The 'Ernesto' hatbox offers a substantial tasting of the Mattei Biscuit Factory products.
Contains Prato Biscuits, Brutti Buoni, a Dove-shaped Mantovana Pasquale Cake, a Small Candied Loaf, Maglio assorted little chocolate eggs and a Bottle of Antinori Santa Cristina Vinsanto.
Prato Biscuits - also commonly known as almond cantucci or cantuccini - are part of the Tuscany confectionery tradition and are perfect after a meal paired with Vinsanto.
Prepared with 5 simple ingredients: flour, sugar, free-range eggs, almonds and pine nuts, they do not contain preservatives, animal fats or vegetable fats.
The Brutti Buoni 'Ugly but Good' are biscuits based on chopped almonds, sugar, free-range egg whites.
They are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, and have always been part of the historic desserts of our biscuit factory.
The broken almonds and the egg white rest and mix for a few hours, before meeting the other ingredients (flour and sugar), become "Ugly but good" and go in the oven.
Mantovana is a soft and fragrant Butter-based cake, with fresh free-range eggs, flour and sugar, which is then covered with almond grains and icing sugar.
It does not contain yeast.
Just like a homemade cake, it is best enjoyed within the first days of being made and in any case within the recommended dates.
In this case the dough is poured into a dove-shaped mold and sold exclusively in the days preceding Easter.
The Candied Loaf is a cake made with a sheet of brioche bread topped with a thin layer of apricot jam and candied cherries; it is all rolled up and garnished with almond paste and dusted with icing sugar just before cooking.
In fact, the sugar cooks and caramelises, forming a crunchy crust which together with the chopped almonds gives a consistency which contrasts pleasantly with the soft dough and cherries.
The Maglio milk chocolate, used for the production of the chocolates, is made up of Criollo cocoa, in the minimum percentage of 34%, and a high percentage of whole milk, around 28%; it is precisely the union of the high quality of the milk with the Criollo chocolate that gives rise to a chocolate with an intense lactate taste, similar to that of caramel.
Dark chocolate certainly has a unique flavor; it is a blend obtained by combining the very aromatic Criollo cocoa and the Forastero, bitter and with acidic aromas. Contains 62% cocoa minimum.
It is a blend of Caracas and Guayaquil that gives rise to this extraordinary extrabitter cocoa, with an intense and decisive flavour. It contains a minimum of 72% cocoa and a decidedly bitter aftertaste.
Made from sustainably grown cocoa.
Gluten free product.
The Santa Cristina Antinori Vinsanto has an intense yellow with amber highlights color, the wine shows aromas of toasted hazelnuts, honey, and apricots along with light notes of citrus fruit. Full-bodied on the palate with honeyed and nutty flavors, it is a long and supple wine with an intense finish of chestnut flour and herbs.