Piedmontese Bonet

The Bonet is a typical dessert from the Piedmontese cuisine, similar to a caramel pudding, with the addition of amaretti biscuits, cocoa, and rum. Here is the recipe to prepare the Piedmontese Bonet.

Ingredients

• 150 g of amaretti biscuits
• 4 eggs
• 100 g of sugar
• 500 ml of whole milk
• 50 g of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons of rum
• Sugar for the caramel (about 100 g)

Preparation

1. Caramel: Start by preparing the caramel. Melt the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until it becomes liquid and takes on a golden-amber color. Immediately pour the caramel into a pudding mold, tilting it to evenly cover the bottom and sides. Let it cool down.

2. Crush amaretti: Roughly crumble the amaretti biscuits and set them aside.

3. Prepare the mixture: In a bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until you have a frothy and light mixture. Add the cocoa powder and mix thoroughly until smooth.

4. Milk and rum: Heat the milk until it’s almost boiling and slowly pour it into the bowl with the egg and sugar mixture, stirring continuously. Add the rum and the crumbled amaretti, stirring well.

5. Cook in bain-marie: Pour the mixture into the mold over the solidified caramel. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a bain-marie in a preheated oven at 160 degrees for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the Bonet is firm to the touch.

6. Cooling: Once cooked, remove the Bonet from the oven and let it cool completely. Then refrigerate it for a few hours before unmolding. To unmold, run a thin blade around the edge of the mold, then flip it onto a serving plate and let the caramel spread over the dessert.

Interesting Facts

The name “Bonet” comes from the French “bonnet,” meaning hat, perhaps due to the shape of the mold traditionally used for this dessert that resembles a hat or because, in the past, it was the dessert ‘that closed’ the meal like a hat closes the outfit.