Zuppa inglese meringata
Zuppa inglese meringata is one of numerous versions of a spoon dessert cherished all over Italy. And in spite of the name it has no connection to neither soup nor England.
According to the Danish translation of Reinhardt Hess’ book on regional Italian cuisine, zuppa inglese meringata is the Neapolitan and Roman take on a classic Italian dessert of obscure origin. I haven’t been able the verify this assertion from other sources, but La Cucina Italiana has a long article on La vera storia della zuppa inglese.
The article presents several different thesis on the origin of the dessert. One thesis traces the dessert back to the 16th century in Ferrara, where is was introduced as a reinterpretation of the English trifle, hence the reference to England in the name. Another thesis maintains it was invented by the governess of an English family in Tuscany. And then there are those who attribute the zuppa inglese to Vicenzo Agnoletti, who worked as a cook in Parma for Archduchess Maria Luisa of Austria. He was influenced by the other versions, but introduced rum, known as the drink of English sailors, and a meringue topping.
The confusion about the origins is reflected in the ingredients. In Italy, you can have zuppa inglese on a base of savoiardi, sponge cake or pound cake. The liqueur can be rum, amaretto, vin dolce, rosolio liqueur derived from rose petals or the red alchermes liqueur to colour the cake layers bright red. And the cream can be a crema pasticciera, bavarian cream, whipped cream, chocolate mousse, or ricotta cream with chunks of chocolate. In other words, it is completely up to you to make zuppa inglese the way you see fit.
This zuppa inglese meringata recipe is based on the Reinhardt Hess version with a few adaptations.
Ingredients
For the sponge cake
3 eggs
60 g powdered sugar
50 g flour
50 g potato starch
1 tbsp vanilla sugar
For the zuppa inglese
200 g ricotta
50 g powdered sugar
100 g chocolate
1 vanilla pod
100 ml milk
3 eggs
100 g sugar
6 cl rum
Preparation
Start by preparing the sponge cake (Or use a store bought sponge cake)
Separate eggs whites from egg yolks.
Beat egg white stiff to stiff peaks
Whisk egg yolks with sugar and vanilla sugar until white and fluffy.
Pass the flour and the potato starch through a sieve and mix it with egg yolks and sugar.
Fold the egg whites into the batter.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Spread the batter in an even square over the parchment paper.
Bake the sponge cake at 175 C / 350 F for 15 minutes until golden brown.
Place the sponge cake on a wire rack to cool and pull off the parchment paper.
Now prepare the cream.
Split the vanilla pod lenghtwise and scrape out the seeds.
Heat milk, vanilla pod and half the sugar over low heat until the sugar has melted.
Whisk 1 egg and 2 egg yolks, vanilla seeds and the rest of the sugar to a white cream. Save the other egg whites for later.
Remove and discard the vanilla pod.
Pour the hot milk over the egg yolks and mix well.
Return the milk and egg yolk mixture too the casserole and heat it up while stirring continuously to make a thick cream.
Chop or grate the chocolate.
Pass the ricotta through a sieve and mix with powdered sugar and grated chocolate.
Use a cake ring that fits into you ramekins to stamp out 8 discs of sponge cake.
Place a sponge cake disc in four ramekins and baste with rum.
Place a layer of ricotta and chocolate on top of each disc followed by a layer of vanilla cream.
Baste the other discs with rum and repeat the process.
Leave the zuppa inglese in the fridge for at couple of hours.
Just before you are ready to serve the dessert, whisk the remaining egg white to stiff peaks.
Cover each ramekin with a layer of egg white.
Place the ramekins in the oven at 250 C /480 F for a few minutes.
The meringue burns easily, so make sure to keep an eye on the oven.
When the meringue has gained an appetizing golden colour your zuppa inglese meringata is ready to serve.
Zuppa inglese meringata is a sponge cake doused in alcohol, layered with ricotta chocolate cream with a topping of meringues.
Italian Notes
Italian Notes
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