Davide Comaschi’s Christmas

Christmas is just around the corner. Today we approached Davide Comaschi, one of the previous winners of World Chocolate Masters and the president of the Cacao Barry’s Chocolate Academy in Milano and asked him to share with us his Christmas.

How is Christmas celebrated in Italy? What is typical Italian about it?

In Italy we celebrate Christmas with the family three days long: on 24th of December we celebrate Christmas Evening with a light dinner based on fish and vegetable dishes. We spend the night together playing and singing while waiting for the new day. On the 25th there is a big lunch with a very rich menu based on meat and desserts. It’s a very long day full of joy and gifts.
On the 26th it’s the St. Stephen’s day which we usually spend visiting families and friends.

What are the most traditional sweet delights served for Christmas in Italy?

Panettone is our most famous Christmas dessert and you can see many variations of the original recipe created in Milan during the Renaissance: Chocolate, Ginger, Marzipan - you name it!

What about your Christmas collection? Can you tell a bit about it?

My Christmas collection includes: a Panettone; an Orange Bomb cake, a chocolate and black cherries cake, a chocolate meringue cake, a pear and chocolate cake and of course my chocolate pralines.

Do Italians use lots of chocolate in their Christmas desserts?

Not so much but things are changing fast. This is one of my goals.

In which desserts did you use chocolate and what did you pair it with?

I use chocolate in most of my creations. Chocolate is the best product to enhance our creations, especially those with red fruits or spicy flavours.

What is your favourite Christmas dessert and why?

Panettone is definitely my favourite because it is both traditional and creative - you can decorate it in a million ways.

Looking now at the year behind you, what are you most proud of and what are you wishing for next year?

I am proud to be the director of Cacao Barry’s Chocolate Academy Milano which was inaugurated last June. In this period we are working on preparations for the Italian selection of best chocolatiers for the next World Chocolate Masters which is a great challenge and great opportunity for the Italian patisserie.