Official Tourist Information Site of the Piacenza local editorial office

CRUCÀNT (Almond Brittle) DE.CO.

Municipal denomination De.Co
Comune
Bobbio

Sweet made of toasted almonds whole and in pieces, combined with caramelized sugar; it is one of the 5 De.Co (Denominazione Comunale di Origine) products certified in Bobbio (Piacenza) in 2019.
The almond brittle is a dessert, to which skilful hands give the shape of a basket, it is still today the Christmas dessert par excellence. The almonds, peeled and cut into strips, were traditionally mixed with sugar in a copper pot, then the brittle was shaped with the help of a lemon.
The ancient recipe used a higher quantity of almonds compared to sugar, at that time more expensive. Today the proportions are often changed in order to allow the realization of more complex artistic creations.
The brittle could not be missed even at weddings: baskets of different sizes were stacked one on top of the other, with a convex shape towards the top, from the biggest to the smallest, in order to form a sweet composition that “substituted” the wedding cake. Almonds were also used to make “simple” sugared almonds: these were unpeeled almonds covered with coarse grains of sugar (praline).

Recipe

TIPOLOGIA
Starter
difficoltà
Easy
INGREDIENTI

300 gr of sweet almonds
250 gr of sugar
25 gr of butter
1 lemon or 1 nice firm apple

PREPARAZIONE

Scald the almonds in boiling water, peel them and cut them into strips lengthwise. In a tall aluminum pan – preferably copper – caramelize the sugar and when it is well melted, add the almonds. Keep stirring until the mixture has taken on a nice golden color. Tip the mixture into a well-buttered mold or soup bowl and with a lemon or an apple, press it well inside shaping it to give it the classic basket shape. Let the crisp cool, then turn it upside down on a serving plate. You can garnish it as you like with scallops and handles.

further information


ADDRESS
Piazza San Francesco - Bobbio


WEBSITE
visitpiacenza.it/val-trebbia/

EMAIL
iat@comune.bobbio.pc.it

PHONE
+39.0523.962815