Masters of Panettone

According to the legend the panettone was born at the court of Ludovico Il Moro, when, in the occasion of a lavish lunch, the chef discovered that the dessert was burned in the oven. So he put together whatever remained in the pantry: flour, butter, eggs, cedar peel and raisin. When he brought it to the table he could already feel he would be punished, but the new dessert turned out to be very successful. Today, after more than five centuries, the panettone’s recipe keeps evolving and with Masters of Panettone, the Milanese festival of the artisanal panettone, we can see the most updated and modern versions of it.

The even will take place at Le Cavallerizze, inside the National Science and Technology Museum in via Olona, between 18th and 19th November 2017, and will be open from 10 in the morning to 18 in the afternoon. It will start on Saturday with the contest between fifteen finalists from all over Italy that will compete in the making of the best chocolate panettone. The key of a great panettone is the leavening and these fifteen pastry chefs will take part in the contest because they are the best in the employing of this ancient technique. To this contest is added the Digital Maestro Award, an awarding ceremony that will crown three of the twenty-five partecipating pastry masters that will triumph in the categories of Best Digital Presence, Best Digital Performance and Best Digital Creativity.

Of course the event isn’t just limited to the contests but includes guided tastings, ten different masterclasses during which the twenty-five masters will take turns in teaching the public all the secrets of this exceptional dessert. The twenty-five leavenings masters, the absolute best in the creation of the panettone in Italy, wil guide the rich program of activities.

Ezio Marinato and Ezio Rocchi, for instance, two of the top Italian pastry experts and natural leavening, wil guide the 45 minutes long lessons of the “Impastando si impara” workshop. There also will be a series of 30 minutes mini-guided tour in a panettone factory each one with the guide and explanations of one of the masters. There also will be cooking lessons for children. In the occasion of the initiative, then, each one of the masters will cook special panettoni in a limited edition up to a total of 300 total pieces that you will be able to buy at their respective stands inside the initiative. The packages of these gastronomic panettoni are customizable and will be perfect for an elegant gift or a dinner with friends.

During the event’s preview, on 15th November, that took place in Pasticceria Martesana, Paola Sersante of the blog Anice e Cannella, along with the pastry chefs Marco Battaglia and Enzo Santoro, showed us all the secrets of the perfect panettone, from the choosing of the ingredients to the kneading, from the preparation techniques to the final baking. At the end of it, three panettoni were proposed: the classic one with candied fruit, another one with raisin and a third one with chocolate and apricots, covered with a magnificent chocolate glaze.

Seeing these three panettoni made us want assist to the final competition with the live contest between fifteen of the best field professionals in all Italy. Even the jury will be composed of stars of the pastry world and the public will be able to tast and judge for itself the many preparations. In short, with the Christmas approaching, this is an experience you can’t miss. Prepare to be submerged with sweetness.