Fiocco di Neve: the new gem of Neapolitan pastry
Today we are in Naples, in the Rione Sanità, at the foot of the Capodimonte hill: a historic and evocative place where you can admire the very essence of the city.
Here you will find Palazzo Sanfelice, Palazzo dello Spagnolo ai Vergini, the Basilica di San Gennaro fuori le mura… though we could go on listing for hours…
Here we also find the Greek Catacombs – those of San Gennaro, San Severo, San Gaudioso, San Vito, Sant'Eufemia, San Fortunato – and the world-famous Cimitero delle Fontanelle.
The neighborhood was the birthplace of Prince Antonio De Curtis, better known as Totò, and it was right here that films of the caliber of "L'oro di Napoli" by Vittorio De Sica were shot, featuring Totò, Eduardo, Sophia Loren and Silvana Mangano, among many other well-known productions. Among the many things to discover here is the famous pizzeria Concettina ai tre Santi and the historic, renowned Pasticceria Poppella.
The story of the pastry
We are tired, we have walked a lot and therefore we need sugar: that is the excuse to stop right here, at Ciro Poppella, and, with the curiosity typical of children, taste the innovation of this historic establishment: the "Fiocco di Neve".
Born from a deliberate desire to innovate without falling into the banality of creating yet another type of sfogliatella, as the master pastry chef recounts.
The name, which was originally Morbidone, was chosen by a friend of the pastry chef who, returning from a trip to the mountains, had the inspiration that perfectly captures the softness of the dough and filling as well as the aesthetic appearance of the pastry.
The recipe and the tasting
The Fiocco di neve pastry has an accessible price, like everything in this wonderful city – 0.90 cents – and is made with brioche dough (which, for our Milanese readers, is different from that of a cornetto!) filled with milk cream, ricotta, fresh cream, and a secret ingredient, just like Coca Cola!
The ultra-fine powdered sugar with which the snowflakes are dusted ensures the name stays with you and the pastry is instantly recognizable!
Described like this it might sound like something ordinary, but try eating one… as you bite into the soft sphere, the cream will gradually enchant your palate, releasing all its flavor. It is a velvety, delicate filling – the fresh milk comes through strongly.
The right wine to pair
Here, however, we talk about wine, and we have decided to pair a sparkling Moscato Fiori D'arancio produced by the agricultural estate Maeli, located in the Colli Euganei.
The wine is produced from 100% Moscato Giallo grapes grown on the Colli Euganei at an altitude between 50 and 150 meters above sea level, with east and northwest exposure on clay and limestone soils. The training system is Guyot, with a planting density of 4,000 vines per hectare and a yield of 90 quintals per hectare.
Harvest is carried out by hand in the first ten days of September.
It is vinified with destemming and gentle pressing, with static decantation and cold aging of the must in stainless steel for 8 months.
Secondary fermentation takes place directly on the yeasts for at least six months to ensure that its varietal aromas are preserved without any addition of sugars, after which it is filtered and bottled.
Aging takes place exclusively in stainless steel and in bottle. It has an alcohol content of 6% vol. with a residual sugar of 115 g/l.
Visually it presents a beautiful bright golden yellow with fine, numerous and persistent bubbles, as if eager to immediately reveal its elegance.
On the nose the intense aromatic character comes through immediately with floral notes of jasmine, white rose and acacia, transitioning into fruity notes of citrus such as mandarin, with hints of peach and kiwi.
On the palate it expresses softness, creaminess and sweetness, balanced by sapidity and freshness.
A wine of good structure whose finish lingers with balsamic hints, making it complex and persistent. It is also enjoyable as an aperitif with cheese finger food, and excellent to accompany desserts such as our new Neapolitan Fiocco di Neve, as well as fruit tarts and vanilla cream-based pastries.
(tasting notes by Endris Tosi)
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