We went off to the magical landscape of the Ella Valley, where a table piled high with sweet delights and red, red wine awaited us, a decadent feast in the greatest tradition of the knights.
A luxurious feast of yesteryear, a banquet of kings and noblemen, sparked the imagination of culinary photographer Gal Ben Zeev, and we joined her for a daydream of fountains of chocolate, mountains of frosting, stalactites of caramel and crystal glasses filled with intoxicating red wine.
Kugelhopf with cinnamon filling and vanilla glaze
Patisserie chef Riki Bitton, single-handedly responsible for the decadence in the pictures you will see here, brought to life our vision of perfect and delightful decadent desserts which she diligently put together for the photoshoot. The Ella Valley Winery added the perfect location to the party, as well as filling up our glasses with excellent wine. The table was adorned with beautiful dishes, turning the winery's visitor center into a dream world scented with wine and chocolate.
Layers of chocolate cake and Oreo praline cream
The journey to the Ella Valley from the center is accompanied by beautiful and ancient scenery, and is a good reason for a trip in and of itself.
The winery is well-known to all Israeli wine lovers, and is one of the favorites of the country's restaurateurs. Oak barrels in cooling cellars hide unique blends within. For our decadent feast we ordered the Cabernet Sauvignon from the Ella Valley series, bottled in 2011. This rich, dense and powerful wine, with a sweet, fruity and lightly spiced scent, was a perfect accompaniment to the rich desserts.
Bee Sting – rich yeast cake with crunchy layer of caramelised almonds filled with crème pâtissière and vanilla cream
Throughout the long day of photography we all held each other back, to stop ourselves from devouring the table's load. How happy we were when Gal clicked the shutter for the last time, announcing the end of the photo shoot and the start of the binge. Shameful to admit that barely a crumb remained on the once camera-ready table.
Pistachio cake mixed with sour Amarena cherries, tonka cream and cherry sauce
Cheers!
Decadent chocolate cupcake with chocolate cream and hot chocolate sauce
Profiteroles filled with crème pâtissière and whipped white chocolate ganache
Cloud-soft marshmallows
Credits:
Photographic concept: Gal Ben-Zeev Culinary photography
Video photography and behind the scenes: Maayan Diskin Photography
Patisserie chef: Riki Bitton
Dishes and accessories: Meda
Candlesticks and Venetian mask: Aviel Abudraham Design
Wine location: Ella valley vineyards
Temporary tattoos: Koketit
Production and styling: KLAPTISH MAGAZINE
Riki's decadent kugelhopf recipe
20 cm diameter cake tin
For the cake:
250g flour
15g fresh yeast
pinch of salt
1 egg
50g butter, softened
40g sugar
75ml milk
Combine in mixer until you have an even dough. Set aside to rest for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, return to mixer along with:
50g butter, softened
Knead well and place in a lightly floured bowl.
Cool in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
For the filling:
50g sugar
25g cinnamon
20g butter, melted
Roll out the dough and spread with butter.
Mix together sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle over butter.
Roll into a log, join two ends together and place into the kugelhopf tin.
Bake at 170˚C for around 20 minutes.
For the glaze:
100g powdered sugar
100ml heavy cream
Combine well and glaze cake generously.
