gatti fili e farina

The Cake Slice: Chocolate Hazelnut Bouche de Noel

2012-01-04T16:37:00.002+01:00

I finally post about this 'work of art' that Anita and I made for New Year's Eve.

The recipe is from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle and it was a fantastic recipe for me.

Anita loved making the chocolate leaves; we used rose's, ivy's, laurel's and kumquat's leaves as a base but I confess I didn't temper the chocolate. The mushrooms were really much fun to make as well and everybody was very interested in the process of making both.

The cake itself it's a chocolate chiffon cake filled and frosted with an hazelnut and chocolate buttercreams.

I didn't know where to get praline paste so I made it myself following this link .

Please visit the Cake Slice Blogroll to see more Bouches de Noel !

Chocolate Chiffon Cake
65g plain flour
130g caster sugar
30g cocoa powder
1¼ tsp baking powder
2 eggs
90ml sunflower oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 egg whites
¼ tsp cream of tartar

Hazelnut Syrup
80ml water
25g caster sugar
1 tbsp Frangelico – Hazelnut liqueur (I omitted it)

Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream
150g caster sugar
4 egg whites
45ml water
385g unsalted butter, soft
1 tsp vanilla extract
110g dark chocolate, melted and cooled
2 tbsp hazelnut praline paste

Chocolate Chiffon Cake

Heat the oven to 180C. Grease and line the base and sides of a 11½ x 17½ inch swiss roll tin with greaseproof paper.
In a large bowl whisk the egg whites and cream to tartar together until foamy. Weigh out half the caster sugar and slowly add to the egg whites, whisking constantly until thick and glossy. Set aside.
In a clean bowl, whisk the whole eggs, oil and vanilla together until combined. Scatter the remaining half of the sugar over the top, along with the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Mix until just blended into a thick batter.
Take one third of the meringue mix and fold it through the chocolate mixture using a spatula to slacken it. Add the rest of the meringue and fold in gently until just mixed in.
Pour the chocolate mix into the prepared tin and spread it out into an even layer. It will be quite thin.
Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until slightly puffed and springy to the touch.
Lay another piece of greaseproof paper over a cooling rack and lightly dust with caster sugar.
Flip the cake layer out onto the sugar dusted paper and carefully peel off the parchment attached to the cake. Leave to cool before brushing with syrup and filling.

Syrup
In a small saucepan combine the water and sugar and heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved. Stop stirring and increase the heat to a rolling boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes before stirring in the liqueur.

Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream

Place a large heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. In the bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg whites and water. Keep whisking until the mixture reached 160F on a sugar thermometer, it should turn white and glossy. Then remove from the heat and whisk with an electric mixer until the meringue thickens, becomes stiff and cool, about 5 minutes.
Reduce the speed of the mixer and gradually beat in the butter, small chunks at a time, until incorporated. Then beat in the vanilla.
Melt the chocolate and stir it through the half the buttercream, and fold hazelnut paste through the remaining half. (We can’t easily get nut pastes in the UK so I simply doubled the amount of chocolate and used that for everything)

Assembly

Lay the cooled cake, still on the paper, on a clean flat surface and spread with the hazelnut buttercream nearly to the edge of the cake.
Starting at the long edge, fold over a thin strip of the sponge to start off your roll. Then confidently roll up the rest of the sponge to form a log. Use the paper underneath to help you lift and roll the cake.
Trim off one end of the cake at a diagonal and place it on top of the cake to create a ‘stump.’ You can cut off another smaller piece to attach to the side too if you wish.
Transfer the cake to a large serving plate and use the chocolate buttercream to cover the cake.
Decorate with leaves, meringue mushrooms or however you choose.
Place in the fridge to chill for half an hour before serving.

TWD : Golden Brioche Loaf and Raisin Swirls

2012-01-03T17:57:00.000+01:00

I'm enjoying these holidays to bake some recipes I haven't tried from Baking from my home to yours and the ones I really wanted to try are the yeast ones.

As Dorie herself suggests when making the Golden Loaf I used half the dough to prepare the Raisins Snails, I had some lemon curd I had prepared few days ago so I substituted it for the pastry cream and omitted the cinnamon : these snails are so good I have to find someone to give them to !

Please visit the TWD site for some nostalgic posts.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Kids' Thumbprints

2011-12-28T14:54:00.002+01:00

And so this is it : the last TWD post.... I really resisted publishing it because it makes me very sad but I'm sure our group will still bake together from February on our new book !

These wonderful (too much for me..) cookies were chosen by Dorie herself and I imagine they were hidden on purpose to the the las day so that we would keep a great memory of Baking from My Home to Yours.

Bread Baking Buddies : Stollen

2011-12-26T08:17:00.000+01:00

Our Host this month is Susan of Wild Yeast and on a very special day for her she chose to bake Stollen with us.
I came to know Stollen many years ago from my friend Jakob's mum and after so long I baked it again.
Sometimes Stollen has a marzipan roll inside which I'm not too fond of, so I enjoied this 'empty' version really much.

RECIPE

Stollen

Yield: 1500 grams (3 loaves, more or less)

Time:

Candy and dry citrus peel: 12 hours or more (can be done ahead)
Soak the fruits: 12 hours
Mix and ferment sponge: 12 hours (can be simultaneous with fruit-soaking)
Mix dough: 20 – 30 minutes
First fermentation : 30 minutes
Preshape, rest, and shape: 30 minutes
Proof: 90 minutes
Bake: 30 minutes

Sponge Ingredients:

120 grams flour
80 grams water
0.1 gram (small pinch) instant yeast [or 0.13 g active dry, or 0.25 g fresh]

Soaked Fruit Ingredients:

130 grams raisins
75 grams dried cherries (or more raisins, or chopped dried apricots, or a combination)
61 grams candied orange peel
92 grams candied lemon peel
82 grams slivered almonds
34 grams rum

Final Dough Ingredients:

