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Bonet

17/11/2023

Bonet (also known as Bunet) is a classic Piedmontese spoon dessert. It’s a type of chocolate pudding with amaretti cookies, and it’s often enriched with a touch of rum or other liqueurs. Here is the traditional recipe:

Ingredients

  • 5 eggs
  • 150 g of sugar for the caramel
  • 50 g of sugar for the mixture
  • 40 g of unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 500 ml of milk
  • 200 g of amaretti cookies
  • A small glass of rum or other liquor (optional)

Preparation

  1. Prepare the caramel: Put the 150 g of sugar in a saucepan and dissolve over low heat until you get a smooth, golden caramel. Pour it into a pudding mold and tilt the mold to also cover the sides with caramel.
  2. Make the mixture: Roughly crumble the amaretti and set aside. In another bowl beat the eggs with the remaining 50 g of sugar. Add the sifted cocoa to avoid lumps and mix well to amalgamate the ingredients.
  3. Heat the milk: In a saucepan, bring the milk almost to a boil (without boiling it). Then, slowly pour it over the egg and cocoa mixture, stirring continuously.
  4. Add the amaretti and rum: Incorporate the crumbled amaretti into the mixture, and if you like, a small glass of rum or another liqueur of your choice.
  5. Cook the bonet: Pour the mixture into the caramelized mold and cook in a water bath in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 40-50 minutes. Make sure the bonet is set before removing it from the oven.
  6. Let it cool and unmold: Allow the bonet to cool at room temperature and then in the refrigerator for at least a few hours. Once thoroughly chilled, invert the mold onto a serving plate and unmold the dessert.

The fascinating part of Bonet is its creamy texture and the contrast between the sweetness of the caramel and the slightly bitter touch of caramel and cocoa.

Trivia

The name “bonet” is believed to derive from the Piedmontese term for hat, because of the shape of the traditional mold used to bake this dessert, which resembles, indeed, a head cover.

Remember that Bonet is perfect for finishing off a significant meal and pairs beautifully with a glass of Passito wine or Barolo Chinato, which with their intense aroma enhance the flavor of the chocolate and amaretti.

Bonet