Chef Bernards Reflections & Tips

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August 2008

Reflection:

Sergio Di Pieri is a grand organist maestro that I befriended years ago in Australia. His brother Stefano is a well renowned restaurateur and hotelier in Mildura, Australia. I visited Sergio in Treviso which is located a few miles from Venice. There was a celebration at the house with sopranos, friends, families and Sergio was cooking. I was dizzy with the intoxicating aromas of the mushroom risotto lathered with truffles, the spit roasted lamb in the backyard with root vegetables and the masterpiece…the almond polenta cake made with almonds and lemons gathered from his garden. Fluffy whipped mascarpone cream and home made berry compote were the supporting cast. I was glad to be in the audience

Tip:

• In addition to the oven thermometer on the top of your range, it is important to have an internal thermometer hanging from any oven rack for heat accuracy and even baking.

• You can substitute the almond with hazelnuts, pecans or pistachios.

• For a lighter cream, use crème fraîche and whisk it until fluffy with hard peaks.

• When baking this dish in the winter, switch to a stone fruit compote or fruits that are in season

Recipe:

" Almond Lemon Polenta Cake "
Summer Berry Compote, Whipped Mascarpone Cream

yields 1 loaf (12 slices)

Pan Preperation

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
Coat bottom and sides of loaf pan with 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter. Dust with 2 Tbsp. flour. Shake out excess.

The Crust

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sliced almonds
Combine butter and sugar in large mixing bowl. Add flour. Combine until mixture is crumbly. Add almonds. Blend well. Pat into bottom and half way up sides of prepared loaf pan. Set aside.

The Cake

4 cups powdered sugar
1-1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 lemon, zested
1 orange, zested
1 vanilla bean, split, scraped, seeds only
4 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 cups pastry flour, sifted
1 cup polenta
Pre-heat oven to 325°F. Combine sugar, butter, lemon zest, orange zest and vanilla bean seeds in large mixing bowl. Beat until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Fold in flour and polenta. Pour into crust. Bake 1-1/4 hours. Turn out onto rack to cool.

Summer Berry Compote

1 cup raspberries
1 cup blackberries
1 cup blueberries
1 cup sliced strawberries
2 cups ruby port
2 Tbsp. sugar
Combine all ingredients in large sauce pot. Cook over low heat 5 minutes, to warm through. Strain liquid into small saucepan. Reserve berries. Reduce by half over low heat. Set sauce aside.

Whipped Mascarpone Cream

4 oz. mascarpone
8 oz. heavy cream
2 Tbsp. honey
Whip all ingredients together to form soft peaks. Place into pastry bag with #9 star tip. Set aside in refrigerator.

Presentation

12 mint tops
1/4 cup dark chocolate shavings
Cut loaf into 12 slices. Place each onto serving plate. Cover 1/2 cake slices with berries. Pipe mascarpone cream on upper right corner of each slice. Drizzle berry sauce on top of cream. Garnish with mint top and chocolate shavings.