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White truffle utopia
The squaring of the egg
Omnes artes
Carlo Cracco
Claudio Papola
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Reviews
The squaring of the egg
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ParmaSalute
Bimonthly Opinion Magazine, socio-sanitary field
Volume IV - N.6 - November 2006 |
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Carlo Cracco's The squaring of the egg, published by Editoriale Fernando Folini in the series "Omnes artes" is a gastronomic essay dedicated to the egg and enriched by artistic, philosophic and literary references relevant to the main subject. The book includes also an original artwork created ad hoc by the artist Claudio Papola. Carlo Cracco's neoclassical art cuisine makes of the egg the star of four astounding recipes by introducing other themes linked to it: the egg as a subject of mathematical interest, as the symbol of the world's creation through the words of distinguished philosophers and as a shape inspiring many artists and designers. Finally it is Eugène Ionesco who gives us a cooking lesson taken from one of his theatrical pieces. All this is included in a precious book (88 pages, 25,00 euro) written in two languages: Italian and English.
Leggere: tutti. Mensile del libro e della letteratura n. 6, December 2005
Aerodynamic and primigenial envelope of life, the egg has inspired philosophical, musical, artistic and geometric theories. For Magritte it is a source of pictorial suggestions, in Plato it evokes the myth of the androgynous, Ficino goes back even to the principles of music and Buggio tries to square it with an equation. Its changing shape &Mac220; solid, liquid, ragged or foamy &Mac220; has now given itself up to the peculiar gastronomic creations of a chef, who tried to make its essence stand still in the brief space of a dish. Inscribed in a quadrilateral of recipes, the egg has assumed different features and flavours in a happy marriage with unusual ingredients: the ficoidea glacialis or the Sichuan pepper. The book is a kind of two-faced herma: turning it upside down you can also appreciate the English version.
Clara Ippolito, Cucina&vini no. 29, September 2005
“The squaring of the egg” is a sort of daring gastronomic essay that Carlo Cracco has dedicated to “His Majesty” the egg. A raw material present in many recipes in the quality of extraordinary and essential “second leading actor”, but almost always half-hidden by something making it elusive: few recipes put it “at the centre” of the attention rather than among several gregarious ingredients. And these recipes are all played on the factor time. The latter (meant as cooking time) is indeed essential in determining the consistency and the flavour of this only apparently simple element, as a matter of fact hiding a great complexity and being a surprising source of creative inspiration.
Veronelli EV n. 83, July 2005
Disquisition on the egg, in all its versatility, with elaborate recipes and more classic ones such as the egg à la coque, with stories, studies and curiosities on one of cooking most slippery ingredients.
L’Assaggio. Dall’analisi sensoriale al piacere n. 10, Summer 2005
Carlo Cracco, famous chef of Milan, in this book deals with one of high gastronomy most difficult subjects: the cooking of the egg. He starts from a mathematical theorem: the squaring of the egg. After a convincing demonstration of this theorem, that has for centuries driven mad most renowned mathematicians, the author then starts to illustrate some egg-based recipes, of undoubted historical interest as well. It is enough to say that three pages are dedicated to hard-boiled egg preparation. The book, printed recto-verso, is written in two languages: Italian and English.
Civiltà della Tavola – Accademia Italiana della Cucina n. 160, April 2005
In the book a few recipes and many mathematicians’, philosophers’, artists’ and men of letters’ ways of thinking.
The geometrical shape changes. The secret is in an equation. Magritte put it in a cage to be sure it wouldn’t… fly away.
He doesn’t aim at being “gastronomy’s Mirò”, rôle that many of his Spanish colleagues want to play. And if, in order to provoke him, you ask him when Michelin third star will arrive he shrugs his shoulders and answers calmly “this is not a problem, I don’t rack my brains over that”. At the moment, he is satisfied with professional gratification: on the threshold of forty, Carlo Cracco is one of Italy’s most renowned and fondled chefs; he runs a restaurant with about thirty employees. Many years have passed since the time he was a beginner at the restaurant “da Remo” in Vicenza, twenty years ago; it comes back to his mind the agitation for Count Giovanni Capnist visits when he was the national chairman of the Cooking Academy. He smiles at these recollections: that young man today has planetary horizons. In a month he will be at “Raffles” restaurant in Singapore, one Italian amidst 150 French chefs. In the meantime, his first book “White truffle utopia” (published two years ago, always with Fernando Folini) has landed in the USA. He is quite proud of that, he has reasons to be so.
