The Easter egg market becomes increasingly gourmet with the collaboration of chefs: today it's Massimo Bottura's turn for Gucci Osteria, which focused on Mediterranean flavors in collaboration with the Ligurian chocolatier Lavoratti by Fabio Fazio and the ideas of Karime Lopez and Taka Kondo.
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Not just panettone, not just colombe. This year, foodies will also be engaged with the chefs' Easter eggs, among which stands out, as always, Massimo Bottura, who has just announced a sweet Easter partnership between Lavoratti 1938 and Gucci Osteria.
The magical match occurred between the masters of the historic chocolatier in Varazze, acquired in 2020 by Fabio Fazio with Davide Petrini, and the chefs of the Florentine restaurant, Karime Lopez and Takahiko Kondo, for a surprising outcome: the 60% single-origin Ecuador dark chocolate was refreshed by the Mediterranean aromas of lemon from the Cinque Terre and rosemary, creating a unique flavor.
Underneath the thin brown shell lies the citrusy and balsamic filling, which surprises in the mouth with the crunch of dried lemon peel and finely crumbled feuilletine flakes. Inside, as a surprise, are small truffles made from the late-ripening Ciaculli Tangerine, also known as Marzuddu for their springtime maturation, of which the peel and pulp have been dried.
The price is 70 euros for the half-kilo egg, which can be purchased on confectionery's website https://lavoratti.it/prodotto/uova-di-pasqua-lavoratti-cioccolato-fondente-60-con-scorzette-di-limone-delle-cinque-terre/ and from Gucci Osteria https://www.gucciosteria.com/it/florence/shop/food-and-spirits/dark-chocolate-lemon-and-rosemary-egg/ in a colorful box.
The ideal pairing is the "Giardino delle meraviglie" cocktail, created by Martina Bonci from Gucci Giardino 25, recently awarded as the best bartender in Italy: an explosion of scents evoking the enchanted atmosphere of Mediterranean gardens, with rosemary-infused gin, lemon zest, rhubarb, and a creamy touch of "fat wash" with coconut oil.
Lavoratti 1938 had already made itself known for its Parmigiano Reggiano pralines, which it still produces using four different aging periods with varying percentages of cocoa mass. The youngest, 13 and 18 months, delicate and elegant, are paired with white chocolate; the mature ones, 24 and 36 months, with 60% and 80% chocolate. Versatile divertissements, from aperitif to predessert, to after-dinner, evolve in the mouth from the chocolatey attack to the bold taste of the filling, before returning to the initial notes.
