Mario Batali’s Ciambella with Summer Berry Compote
The superstar chef (who summers in Northern Michigan) instructs us on the art of seasonal indulgence. A ciambella is a simple ring-shaped bread made of egg, shortening and sugar. Ciambelle were for a long time a symbol of luxury in Italian culture; a fancy bread pictured next to royalty and aristocracy in Renaissance painting. Today, ciambelle are often served as an afternoon snack at a bar or caffe. They can be dressed with glazes, syrups, or, in this case, berry compote. In this recipe, I incorporate berries abundant in this area, but you can easily substitute whatever berries are available at your farmers market. With the listed ingredients, this ciambella makes the perfect late-summer dessert in this fertile area that I've come to love.—Mario Batali
serves 8
Ingredients
- 1 pint blueberries
- 1 pint blackberries
- 1 pint raspberries
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 cup cold milk