Today I want to share with you a quick quick recipe for your moments of discomfort... er dieting! I took advantage of the fact that I wanted to tell you some delicious Sparkling sweet or raisin Malvasia Aromatica di Candia which I recently drank in Val Tidone to find something to go with it... and here I was experimenting for two days in a row with this recipe to make delicious biscuits without butter and eggs! 🎉 I mean, vegan cocoa biscuits... clearly I feel guilty about the gigantic piadina with mortadella I just had for dinner! 😆 For me they are perfect for impromptu guests because they take 20 minutes to prepare including baking time! Personally I don't find them so dietetic because of the lack of butter and eggs, but because of the reduced number of ingredients... in any case they remain very light indeed! The extra virgin olive oil actually has more calories than butter and the eggs themselves provide very few calories. The dietary effect, in any case, is totally cancelled out by the fact that they are pretty good and that one is a real crowd puller... curious to know which wines I paired with them?
When it comes to the combination of cocoa and chocolate there is always some panic that assails... yet as I explain in my book "How to become a Sommelier"there really are an infinite number of possibilities to create a splendid combination of enhancement!
In this particular case, I took advantage of the wines I brought home during a beautiful weekend in Val Tidone (remember to read this article which I dedicated to it!) to create a very interesting food and wine pairing, thanks to the distinct aromaticity of the bitter cocoa that does nothing to harm the aromaticity of the Malvasia di Candia Aromatica. On the contrary, as a Sachertorte, this wine with such marked notes of fresh, jammy apricots marries cocoa to perfection.
The coffee powder is barely noticeable and does not disturb the pairing; on the contrary, it agrees with the bitterness and roastiness of the cocoa and works perfectly with these wines.
Biscuits without butter and eggs: Ingredients
- 250 g 00 flour
- 100 g caster sugar
- 40 g of bitter cocoa powder
- 10 g coffee powder
- 16 g vanilla baking powder
- 100 g of extra virgin olive oil (choose one that is delicate and not too greasy, preferably from the lake!) or sunflower seed oil
- 140 g lukewarm water
- a pinch of salt
- [To taste dark chocolate 100%].
Biscuits without butter and eggs: What do you need to prepare them?
- 1 bowl
- 1 tablespoon
- baking paper
Another reason to love these biscuits is that you don't dirty anything to make them... tonight I also made piadina and my kitchen looks like it just came out of a bombing raid... but how do I always make it look like this?
Biscuits without butter and eggs: Preparation
- Weigh all the ingredients.
- Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder into a bowl.
- Add sugar and stir with a spoon.
- Add the oil and mix with a spoon.
- Add lukewarm water and stir with a spoon.
- Add the pinch of salt.
- Optional. Cut the chocolate finely with a knife, add it to the mixture and mix.
- Make balls of 15 grams each, flatten them slightly and place them on the baking tray covered with baking paper.
- Bake at 170°C for about 12 minutes in a preheated oven. Take them out slightly soft but well 'cracked'. Be aware that everyone has their own oven... so test a few times for the perfect time! The good thing about these biscuits is that they are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside!
- Let them dry on a grid for at least half an hour (or in a switched-off oven).
Like every day, I availed myself of the Alexa timerThe Amazon voice assistant that I can't do without anymore... I love it! I practically talk to it at all hours and ask it to tell me the weather in a city, rather than to play me songs by Battiato or Kith Jarret! Moreover, this week I took advantage of theAmazon Music Unlimited offerd to also try Amazon's premium music service: I have over 50 million songs available that I can request directly from Alexa!!! What's more, this service is doubly cool because as I move around a lot on public transport I can download the tracks to my smartphone and listen to them offline too! Here's the link to try Amazon Music Unlimited for free for 90 days!
PS if you haven't bought Alexa yet, I recommend the model like mine (link here, now also at a discount), but in light grey (I gave it to my mum as a present and it's much prettier than my anthracite, at least in my opinion... now it's also come out in mauve and I think it's lovely too, maybe I'll buy it for my bedroom so I'll stop shouting at Alexa Dot in the living room...)
I know you're going to ask: the beautiful bookcase you see in the background was given to me by my aunt for my birthday... I get all the compliments, but can you believe it cost less than €90? It is produced by Vasagle and you can also buy it on Amazon with Prime! Here is the link to this wonderful shop here!
