When I was attending culinary school, we used Neiger’s Gastronomic Dictionary as one of our textbooks, and I really enjoyed reading the recipes named after famous figures, like “Filet Mignon à la Rossini”, “Cauliflower à la Cavour”, or “Veal Kidneys à la Napoleon”. These names turn a dish into an interesting historical reference. (I wonder if today we would be more likely to dedicate recipes to musicians, singers, or politicians… like “Filet à la JLo”, “Artichokes à la Taylor Swift”, or “Eggs à la Mattarella”.)

Currently there is a buzz in Italy about Garibaldi biscuits, named for one of the heroes of unification, General Giuseppe Garibaldi. King Charles III mentioned these biscuits during a speech he gave to the Italian Parliament in Rome while on a recent state visit.

Garibaldi biscuits are very well known in the UK, but not so much in Italy. Apparently, they were invented in 1861 by Jonathan Carr, an English entrepreneur. Evidently, Carr himself named these biscuits after Garibaldi. This might have been a marketing strategy–Garibaldi was hugely popular in England and warmly welcomed by the public when he visited in 1864 (e.g at Trafalgar Square).

Garibaldi biscuits are like fruity pastry sandwiches—filled with currants, raisins, or blueberries and baked until golden. Several years ago, when I saw the recipe for Garibaldi biscuits with raisins posted on my favorite baking blog – Le Chicche di Chicca – I didn’t think twice and made them right away.

I have made them many times since, introducing a few small changes along the way. Here is the recipe.

Garibaldi Biscuits with Raisins

Ingredients for the short crust pastry

Pastry flour (low-protein flour for desserts) 300 g

Cold butter 150 g (chopped into cubes)

Powdered sugar 100 g

Whole egg 1 and egg white 1 (note: you will use the yolk for brushing on top)

Teaspoon of grated (organic) lemon zest 1

Pure vanilla extract a dash

Salt a pinch

Baking powder a pinch

For the filling and decoration

Raisins 50 g soaked in half glass of milk (you can use water instead but I prefer using milk)

Apricot jam 50 g

Egg yolk 1

Milk 2 tablespoons

Preparation

Soak the raisins in cold milk, and set apart – you will use them for the filling.

For the short crust pastry. If using a stand mixer, place all the ingredients for the short crust pastry in the bowl and mix quickly. (If kneading by hand, place everything in a bowl and mix manually.)

Shape the dough into a ball, let it rest covered for a few minutes, then roll it out, trying to give it a rectangular shape (you may want to use some flour in case the dough is sticky).

Filling. Transfer the short crust pastry to a sheet of parchment paper, On one half of the pastry, evenly spread the jam using a brush or spoon. Drain the raisins and sprinkle them on top. Fold the empty half of dough to cover the half with the jam-raisin mix, pressing gently. Use a pastry scraper or a spatula to press around the edges and define the shape.

To refrigerate, slide the parchment paper and raisin-jam filled dough onto a cutting board or sturdy tray. Refrigerate for about 1 hour, covered with cling film.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F).

Decoration. Remove the dough from the fridge and brush the top with 1 beaten egg yolk mixed with 2 tablespoons of milk, then score lightly with the spine of a knife.

Cut the biscuits. Now, take a long, sharp knife and use it to cut the pastry into small rectangular biscuits.

Carefully transfer the biscuits onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper, leaving some space between each one. Be gentle, so the biscuits keep their shape.

Bake in the preheated oven at 200°C with the fan on, for about 12–15 minutes.

Let your Garibaldi biscuits cool down and enjoy!

Tips

Baking time may vary depending on your oven.

I recommend using high-quality apricot jam with low sugar content.

If you use milk to soak the raisins and have leftovers, you can filter it and use to mix with the egg yolk, or use it for another preparation such as porridge.

References

“Sono inglesi i famosi biscotti dedicati a Garibaldi che in Italia nessuno conosce. Storia e ricetta dei biscotti Garibaldi inglesi”. © CiboToday

https://www.cibotoday.it/storie/territorio/biscotti-garibaldi-inglesi-storia-ricetta.html

Garibaldi con l’Uvetta. https://chicchedichicca.blogspot.com/2011/08/garibaldi-con-luvetta.html?m=1