Dreaming of a Tuscan Zucchini Sformatino

Around this time last year, I was wandering Tuscany and Umbria on the culinary tour of a lifetime.  I feel guilty that you haven't seen much of it - from the olive oil tastings, local cheese makers, and fantastic wine producers I visited - there's almost too much to post on this site.

But as I long for those extraordinary experiences in Tuscany, I'll start to sprinkle in a few Italian inspired posts here and there over the rest of the summer.

One of the restaurants we visited for lunch was Osteria Volpaia in the town of Volpaia, near Chianti.   It was a scorching hot day, so we needed to eat light.   A primi that we ordered was a Sformatino al Zucchini, which is essentially a steamed/baked custard made with a puree of zucchini.  The kicker was the beautiful zucchini blossom that encased the custard.   While the dish was rich, the fresh garden flavor of the zucchini made the sformatino a perfect dish for a warm summer afternoon.

I'll never forget our experience meeting the chef after the meal.   Chef Francesco Sabbadini was leaving the restaurant at the same time we were, as he was heading home for the afternoon.   We stopped him and told him how much we loved our meal, especially the zucchini sformatino.  Not only did he talk to us for about twenty minutes, but he took us back to the restaurant, gave us a tour of the kitchen, then wrote the zucchini sformatino recipe down for me to take home. 

After we both got into our cars and drove off, we saw him a few miles later at a stop sign.  He waved back to us with a genuine sincere happiness, as if we'd just bonded over an appreciation of food and his efforts.  Doesn't sound much like the over-hyped, chef driven world we live in today, does it? 

In tribute to this little moment I shared with Chef Sabbadini, I'm passing on Osteria Volpaia's recipe for sformatino al zucchini, which you'll find below.

I would recommending making this sformantino with some toasted country bread, a side salad, and possibly a shaving of parmigiano reggiano to garnish the custard.

Osteria Volpaia's Sformatino al zucchini

1 zucchini flower per person
2 lb diced zucchini
3 eggs
3/4 cup of fresh cream
fresh nutmeg
salt, pepper, lemon
optional:  handful of parmigiano reggiano

 

Blanch the zucchini for a minute in boiling salted water.  Shock in an ice bath to stop the cooking.  Put in a blender with the eggs, cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice.   

Steam the zucchine flowers for only about one minute.  When finished, use them to line individual ramekins.   Add the zucchini mixture on top of the flower in the mold.   Place  the ramekins in the  baking pan.  Add  hot water to the bottom of the pan, just covering about  one quarter  of the bottom of the ramekin.  Cover the  pan with foil and cook at  355 F for 20 mins.    Let cool slightly until the sformatino sets,  then  gently turn out of the molds  upside onto the plate to serve.  Garnish with crostini and/or a summer salad.

Makes 6-8 servings, depending on size of ramekins.

Comments

[Alan]

Hey there. I've been lurking here for a while, enjoying the heck out of your blog, and this recipe looks terrific. One thing though: I don't see the temperature this is supposed to bake at (the sentence reads, "and cook at for 20 minutes"). What should it be?

Thanks!

[JOE]

all fixed alan - it's 355 F. cheers, joe

[Amy and Jonny]

Your post on the Zucchini Sformatino brought a tear to my eye. We just got married in the Chianti region in June and I was amazed at the the various types of sformatino available. The menu we had to choose for our small reception contained over 15 different types... imagine how my head spun attempting to choose just one as a side dish. The best thing about Italy is that they only use seasonal ingredients. When I requested the artichoke sformatino I was quickly "schooled" that artichokes weren't available in June and I must choose another one. Inevitably, we went with, what else, the Zucchini Sformatino. DELIZIOSO. Thanks for the reminder of this simple treat (and the recipe!). Amy and Jonny of neverfull.wordpress.com

[teffi woo]

thank you for your blog... as a chef formerly a newyorker now living in pesaro, italy, it felt like coming home to find your sight. you have some very creative dishes... meals i could never get away with at home. when can i come to your dinner party? i'll make pasta fresca with vongole.

[Flower Girl]

Thanks for this blog....nice meal collection....when can i come to your dinner party? i'll make some desert...

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