Over the weekend I made Minne di Sant'Agata or Cassatella di sant'Agata pastries for the first time
The name basically means St. Agatha's Breasts. St Agatha was a 3rd century saint who was martyred and had her breasts cut off with pincers. She is the patron saint of breast cancer patients, rape victims, martyrs, wet nurses, bell-founders, and bakers. (I made them a the request of a dear friend that just underwent a breast reduction)
It's a basic dome pastry with a cannoli type filling w/ dark chocolate chips and candied citron. They are then coated in a simple powdered sugar glaze and topped with a candied cherry. The end result is basically a boob shaped pastry.
I really enjoy cooking and feel like i know my way around a kitchen pretty well. I like to think of myself as a solid home cook. Baking however is something I always struggle with. It was never something I did a lot growing up and generally avoid it. But this was a special occasion for someone who might as well be part of my family at this point.
There were only a few things I struggled with
Other than that, I was pretty pleased with the result.
What I was going for:
And what I ended up with:
The name basically means St. Agatha's Breasts. St Agatha was a 3rd century saint who was martyred and had her breasts cut off with pincers. She is the patron saint of breast cancer patients, rape victims, martyrs, wet nurses, bell-founders, and bakers. (I made them a the request of a dear friend that just underwent a breast reduction)
It's a basic dome pastry with a cannoli type filling w/ dark chocolate chips and candied citron. They are then coated in a simple powdered sugar glaze and topped with a candied cherry. The end result is basically a boob shaped pastry.
I really enjoy cooking and feel like i know my way around a kitchen pretty well. I like to think of myself as a solid home cook. Baking however is something I always struggle with. It was never something I did a lot growing up and generally avoid it. But this was a special occasion for someone who might as well be part of my family at this point.
There were only a few things I struggled with
- The pastry itself. I really struggled getting the thickness right. I had my rolling pin set to 2mm but I found the dough heating up too quickly and becoming sticky as I rolled it out.
- Finding candied cherries and candied citron. I'm in the Kansas City area and there aren't any foodie or gourmet grocery stores around. Since it's not Christmas, Its really hard to find candied fruit. I debated making my own but couldn't find and citrons or buddha's hand. In the end I found some candied cherries and candied orange peel (both in sauce) at a liquor store. I rinsed, drained, and set the fruit out to dry which seemed to give the desired result.
- The glaze. I don't know if it was too thick or what but it I didn't get full coverage and when I went back for a second application, it showed some drip marks
- Some of the dome drooped a bit in the middle but I think that was because my silicon mold was too flexible and dented under the weight of the filling
Other than that, I was pretty pleased with the result.
What I was going for:
And what I ended up with:
