The chef Paolo Gramaglia of the Michelin-rated restaurant “President” in Pompei ( Naples ) shows us his new recipe: Cassata Oplontis, from 79 b.C. to 2015. A modern-classic dessert, tipical of the Ancient Roman period. It has been painted in Roman’s painting in the archeological area of Oplontis ( today we call it Torre Annunziata ) where there was the ancient “Villa di Poppea” a long time ago.

Ingredients for 8 people:

300 gr. ricotta di pecora cheese

80 gr. diced candid fruit

4 walnut kernels

1 white ground almond

50 gr. honey

50 gr. sugar

2,5 gr. isinglass

8 small ribes balls

Ingredients for the strawberry sauce:

300 gr. strawberry

150 gr. sugar

100 gr. water

Method

How to make Cassata Oplontis:

Mix ricotta, honey and sugar, then add the isinglass, candid fruits, walnuts and almond; Put this dough into candy molds ( 5 cm width; 3 cm lenght ).

Freeze them, then put them in the fridge, let them defrost slowly.

How to make the strawberry sauce:

Put the strawberries into a pot and whip. Add the sugar, water until sugar melted. Allow to cool.

How to serve

Get a white shiny plate and place on it two scoops of strawberry sauce. Try to do a sort of circle and put the Cassata Oplontis into its own middle . Decorate with a ribes ball on the top.

Chef Paolo Gramaglia

Ristorante President

Pompei

Tel 0818507245