Events and news EDIBLE GOLD LEAF FOR THE DOLCE&GABBANA GALA DINNER

EDIBLE GOLD LEAF FOR THE DOLCE&GABBANA GALA DINNER

Manetti’s “Gold Chef” edible gold played a centre-stage role in the gala dinner organised by Dolce&Gabbana to celebrate its Alta Moda catwalk in Florence on 3rd September 2020.

With 250 guests the reception was held at Villa Bardini, the magnificent home of the most famous Florentine antiquarian of the twentieth century and now a museum.

With the clear objective of conjuring up the splendours of the most sumptuous Renaissance banquets and the tradition of decorating food with edible gold, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana chose to make all the dishes exclusive by having them shimmer with Manetti’s Gold Chef gold powder, crumbs, flakes and leaf.

 

A gilded menu

 

  • Gilded mozzarella spheres on tomato water and a basil emulsion
  • Red beetroot risotto with gold leaf
  • Gilded filet of beef on potato purée and a seared vegetable julienne
  • Gilded chocolate dome with a hazelnut mousse and red fruits

 

Made by chef Guido Guidi, the dishes were envisaged as a visual tale based on colour contrasts and the vibrant glow of the edible gold leaf, used whole and cut into pieces or made into gold powder, gold crumbs and gold flakes.

 

Edible gold leaf, flakes, crumbs and powder

Gilded mozzarella spheres on tomato water and a basil emulsion

The task of getting the ball rolling with a full-blown coup de théâtre was entrusted to the “Gilded mozzarella spheres on tomato water and a basil emulsion”, a splendid gilded reworking of the traditional Caprese Salad. The mini mozzarellas were entirely wrapped in edible gold leaves applied by hand, while the dried tomato skins were decorated with the shining specks of edible gold crumb and the fluidity of the tomato water was lit up with the diffused light of edible gold powder.

“Red beetroot risotto with gold leaf”

The next dish was a homage to the great master of Italian cuisine, Gualtiero Marchesi. The “Red beetroot risotto with gold leaf” made by Guido Guidi for Dolce&Gabbana was, in fact, an echo of the famous “Saffron and gold leaf risotto” with which Marchesi rediscovered and relaunched at an international level the historic tradition of decorating food with edible gold, in the 1980s. Just like the original, in the Dolce&Gabbana version the gold leaf covered the risotto transforming it into a veritable gem of a dish.

“Filet of beef on potato purée and a seared vegetable julienne”

Next came the “Filet of beef on potato purée and a seared vegetable julienne”, a reworking in gold leaf of the traditional filet en croute, and the “Gilded chocolate dome with a hazelnut mousse and red fruits”. The dessert conjured up the great pastry-making tradition which has been using edible gold for centuries to create beautiful colour compositions and give even the simpleest dishes a touch of unrivalled exclusivity. In this case Guido Guidi’s master pastry-makers chose to decorate the chocolate spheres with edible gold leaf and embellish the fruit and the base, too, using gold crumbs and gold flakes.

 

Edible gold for wines and cocktails

Manetti’s edible gold also lit up the wines and cocktails served to guests during the dinner with shimmering gold.

Decorated the glasses of wine and champagne while gold leaf

Edible gold powder decorated the glasses of wine and champagne while gold leaf made cocktails designed specially for the occasion by Colle Bereto even more exclusive. Even the ice was decorated with a touch of gilded light with “Gold Chef” gold flakes.

 

Here is the list of wines made unique with edible gold:

 

  • Leonia – Pomino spumante bianco DOC Metodo Classico – Brut Millesimato 2016
  • Benefizio – Pomino riserva DOC 2018
  • Ripe al Convento – Brunello di Montalcino DOGC Riserva 2014
  • Quaranta Altari – Vinsanto del Chianti DOC 2015