PASQUA “MUSIC-GOURMET”: il Re del Cioccolato incontra Beethoven

EASTER “MUSIC-GOURMET”: the King of Chocolate meets Beethoven

Knam’s “musical” pralines, to better “taste” Beethoven’s Seventh SymphonyEaster is coming: music and chocolate have never been so close!Auditorium Milano, Maestro Ruben Jais conducts the Milan Symphony Orchestra in the performance of Beethoven’s marvelous Symphony No. 7, daring an unusual experiment, a “synesthetic” experience combining listening to music with tasting four pralines (one dedicated each movement of the symphony), specially studied and created by the illustrious Maitre Chocolatier Ernst Knam, former Master Pastry Chef at Gualtiero Marchesi, and astonishing interpreter of chocolate, through sweet and savory masterpieces, combined with spices, fruit and… music.

CONCERTS & TASTE, the events born from the partnership between the Milan Symphony Orchestra and the Chef and Maître Chocolatier Ernst KnamEaster at the table: synonymous with peaceful weekends that praise the peace, serenity and joy of the Easter tables where traditional dishes are served: from lamb to typical desserts such as colombe, pastiere, cassata and cantucci, to regional specialties such as the Genoese cake pasqualina, the Neapolitan casatiello, the ragusana breadcrumbs . Everywhere, from the North to the South, the real protagonist is the iconic chocolate egg.The Italian King of Chocolate “has his kingdom in Milan in Via Anfossi, where his 4 laboratories, the pastry school and his shops are located.After attending the fascinating performance at the Auditorium, I met him for a very pleasant interview.

Hello Ernst, can you tell us about his combination of “Music & Chocolate”?I wanted to “explain” Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony with four chocolate pralines whose filling was intended to describe the sensations of the symphony’s four movements.Why did he call the praline that comments on the famous “Second Movement” widely used in cinema in dramatic moments, such as Ludwig’s funeral or King George VI’s speech, “Coccole” (Cuddles)?I wanted to underline that drama starting from the color of the chocolate.It is the only black praline, while the others are enlivened by graphics and streaks. I wanted to call it “cuddle” because I think that even in the most dramatic moments of our lives there is always a need for a comforting cuddle from those who love us. As in the German tradition, after a funeral, we meet at the restaurant to eat all together and affectionately remember the person who left us because life goes on.Do you remember your first cake?Sure, my first home-made tiramisu, I was 10 and then biscuits, my mum was an expert, she knew at least 50 different types. I remember that in the town where I lived, people started making biscuits from the end of November, to keep them until the Christmas holidays.When did the professional spark strike?I wanted to become an ornithologist and my dad, who was a florist, had built me a large aviary that contained more than 200 African and Australian birds. I soon realized that when you have animals to look after, it becomes complicated to travel, so I gave everything to my brother I began to ponder what I could do. Mum helped me, who suggested a career as a pastry chef so (laughs) we could always have a dessert for Sunday… A well-known pastry shop on Lake Constance hired me as an apprentice: it all started from there.What if I hadn’t become a pastry chef?Maybe a jeweler, as I like to create small jewelery creations, for example I design the jewelery for my wife and I think I have a good hand and a large imagination.Is there a dessert that you only eat if prepared by another person?Yes, the “Black Forest” cake by Frau Hildebrandt, my nanny. It was a very high cake that Frau prepared for my birthday and of which I ate half … Frau gave me the recipe, but I must admit that I have never been able to make it the same as hers…What about your Easter  ” colomba” (dove) ?(laughs) Here it is, it landed here, after about 36 hours of levitation, nothing artificial, fresh Sicilian oranges, fresh lemon, Tahit vanilla, it rested wrapped up for one night and normally after 4/6 days it is perfect.Can it be keep it in the freezer?Absolutely not, the dove must be cut and eaten, at the very least it can remain for a few days in its tightly closed bag, avoiding the air that dries it upEaster is coming: can you tell me something about new chocolate eggs?Every year we have a theme this year it’s nature: raising awareness of global warming and I underlined the devastating lack of rain by creating a “colorless” egg I called it Multichocolate and, using the “brush technique”, I brushed it with the typical nuances of white, milk and dark chocolate.The bonsai egg represents a praise to the beauty of life. From the egg, made in 70% Peru Pachiza chocolate scratched with a wood effect, a bonsai with sugar paste leaves bursts forth

And so many funny animals…Yes, the snail egg, the bee egg, the sheep egg with a coconut coat. They are friends in a world that is perfect for children, but I must also say for us grown-ups, since it’s nice to remain childrenAnd then there is the egg “Butt”…The idea came to me from an exhibition by Fernando Botero and from Fabio Novembre’s chair, two artists that I love very much. If you turn it upside down it becomes a heart, in fact behind the egg there is a charity project: in fact it is a limited and numbered edition whose proceeds will go to the friends of the TOG Foundation which offers free treatment to over 100 children and young people suffering from serious neurological pathologies .