348 g flour
53 g milk
25.3 grams (2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) instant yeast [or 18.6 g osmotolerant, or 31.6 g active dry, or 63.3 g fresh]
8 g (1-1/3 t.) salt
8 g (2-1/3 t.) diastatic malt powder (omit if you don’t have it)
51 g sugar
50 g egg (about one large egg)
5 g grated lemon zest (one average lemon)
5 g grated orange zest (one small orange)
1/3 t. of each of these ground spices: cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, allspice, nutmeg
273 g unsalted butter, at room temperature (should be pliable)
all of the sponge
all of the soaked fruits

Finishing Ingredients:

clarified butter
fine granulated sugar
powdered (confectioner’s) sugar

Method:

Toss the soaker fruits with the rum in a medium bowl. Cover and leave at room temperature for about 12 hours.
Meanwhile, combine the sponge ingredients in another medium bowl. Cover and ferment at room temperature for 12 hours.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook, combine all of the final dough ingredients except the soaker. Mix in slow speed until all the ingredients are incorporated.
Continue mixing in medium speed until the gluten reaches full development. The dough should come together around the hook and should no longer stick to the sides and bottom of the bowl. This could take about 25 minutes or more, but will depend on your mixer.
Add the soaked fruits and mix on slow speed just until they are evenly distributed through the dough.
Transfer the dough to a lightly buttered container. Cover and ferment for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Turn the dough onto the counter. Divide into three pieces, or however many you would like. Preshape the dough into balls and let them rest, covered, for 30 minutes.
To shape each loaf: Form a blunt-ended batard and dust it lightly with flour. With a thin rolling pin, press down firmly, separating the dough into two parts with one slightly larger than the other. Roll out the flap of dough connecting the sections so it is about 2 inches wide. Flatten the larger section slightly with your hand, then fold the smaller section over to rest on the larger one.
Place the loaves on parchment-lined baking sheets (two per sheet) and slip them into a large plastic bag with a bowl of warm water. Proof for about 90 minutes, replenishing the water when it cools.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 on convection setting or 400 on regular bake setting. You will also need steam during the initial phase of baking, so prepare for this now.
Bake for 10 minutes, open the oven door briefly to allow any remaining steam to escape, and bake for another 20 minutes. If you do not have convection, you may need to rotate the position of the baking sheets halfway through the bake to ensure even browning and keep the one on the lower rack from burning on the bottom.
While the loaves are still warm, brush them with clarified butter. Dredge them in fine granulated sugar, brushing or shaking off the excess.
To finish, sift powdered sugar over the loaves.
Cut when completely cool. You can leave the stollen out overnight to let the loaves dry and the sugar crust up a bit.

TWD: Rewind : Perfect Pound cake, Cocoa Salt and Pepper Shortbread , Tropical Crumble and more

2011-12-20T18:40:00.000+01:00

This is the one before the last of our baking binge with Dorie.....and I went almost all the way back to the beginning of the group choosing the Perfection Pound Cake which was chosen by Laurie back on Jan 22 2008.

I would like to post more goodies ...

On July 12 Lynne of Cafe LynnyLu chose Cream scones . They were a real breakfast treat !!

On August 16, 2011 Gaye of Laws of the Kitchen chose Tropical Crumble. I wish I still could have a taste of it...

September 20 Tia of Buttercream Barbie chose Salt and Pepper Shortbread It was my first NO SPREAD COOKIE WOW!!!!

On Sept 27 Becky of Project Domestication chose Flip-Over Plum Cake. A very fun cake to bake

And on October 4, 2011 Katrina of Baking and Boys chose Apple Nut Muffin Cake a simple and delicious cake.

Please visit The TWD site for more rewind recipes !

I Heart Cooking Clubs : Cinnamon and Cardamom Buns

2011-12-18T21:06:00.002+01:00

I'm cooking this week for the first time with Tessa Kiros.
One of the things I love about IHCC particularly is the fact I get to know about cooks I'd never had heard of.
I bought 'Fallen Cloudberries' and I love the outlook of the book too.
This week is Potluck so I chose to bake these wonderful buns, the house smelled like IKEA...
Please visit the blog to see much more !

Recipe

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

* * * * Bun Dough * * * *
1 cup lukewarm milk
½ cup superfine sugar
1 (1 ounce) cake fresh yeast
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 pound plus 1 tablespoon butter, softened
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon salt
5 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
* * * * Cinnamon Butter * * * *
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ cup superfine sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling
5 ½ tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preparation:

Makes about 35 buns.

Put the milk and sugar in a bowl and crumble in the yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes, or until the yeast begins to activate. Add the egg, butter, cardamom, and salt, and mix in. Add the flour, bit by bit, mixing it in with a wooden spoon until you need to use your hands, and then turn it out onto the work surface to knead. It may seem a little too sticky initially, but will become compact and beautifully soft after about 5 minutes. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover with a clean cloth and then a heavy towel or blanket, and leave in a warm place for about 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

To make the cinnamon butter, mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Divide the butter into four portions and set aside.

Put the dough on a floured work surface and divide it into four portions. Begin with one portion, covering the others with a cloth so they don’t dry out. Using a rolling pin, roll out a rectangle, roughly about 12 by 10 inches and 1/8 inch thick. Spread one portion of butter over the surface of the dough with a spatula or blunt knife. Sprinkle with about 3 teaspoons of the cinnamon mixture, covering the whole surface with quick shaking movements of your wrists. Roll up to make a long dough sausage. Set aside while you finish rolling out and buttering the rest of the dough, so that you can cut them all together.

