Handmade Gifts: Not Another Fruitcake

Sunday, December 07, 2008

The word “cake” brings to mind something sweet, spongy, and rather delicate. The word “fruit” brings to mind something sweet, juicy, brightly flavored, and nutritious.  So, why is it that when you put the two words together - “fruitcake” - the result is nothing like sweet, spongy, delicate, juicy, brightly flavored, or nutritious? When we’re deciding on food gifts for the season, we studiously avoid fruitcakes, as the last thing anyone needs to give - or receive, for that matter - is another rum-soaked brick of raisins and candied “fruit.”  Yet, this year, we’ve decided on an appropriate substitute: the Bolognese bustrengo. 

Someone, someday, will devote an entire cookbook to the Italian tradition of dessert cakes made for the afternoon (accompanied by a glass of wine, preferably) rather than the end of a meal.  The bustrengo should hold a place of honor in that cookbook.  A mixture of apples, dried fruits, and cornmeal, it is the perfect cake for the Fall and Winter.  It is moist, but avoids heaviness of a fruitcake because of breadcrumbs.  In addition, olive oil is the primary fat, so you can feel smug about eating a second piece. 

This version is adapted from Jamie Oliver’s Jamie’s Italy.  I’ve made some alterations to “localize” it:  substituting maple sugar for cane sugar; replacing 1 cup of the milk with 1 cup of buttermilk to maintain the acidity lost from not adding lemon and orange zest; using white spelt flour rather than white flour; using a mixture of various dried fruits rather than sultanas and dried figs.  Obviously, not everything is local, but the cinnamon is a crucial flavor component, and, more importantly, how can I feel smug about eating that second piece without olive oil?

Bustrengo
Adapted from Jamie’s Italy
1 cup cornmeal
1 3/4 cups white spelt flour
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1/3 cup maple sugar
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 cup buttermilk
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup olive oil
7 oz.  dried fruit, chopped
18 oz. apples peeled, cored, and diced
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 and butter a eleven-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
2.  Mix together the polenta, flour, breadcrumbs, and sugar in a large bowl.  Mix together the milk, eggs, honey, and olive oil in a separate bowl.
3.  Add the wet mixture to the dry, stirring well.  Add the dried fruit, apples, cinnamon, and salt and stir again.
4.  Pour the mixture into the tart pan and bake for 50 minutes. 

Note:  I attempted this in a bundt pan, and it did not cook evenly.  However, anything relatively shallow should be fine.  Try it with some small loaf pans or maybe even muffin tins.  Whatever you use, be sure to butter and flour the interior first.