My guest this week is Angela Sims the author of The Rose of Florence published by Romaunce Books. In a refreshingly different blog post, Angela is going to tell us about her recipe research for her books and share a recipe for zuccotto.
Hello Morton, and thank you for hosting me on your blog. One of the great aspects of your blog is the variety of topics your guests discuss, and I was delighted when I spotted one of your suggested themes was our favourite recipes.
A strange topic to choose, you may think, for someone who writes historical fiction, including romance, murder and treachery. Not so strange when you realise the variety of research rabbit holes that authors find themselves in when trying to create an authentic environment for their characters. What would they wear? How did they live? And of course, what did they eat?
One of my favourite characters in my debut novel, The Rose of Florence, is Eleonora, the cook. She was in charge of the kitchen at a grand palazzo, and the family frequently entertained the rich and powerful men of the time, including members of the ruling Medici family. While Eleonora spent her days cooking up a storm, I spent many hours researching the kinds of food that would have found their way to her banqueting table. Don’t misunderstand me. This was no hardship that I had to suffer in the name of my work. I love to cook, and so I probably spent far too long on research when I should have been writing. I only wrote about a very small percentage of the dishes I read about.
There was one dish, however, that captured my imagination – the zuccotto, a traditional Italian dessert, which would have been around at the time of my story and is still made today. Now, I’m no stranger to a good Italian dessert, but I hadn’t come across this before. What is it? What is the original recipe? What does it look like? What does it taste like? (This research rabbit hole cost me a good few days!)
Trying to find an original recipe, however, is like trying to find THE recipe for meat ragu, the sauce that most people know as Bolognese. (By the way, never serve spaghetti with a meat ragu…but that’s another story.) I digress! The zuccotto recipes I found varied widely but with the same basic principles. It’s a chilled, dome-shaped dessert, with an alcohol-soaked sponge outer layer, filled with cream, fruit, chocolate, spices, nuts. The actual ingredients and quantities were different in every recipe. So, what should every self-respecting researcher, writer, cook do? I made it myself. The oldest recipes called for a liqueur called alchermes to soak the sponge. While I was in Florence, I hunted out a bottle and brought it home. (Rookie tourist error: I bought it from the main market, then found it at a fraction of the cost in the supermarket. I really should have known better.) Alchermes is a red liqueur, spiced with clove and cinnamon, so perfect for this dessert, especially at Christmas.
I loved it! It’s rich, but it’s not too sweet, although, as you’ll see from the recipe below, you can adjust everything to your taste. I’m sorry that the recipe doesn’t have any quantities, but it really is a recipe that you can make your own.
- Line a dome-shaped pudding bowl with plain sponge. (I made my own, but you could use sponge fingers.)
- Warm some water in a saucepan and dissolve some sugar to make a syrup. Then add a generous amount of alchermes liqueur.
- Soak the sponge in the bowl with the liqueur mixture.
- In a separate bowl, whip some double cream with caster sugar and mixed spice.
- To the whipped cream, add chopped walnuts, pecans and chocolate (70% cocoa), dried cranberries, grated orange rind and raisins and sultanas that have been soaked in rum for a day.
- Fill the sponge-lined bowl with the cream mixture.
- Top with a circle of sponge and soak with more liqueur mixture.
- Weigh it down with a plate and chill for a couple of hours.
- When you are ready to serve, turn the dome out onto a plate.
- Slice and serve.
Interestingly, although I do have recipes running through The Rose of Florence, zuccotto isn’t one of them, but we do spend some time with Eleonora as she’s making it. It always goes down a treat, so I hope you’ll give it go and enjoy it too.
I’d love to hear about your versions of this recipe.
Yummy! I’d like to hear if any of you have a go at this recipe too. Mx
About Angela Sims
The Rose of Florence was borne of a love for the history, art and city of Florence, which grew over many years and frequent visits to this beautiful city. It’s what inspired me to start writing.
My background is in healthcare, having worked in the field of cardiology for many years. I have been a university lecturer since 2010, and I still have a clinical role. I live in Cardiff, South Wales, with my husband. I have two grown-up daughters and a gorgeous granddaughter. At every opportunity, I travel to Italy to eat, drink and absorb the wonderful atmosphere. I like to call that research!
To keep in touch with Angela, you can use the following links
Facebook: Angela M Sims – Author (@angelamsimsauthor)
Twitter/X: @AngelaMSims1
Instagram: angelamsims1
Website: https://angelamsims.co.uk
About The Rose of Florence
1478: Gianetta and Matteo have a happy life, working in service to the wealthy Rosini family. They are used to entertaining rich and powerful members of Florentine society in Palazzo Rosini, where Lorenzo and Giuliano de’ Medici and Botticelli are regular visitors. Even when the Medici brothers narrowly escape the Palazzo with their lives (an accident, surely?), Gianetta and Matteo can’t imagine that the growing unrest in the streets of Florence would ever spoil their happiness.
When a bloody conspiracy erupts in the heart of Florence, in the city’s beloved Duomo, nobody is left unaffected by the aftermath. When the family hear that Matteo is among the conspirators, Gianetta knows that her life will never be the same…
You can get your copy of The Rose of Florence with the link below:
Buying Link – https://angelamsims.co.uk/order-here/
You can now get The Rose of Florence in Kindle, Hardback or Paperback (with a different cover shown below).
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That sounds absolutely delicious , Angela. I love all the spices that go into it , as well of course, the booze.
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Let us see your version, Lynn if you make it 😀
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