinner table. Hence the Bonet as a hat at lunch or dinner, as a final closing of the meal.

Ingredients for 6 people (20×15 cm mold)

  • FOR THE CAKE:
  • Milk: 600 ml
  • Yolks: 340 g (about 7)
  • Sugar: 150 g
  • Bitter cocoa powder: 50 g
  • Dry macaroons: 150 g
  • Rum: 15 ml (1 small glass)
  • FOR THE CARAMEL:
  • Sugar: 100 g
  • Water: 50 ml
  • TO DECORATE:
  • Whole dried macaroons: to taste
  • Whipped cream: to taste
  • Preparation: 30 minutes
  • Cooking: 1 hour, 15 minutes
  • Total: 1 hour, 45 minutes
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Philip Owell

Professional blogger, here to bring you new and interesting content every time you visit our blog.