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We interview Manuel Pedrali, our Master Pastry Chef, who since the opening of La Fenice almost fifteen years ago has always created exceptional sweet and delicious haute patisserie creations with perseverance and great passion.
Tireless in tests, in work and in specialization courses, to learn more and more about high-level pastry making techniques.
In this interview he presents us with his leavened prince in full: the dove for Easter, soft and fragrant, which can give a truly inebriating experience to those who treat themselves to a slice.
Far from competitions and visibility, Manuel travels on his own track: tenacious and precise in the choice of ingredients and in the steps for making it. Master of leavened products, he reveals some of his secrets below: we asked him some questions.
“Hi Manuel, tell us about your sourdough starter. We know that pastry chefs have a particular relationship with this raw material which must be constantly nourished and which represents the true treasure of the artisan laboratory”.
“My sourdough has been looked after for years and constantly over the years, I refresh it every day and I also use it daily to make brioche every morning here at La Fenice. Temperature management is important in this procedure: it is a living raw material and very delicate to manage if you want to be sure of the success of the final product. When we are producing the doves, we refresh the sourdough three times a day: at 5 in the morning, then at 8.30 and finally at 12, creating the dough at 3.30 pm. Refreshing means adding yeast, along with the right amount of flour and water. This procedure is done to nourish the mother yeast and to create the strength that it will subsequently need for the leavening phase, which is very important for creating a light and easily digestible leavened product”.
“Tell us then what is really special about this Colomba cake that you make with your sourdough starter: how does it differ and why choose it?”.
“First of all, it must be considered that I produce it with my live sourdough starter, I emphasize live, not to be confused with the dehydrated or dried sourdough starter that is often found in these productions. The latter in fact requires brewer’s yeast to activate.
In our case, however, we use totally natural yeast and a long production process that requires many hours; last but not least, leaving the leavened product upside down for the settling phase after baking in the oven. Finally, each dove made in this way is carefully packaged by hand. In fact, in the package there is a note with information on consumption and conservation: it is a totally artisanal product. Furthermore, the colomba della Fenice distances itself from the classic traditional colomba because the flavors we choose have always not been the classic ones: we do this to give the end customer greater choice, while the dough always remains unchanged.
The flavors we produce are generally two or three every year: the classic apricot always remains present, with one or two possible annual special editions. In the case of the classic apricot colomba we use whole Agrimontana fruits, which we pit by hand (a long job, but these candied apricots are the best on the market).
We do this procedure to maintain softness and fragrance in the product, thus remaining very soft and fluffy. Also interesting is the slight hint of almond present in these apricots: few people know that bitter almond comes from the apricot stone. Furthermore, I must also add that we don’t work to save money: for each one kilo dove, we use half a kilo of apricots! I want to say a few more words about some of the products we use for production – because in fact all the raw materials are strictly natural: our Colomba contains vanilla which we process in berries, of the Tahiti variety (which has longer and more fragrant berries) to give an unforgettable aromatic appearance as soon as you open the bag on the table.
Furthermore, no less important is the flour we use: only certified and selected from the Besozzi “Antica Tradizione” mill. This means that we stay far away from the fortified flours that are too often found in pastry products on the market.”
“Very interesting: it is not often thought that behind a product that is brought and eaten at the end of the meal with relatives and friends, in closing, there is actually a great deal of balancing and research that fully justifies the price, for a artisan product like this. How do you suggest we enjoy your dove?”.
“The best way to have a truly exceptional experience is to warm the Colomba in the oven at around 40-50° for 5-10 minutes. This way it softens even more, because it is rich in butter. The butter we use is very good dairy butter. Then it is cut and tasted in company: it would be ideal with a mascarpone or vanilla cream, or, why not, even with a scoop of artisanal ice cream, perhaps also of our own artisanal production, given that we are moving towards the summer !”.
“We understand that you are a great researcher and lover of creations obtained with genuine products. How did you arrive at the perfection of your Colomba recipe?”.
“There are very few secrets here: just many years of work and continuous modifications, constant trials and tests. This is how I arrived at the recipe that I use to create our doves.
I obviously respect the specifications for leavened products which indicate exactly the percentages of sugar, eggs and butter that must be contained in these baked products. Few know of its existence, but it serves to protect high quality artisanal products. These are minimum quantities, which if exceeded, indicate and underline the high quality of the product created.
And this is where I have always aimed with my creations. In fact, with the Colomba della Fenice we have often gone beyond these minimum quality parameters, selecting over the years only the best raw materials that best match our philosophy”.
