Recently on a trip to Rome I made an epic discovery in a little bakery, down a shady side street by the Pantheon: Brutti Ma Buoni. Exquisite little biscuits made from a meringue base and nuts. Crisp outside like the shell of a meringue, a chewy, nutty inside. Melting, yielding while still firm with a toffee like chew. They are a sort of cross between a meringue and a cake – the meringue mix brings the crisp and the ooze, the flour the chew. Brutti Ma Buoni literally translates as ‘ugly but good’ – a fitting title for these knobbly, awkward looking treats. In taste however, quite frankly, they blew my mind.
On returning to the UK I was determined to capture Rome’s biscuity secret for myself. I searched the web for the recipe and adapted it to fit my experience of these sensational little treats. The result; good. Still not perfect. But then again – this bakery had won awards for their brutti ma buoni. I currently have not.
On returning to the UK I was determined to capture Rome’s biscuity secret for myself. I searched the web for the recipe and adapted it to fit my experience of these sensational little treats. The result; good. Still not perfect. But then again – this bakery had won awards for their brutti ma buoni. I currently have not.
Recipe
Ingredients (Makes about 20 biscuits):
4 egg whites
200g caster sugar
1.5 teaspoon vanilla essence
125g hazelnuts, blanched/skins removed
30g plain flour
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 celsius. Toast the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan until they are golden brown and fragrant – about 5 minutes, tossing continuously. If they have skins; Tip into a tea towel and wrap it up – leave to steam for a couple of minutes and then rub to scrub off the skins. Chop skinless nuts up coarsely – not too fine. Leave to cool completely.
2. Set up a bain marie – a saucepan with an inch or so of water, with a heatproof bowl set over the top. Put the egg whites and sugar into the bowl and whisk continuously for about 5 minutes over the heat until the mixture is opaque and it is nice and hot.
3. Immediately pour the mix into a big bowl and whisk with an electric whisk/beater until it forms stiff, glossy peaks, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the vanilla essence and whisk to combine. Add the nuts and flour and fold in with a large spoon.
5. Lay greaseproof paper onto a baking sheet/tray. Take a tablespoon of mix and place it on the paper in rough, round, heaped loads. Space the cookies about 2 inches apart. Put into the oven for about 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and firm.
6. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Dust with icing sugar and serve.
Ingredients (Makes about 20 biscuits):
4 egg whites
200g caster sugar
1.5 teaspoon vanilla essence
125g hazelnuts, blanched/skins removed
30g plain flour
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 celsius. Toast the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan until they are golden brown and fragrant – about 5 minutes, tossing continuously. If they have skins; Tip into a tea towel and wrap it up – leave to steam for a couple of minutes and then rub to scrub off the skins. Chop skinless nuts up coarsely – not too fine. Leave to cool completely.
2. Set up a bain marie – a saucepan with an inch or so of water, with a heatproof bowl set over the top. Put the egg whites and sugar into the bowl and whisk continuously for about 5 minutes over the heat until the mixture is opaque and it is nice and hot.
3. Immediately pour the mix into a big bowl and whisk with an electric whisk/beater until it forms stiff, glossy peaks, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the vanilla essence and whisk to combine. Add the nuts and flour and fold in with a large spoon.
5. Lay greaseproof paper onto a baking sheet/tray. Take a tablespoon of mix and place it on the paper in rough, round, heaped loads. Space the cookies about 2 inches apart. Put into the oven for about 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and firm.
6. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Dust with icing sugar and serve.
Out of the oven and having a cool down
Yaaaay
Beautiful