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, or bake in two batches if you only have one sheet. Line up the dough sausages in front of you and cut them slightly on the diagonal, alternating up and down, so that the slices are fat V shapes, with the point of the V about 3/4 inch and the base about 2 inches. Turn them so they are all the right way up, sitting on their fatter bases. Press down on the top of each one with two fingers, until you think you will almost go through to your work surface. Along the sides you will see the cinnamon stripes oozing outward. Put the buns on the baking sheet, leaving space for them to puff and rise while they bake. Brush lightly with beaten egg and sprinkle a little sugar over the top. Let the buns rise for half an hour and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Bake them for about 20 minutes, or until they are golden. Check that they are lightly golden underneath as well before you take them out of the oven. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature and, when they are cool, keep them in an airtight container so they don’t harden.

The Daring Cooks' December :Cha Sui & Cha Sui Bao and a very late Moo Shu

2011-12-14T15:12:00.006+01:00

After a very long time I' m finally back and what a coming back ! We went crazy for this recipe and I soon want to make the steamed buns as well !

Our Daring Cooks’ December 2011 hostess is Sara from Belly Rumbles! Sara chose awesome Char Sui Bao as our challenge, where we made the buns, Char Sui, and filling from scratch – delicious!

In the recipe Pork's meat is marinated and grilled, afterwords is finally cut and stir fried and finally is the filling for the delicious buns.
You will find he recipe in a handy PDF here.

Being in a Chinese mood we decided to go on and I prepared the recipe that was the Daring Cooks' challenge for October.
A delicious dish served with very thin pancakes and hoisin home made sauce.

The October Daring Cooks' Challenge was hosted by Shelley of C Mom Cookand her sister Ruth of The Crafts of Mommyhood. They challenged us to bring a taste of the East into our home kitchens by making our own Moo Shu, including thin pancakes, stir fry and sauce.

This recipe was delicious as well if you want to try it the recipe is in a PDF here.

TWD: Puffed Double Plummed Tart and more..

2011-12-13T15:11:00.003+01:00

I'm finally back with my posting, sadly it is one of the last bakes of the TWD baking group.

I cannot believe I've baked so much from a single cookbook and with such joy. I've learned a lot and tried things I've would have never dared to.

The book will end in December and then we'll start baking from 'Baking with Julia'.

Puffed Double Plummed Tart chosen by Julie of Someone’s in the Kitchen

Even in Italy I didn't find the right plums but switched succesfully to apples.

Honey Almond Fig Tart in the Florida version chosen by Kayte of Grandma’s Kitchen Table

Again no figs around so I tried the grapefruit version.

at least I got a bump (and I suspect a not straight oven..)

Earl Grey Madeleines chosen by Nicole of Bakeologie

I finally bought a madeleines mold and discovered a passion for them in my kids..

Normandy Apple Tart chosen by Tracey of Tracey’s Culinary Adventures

A very classic torta di mele !

TWD : Classic Brownies

2011-09-14T07:08:00.004+02:00

My dear Twd friends I'm coming back to my oven and to my blog with this classic and loved recipe. I sure hope to be able to keep baking and posting, I certainly wish to bake all the past twd recipes that I missed.

I baked these brownies almost as directed only substituting the hazelnuts to the walnuts and the rice oil for the butter (which is something I'm trying to do as often as I can to control our cholesterol level). I loved they fudgy center contrasting with the crunchy nuts.

The recipe was chosen by Anne of Anne Strawberry and she'll post the recipe for you.

Please visit the LYL section of the TWD site to see more versions of this recipe.

TWD : Chocolate Chunk Muffins and trying to catch up

2011-07-05T15:51:00.007+02:00

Bridget of The Way the Cookie Crumbles chose Chocolate Chunk Muffins this week and certainly I'm not entitled to tell you why these are muffins and not cupcakes but from my experience they are great to bring out a smile from anyone.

I brought Them at the last wu-shu class of my childen and were a success.

I doubled the amount of chocolate, melted and in chunks, and followed the recipe otherwise. Please visit Bridget for the recipe and the TWD site for more muffins.

Now I must apologize with you my TWDers friends for being so bad in posting lately I wasn't so busy not to bake but didn't blog about it.

Let me introduce to you the main cause of my work overload, a Pontifical Zuave (1865) which is a strange thing to work on in this year where we italians celebrate the 150 anniversary of our Country due to the defeat of the Pontificial State.

And for the sweet part here we go with the past week's baking, Please visit the hosts for the recipes.

Spike of Spike Bakes chose Sour Cream Chocolate Cake Cookies I made them with dried cherries instead of raisins and made them a them 1 inch in diameter knowing they would spread. Yummy ! Especially for Anita.

Mary of Popsicles and Sandy Feet chose Date-Nut Loaf and was this loaf super delicious ! I really wish I had some now but ....

Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes chose Chocolate Biscotti which I baked along with the next recipe for a kid's party and were gone quite SUBITO !

Cindy of Everyday Insanity chose Blueberry-Brown Sugar Plain Cake I used a frozen berry mix and these babies where a joy to eat.

Peggy from Peggy the Baker chose Caramel Pots de Creme, I had never thought of mixing the caramel in the cream as we usually just pour it in the mold; the results were very greedily welcomed.

Patricia from Life With a Whisk chose Oatmeal Nutmeg Scones even if so many days have passed I remember how I liked the nice crunch they had.

Moosewood Mondays : Fried Green Tomatoes

2011-07-04T20:30:00.005+02:00

I'm finally back ! I'm on vacation since 4 days and after emptying the luggages, going grocery shopping and so on (and trying to get a hold the computer for longer than five minutes) I managed to cook one of the recipes I found on the Moosewood's site (not enough room in the suitcase for cookbooks).

I had been curious about the fried green tomatoes since I saw the movie, but had never tried them; while I was preparing them my brother told me we were going to dye of too much solanine and said I could prepare arsenicum-tomatoes as well...but a few hours have passed and we are all still alive.

Please visit Natashya, the creator of Moosewood Mondays, to see what see choose today.

If you dare trying them (maybe not on a daily base) the recipe follows (you can find it along with other ones here)

RECIPE

from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant

This unusual, tangy side dish was popular in my family. Try it while you're waiting for the tomatoes in your garden to ripen. Use only tomatoes that are entirely green and unripe.

