A friend of mine recently asked me about these delicious little biscuits. I'll admit that I don't really know much about them other than they originated in the town of Stresa on the Piemonte shores of Lake Maggiore.
Stresa has long been a favourite holiday destination of wealthy Europeans and these biscuits were apparently made by a local baker by the name of Pietro Antonio Bolongario for princess Margaret of Savoy who later became Queen Margherita. She liked them so much that these biscuits were named after her.
They are unusual because they have cooked egg yolk in them. There are a few other recipes in my manual with the yolks of boiled eggs in them but before coming to Italy I had never heard of using the yolks of boiled eggs in what otherwise might be classified as a type of shortbread..The eggs must be boiled for 8 minutes to get the correct consistency of the yolks which when pushed through a seive is almost floury..
I was taught how to make these biscuits at the pastry school in Novara. These do differ from the original Margheritine by their shape. Originally the dough was allowed to rest in the fridge for a few hours before being rolled into small balls then a slight indentation was made in the centre with the thumb before baking..
I make them the way I was taught as it takes less time but the result is still a lovely short biscuit that is light and they actually get better when they are a few days old..
180g plain flour
180g potato flour
250g butter
125g icing sugar
5 eggs
Bring to the boil enough water in a small pot for 5 eggs. When the water is boiling put in the eggs and turn the water down to simmer for 8 minutes..after 8 minutes run the boiled eggs under cold water or icy water until they are completely cold.. This part can be done a day ahead.
Peel the boiled eggs and separate the whites from the yolks ( there are no real uses for boiled egg whites unless you want to use them in some mayonnaise based dressing or throw them into a salad).
Sift the flours onto a work bench and form a well in the middle. Put the softened butter and the sifted sugar in the well and work well with your hands..you almost have to cream the butter and sugar with your hands. Push the yolks through a seive and work into the butter and sugar. Gradually add the flours but do not over mix.. Using a piping bag and a medium star tube pipe small rosettes onto baking paper. Using your thumb, make small indentations in the centre of the rosette. These are very delicate biscuits so cook them in a hot oven, about 200°c for 10 minutes. They should cook without colouring too much..
When they are cool, dust with icing sugar.
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