Last week, with guests coming for lunch and Easter fast approaching, I was thinking of a desert that would be appropriate for the season. Also having remembered that I still had some of the Colomba moulds in the cupboard from last year I figured that all stars were aligned and that a Colomba was the way to go.
This year I was better prepared for this Easter treat. Having made it a few times last year I knew the time I needed to put aside. I started it on Friday evening (the guests coming for Saturday lunch) and put it in the fridge for it's final rise overnight. I used the same recipe as last year (Bakery Bits) but used active dried yeast rather than fresh. I have to say that in the last few months I have been using dried yeast instead of fresh and, truth be told, I am preferring it. It works just as well, maybe even better, it's easily available and I get a perfect loaf every time. I have been using Doves Quick Yeast which comes in a 125g pack and lasts me about three months. As long as you know that a sachet is 7g then your ok.
I was making a sourdough loaf at the same time so I had my doughs rising at intervals on the Friday and then both went in the fridge. I took them out first thing in the morning and left them to warm up before cooking. One of the wings of the Colomba hadn'r really risen and I was worried that it would look like a dove with a broken wing. But once it was cooked it was fine.
I served it with a marscapone cream. This is a recipe from my sister-in-law, she is Swedish but lives in Milan so had the inside track on the authentic accompaniment. This is the same cream used in a Tiramusu. Mix two egg yolks with 200g of sugar until fluffy. Add 200g mascapone and 1-2 tbs of your alcohol of choice (Amaretto, Cognac or Rum, I chose Rum) and mix carefully. Whisk 2 eggs whites to stiff peaks and then gently fold into the marscapone mix. This is divine and it goes brilliantly with a slice of Colomba and great conversation.
P.S. just in case you were wondering, the sourdough turned out lovely too.