Serves 6 to 8

3 large or 4 medium unripe tomatoes (very green-not red at all)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
cayenne, Tabasco, or other hot sauce (optional)
⅓ cup unbleached white flour
2 tablespoons white or yellow cornmeal
¼ cup vegetable oil

Slice the tomatoes into quarter-inch slices. Discard the ends. Spread the slices out on a platter or cutting board and sprinkle generously with salt, black pepper, and, if desired, cayenne or Tabasco. Turn the slices over and season the other sides.

In a shallow bowl, combine the flour and cornmeal. Dredge the tomato slices in the flour mixture, one at a time, covering each side thoroughly. Using 2 forks to the this job keeps your hands neat. Shake any excess flour off the tomato slices.

Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan, preferably well-seasoned cast iron. When the oil is hot but not smoking, fry the slices in batches; don't overcrowd the pan. Fry for about 3 or 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.

The Cake Slice : Orange Almond Caramel Upside Down Cake

2011-05-20T14:48:00.004+02:00

The recipe for this month's cake makes a deliciously moist flavourful and orangy cake, I'm sorry I photographed it to late in the evening and it looks like charcoal !

You can visit the blogroll and see much better looking ones and start baking the cake right now !

RECIPE

Ingredients – Topping

50g sliced almonds
75g unsalted butter
120g light brown sugar
55ml honey

For the Cake
180g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
80ml sour cream
2 eggs
55ml orange juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

100g unsalted butter

150g caster sugar
1 tbsp grated orange zest

Method - Topping

Heat the oven to 180C. Grease a 9 inch round non stick cake pan and line the base with parchment paper. Dust with flour.
Spread the nuts on a baking tray and toast until golden, 8 to 10 minutes (mine only took 4 minutes!!) Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Whisk in the brown sugar, turn the heat to low, and cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula. Drizzle over the honey and scatter over the toasted nuts.

Method - Cake

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Combine the sour cream, eggs, orange juice and vanilla in a glass measuring cup and beat lightly.
Combine the butter and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Stir in the orange zest.
With the mixer on medium-low speed, pour the egg mixture into the bowl in a slow stream, stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides.
Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, a third at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Then mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
Pour the batter over the almonds, gently spreading it into an even layer.
Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let stand for 5 minutes.
Holding the pan and a plate together firmly with oven mitts, invert the hot cake onto the plate. Peel away the parchment paper. If necessary, replace any almonds stuck to the base of the pan. Let the cake cool for 20 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.
Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.

here

French Fridays with Dorie : Bacon, Egg and Asparagus Salad and much more obviously !

2011-05-20T07:51:00.006+02:00

Here is the fresh and satisfying asparagous salad which I loved a lot.

The spinach bacon quiche that I had ready for last week but was hijacked by Blogger problems !

The wonderfully surprising quinoa, fruit and nut salad.

Here is the chicken b'stilla which can make your dinner party very succesful.

The basque potato tortilla that my son particularly loved.

And two parisian specialties : gnocchi a la parisienne

And Paris mushroom soup !

Now you tell me if this wonderful book by Dorie Greenspan is worth or not buying ! I' really happy to be still very behind (and my husband is even happier !).

Please visit the site and get a copy of Around my French Table !

TWD : Maple Corn Biscuits

2011-05-17T20:26:00.002+02:00

Lately our cat Cagliostro has decided to wake me up around four in the morning so yesterday, not before feeding him and another nap with him, I decided it was the right occasion for baking these biscuits for breakfast !

They were chosen by Lindsay from A Little Something… Sweet ; I never ate 'real' biscuits or scones and I have no idea of how White Lily flour feels but I thought these biscuits were so good I'm glad, for my diet's sake, that I only made half batch and that my children and husband loved them too !!

Please visit Lindsay for the recipe and the TWD site for more biscuits.

Weekend Herb Blogging #283 Cauliflower and Millet Puree. In Italiano a seguire

2011-05-11T10:24:00.000+02:00

Since November 2008 Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once has been managing this weekly event, all recaps here

This week WHB is hosted by Simona of briciole.

I decided to prepare a Cauliflower, Millet Puree I found on The Bold Vegetarian.

Millet is one of the oldest foods known to humans and possibly the first cereal grain to be used for domestic purposes. It is mentioned in the Bible, and was used during those times to make bread. Millet has been used in Africa and India as a staple food for thousands of years and it was grown as early as 2700 BC in China where it was the prevalent grain before rice became the dominant staple. It is documented that the plant was also grown by the lake dwellers of Switzerland during the Stone Age. Millet is considered to be one of the least allergenic and most digestible grains available.

We really loved this recipe it surprised both children and adults (Andrea licked the bowl !).

RECIPE

1 pound cauliflower, cut into florets [500g]

2 large shallots or 1 small onion, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1⁄2 cup millet [100g]

11⁄4 cups vegetable stock or water [325ml]

1⁄4 cup plain yogurt, preferably organic [60ml]

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Boil or steam the cauliflower florets until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and

run under cold water until cool. Set aside. 2. In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, cook the shallots and garlic in 1 tablespoon

of the oil over medium heat until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. 3. Add the millet and toast for another minute, stirringfrequently with a wooden

spoon. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until tender.

If the liquid evaporates before the millet is done, add a small amount of water

and continue cooking until tender. 4. In a food processor, pureethe cauliflower until smooth. With the machine on, add

the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, the yogurt, and a generous amount of salt and pepper.

Add the millet and blend again until well incorporated. If not serving right away,

keep warm in the oven or on the stovetop over very low heat.

