Sète’s Frescati cake from the book, Petits et grands gâteaux de nos régions
In the book Petits et grands gâteaux de nos régions, available in French at Books For Chefs, Michel Tanguy has decided to unravel the mysteries of the creations that have been shared from generation to generation in France, a country where pastry making is fundamental and where each region jealously guards its ancestral recipes.
On a gastronomic journey through the country, the editor-in-chief of Thuriès magazine brings together 60 recipes, both essential and unknown, from passionate local artisans. Each chapter offers an insight into the customs and habits of these places, as well as stories about the origins of these recipes.
Sète’s Frescati
Very fashionable in the mid-19th century, this cake is said to have been created at the Café Frascati in Paris, or named after the place frequented by the Parisian elite during the period of the Directoire. As it spread southwards, it became known as frescati.
Originally, it consisted of a Genoese cake with candied fruit baked in a Savarin mold and decorated with apricots. In Sète, Serge Aprile has improved this recipe, ensuring its continuity, and also offers a version in portions.
Recipe by Serge Aprile, Le Frescati pastry shop in Sète, Hérault
Two frescati (six servings)
Pâte sucrée
- 100 g butter
- 100 g sugar
- 1 egg (50 g)
- 250 g T55 flour
- vanilla flavoring drops
In the bowl of a whisk mixer, mix the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla flavoring (adjust the quantity to the desired flavor) and then the flour. Tip the dough onto the surface and form a ball with your hands, roll it out lightly with a rolling pin, cover with cling film and refrigerate for one hour. Roll out the dough until it is 6 mm thick and cut out 17 cm diameter discs with a pastry cutter. Prick the discs with a fork and bake uncovered (without anything on top) on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper for 16 to 18 minutes in an oven preheated to 220°C. Make sure the dough does not color too quickly. If this happens, lower the temperature. Remove the tray from the oven, place the dough on the work surface, and leave to cool.
Cake with raisins
- 5 eggs (250 g)
- 125 g sugar (1)
- 50 g water
- 50 g sugar (2)
- 125 g T55 flour
- 125 g raisins
Separate the yolks from the whites. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a blade, whiten the yolks and sugar (1) and add the lukewarm water. Beat the egg whites with the sugar (2) until stiff, until you achieve the texture known as “bird’s beak”. Pour half of the sifted flour over the beaten egg yolks and mix with a spatula. Gently fold in a third of the beaten egg whites with a spatula, then add the rest of the flour. Pour the remaining meringue so that it covers the first mixture and sprinkle the raisins over the egg whites. Mix well and pour into two circles of 17 cm diameter, placed on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake at 180°C for approximately 28 minutes. Remove from the oven, place on the counter and remove the baking paper. Once cool, dip the sponge cakes in a hot syrup flavored with rum and leave to drain on a rack.
Italian meringue
- 500 g sugar
- 100 g glucose
- 180 g water
- 8 egg whites (250 g)
Make a syrup with the sugar, glucose, and water and bake at 125°C. When the syrup has reached 118°C, beat the egg whites in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and, when the meringue has risen and the syrup has reached 125°C, drizzle with the syrup. Leave the mixer running until it cools completely.
Coffee fondant
- 500 g soft white fondant
- coffee extract drops
Heat the fondant to 40°C and gradually add a few drops of coffee extract until you obtain the desired color (between light chestnut and light brown).
Assembly and finishing
Spread a thin layer of Italian meringue on the dough discs. Cover with the raisin sponge cake and then cover with a 10cm thick layer of meringue. Smooth the edges and surface well with a spatula to level and give the frescati the final cylindrical shape. Leave to rest in the refrigerator for at least one hour. Once cool, completely cover the frescati with a layer of coffee fondant, quickly remove from the work surface before the fondant hardens and place on the serving platter. Place six pitted red cherry halves on top.
Notes
- Frescati are eaten fresh and are cut with a wide-bladed knife, previously dipped in hot water. This operation should be repeated as many times as necessary so that the fondant melts properly and the Italian meringue does not rise.
- Frescati lovers use a charcoal-heated blade. This gives off fumes with the aroma of caramelized meringue.