Like that publication, also “The squaring of the egg” is written in two languages, Italian and English. And like that, also this new book on the egg includes an artwork by Claudio Papola, an important artist of Milan boasting fifty years of exhibitions. But “The squaring of the egg” is more than a simple book of recipes. Of course it contains some recipes, but they are the excuse for talking of something else: the egg-shaped car invented by Giannino Marzotto at the beginning of the fifties to move faster; or the egg that René Magritte painted in the 1936 when he dreamt that in the cage there wasn’t a bird as usual, but just an egg. He said that this image conveyed him “an astonishing poetic secret” since he perceived “the affinity of two objects”.
In the book there is also the myth of the androgynous, from Plato “Symposium”: a (egg-shaped) man with both sexes within; the cosmogonic egg, the origin of all; the Chinese yin and yang together with the meditations of Marsilio Ficino, who compares the egg roundness to the sounds the ear hears coming out from the notes. Finally, there is the extraordinary hint given by Eugene Ionesco on how to prepare a hard-boiled egg. Pages of literary delight, an example of how life (and literature) is reflected in food.
In “The squaring of the egg” there is above all an interesting work of the Venetian Professor Luciano Buggio, explaining which is the egg polar equation (that is to say, the trigonometric relation of a point with the radius of the circumscribed circle) and showing the mathematical formula in order to square the egg. But now the issue is really for professional people.
Carlo Cracco introduces his recipes among these reflections. Do you want some examples? Here they are: marinated egg yolk with white asparagus and fresh almonds; or marinated egg yolk with barley white omelette and Sichuan pepper; potato soup with dried capers and grated egg; marinated egg yolk with sepia and glacialis…
The book is obviously yolk-red coloured and is dedicated to his wife Angela (who has a degree both in languages and logopedics) and to his daughter Sveva of two years and a half old.
It is a brilliant, nimble and non-pedantic book. In a word, a… savoury work. How could we doubt it?
Antonio Di Lorenzo, Il Giornale di Vicenza, January 2005
Other media quoted it:
- Alessandra Meldolesi in La Madia Travelfood magazine n.198, January/February 2005;
- RAI TG2 Eat Parade, 27 February 2005;
- La cucina italiana, Special Edition "Tutto sull'uovo. 130 ricette per gustarlo al meglio", March 2005.
- Info-line Notizie, vol. 9 n. 3, March 2005;
- Livio Partiti of TRS Radio (Savigliano, CN) in the programme "Il posto delle parole", 16 April 2005.
White truffle utopia
A gastronomic essay, enriched by quotations, exhaling the unique scent of the most precious tuber.
Maria Scarso, Buona cucina n. 1, January 2004
Contents: Cracco’s work is neither a recipe collection nor a book on technical aspects of white truffle picking or use. It is rather a collection of thoughts, reflections and emotions about what is often referred to as “the food of the gods”. Double version Italian-English.
Comments: among Cesare Pavese’s memories, the anecdotes of many years of history and tradition and the quotations from people who fell in love with the white truffle, not an utopia but a flood of pleasant sensations, emotions, scents and old flavours takes place.
L’Assaggio. Dall’analisi sensoriale al piacere, n. 8, Winter 2004
The Italian chef with surprisingly increasing renown is coming back to San Sebastian. This year he carries under his arm an outstanding book, both for its refined and cared-for bookbinding and for its well exposed content, with which he introduces us to his sophisticated and precious vision of an excellent food, the white truffle. In the same way he cooks it in his refined Cracco-Peck restaurant in Milan.
A very original publication, edited in two languages, in which Carlo Cracco explains his philosophy about the white truffle, talking of it as a utopia. Among his different considerations, he underlines how we suppose to know it without being able to define it, how it can exalt all our senses, essentially for its scents, but also for its taste, etc.
With few recipes he introduces us to his philosophy: “Eggs and white truffle”, “Creamy risotto with parmesan and white truffle of Alba”, “Gnocchi of potato, hazelnut and white truffle”, “Flan of mascarpone crispy potatoes and truffles”.
Each recipe is introduced by a detailed explanation, including the best cooking technique and most suitable ingredients to prepare it.
