Emanuele Scarello and Gianluca Fusto have been friends for 8 years. One day, the chef from Udine called Valrhona and, by chance, the Milanese pastry chef (with origins from Friuli) picked up the phone. It was the beginning of a friendship and collaboration, cemented in time with hearty laughs but also with lots of serious work aimed at giving coherence to the light cuisine of the former, and the latter’s desserts, a hymn with a similarly light use of sugar.
«Do you know what dessert means? Fusto asked me», remembers Scarello, «It means creating a new moment at the table, but one which continues all that came before. Something I never forgot ». The concept was immediately welcomed by Tatsuya Iwasaki, who, for a long time, had been the cult pastry-chef at Agli Amici in Godia, directed by Fusto himself. While today Tatsu is researching in Spain, his ex-mentor still peeps in the kitchen, in Godia, and shares alchemies with his friend. «He’s your secret pastry-chef», Paolo Marchi once joked with Scarello.
Scarello, 2 Michelin stars received last week, and the apples that Fusto put in the pot
Whether in the light of day, or under the shadow, a respect for each other’s role prevails in their relationship: «I always tell him to take the blue and put it next to the green»,
Gianluca explains, «But then he’s the one who shapes the two colours». An example? Once
Fusto explained that presenting too many pieces of petit fours was useless: «Four delicious ones are better than seven fairly good ones. Such as a Marsala cream puff», he suggested. «You’re right», replied his friend, «but instead of Marsala we could use some
Picolit, from my territory». «How about food cost?». «Never mind», curtailed
Scarello.
And again: «Shall we make a macaroon too?», the chef asked. «No, everyone does them», replied the pastry chef. «But if millions and millions of Italians eat pizza, they can’t be mistaken, can they?». «Perhaps you’re right. But let’s design it Italian style: with almonds, olives and lemon». And so it was.
So it’s a short step for these two men to be under the same roof, outing: on December 3rd at Ratanà, in Milan, their menu will be totally focused on the water present in various foods, «because water is life», says Fusto. «And in food», his twin intervenes, «it is also the quintessence of freshness, like the one you extract from a tomato: it is its strength and carries its tastes like nothing else». What awaits us is a purely product-oriented dinner, with a menu that we anticipate here, in the words of its two performers:
Apples, lentils and almonds: the dessert of December 3rd’s dinner
1) “
My” Zuf di Coce
«It’s a traditional soup», explains
Scarello, «that people used to eat putting a spoon of polenta and pumpkin in a small cup with icy milk. Pumpkin and milk are still the load-bearing axes, and over them we serve yoghurt, pumpkin seeds and smoked ricotta. The water is that from the pumpkin, to which we add a touch of ginger, typical of Friuli».
2)
Cauliflower extract and anchovies “colatura” with squids and sweet garlic sauce
«It’s a solid cauliflower mash, with the “colatura” to give sapidity. Squids, lightly cooked on a low flame, are very delicate».
3)
Creamy potato with new olive oil, greater amberjack, castraure and their broth
«It’s our potato, in Godia, made creamy with new olive oil. The water in this case is the castraura broth (artichoke bud, TN)».
4)
Grilled Godia gnocchi and horseradish soup
«Gnocchi are filled with boiled meat».
5)
Pizza NoStrana
«A surprise...».
6)
Pezzata Rossa Friulana
«Scalded sirloin, slightly corned tongue and foreleg praline.
And so we arrive at
Fusto’s dessert:
Apples, Jasmine tea, lentils and almonds
«This dessert has a strong connection to my territory: there are no jellying additives, everything is naturally extracted».
