Searching for name of a sweet Venetian treat....
My husband and I were in Italy a couple of years ago, and while in Venice we snacked on these large, flaky pastries layered with chocolate or chocolate chips and covered in powdered sugar. They are similar to the "sfogliatelle" but they are not fan shaped (they are more triangular), and have the chocolate inside instead of orange zest and ricotta. I cannot seem to find ANYTHING online as to the name of these pastries or where I can find a recipe. I have looked everywhere and is as though they don't exist - and I know they do. They were plentiful in all the pastry shops across Venice and the people working behind the counter always asked if they could warm them for you - it was heaven. PLEASE HELP, I need to know what they are.
craiglillian
Nov 07, 2009 08:11PM
I spend quite a bit of time in Venice and the pastry that you described is a 'mystery'. Is it made with a yeast dough similar to a croissant? is it eaten mostly in the morning for breakfast? does the chocolate harden and that is the reason for serving it warm? is it fried rather than baked? I am very curious. Thanks.
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They looked very similar to a croissant - fairly flaky, light and crumbly. To me, they looked like puff pastry, with chocolate folded between layers to form a rectangle. I do believe it was a pastry that was mostly eaten as a breakfast item, however we were not totally in tune with the culture as we were only there a few days. The few that I ate had chocolate chips in them, though there may have been a solid, hardened option. And lastly, they were baked, with chocolate chips rolled up in them and generously sprinkled with powdered sugar. I can't believe they would be a mystery, because they were in nearly ever pastry shop window we passed. Hope this helps so you can help me!
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I have never come across what you've described. The are many variations of cornetti dolci, including ones that are rolled up with chocolate or chocolate pastry cream inside but never chocolate chips. There is also the Italian mille foglie, puff pastry layers filled with different creams and cut into rectangles; or pastries made with strudel sheets. The warming aspect of it is very puzzling (microwaved).
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Does the photo below resemble what you remember?
If so, it goes under many names in Italy: brioche or pane or fagottino or saccottino al cioccolato. Sometimes it's made with chocolate chips, sometimes with strips of chocolate (available in Italy but not, I think, in the US). Sometimes it is covered with powdered sugar but more often not. I don't remember that they are offered warmed as a rule.
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The photo looks very much like what I remember. When searching for photos of fagottino al cioccolato and saccottino al cioccolato, I get various results of similar pictures. This is probably as close as I will get to knowing the true identity of these pastries - short of traveling back to Italy. As for the warming issue - I don't think that it was a hard and fast rule, maybe Americans always ask that they warm them, so they automatically offered to us. I don't know...Thanks!
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