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TM Blue

It's officially summer, and in Valentino-land, that can only mean one thing: The TM Blue has left port and is sailing around the Mediterranean.

It's officially summer, and in Valentino-land, that can only mean one thing: The TM Blue has left port and is sailing around the Mediterranean. But what do the TM Blue's fabulous guests get up to, when they aren't swimming or sunning or checking out the Warhols and Picassos below decks? Here's one fun fact buried in Matt Tyrnauer's famous 2004 Vanity Fair profile of Mr. Valentino and Mr. Giammetti: For a period in the 1990s, Mr. Giammetti made everyone on the TM Blue do needlepoint. "Except Valentino," he told Tyrnauer, who later went on to helm The Last Emperor.

 

Needlepoint is off the agenda these days. But visitors to the yacht, whether loyal members of the Valentino tribe or bold-face names such as Elle Macpherson and Princess Di, have all enjoyed the simple pleasure of the traditional Italian dishes prepared for dinner by TM Blue's on-board chef. Passatelli with tomato and basil is one favorite; cacciuccio, a fish stew, is another. Or, after a day burning calories in the waves, why not treat yourself to some eggplant parmesan? But if you're lucky enough to have gained entrée to the TM Blue, you're going to want to save room for dessert—especially if it's the chef's Caprese Torte, a favorite of Mr. Valentino's. This sugar and wheat-free, chocolate-y delectation is easy enough to make, you can bake it at home. Perhaps the views won't be of the coast of Capri, but the cake will still taste good.

 

 

 

 

Caprese Torte

(Recipe taken from At the Emperor's Table)

 

Ingredients:

 

2 Tbsp milk

10.6 oz dark chocolate, chopped

7 large eggs, separated

10.6 oz xylitol sweetener

1 ½ cups unsalted butter, plus additional for greasing cake pan

10.6 oz almond flour

For topping: Whole almonds, cherries, chocolate shavings

 

Directions:

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch cake pan with the additional butter.

 

Heat the milk in the top of a double boiler, then add the chocolate and stir to melt. Remove from heat.

 

Beat together egg yolks and sweetener and gradually fold in the 1½ cups butter, then sift in the almond flour. Add the chocolate/milk mixture and stir to combine for batter.

 

In a separate bowl, with clean beaters, beat the egg whites into stiff peaks. Gently fold into the batter.

 

Pour the batter into the greased pan. Bake until a toothpick comes out dry—about 45 minutes. Cool completely.

 

To serve, invert cooled cake onto a platter and decorate to taste with the whole almonds, cherries and chocolate shavings.

 

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