Sacher Torte

This recipe of the typical Viennese Sachertorte is not that of the original Viennese Sachertorte, because that is a closely guarded secret in the house Sacher! At peak times, more than 2,000 of these originals are exported all over the world per day. Preparation of the cake • Melt the chopped chocolate in a bain-marie (double saucepan) or in the microwave, then cool slightly. • Beat the egg whites in a large bowl until they form soft, shiny peaks. • Beat the butter in a bowl till really soft, then gradually add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. • Add the cooled chocolate and beat the mixture again. • Add the flour and the egg yolks, one at a time, and beat in the chocolate mixture. • Stir the beaten egg whites gently into the chocolate mixture. • Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 1 hour at 180° C • Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. • Remove the sides of the pan and invert the cake onto the rack. Preparation of the topping • Heat the apricot jam and pour evenly over the top and sides of the cake. • Make the chocolate icing breaking the chocolate into pieces and heat it in a bain-marie. • Pour the icing on the centre of the cake and spread it gently over the top and the sides. If you like you can put some decoration on the top. • Let it rest to set.

Fritelle as Starter

Peel and boil the potatoes, then mash them with a masher in a bowl. Add the egg, grated sheep's cheese, salt and pepper and mix. Finely chop the sage leaves and rosemary needles and keep these aside. Pour the (cold!) beer into the bowl with the potato mixture. Add the sifted flour and baking powder. Knead ( first perhaps with a fork and then with your hands) everything carefully until a soft dough forms. Divide the dough in half and put one part in another bowl. Add the piccantissima (spicy sauce made from tomatoes, peppers and red pepper) to one part and the sage and rosemary to the other. Knead both parts to get homogeneous mixtures. Heat plenty of olive oil in a high-sided pan and put spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oil. Fry the fritella a few at a time, turning them until browned on all sides. Then remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Serve them immediately and well hot and seasoned with a little salt if desired.By the way, you can also make the mixture in advance and keep it in the fridge until the time of baking. The basic mixture can be enriched with vegetables, a piece of cod, olives, capers and tomato, for example. Ingredients for 24 fritelle 600 g potatoes, 150 g grated slightly older sheep's cheese, 100 g flour (type 00), 1 egg, 70 ml beer ( can also be non-alcoholic), 1 tsp baking powder, 3 sprigs of rosemary, 6 sage leaves, 2 or 3 tsp piccantissima, olive oil, salt and pepper.  RECIPES  | La Ribbolita & Rigatoni