Piedmontese Bonet: the recipe
This is the last recipe of egg-based gels, I promise. Then, I will stop making puddings (at least for a while ;)).
As for any traditional recipe, the original version of bonet, as chocolate Piedmontese pudding, is almost impossible to find. I am quite sure each family has a special recipe that is passed from generation to generation.
I have always made bonet using the same recipe. But today I changed...I invented my very own recipe...hopefully, the Piedmontese won't hold it against me! :)
Bonet (for 8-10 persons)
700 g of milk (about 700 mL)
100 g of fresh cream (about 100 mL)
6 eggs
160 g of sugar
200 g of sugar for the caramel
100 g of dark chocolate
100 g of amaretti cookies
Pour the milk and the cream in a pot, and add the dark chocolate. Warm everything up and let the chocolate melt, by keep stirring. When the chocolate is melted, remove it from the stove and let it cool down.
Put the amaretti in a ziplock bag and crush them finely with the aid of a rolling pin (you can also use a blender).
Break the eggs in a large bowl, add the 160 g of sugar and beat them with an whisker, until you obtain a frothy batter. Add the amaretti and stir gently. Finally, pour the milk-chocolate mixture onto and stir to incorporate it in the batter.
Prepare the caramel: pour the 200 g of sugar in a pan and let it caramelize under a low flame. When the caramel turns amber, remove it from the stove and pour it in an oven pan with tall edges. Rotate the pan in order to distribute the caramel on the inner part. I recommend you to use kitchen gloves during this step: the pan might be very hot. Let the caramel cool down.
Pour the batter in the pan and bake it in a bain marie (it's not convenient, but essential, I learned my lesson with créme caramel :P), in a pre-heated oven at 160 ˚C. When the pudding is firm, you can remove it from the oven (it might take 40-45 min, it really depends on the oven), Let the pudding cool down, before turning it upside down. It lasts a couple of days in the fridge.