Il Weekend Herb Blogging è una raccolta settimanale di ricette e/o note informative sulla miriade di prodotti vegetali che ci circondano, siano essi fiori, piante, frutti, semi, alle volte davvero inusuali ed inaspettati.
E' nato in America quasi per caso nell'ottobre del 2005 dalla mente creatrice di Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen, potete trovare tutta la storia qui.Questo evento è diventato sempre più popolare di anno in anno grazie ai tanti bloggers partecipanti che, con le loro ricette e i loro posts, arrichiscono la propria cultura culinaria riguardo al mondo vegetale, in qualunque forma esso si presenti. Ed è proprio questa la peculiarità dell'evento: riuscire ad acquisire più conoscenza e dimistichezza sulla cucina con i vegetali.

Dal novembre del 2008 Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything At Least Onceè la nuova infaticabile "direttrice" di questo evento settimanale, di cui potete trovare tutte le raccolte settimanali qui. Da fine novembre Bri cura l'edizione italiana, potete dare un occhio alle raccolte settimanali qui.

Questa settimana il WHB è ospitato da Simona di briciole.

Ho scelto di preparare un purè di cavolfiore e miglio che mi aveva incuriosito sul libro 'The Bold Vegetarian'

Il miglio è un cereale molto antico, originario dell'Asia centroorientale, coltivato anche dagli antichi egizi. Ha una grande importanza nell'alimentazione di alcuni paesi africani e asiatici, molto meno utilizzato in Europa, dove è conosciuto più che altro come becchime per pollame e uccelli da gabbia. Il miglio ha una composizione simile al frumento, ma non contiene glutine e quindi è adatto nell'alimentazione dei soggetti affetti da morbo celiaco.
È l'unico cereale con un effetto alcalinizzante, quindi è indicato per chi soffre di acidità di stomaco.

Qusta ricetta che sembrava così 'strana' ci ha sorpreso tutti grandi e piccini (pensate che Andrea ha fatto la scarpetta fino all'ultima traccia).

RICETTA

500g cavolfiore diviso in cimette

1 cipolla media o due scalogni tritati

3 spicchi d'aglio tritati

3 cucchiai di olio EV

100g di miglio

325ml di brodo vegetale o acqua

60ml di yogurt

Sale e pepe

1. Fare lessare o cuocere a vapore il cavolfiore finchè è tenero. Scolarlo freddarlo sotto l'acqua fredda e tenerlo da parte. 2. In una casseruola far stufare gli scalogni (o cipolla) e l'aglio in un cucchiaio di olio. 3. Aggiungere il miglio e farlo tostare per un minuto, mescolando spesso con un cucchiaio di legno. Aggiungere il brodo, portare ad ebollizione. Fare sobbollire fino a cottura.

Se il liquido dovesse evaporare aggiungerne altro. 4. In un frullatore ridurre a purea il cavolfiore, lo yogurt, i restanti due cucchiai di olioe sale e pepe. Aggiungere il miglio e lavorare fino ad ottenere una crema. Tenerlo in caldo se non lo consumate subito.

TWD : Brown Sugar Bundt Cake

2011-05-10T07:15:00.003+02:00

This week our recipe was chosen from Peggy from Pantry Revisited, a nice friend for me.

And she chose such a wonderful recipe I wish I hadn't shared it with anybody !

I brought it to my high school party (it was really dark there I posted an inside photo just for the sake of it) and everybody was tasting it in silence.

My only trouble was that the pears and prunes went all towards the bottom but my rose pan worked well anyway.

Please visit Peggy for the recipe and the site to see many different versions of this wonderful bundt cake!

Moosewood Mondays : Moroccan Stew

2011-05-09T17:45:00.006+02:00

I was craving this dish since a few days, and my neighbours were all making it so I finally got out of the fridge what I had and started cooking.

You will see I made a few substitutions, in fact I used zucchini as a pose to green beans and artichokes and forgot the black olives. I made a little cous cous (too little !) to go with it and finally had my wished-for dinner !

Please visit Natashya to check what she prepared for us (Magari !) magari it's a typical italian word that means : 'I wish it was so'.

I Heart Cooking Clubs : Lemon Drizzle Cake

2011-05-08T19:20:00.005+02:00

This week to celebrate Mother's day the children and I rang my mother in law to invite her for tea and started baking this cake and the '5 minutes chocolate cake' (could you believe my husband said that it was the best cake I have ever prepared ?).

My mother doesn't really care about Mother's day just as much as my mother in law does.

The cake is not so sweet because its sweetness is increased with the lemon syrup and lemon drizzle (which we had to diminish because I ran out of confectioner's sugar).

I actually think it's a very nice cake as I love lemony cakes and the crunch of the poppy seed made it just more delicious.

I got the recipe from 'Cook with Jamie' (all Jamie's books are on my bedsidetable now)

but you can find it here too.

RECIPE

• 115g unsalted butter, softened
• 115g caster sugar
• 4 large free-range or organic eggs
• 180g ground almonds
• 30g poppy seeds
• zest and juice of 2 lemons
• 125g self-raising flour, sifted

for the lemon syrup
• 100g caster sugar
• 90g lemon juice

for the lemon icing
• 225g icing sugar
• zest and juice of 1 lemon

Using an electric whisk, beat the butter with the caster sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs one by one, beating each in well. Fold in your ground almonds, poppy seeds, the lemon zest and juice and the sifted flour. Spoon the mix into the prepared cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until lightly golden. You can check to see if the cake is cooked by poking a cocktail stick right into the sponge. Remove it after 5 seconds and if it comes out clean the cake is cooked; if slightly sticky it needs a little longer, so put it back in the oven. Allow the cake to cool on a rack.

Make your lemon syrup by heating the sugar and lemon juice in a pan until the sugar has dissolved. While your cake is still warm, make lots of little holes in the top with a cocktail stick and pour your syrup over.

To make your icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add the lemon zest and juice, stirring until smooth. When your cake is almost cool, put it on a serving plate and pour the icing carefully over the top. If you pour it on to the middle of the cake, then let gravity disperse the icing down the sides, you get the ‘drizzle’ effect! Give it a helping hand with a spoon if you want.

