Cristoforo Munari, Still-life with Porcelain Vases, Flute, Books, and Oranges, 1706-1713The late-Baroque, Italian painter, Cristoforno Munari worked predominantly in still life. The standards of Baroque art were encouraged by the Roman Catholic church and embodied iconography and monarchy though an intensely precise handling of paint. Munari was an official court painter for the Medici family, the predominant sponsor of all Renaissance art in Florence. The disarray of the subject matter, the overturned bowl, curled pages, and precariously place instrument were characteristic of Munari's compositions. He often suggested the jovial glut of the court through carefully composed chaos (1).
Originally made by Pepperidge Farm, the Milano cookie was invented through the failure of the Naples cookie. Much like the Milano, the Naples was made of a wafer-like cookie with a rich chocolate topping. However, in warmer climates the cookies would stick together prompting Pepperidge Farm to turn them into a sandwich cookie. The Milano was part of the 'European' series the company rolled out and were marketed to adults as an indulgence sweet rather than a treat for children (2).
{Milano Cookies}
adapted from the Food Network (recipe by Gale Gand)
makes about a baker's dozen
6 TB butter
1 1/4 c icing sugar
3 egg whites
1 TB vanilla extract
1 TB lemon zest
3/4 c flour
{filling}
1/4 c double cream
3/4 c chocolate chips
1 TB orange zest
Cream the butter and the sugar together. Gradually add the egg whites and the vanilla extract and lemon zest. Add the flour and mix until just combined. With a small tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto parchment paper on a baking tray. Space the batter two inches apart (they will spread while baking).
Preheat the oven to 180 and bake for 10 minutes until the edges are golden. Let cool.
Heat the double cream in a small saucepan until scalded. Pour over the chocolate and whisk. Add the orange zest and continue to whisk until well combined. Let cool. Sandwich the filling between the flat sides of two cookies.
July 27, 2009 at 12:56 PM
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p.s. I lost this site for a bit and then found it again, thank goodness :) --i totally love it. I think its one of the most original food blogs on the net (so u will be see ing alot more of me ;))
July 27, 2009 at 5:11 PM
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July 27, 2009 at 9:59 PM
i will prepare these cookies and share the taste with you ...
July 27, 2009 at 10:18 PM
July 28, 2009 at 1:11 AM
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July 28, 2009 at 7:28 AM
@Belle, Munari's composed chaos was to mimic the disarray of the court after a night of revelry. Or did you mean a link to the dessert?
@liz, I didn't even think of matching the city! To tell you the truth, this post was pretty last minute so I grabbed the first Italian still life painting I found in my archive folder and used that.
July 28, 2009 at 7:45 AM
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And your cookies look yummy!
July 29, 2009 at 7:13 PM
Cheers,
Rosa
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August 1, 2009 at 1:01 AM
Love your post!