FANCY SOMETHING SWEET?

The gourmand notes are the sweet notes of pastries par excellence, like those you breathe when you enter one of the artisan bakeries in central Sardinia, surrounded by scents of honey, almonds and orange.
These are the main notes of the S'aranzada candle and diffuser, made more contemporary and modern by the presence of rose, carnation and vanilla. The fragrance closes with notes of oriental spices, such as cardamom, in a continuous reference to the world of sweets and pastries.

INSPIRATION:

S'Aranzada is a very special sweet that is prepared in the Nuoro province. It is a festive sweet originally prepared for wedding celebrations, made mainly from orange peel, honey and almonds. Its history began in Nuoro in 1886 when the artisan Battista Guiso, founder of the important pastry shop Antica Fabbrica del Dolce, patented the recipe and called it 'S'aranzada nugoresa' (Aranciata nuorese).
From that moment on, S'aranzada began to expand. The Guiso company was one of the first Sardinian companies to have commercial relations with foreign countries and soon S'aranzada crossed the island's borders.
In the early 1900s the company received important awards at international exhibitions (in Paris, Cannes and Marseilles) and won over important customers such as the House of Savoy and the British royal family.
Considered a symbol of elegance and refinement, the ancient sweet was offered especially at weddings and christenings. The recipe for S'aranzada has remained unchanged for 130 years and the production process is still entirely manual: fine threads of orange peel are slowly cooked in honey and enriched with roasted almond fillets.
The mixture is then served on paper cups or on orange leaves.
It is easy to see that in order to obtain a valuable product, the quality of its few ingredients must be of a high standard.
In other areas of central Sardinia, S'aranzada is forged into various shapes: the mixture is spread out on a flat surface and smoothed out with a rolling pin. After a suitable drying time, it is cut into the desired shapes, usually diamond or heart-shaped.

THE RECIPE FOR S'ARANZADA

Ingredients for S'aranzada.

Doses for about 25 ramekins:

• 300 grams of organic orange peel;
• 200 grams of Sardinian honey;
• 100 grams of peeled almonds.

The preparation of the sweet is preceded by soaking the orange peels in water for at least two-three days, in order to eliminate the bitter taste.
The peels must be completely covered with water and it has to be changed twice a day.
After this phase, the peels are cut and cooked for the first time.
Weigh the peels and with a sharp knife remove all the white parts, cut them into rather thin strips (2-3 mm).
Bring a pot of water to the boil, pour in the orange strips and let them boil for about 5 minutes. Drain them and repeat the operation three times, changing the water each time and bringing it back to the boil. After the last boiling, drain the peels, place them well spread out on a tea towel and leave to dry for a few hours.
Cut the almonds into fillets and toast them in the oven until lightly golden.
Pour the honey into a large saucepan with a coarse bottom and heat over a gentle flame until it becomes fluid (it should never boil), add the orange peel and cook, stirring, for at least half an hour.
Remember that the fire must be very slow and the peels must absorb the honey slowly.
When it is almost dry, add the almond fillets and stir.
With the help of two spoons, arrange the aranzada in the ramekins in piles and let them stand for the time necessary to cool completely.