AUGURI !!

2011-05-08T10:00:00.002+02:00

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL OF YOU !

We had a very special breakfast this morning : our very first Waffles !!

I used this fast recipe from the Food Network but I'd like to try one with yeast or buttermilk any suggestions ?

RECIPE

Ingredients

2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, separated
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 cups milk
non-stick cooking spray

Directions

Preheat the waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions. In 1 medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a second bowl use the wooden spoon to beat together the egg yolks and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved and eggs have turned a pale yellow. Add the vanilla extract, melted butter, and milk to the eggs and whisk to combine. Combine the egg-milk mixture with the flour mixture and whisk just until blended. Do not over mix. In third bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixeruntil soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Using the rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the waffle batter. Do not overmix! Coat the waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray and pour enough batter in iron to just cover waffle grid. Close and cook as per manufacturer's instructions until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

French Fridays with Dorie : Tourteau de Chevre and more...

2011-05-06T07:25:00.004+02:00

Here is Dorie's recipe for this Friday, It's a cheese cake made with goat cheese and many eggs giving a very spongy and soft wonderful cake. Anita loved it and kept saying how soft it was.

This cake is totally different from cheesecake and from crostata di ricotta.

Please if you want to see more versions of it visit the French Fridays with Dorie site.

As you might know I'm behind with my recipes for FFWD so here is what I made this week:

Bistrot Paul Bert Pepper Steak (with Frites, of course)

Garlicky Crumb-Coated Broccoli

Caramel Topped Semolina Cake

TWD : Basic Marble Loaf Cake

2011-05-03T01:36:00.001+02:00

This week it was Carol from the Bake More who chose the recipe and I keep thinking 'Baking from My Home to Yours' is truly a treasure : every recipe is a real delish !

I made the peppermint version and brought it to my high school party they were surprised for the peppermint flavour but the funniest thing is that they found a goose -or a swan- in the slices (which I'm told became a bison and lately a pellican) and were sure I made it on purpose ! I had some problems swearing It was just luck.

Please visit Carol for the recipe and the lyl post for more marbling miracles !

Moosewood Mondays : Chocolate Pudding Cake

2011-05-02T09:34:00.007+02:00

What to do when you have someone coming for dinner, the pizza take-out is full of orders, the kids are starving and the pasta water never boils ? Let the kids fix the dessert !

This pudding is very easy to put together but it is fun too.

And not bad at all as you can see...

The recipe is from Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates.

Please visit Natashya for her Moosewood recipe.

I Heart Cooking Clubs : Potluck - Chocolate, Dried Fruit and Nuts Tart

2011-05-01T21:56:00.004+02:00

This week is Potluck time at I Heart Cooking Clubs so if you check the blog you'll find all sorts of recipes !

I had a dinner with all my High School friends on Friday and brought some dessers but this tart was so welcomed or better it was kidnapped and Fabio didn't want to let it out of the kitchen !

The crust follows this recipe. I used half of it and prebaked it in a rectangular pan.

It is then scattered with any kind of dried fruit and toasted nut (I used dried apricots, raisins, almonds and hazelnuts) and covered with a ganache made with 285 grams heavy cream heated with 2 Tbs dark brown sugar and mixed with 200 grams dark chocolate.

I got the recipe from 'Ministry of Food', but my copy is in italian so I do not know the original name for the tart (Torta di cioccolato, frutta e nocciole).

Weekend Herb Blogging #281 - Red Onions Confit

2011-05-01T18:58:00.004+02:00

This weekend it is Min from Honest Vanilla who is hosting the Weekend Herb Blogging #281.

I wished to make a red onion jam and ended up making a confit from Mes Aigre-Dous, Terrines et Patés by Christine Ferber.

To be exact the recipe is called 'Red Onions Confit with Xeres Vinegar' but I do not own the wonderfully perfumed Xeres vinegar so I ended up using a simple apple vinegar.

WHB was created in October 2005 by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, you will find history here. This event has become popular in the years thanks to all bloggers participating with recipes and informative posts about new ways of cooking with herbs or unusual plant ingredients.
Since November 2008 Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once has been managing this weekly event, all recaps here

RECIPE

1 kg red onions (600 gr when ready to cook)

100 gr Red Wine Vinegar

100 gr Xeres Vinegar

50 gr Balsamic Vinegar

200 gr Black Pinot

100 gr Sugar

100 gr Honey

100 gr Blueberries

50 gr Extra Virgin Olive Oil

50 gr Butter

5 pepper grains crushed

5 salt pinches

Peel and finely cut the onions.

Heat butter and oil in a lidded pot, add onions,salt,pepper and let them slowly braise without coloring for about 20 min.

Add sugar and honey and let swoly boil for about 10 minutes, add the vinegars, wine and blueberries. Let cook uncovered for about 30 minutes until the liquid will be reduced and the onions will be confit. Add the balsamic vinegar, give the last boil, check the seasoning and put in pots. Refrigerate the next day .

Weekend Herb Blogging # 281 Confit di cipolle rosse

2011-05-01T17:01:00.005+02:00

Questo weekend tocca di nuovo a Cinzia di Cindystar ospitare il Weekend Herb Blogging in italiano. Mi rifaccio alle sue parole per spiegare di che cosa si tratti.

Cos'è il Weekend Herb Blogging?

Il Weekend Herb Blogging è una raccolta settimanale di ricette e/o note informative sulla miriade di prodotti vegetali che ci circondano, siano essi fiori, piante, frutti, semi, alle volte davvero inusuali ed inaspettati.
E' nato in America quasi per caso nell'ottobre del 2005 dalla mente creatrice di Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen, potete trovare tutta la storia qui. Questo evento è diventato sempre più popolare di anno in anno grazie ai tanti bloggers partecipanti che, con le loro ricette e i loro posts, arrichiscono la propria cultura culinaria riguardo al mondo vegetale, in qualunque forma esso si presenti. Ed è proprio questa la peculiarità dell'evento: riuscire ad acquisire più conoscenza e dimistichezza sulla cucina con i vegetali.
Dal novembre del 2008 Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once è la nuova infaticabile "direttrice" di questo evento settimanale, di cui potete trovare tutte le raccolte settimanali qui. Da fine novembre Bri cura l'edizione italiana, potete dare un occhio alle raccolte settimanali qui.

