Gianluca Fusto is the owner of Fusto Milano, a pastry shop and workshop that offers training courses for professionals and enthusiasts. He speaks to us about what being a contemporary chef means to him and shares recipes for his inventive takes on two of Italy's most classic dolci: apricot crostata and tiramisù.
You call yourself a contemporary pastry chef. What does that mean?
Knowing how to follow the new way of eating, which is healthier, eliminating excesses, removing sugars and fats, and working on textures and aromas to satisfy the taste and give pleasure. Today we must be more mindful of others and much better at dosing than in the past.
An art based on respect.
Yes, and it starts with nature, that is, with the raw material, which I choose at the highest quality and always what is in season.
How do you see traditional pastry?
It is part of our historical heritage, we have it in our DNA and we must be aware of it. Every time I think of a new dessert, I question my memory of flavors and redesign them in the future, trying to anticipate the direction we will take in the coming years.
Is there a dessert that unites all of Italy?
Pasta frolla, the shortcrust pastry. From the Apulian pasticciotto to the Tuscan torta della nonna, it is a symbol of our cuisine made of great poor ingredients, a bit like spaghetti with tomato sauce, so good that it moves me. That's why I wanted to promote it worldwide, even with a book in which I propose it in very modern versions [Crostate, published in 2014 by Italian Gourmet, ed. 2014 by Italian Gourmet].
A piece of advice to those who love to prepare cakes at home?
First of all, never be frightened by a recipe, but read it calmly and carefully, and understand that to succeed, the scale is your best friend, the tool to create balance – between opposites, between soft and crispy, sweet and not sweet, yin and yang, which together create the circle, harmony.
Crostata With Almonds, Rosemary, and Apricots
“This is a tribute to pastry chef Corrado Assenza, whom I met in Noto: a dessert where his baroque style meets mine, ultra-minimalist. It is a declaration of love to Sicily, for its scents and its beauty.”
Photo: Riccardo Letteiri
Serves 8-10
Skill Level Intermediate
Time 1 hour and 40 minutes + 3 hours resting time
Ingredients:
For the pasta frolla (shortcrust pastry)
1 cup ‘00’ or all-purpose flour
1¼ cup oat flour
3½ oz. unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
¾ cup icing sugar
2 Tbsp. almond flour
1 large egg, beaten
salt - oil
For the apricot compote
4 oz. soft dried apricots
2 oz. mango pulp
5 tsp. lemon juice
For the rosemary mousse
4 oz. fresh whipped cream
2½ oz. milk + more for topping up
2½ oz. fresh cream
2½ oz. almond paste
2 tsp. rosemary needles
½ tsp. food jelly in sheets
To complete
almond flour
icing sugar
Method:
For the shortcrust pastry
Mix the three flours, icing sugar, and a pinch of salt. Add the butter and mix. Finally, incorporate the beaten egg and mix to obtain a soft mixture. Attach a 16″x12″ sheet of baking paper to a work surface with a drop of oil and immediately roll the dough out on the sheet. Spread it out first with your hands, then cover it with another sheet of baking paper and roll it out until the entire surface is covered (remove the excess dough and reposition it where it is missing). This will help you obtain an even layer of 2 mm. Place it in a tray and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Remove the shortcrust pastry from the fridge and cut out a disc between 9″-10″ in diameter. place it on a plate covered with baking paper, inside a ring of the same diameter. Cut 1″ high strips from the remaining shortcrust pastry to line the inner edge of the ring. Place everything back in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 320°F and bake the tart for around 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool, then remove the ring.
For the apricot tart
Blend the mango pulp and lemon juice, and warm it up. Cut the apricots into chunks, add them to the mango and let stand for at least 30 minutes (better still for 12 hours in the refrigerator). Finally blend everything, obtaining a smooth compote. Spread a layer of compote in the pastry shell and place in the freezer for around 1 hour.
For the rosemary mousse
Soak the gelatin in cold water. Bring 3 oz. milk to a boil, then pour it over the rosemary. Leave to infuse for 20 minutes, then filter and top up the milk with fresh milk, bringing it back to its initial weight (evaporation and infusion cause it to lose 20-30%). Dissolve the squeezed gelatin in it. Blend the almond paste with ⅓ of the milk. After 1-2 minutes, add the remaining milk, half at a time, then the fresh cream. Blend again and cool the mixture in a cold water bath. Incorporate the whipped cream and pour the mousse into the tart over the compote, filling it. Let it cool in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Serve the tart sprinkled with almond flour and powdered sugar.
Tiramisù
“Tiramisù is my dessert of the heart. I try to give it back the coffee flavor that is fixed in my memory and often overlooked today. I repropose it with very light cream, so you can eat your fill.”
Photo: Riccardo Lettieri
Serves 4
Skill Level Easy
Time 1 hour
Vegetarian
Ingredients:
For the streusel
⅓ cup almond flour
⅓ cup sugar
⅓ cup ‘00’ all-purpose flour
⅓ cup butter
For the tiramisù
10 oz. mascarpone cheese
1 cup espresso coffee
2 oz. fresh whipped cream
2 large egg whites
2 ¾ Tbsp. sugar
2 large egg yoks yolk
24 ladyfingers
coffee
dark chocolate
bitter cocoa
Method:
For the streusel
Preheat the oven to 320°F. Mix all ingredients with the tip of a teaspoon of coffee powder until you have a set of crumbs. Spread them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 15-18 minutes.
For the tiramisu
Whip the egg white with 2 tsp. sugar until it forms a firm, shiny meringue. Whip the yolk with the remaining sugar until frothy, mix it with the mascarpone cheese then incorporate the meringue into the cream, and lastly the whipped cream. Spread a layer of cream in 4 cups. Quickly dip the ladyfingers in the coffee, distribute them in the cups, cutting them out so as to cover the entire surface. Sprinkle with coffee powder and then with more cream. Make a layer with streusel, then another layer of cream (you can also distribute it in small clumps with the help of a pastry bag). Complete with cocoa and chocolate chips.