Massimo’s Panettone Soufflé

The expression Cooking is an Act of Love was coined by Massimo Bottura after years spent behind the stove, to inspire people to look closer at what’s in their plate and contribute, with a small gesture of love and care, to building a better future.For Massimo, Cooking is an Act of Love speaks of culture, traditions, family and sense of responsibility.

It’s the memory of his mother’s rolling pin, and of his grandmother before that. It’s the gesture of pulling the dough on Christmas morning surrounded by the love, affection and enthusiasm of family and friends who gather around the table for the occasion.

Cooking means sense of responsibility – towards our loved ones, but also towards our community and those who live in conditions of vulnerability. Sharing what we have, is the only way to avoid getting lost in the routine of our everyday life.

Cooking means being aware that sometimes beauty manifest itself in the most unexpected ways: a blackened banana, an abandoned theater, a shy smile. By creating experiences that actively celebrate everyone’s right to beauty, we shine light on the unexpressed potential that surrounds us.

Cooking means sharing our curiosity to create new paths and routes: that same curiosity that drives us to open our pantries and refrigerators and look at ingredients with different eyes. The same curiosity that, combined with creativity, is able to transform ordinary ingredients into something extraordinary.

The idea behind Cooking is an Act of Love originated from Massimo’s desire to impact as many people as possible with this energy, in the hope that culture could become the spark for a radical change, capable of achieving concrete results.

The Panettone Soufflè is just an example of what can be done with familiar flavours – dried fruit, candied orange, orange peel – repurposed to create something new. This recipe highlights the knowledge behind nostalgic memories, and the potential and beauty of new traditions.

Take leftover desserts that have lost their original potential: a broken plumcake, discarded muffins, a leftover slice of chocolate cake, some Panettone. Think of the flavour you most want to enhance and create your own version of it, helping us to make visible the invisible.

As Massimo likes to say: “After all, a recipe is a solution to a problem”.

Panettone Soufflé

INGREDIENTS
Serves 3 or more

· 250 gr leftover Panettone
· 7 gr corn starch
· 7 whole eggs, divided
· 150 gr granulated sugar
· 50 gr white chocolate
· 25 gr unsalted butter
· Salt
· Vanilla salt
· Toasted hazelnut, chopped

Dry out the panettone. Heat the oven to 100°. Tear the panettone into bite-size pieces, and spread them out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake the panettone until is dried and brittle, about one hour. Remove it from the oven, and let cool completely.; increase the oven temperature to 180°. Transfer the dried panettone to a blender, and process until finely ground. Stir the corn starch into the breadcrumbs.

Whip the egg yolks. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, add the egg yolks and begin mixing on low speed. Slowly pour in 75 gr of sugar, then increase the speed to medium-high and whip until the yolk mixture triples in volume.

Melt the chocolate. Meanwhile, combine the white chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until melted. When the yolk mixture is ready, reduce the mixer speed to low, and slowly pour in the white chocolate mixture until smooth. Using a spatula, transfer the yolk mixture to a large bowl, and stir in the panettone breadcrumbs.

Whip the egg whites into soft peaks. In a bowl add the egg whites and a pinch of salt, and begin mixing on medium speed. While the mixer is running, slowly pour in the remaining 75 gr of sugar, and continue whipping until the whites form soft peaks.

Combine the whites with the yolk mixture. Add 1/3 of the whipped egg whites to the yolk-breadcrumb mixture, and stir vigorously to combine. Add the remaining whites and fold gently until completely smooth and the color is homogeneous.

Divide the mixture into ramekins and bake. Divide the soufflé mixture among the ramekins, then immediately bake until puffed and risen, 9-10 min.

Serve. While hot, transfer the ramekins to serving plates, and sprinkle each with a pinch of vanilla salt. Arrange some strands of candied orange peel over the top, and then sprinkle with a pinch of chopped hazelnuts to serve.