Era da un po' che tra i miei desideri c'era una marmellata di cipolle rosse ... così ho fatto un confit !

La ricetta l'ho trovata nel prezioso libricino di Christine Ferber 'Mes aigre-doux, terrines et patés'.

Per la precisione si tratta di un 'Confit di cipolle rosse all'aceto di Xeres' ma il profumatissimo aceto di Xeres non è nella mia dispensa e così ho usato un banalissimo aceto di mele.

Ricetta

1 kg di cipolle rosse (600 gr pulite)

100 gr di aceto di vino rosso

100 gr di aceto di Xeres

50 gr di aceto balsamico

200 gr di Pinot Nero

100 gr di zucchero

100 gr di miele millefiori

100 gr di mirtilli

50 gr di olio extravergine d'oliva

50 gr di burro

5 grani di pepe schiacciati

5 pizzichi di sale

Sbucciare le cipolle e affettarle finemente.

Fare scaldare il burro e l'olio in una casseruola con coperchio, aggiungere le cipolle, sale e pepe e farle sudare per una ventina di minuti a fuoco basso.

Aggiungere zucchero e miele e lasciare sobbollire per una decina di minuti, aggiungere gli aceti il vino e i mirtilli. Lasciar cuocere a fuoco basso per trentacinque minuti. Il liquido si ridurrà e le cipolle si 'candiranno'. Versare l'aceto balsamico, dare un ultimo bollore e verificare il sale. Invasare e lasciar freddare fino al giorno dopo. Conservare in frigorifero.

Bread Baking Buddies : Dan Lepard Garlic Bread

2011-04-27T11:33:00.004+02:00

I know that some of you get scared when they read garlic, some are even allergic to it BUT this bread is magic : it is so wonderful you would want to live only on it forever !

It's a recipe from Dan Lepard chosen by the great Garlic Ambassador Natashya for the Bread Baking Babes and I really urge you to try it, you won't regret it for a second.

I made it almost as soon as it was posted because I had some garlic confit hanging around, but you know what ? I'm going to prepare some garlic and bake it again today !

Dan's Garlic Bread
reprinted with permission from Dan Lepard
Exceptional Breads, by Dan Lepard
Dan has reworked the recipe to include a longer rise, less yeast, and less sugar.

for the pre-ferment
200ml water, at about 35C - 38C (95F - 101F)
1 tsp fast acting yeast
200g strong white bakers flour

for the dough
225ml water at 20C (68F)
325g strong white bakers flour
10g sea salt
75ml extra virgin olive oil

for the garlic filling
3 heads garlic, separated
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
50ml water
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 spring fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped

for the pre-ferment

To easily get the temperature of the water roughly correct measure 100ml of boiling water and add 200ml cold water, then measure the amount you need from this. Stir in the yeast then, when dissolved, stir in the flour until evenly combined.

Leave the mixture covered at about 20C - 22C (warmish room temperature) for 2 hours, stirring the ferment once after an hour to bring the yeast in contact with new starch to ferment.

for the garlic filling

Break the heads of garlic into cloves and place in a saucepan, cover with boiling water from the kettle and simmer for 3 - 4 minutes.

Then strain the garlic from the water, cover the cloves with cold water to cool then peel the slivery skin from the garlic. It's surprising how few cloves you get after peeling so don't be alarmed if "3 heads of garlic" sound like way too much.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan then place the add the cloves to it and cook until they are lightly brown (not burnt) on the outside. If you burn the garlic the flavour is nasty and you will have to start again, or serve it to your friends with a straight face, so watch them carefully.

Measure the balsamic and the water then add this to the pan with the sugar, salt, pepper and rosemary. Simmer for 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced to a thick caramel.

Scrape into a bowl and leave to cool. The garlic cloves should be tender when pierced with a knife.

back to the dough:

After 2 hours the pre-ferment should have doubled and look bubbly on the surface. Measure the water into a bowl and tip the pre-ferment into it. Break it up with your fingers until only small thread-like bits remain (this is the elastic gluten you can feel in your fingers)

Add the flour and salt then stir the mixture together with your hands. It will feel very sticky and elastic. Scrape any remaining dough from your hands, cover the bowl and leave for 10 minutes so that the flour has time to absorb moisture before being kneaded. Be sure to scrape around the bowl to make sure all of the flour is incorporated into the dough.

Pour 2 tbsp olive oil onto the surface of the dough and smooth it over the surface with your hands. Now rub a little oil on your hands and start to tuck your fingers down the side of the dough, then pull the dough upward stretching it out.

Rotate the bowl as you do this, so that all of the dough gets pulled and stretched. You'll find that the dough starts to feel and look smoother. Leave the dough in a ball, cover and leave for 10 minutes.

Repeat the pulling and stretching of the dough, for no more than about 10 - 12 seconds. You may find that an oiling piece of dough breaks through the upper surface. This isn't a bad thing, but it is a sing to stop working the dough. Cover the bowl again and leave for a further 10 minutes.

This time oil a piece of the worksurface about 30 cm in diameter. Oil your hands, pick the dough out of the bowl, place it on the oiled surface and knead it gently for 10 - 15 seconds. Return the dough to the bowl, cover and leave for 30 minutes.

Uncover the dough, oil the worksurface once more and flip the dough out onto it.

Stretch the dough out into a rectangle, then fold the right hand side in by a third.

Then fold the in by thirds again so that your left with a square dough parcel. Place this back in the bowl, cover and leave for 30 minutes.

