Fiandolein

Name: Fiandolein
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Valdostana
Ingredients: 200 g stale rustic country bread; 30 g Unsalted butter; 500 ml Whole milk; 4 large Egg yolks; 90 g caster sugar; 40 ml Dark rum; 1 pinch Ground cinnamon; 1 pinch Fine sea salt

An old Aosta Valley household sweet of crisp toasted bread steeped in a warm, fragrant custard of egg yolks, milk, sugar and dark rum.

🇮🇹Italy· Aosta Valley

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 25 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 395 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 8 gathered

Servings

200 g stale rustic country bread — cut into thick slices
30 g Unsalted butter — for toasting
500 ml Whole milk — preferably farm-fresh
4 large Egg yolks — at room temperature
90 g caster sugar — unrefined
40 ml Dark rum — traditional spirit flavouring
1 pinch Ground cinnamon — freshly ground
1 pinch Fine sea salt — to balance sweetness

Equipment

•Heavy-bottomed saucepan
•Whisk
•Frying pan
•Heatproof bowl
•Four shallow serving bowls

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 395 kcal
fat: 17 g
carbs: 48 g
fibre: 2 g
protein: 9 g
calories: 395 kcal

Instructions

1
Cut the rustic bread into thick slices or large bite-sized fingers.
2
Melt the butter in a wide frying pan over medium heat.
3
Fry the bread until golden brown and crisp on both sides, then divide among four shallow bowls.
4
Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar together in a heatproof bowl until pale and thick.
5
Heat the milk and cinnamon in a saucepan until steaming gently, just before it reaches a boil.
6
Pour a thin stream of hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly to avoid curdling.
7
Return the mixture to the saucepan set over low heat.
8
Cook gently while stirring continuously with a wooden spoon until the custard lightly coats the back of the spoon.
9
Remove from the heat immediately and stir in the dark rum and salt.
10
Ladle the hot custard over the crisp bread in the bowls and serve straight away.

Chef's tips

Keep the heat very low when thickening the custard to avoid scrambling the egg yolks. Fry the bread until thoroughly crisp so it retains some texture beneath the hot cream. For an alcohol-free version, replace the rum with a drop of pure vanilla extract.

Ingredient substitutions

dark rum → mountain grappa or génépy
stale rustic country bread → stale brioche or panettone slices

Storage

Fiandolein should be assembled and eaten immediately, but leftover custard can be refrigerated in a sealed jar for up to two days.

Reheating

Reheat the custard gently in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water before pouring over freshly toasted bread.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Boiling the custard on the stove, which causes the egg yolks to split.
•Using soft fresh bread instead of dry stale bread, resulting in a soggy paste.
•Adding cold rum directly into boiling milk rather than taking the pan off the heat first.

Serving suggestions

Serve immediately while the custard is warm and the bread still holds a slight crunch.Dust with extra ground cinnamon or shaved dark chocolate at the table.Pair with a glass of Valdostan passito wine or hot mountain herbal tea.