The bunet or bonèt is the most traditional of all Monferrato desserts.
Born in the area between the Langhe and Monferrato, in the 12th century it was served as a dessert at sumptuous medieval banquets.
It was a different recipe and without the use of cocoa, which arrived on European tables only after 1520.
It was a white version of bonet, called “alla monferrina”, that is, a dessert prepared with: milk, eggs, amaretti biscuits and sugar.
➡️The traditional Piedmontese recipe involved the use of Fernet instead of rum because, once the meal was finished, Fernet helped digestion, and so I did too.
According to the Piedmontese/Italian dictionary of Vittorio di S. Albino from 1859, the Piedmontese term “bonèt” indicates a rounded hat, but some maintain that the assonance is with the mold that was traditionally used to cook the dessert: bonèt ëd cusin-a, as a “cooking hat”.
Others say that, being served at the end of the meal, it arrived at the conclusion, that is, as a “hat” just as the hat is the last item of clothing worn before going out.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Bain-marie
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3.5 oz amaretti
- 1 tablespoon Fernet (or rum)
- 1.2 oz cocoa
Steps
Combine the eggs, milk, sugar, crumbled amaretti biscuits, Fernet (or rum), cocoa.
Mix.
Distribute the sugar on the mold to caramelize it with a few tablespoons of water.
Add the mixture into the mold and cook in a bain-marie for about 30 minutes.
Cool in the fridge for 2 hours before serving and decorate, if you like, with amaretti biscuits.