The ironic “B sides” of the egg that turns upside down into a heartGreat cause, but that shape, well, it is a little bit unusual… Any controversy?Here I am…. Even in the family: FrauKnam told me that she would dissociate herself from her name, ah for those who don’t know FrauKnam is my wife, Alessandra, with whom I work and I share everything.What can you tell me about your wife, Alessandr Mion?Alessandra became my assistant-apprentice during the lockdown and I discovered that I had a respectable future pastry chef at home.We have done many things together: we have been judges in the TV program Dolce Quiz presented by Alessandro Greco, we have presented the Dolceria Show in the TV show I Fatti Vostri.Alessandra Mion “FrauKnam”Recently Alessandra… sorry FrauKnam, opened her pastry shop next door, taking care of its very feminine address: tender ducks and bunnies, mignon macaroons in shades from pink to magenta, pralines and a paradise of sweet and savory cream puffs, with more traditional flavors such as eggnog and custard, to unusual fruit dishes, such as mango and passion fruit or apricot and thyme, up to savory cream puffs such as tuna and capers or apple and gorgonzola.

Frau Knam’s creationsYour favorite destinations?We are in love with Japan, where I have worked in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.I am a follower of the theory of “making travel without moving” in the sense that when a customer comes to the pastry shop, it is nice to take him elsewhere and a taste is enough, close your eyes and “have a good trip …”A journey that has remained in your heart?I am more than one…. among many Canada when the delegation from Quebec Italy invited me to visit the province of Canada and to discover maple syrup, the symbol of the country , Then Montreal, where I stayed at the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ), one of the most important institutions in the field of food and wine education in Canada and I held a masterclass in front of professors and students of the École hôtelière de la Montérégie.

I know you fell in love with Peru… can you tell me little more about it?In 2018 the commercial office of Peru in Italy invited me to discover its various types of cocoa plantations from harvesting to its processing. I have visited many cities: Tarapoto, where the Institute of Tropical Crops and the Tesoro Amazónico company are located, Juanjuì with its Acopagro cooperative and Nativos Chocolate: which offers the importance of touching, seeing, hearing and smelling firsthand this element, which I consider the cornerstone of my pastry.

In Lima I met the great Peruvian cuisine and its protagonists, including Mitsuharu Micha Tsumura, Astrid and Gaston and Virgilio Martinez whose Research Center studies how to use and investigate the properties of typically Peruvian ingredients and elements, in a very favorable environment to their cultivation and prosperity, almost uncontaminated, then again Cusco and of course a visit to Machu Picchu, one of the 7 wonders of the world and symbol of Peru, could not be missed.What makes Peru such a favorable country for particular crops and products?Definitely biodiversity and the many different contexts that alternate within its borders. Peru has been an experience that has greatly marked my work, which I wanted to tell in the book, “My story with chocolate”, which collects the story of the “Food of the Gods” and 70 unpublished recipes for cakes that have base this element.Ernst, what does chocolate mean to you?The whole! Chocolate is the only raw material in the world with a 365° process. allows it to be soft, liquid, powder ,hot, cold. It can go through the savory cuisine or be sweet, I can make a sculpture if I don’t like it, I’ll melt it. It even becomes a fashion element, some time ago at a Chocolate Salon, I created a wedding dress with flowers, embroideries, earrings and a white chocolate bouquet… it was greeted by thunderous applause and it was a great satisfaction.

Knam’s wedding dress, with flowers, embroidery, earrings and a white chocolate bouquetMaestro, can I ask you for a recipe (not too difficult…) for our readers?Certainly, here’ s a recipe with few ingredients that everyone can make, just read carefully. A cake I would call Peru, made with only two ingredients on a gluten-free sponge base decorated with fresh raspberries.Thank you and one last question: any thoughts on chocolate from you?If there is no chocolate in heaven… I’m not going there!DARK CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY MOUSSEFor the dark chocolate mousse:200 g dark chocolate400 ml semi-whipped soy creamIn a bowl, combine the cream with the chocolate and create the mousse.For the marquise100 g yolks100 g icing sugar225 g egg whites200 g icing sugar90 g bitter cocoa30 g potato starchQB. granulated sugar for dustingPreparationWith a whisk, beat the egg yolks with 100 g of icing sugar and, in a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff together with the remaining 200 g of icing sugar. Combine the two compounds; sift the starch and cocoa and add them to the mixture, stirring gently with movements from bottom to top so as not to disassemble the whites. On a baking sheet lined with baking paper, pour the marquise to a thickness of about 5 mm. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 200°C; after this time, remove the marquise from the oven and immediately sprinkle the surface with granulated sugar.For decoration:to taste chocolate sprinklesto taste fresh raspberriesNeutral jellyAssembly:Arrange the marquise disc in a 22-24 cm diameter ring, pour the dark chocolate mousse and level the surface well. Put the cake in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. Remove the cake from the refrigerator, remove the ring and coat the edges of the cake with the chocolate chips. Cover the surface with neutral jelly and decorate with fresh raspberries.INFOKnamFrau KnamBignè di FrauKnamAuditorium di Milano