With this title the publisher joins gastronomy, adding new contents to a wide and selected editorial basis.
dereCoquinaria Express n. 2, October 2003
Carlo Cracco is well known. With his restaurant Cracco-Peck he is one of the stars of Milan gastronomy and more than that. Awaiting to “taste” his latest publication (“The squaring of the egg” is the provisional title, always for Editoriale Fernando Folini) we can get back this volume of last year making the point between poetry and cooking about one of most precious autumnal products, His Majesty the truffle. So it may come to find newspaper cuttings, writings of Cesare Pavese, souvenirs of the gastronaut Davide Paolini. And four recipes. Among these we point out “Gnocchi of potato, hazelnut and white truffle” and “Risotto with parmesan and white truffle of Alba”.
Gualtiero Spotti, "Libri in cucina" in Milano 7, October 2003
Just to remain in the subject, let’s mention the volume “White truffle utopia”, signed by Carlo Cracco and enriched by an artwork of Claudio Papola (Fernando Folini Productions, _ 25,00). The book has opened the series Omnes Artes, called this way “because all the arts are used to convey the gastronomic subjects chosen and developed by international chefs”.
From his refined Cracco-Peck restaurant in Milan the author introduces us to his vision of the white truffle, even bothering the writer Cesare Pavese to place the Magnificent in the misty setting of the Langhe, where it was born.
The white truffle is a utopia because “you know it but you can’t define it, you perceive it but you don’t succeed in savouring it, you draw near to it but don’t grasp its soul. Phoenix of international gastronomy, utopia of the senses, the white truffle is essentially scent, and only thereafter taste”, Carlo Cracco says.
Four recipes are then deeply rooted in history with the letter of Count De Borch, who in 1780 explains to the Capitaine Majeur in the Guards Regiment of His Majesty the King of Sardinia how truffles are found and dug up by “peasants and vagabonds, poachers paid by those who monopolise the trade…”. The senses are instead awakened by the Centro Studi Assaggiatori, informing: “the sense of smell is able to recognise more than 400 000 different sensations”.
These are the recipes proposed by Carlo Cracco: “Eggs and white truffles”, “Creamy risotto with parmesan and white truffle of Alba”, “Gnocchi of potato, hazelnut and white truffle”, “Flan of mascarpone, crispy potatoes and truffles”. Each recipe is introduced by a clear explanation of the reasons lying behind the techniques (“the steaming […], the technique closest to the idea of scent and that in itself has something of the magical and mysterious”) and by indications for the choice of the ingredients (for example “the secret lies in the choice of dense potatoes that enable little flour to be used. The French ratte potatoes are ideal…”).
Those who are well off can prepare these expensive delicacies under Carlo Cracco’s expert guide, and be thanked by the astonished guests for their “gastronomic exploit, simple from a technical point of view but extremely refined”.
Rita Rutigliano, "Alla corte di Re Tartufo" in La Gazzetta Web, September 2003
With autumn coming can truffles be far behind? From Italy comes the book White truffle utopia by Carlo Cracco. It is the first in a new series of books dedicated to a gastronomic theme and developed by a master-chef. Printed in a square format (21x21) they are called Object-books. The author Carlo Cracco, is the chef/owner of one of Milan’s finest restaurants, Cracco-Peck. Cracco trained in the kitchens of masters Gualtiero Marchesi, Alain Senderens and Superstar Alain Ducasse, and he creates what can only be described as the new “quintessential Italian Haute Cuisine”.
The white truffle is an utopia because, as Carlo Cracco says: "you know it but you can't define it, you perceive it but you don't succeed in savouring it, you draw near to it but don't grasp its soul. Phoenix of international gastronomy, utopia of the senses, the white truffle is essentially scent, and only thereafter taste".
The gastronomic theme is developed through a few recipes. They work as a starting point to express the personal view of the chef about the theme; the reasons lying behind the techniques are analysed, "the tricks of the trade" are told with simplicity so as to allow "experienced amateurs" to reproduce them.
Gary Hynes, EAT – Epicure & Travel, Pacific Island Gourmet Publishing, July/August 2003
In the mysterious and magic atmosphere of the woods of the Langhe, in the shadow of oaks and poplars, once lived, and is still living, the very prince of tubers. It is the precious white truffle of Alba, that goes on revealing itself through its scent and only thereafter it awakens the sense of taste of the people following its tracks, like the author of this book, the chef of the Cracco-Peck restaurant in Milan.
Full of love for this gastronomic Phoenix, he has decided to try to express this kind of ideal in four dishes. He married it twice with the egg, once with the parmesan of a creamy risotto and with the mountain potatoes of the Trentino or of the Appenines, or with the French royal ratte potatoes, small, yellow, with a very firm texture. The result is: a quartet for flavours and scents performed in bilingual version, Italian-English and presented with elegant graphic attire.
