The French mark and know-how are thus clear in the Le Levain project, a small boulangerie-patisserie in an alley off Trastevere, yet the talent is completely Italian.

In fact it is from Apulia, since Giuseppe Solfrizzi, a pastry chef with a unique experience, comes from there: the son of farmers, raised with genuine countryside flavours, he travelled around the world while working in the dining rooms of great restaurants until he decided to work in the kitchen.

First at Spigaroli, what with culatelli and Parmigiano, then in France with Ducasse who noticed his sweet côté and decided to invest in him and send him to the Ecole Nationale Superiéure de Pâtisserie in Lyon, first, and then assigned him the pastry-making at Andana.

This was followed by a stop at Albereta, in the after-Marchesi era, and the choice of Rome for his solo-adventure. The inhabitants of the capital are happy of this, as the opening of Le Levain (“mother yeast” in French, the one used by Solfrizzi was born a few years ago during a sub cruise trip in Sudan, and he’s been travelling with it ever since) brought back some light on breakfast in the capital.

The choice is hard and can be made between croissants, brioches and pains au chocolat made with Pamplie AOP butter, to be paired with coffee and cappuccino made with capsules (the only flaw in this place, if one needs to mention one), or macaroons and elegant and modern desserts such as the delicious Django cake (made with dark chocolate and raspberries) or an unbeatable Paris-Brest.

The savoury offer is wide and tempting, be it a delicious quiche or the savoury filled croissants, the soups or the simple southern recipes for lunchtime or the fragrant baguette or sandwiches with creative fillings and seasonal ingredients (as the one with prosciutto, figs, burrata and candied lemon).

Bread is also made with great attention – stone milled organic flour, mother yeast and 24 hours of leavening – and on top of the baguettes it is hard to resist to the temptation of the classic bread loaves or those enriched with olives from Gaeta, lemon zest or linen seeds.

As a tribute to his origins, Giuseppe doesn’t forget focaccias, also made with mother yeast and seasoned with high quality ingredients starting from extra virgin olive oil from Apulia.

The cro-pizze, however, are the very best: mini pizzas made with the same dough used for savoury croissants, filled with 100% Italian ingredients, starting from the sauce made with datterini tomatoes which has the taste of the southern sun.

Luciana Squadrilli
source: http://newsletter.identitagolose.it/email.php?id=533

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