Presnitz is a dessert typical of Trieste, Italy, the city where Pasticceria Penso was located.* It’s essentially a spiral of puff pastry filled with dried fruit, nuts, and spices. For my miniature version, I used a color mix of Fimo vanilla, Premo ecru, white, and translucent. I rolled the polymer clay into logs, which I then formed into the characteristic spiral shape. I used a toothbrush, needle tool, and crumpled aluminum foil for texture, striving to replicate the crackled appearance of puff pastry. I gave the whole piece a light dusting of yellow soft pastel. Then, to add more color to the crackled areas (the parts that would naturally brown when baked), I used a wet brush to apply more pastels in shades of brown and rust.
After baking, I sealed the presnitz with Helmar Crystal Kote Matte spray varnish, so that the pastels wouldn’t rub off. Finally, to create the effect of an egg wash, I brushed a little matte varnish onto the crackled areas. (The brand of matte varnish I use is a tad glossy, which is perfect when I want just the slightest amount of sheen.)
For the display, I glued the presnitz onto scalloped circles of gold-covered cardstock. (See my post on torta Sacher for my process of making these.)
The real-life Pasticceria Penso didn’t sell presnitz by the slice, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to show off what the pastry looks like inside. I used a thin sheet of the above color mix and wrapped this around a mix of Premo raw sienna and translucent, essentially creating a bulls-eye cane.
I’d already made some raisins, walnuts, and candied orange peel for previous projects. I also rolled a few pine nuts from the same color mix that I used for my sesame seeds. After texturing the brown filling, I embedded a bunch of these added ingredients into the surface of the clay. Finally, I textured, shaded, and varnished the puff pastry as described above. (I also added a touch of varnish to the dried fruit, for a moist appearance.)
Here is a photo of the presnitz on the bakery rack. (I’ll post photos of the presnitz slices in their tray once I’ve completed the other desserts that they’ll be sharing the tray with.)
* Sadly, the real-life Pasticceria Penso was forced to close its doors last November after 103 years of business.