Clara Ippolito, Cucina&Vini n.43, March 2003
An anthology of illustrious quotations, a collection of even more illustrious recipes: Carlo Cracco, skilful chef (of the Cracco-Peck restaurant in Milan), has dedicated this book to the white truffle of Alba, that he defines “mysterious, elusive and out of touch”.
It is an interesting, pleasant and also curious book: it is in English, but turning it upside down you find the Italian version.
L'Accademia italiana della cucina n.136, March 2003
It is a simple and at the same time refined book in which Carlo Cracco, from his restaurant Cracco-Peck in Milan, writes of the white truffle, defined utopia. “You know it but you can’t define it”, Cracco says, “you perceive it but you don’t succeed in savouring it, you draw near to it but don’t grasp its soul”… The white truffle, goes on the author, “is essentially scent, and only thereafter taste”. In this book haute-cuisine recipes are quoted, such as eggs and white truffles, creamy risotto with parmesan and white truffle of Alba, hazelnut and white truffle: each recipe is accompanied by an introduction explaining the reasons lying behind the various preparation procedures.
Viaggiesapori online, February 2003
Truffle: trip to the utopia and to the Langhe. The chef Carlo Cracco follows Pavese and other important writers' footsteps to discover the precious fruit of the earth
"You know it but you can't define it, you perceive it but you don't succeed in savouring it, you draw near to it but don't grasp its soul. Phoenix of international gastronomy, utopia of the senses, the white truffle is essentially scent, and only thereafter taste". This sentence has not been written by a poet or a professional writer, but by a chef (and what a chef!): Carlo Cracco, thirty-seven years old, one of the most renowned European chefs. He has worked with Ducasse in Montecarlo and with Senderens in Paris, he has directed the wine house Pinchiorri in Florence and stood at Gualtiero Marchesi's side at the opening of Albereta di Erbusco restaurant. During the last two years he has been "signing" the dishes of the Peck restaurant in Milan.
With this first book of the series Omnes Artes, of the small and elegant publisher Fernando Folini, he now devotes himself to gastronomic literature. Carlo Cracco presents his vision of the white truffle. Also Cesare Pavese has been bothered to place the white truffle in the misty setting of the Langhe where it was born, and the artist Claudio Papola has created an original artwork, included in the book, to give to the white truffle an elaborated visual representation. There are obviously also the recipes, rooted in the history with the letter of Count De Borch, who in 1780 explains to the Capitaine Majeur in the Guards Regiment of His Majesty the King of Sardinia how truffles are found and dug up by "peasants and vagabonds, poachers paid by those who monopolise the trade...", while the senses are awakened by the Centro Studi Assaggiatori, that informs: "the sense of smell is able to recognise more than 400 000 different sensations".
Eggs and white truffles, Creamy risotto with parmesan and white truffle of Alba, Gnocchi of potato, hazelnut and white truffle, Flan of mascarpone, crispy potatoes and truffles, these are the recipes suggested. Each recipe has an introduction explaining the reasons lying behind the procedures ("the steaming... is the technique closest to the idea of scent and that in itself has something of the magical and mysterious") and the choice of the ingredients ("the secret lies in the choice of dense potatoes that enable little flour to be used. The French ratte potatoes are ideal...").
Carlo Ottaviano, Il Nuovo, December 2002
Other media quoted it:
- Giuliana Pedroli of Radio Reporter (Milan), 23 December 2002;
- Buonissimo! in the editorial "In libreria", 2 January 2003;
- RAI TG2 Eat Parade, 5 January 2003;
- Info-line Notizie, vol. 7 n. 2, February 2003;
- Raffaella Beltrami in Class magazine n. 202, February 2003;
- La notizia di Papillon, 4 February 2003;
- Livio Partiti of TRS Radio (Savigliano, CN) in the programme "Il posto delle parole", 1 February 2003;
- Raisat Gambero Rosso Channel in the programme "Letture Golose", 11 March 2003;
- TeleSanterno (Reggio Emilia) in the programme "Con i piedi per terra NEWS", 9 and 11 May 2003;
- Odeon tv in the programme "Italia oh", 10 July 2003;
- Beppe Severgnini in Corriere della sera, 24 December 2003;
- Agnese Galeotti in La città. Quindicinale di opinione e servizi di Viterbo e provincia, vol. XV n.4, 23 February 2005;
- Vie del gusto, n. 10, October 2005.
Online reviews
The squaring of the egg
White truffle utopia
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