Name: Miascia
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 300 gm day-old Italian white bread, crusts removed, torn into 2cm pieces; 600 ml milk; 2 apples (such as pink lady), finely chopped; 2 pears (such as beurre Bosc), finely chopped; 2 eggs, lightly whisked; 70 gm (½ cup) golden raisins; 80 gm caster sugar; 2 tbsp plain flour; Finely grated rind of 1 lemon; Scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean; 40 gm butter, melted; 1 tbsp rosemary leaves; For scattering: demerara sugar; Vin santo mascarpone; 250 gm mascarpone; 50 ml vin santo; 1 tbsp pure icing sugar, sieved

Miascia

Australian Gourmet Trave;;er recipe for miascia.

Serves 8

Prep

20M

Cook

Total

1H 20M

Como, the Lombardian district home to some of Italy’s most luxurious lakeside living, seems a curious place for this classic poor man’s cake to have sprung from. Then again, who’s to say the rich don’t need a tasty way to make the most of leftover bread too? The vin santo mascarpone is our own latter-day luxe addition. Miascia is best served warm or at room temperature.

Ingredients

300 gm day-old Italian white bread, crusts removed, torn into 2cm pieces

600 ml milk

2 apples (such as pink lady), finely chopped

2 pears (such as beurre Bosc), finely chopped

2 eggs, lightly whisked

70 gm (½ cup) golden raisins

80 gm caster sugar

2 tbsp plain flour

Finely grated rind of 1 lemon

Scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean

40 gm butter, melted

1 tbsp rosemary leaves

For scattering: demerara sugar

Vin santo mascarpone

250 gm mascarpone

50 ml vin santo

1 tbsp pure icing sugar, sieved

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 180C. Soak bread in milk until softened (1 hour), pour off excess milk (discard), transfer bread to a large bowl and stir to a coarse purée. Add fruit, eggs, raisins, sugar, flour, lemon rind, vanilla and a pinch of salt and stir to combine. Press into a buttered 24cm-diameter springform tin, drizzle with melted butter, scatter with rosemary and a generous amount of demerara sugar and bake until golden and cooked through (50 minutes-1 hour). Set aside to cool in tin (15 minutes), then carefully remove sides of tin and cool slightly.

2.Meanwhile, for vin santo mascarpone, combine ingredients in a bowl. Serve with miascia.