The artisanal panettone created by Chef Michele De Blasio—a Michelin-starred chef at Ristorante Volta in Vietri https://www.giardinidelfuenti.com/volta-del-fuenti/-sul-Mare —is a limited edition.
In fact, only 300 pieces of this sea-scented pastry, created by Giardini del Fuenti, have been made.
There seems to be no end to the popularity of this traditional Italian pastry, which is increasingly celebrated even outside Italy. And this time, there are several reasons to honor a truly special creation.
Sea herbs are what make it so desirable.
Breakfast at Cavoli for a Snack
We sampled it in the elegant setting of Cavoli A Merenda https://www.cavoliamerenda.com/cavoliamerenda/, during a refined and indulgent breakfast, with attention to every detail.
Michele De Blasio’s special baked goods were beautifully displayed on trays and cake stands, delighting us all, but it was the panettone with sea herbs that truly won over the lucky guests. A pairing with homemade almond milk, served with the same consistency as a cappuccino, rounded out the breakfast experience.
- The panettone that tells the story of a wonderful land
Michele De Blasio’s panettoneis a Christmas-inspired take on one of the desserts served at Ristorante Volta, in the Giardini del Fuenti. It is a place that stirs the senses with its colors and scents. The blue of the sky blends with the light breeze that drifts in like poetry from the sea in this place of rare beauty, nestled among the vistas of the Amalfi Coast.
Seaweed, candied Amalfi lemon, and Opalys white chocolate buttons are the only ingredients in this leavened cake, and they are what give it such a delicate and alluring aroma.
Among the selected herbs are salicornia, fennel, and sea lettuce: surprising local ingredients that add a salty, vegetal note to the panettone.
The production process follows a classic fermentation period of about 36 hours, including pre-dough and main dough stages. The amount of sugar is reduced compared to more traditional recipes.
The flour, a key ingredient, is locally sourced from Mulino Spada
The secret to the product’s deliciousness also lies in working with local ingredients
- A Sustainable Panettone
At a time when water consumption is extremely high, sea herbs have become a symbol of sustainability here, because they thrive in the salt air.
At the Giardini del Fluenti, there are many terraces, and sea herbs are grown on one of them.
The panettone is part of the chef’s ongoing journey over the past few years to showcase the region’s gastronomy: a cuisine that draws on personal and collective memory and on the richness of a land shaped by history, culinary culture, and extraordinary ingredients.
- Michele De Blasio
He began his training early on in the kitchens of renowned chefs, including the Pourcel brothers, Alain Ducasse, Pierre Gagnaire, Juan Mari Arzak, Rasmus Kofoed, Seji Yamamoto, Arnaud Lallement, Martin Berasategui, and José Andrés. In Italy, his main mentors are
Riccardo Camanini and Alfonso Iaccarino. He worked with Pierfranco Ferrara at the Faro di Capo d’Orso and with Pino Lavarra at the Ritz-Carlton in Hong Kong, before continuing his career at the Ritz-Carlton in Osaka, Japan, shortly before joining the Giardini del Fuenti project in 2019.