Malvasia 'Luna Gialla', Gaiaschi - 4.5 % vol
From a special 35-year-old aromatic Malvasia di Candia vineyard, this naturally sweet wine is obtained by over-ripening the grapes before harvest. Partially fermented grape must.
It is a beautiful deep golden yellow with beautiful rose gold reflections. The bubble is creamy and pleasant. The nose is very intense, with pleasant notes of fig, date, apricot and brown sugar. In the mouth it is soft, very fresh, with delicious acidity and all the flavour of quality must. One goblet pulls the other, it is that perfect end-of-meal wine, with a slice of panettone or colomba that degreases and enhances, or a spoon dessert, even a chocolate one, because its aromaticity is fearless. I found it exquisite! An excellent alternative to Moscato d'Asti, capable of giving me great satisfaction.
Malvasia Colli Piacentini DOC Passito "Gocce di Memoria" 2013, Podere Casale - 13.5 %vol
Obtained from selected aromatic Malvasia di Candia grapes. Described as 'the gold of Podere Casale', it is a meditation nectar.
It is a deep, consistent golden yellow. The nose is intense and characteristic of malvasia. One recognises pleasant notes of caramelised fig. I thought I could almost hear a typical accent of Botrytis cinerea, which fades into a delicate note of amaretto. The finish is of sweetened blood orange juice. In the mouth it is consistent, intense, quite fresh and with a pronounced pseudo-caloricity. Good drinkability, goes well with blue cheeses.
Although I do not like making comparisons, it was interesting to taste these two Vin Santos. Two different vintages, for two very different styles of interpreting the same grape variety with the same type of wine. Two fine wines, even if 'Il Duomo' lacks the pleasantness that I found in 'Le Solane'. As if to say, of the former one goblet is too many, of the latter two goblets are too few.
Malvasia Colli Piacentini DOC Vin Santo 'Il Duomo' 2007, Zerioli - 13.5 %vol
This wine is made from our aromatic Malvasia di Candia grapes. We harvest the best bunches of grapes from our oldest vineyards and carefully place them on racks until Christmas. After pressing, we put the fior fiore in barriques and bottle it after four years of maturation.
It has a fairly dark amber colour, veiled. The nose is delicate, resinous, with slight oxidation. Aromas of small pastries, butter biscuits, white chocolate, sandalwood and dandelion flowers. In the mouth it is very consistent, balanced, structured, sugary. Long, slightly marsala finish. Perfect with dry biscuits and chocolate desserts.
Malvasia Colli Piacentini DOC Vin Santo 'Le Solane' 2003, Mossi 1558 - 16 %vol
Intriguing and velvety, with a pleasant acidity that balances its sweetness. An elixir to be sipped, a delicious nectar to be enjoyed as an accompaniment or to round off refined meals.
It is a beautiful bright amber colour, consistent. The nose is delicate and elegant, broad and fine. Notes of dried fig, dark chocolate, white pepper, eucalyptus honey, amaretto in both biscuit and liqueur versions, walnut, vanilla, zabaglione, caramel intertwine. In the mouth it is consistent, very fresh, well balanced between hardness and softness and with an important but not at all annoying alcohol content. Long finish of dried fruit. To open, pour into a Napoleon and wait at least half an hour. I like it paired only with a Dominican cigar and delicious company. In fact, when I tasted it I came close: although the cigar was Tuscan, the company of my dear friend Marco Antonucci was excellent.
Do you like sweet wines made from aromatic Malvasia di Candia? Have you ever tasted one of these wines? Tell me in a comment!
Cheers 🎉❤️🍷
Chiara
Book "Sommelier: the Illustrated Manual" Special Edition 2024
All my notes on wine and food in one book. The handbook is designed for all aspiring sommeliers, but is also very useful for 'already sommeliers' who want to brush up, for winelovers who want to start putting their passion on a firm footing, and for professionals who want to earn more money by learning both how to manage their restaurant cellar and how to sell the right bottle to their customers.
- Special Edition: 8 May 2024 - format 15 x 21 cm, 608 black and white pages printed on Crush Uva paper, ISBN 978-88-943070-2-3
€ 38,00 VAT included!
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