Lightly oil the worksurface again and stretch the dough out to cover an area roughly 30cm x 20cm. Dot the garlic over the 2/3rds of the surface and then fold the bare piece of dough over a third of the garlic-covered dough.

Then roll this fold of dough over so that the remaining garlic-covered piece is covered by dough. Then fold this piece of dough in by a third...then in by a third again. Finally place the folded dough back in the bowl, cover and leave for 30 minutes.

Wipe the oil off the worksurface and lightly dust it with flour. Pin the dough out again as above and fold it in by thirds each way. Replace it in the bowl, cover and leave for a further 30 minutes.

Pin the dough out again fold it in by thirds each way again as shown. Leave the dough for 10 minutes while you prepare the tray the bread will rise on.

Cover a large dinner tray with a tea-towel. Lightly dust it with white flour, then cut the dough into thirds with a serrated knife.

Place the dough cut side upward on the tray then pinch the fabric between each so that they stay separated.

Cover and leave for 45 minutes while you heat the oven to 200C (same for fan assisted)/390F/gas mark 5-6. I put a large unglazed terracotta tile in the oven and shovel the dough directly onto it with the back of a small cookie tray. It gives a much better finish and perhaps the bread is slightly crisper, but the bread will still be good placed on a tray just before baking. I also put a small tray of water in the bottom of the oven so that the heat is a little moist, which will help the bread to rise and colour.

Lightly dust the back of a cookie tray (if you have a stone in the oven) or the surface of a baking tray with semolina or flour. Carefully pick the dough up off the cloth, scooping it in from end to end with your finger then quickly lift it clear of the cloth and onto the tray.

Either shovel the dough onto the hot stone, or place the baking tray in the oven, shut the door quickly and bake for 20 - 30 minutes until the loaves are a good rich golden brown

TWD : Cornmeal Shortbread Cookies

2011-04-26T21:36:00.004+02:00

I was hoping to win the Spreader title at the (sad) end of our Tuesday with Dorie Mission, but with these soo good shortbread cookies chosen by Valerie I' m afraid I won't be alone. I was blaming Italian butter, cookies not cold enough or just a personal gift I had, but with these babies I was not the only one to get The Spread !

Well, Spread or not I loved them. Crunchy as they were (actually are but I hid them) and with the lime hint Valerie suggested in the P &Q I absolutely loved them !

Please visit Valerie for the recipe and much more and the LYL for more cookies.

Moosewood Mondays : Broccoli Mushroom Noodle Casserole

2011-04-25T16:21:00.004+02:00

I don't know how you choose the recipes you cook and post I think the right way would be to choose the recipe and then go shopping well I usually have some things in the fridge and search the index of my cookbooks to find a suitable recipe, in this case I was lucky: I had broccoli, mushrooms and tagliolini, it was a sign !

The Moosewood book this time is THE original by Mollie Katzen.

Please visit Natashya and check her Moosewood's recipe !

RECIPE

	16 ozWide egg noodles; or less
	2 tbButter or margarine
	2 cOnions; chopped
	3 mdGarlic; minced
	1 lg bunchfresh broccoli; chopped
	1 lbmushrooms; Sliced or chopped
	1/2 tsSalt; to taste
	Lotsfresh black pepper
	1/4 cupdry white; Optional
	3 eggs; beaten, Optional
	3 cCottage cheese
	1 cSour cream; (may be lowfat)
	1 1/2 cFine bread crumbs;

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter or oil a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Cook the noodles in plenty of boiling water until about half-done. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain again and set aside. Melt the butter or margarine in a large skillet, and add onions and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes over medium heat, then add broccoli, mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the broccoli is bright green and just tender. Remove from heat and possibly add optional white wine. In a large bowl, beat together optional eggs (or not) with cottage cheese and sour cream or buttermilk. Add noodles, sauteed vegetables, and 1 cup of the bread crumbs. Mix well. Spread into the prepared pan, and top with remaining bread crumbs and, if desired, grated cheese. Bake covered for 30 minutes; uncovered for 15 minutes more.

I Heart Cooking Clubs :Jamie Oliver’s Favorite Curry Sauce – Chicken Version

2011-04-24T07:39:00.004+02:00

This is chicken or eggs week at I Heart Cooking Clubs with Jamie, and I chose a curry dish I knew we would like (even if it was hot Anita dared to try it) .

The recipe is simple and aside fenugreek and curry leaves the other ingredients are usually in my pantry.

I made a fragrant rice from '30 minutes recipes' by Nigel Slater who is Jamie's friend so I'm sure he's not going to mind and we were all set !

Buona Pasqua a tutti !

Jamie Oliver’s Favorite Curry Sauce – Chicken Version

from Happy Days with the Naked Chef, 2002

5 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (I didn't find them)
3 fresh green chillies, seeded and thinly sliced
1 handful of curry leaves (I didn't find them either)
2 thumb-sized pieces of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely grated
3 onions, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
6 tomatoes, chopped (I used one large can tomatoes)
1 14 oz can coconut milk
salt
4 chicken breasts, sliced into 1/2 inch strips ( I've used the upper thighs)
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed

Heat the oil in a pan, and when hot add the mustard seeds. Wait for them to pop, then add the fenugreek seeds (or don’t), fresh green chillies, curry leaves (or not) and ginger. Stir and fry for a few minutes. Using a food processor, chop the onions and add to the same pan. Continue to cook for 5 minutes until the onion is light brown and soft, then add the chili powder and turmeric. Using the same food processor, pulse the tomatoes and add these to the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add 1 or 2 wine glasses of water and the coconut milk. Simmer for about 5 minutes until it has the consistency of double cream, then season carefully with salt.

Stir-fry the chicken strips and coriander seeds until lightly colored, then add your sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve with steamed basmati rice.

French Fridays with Dorie : Mustard Batons... and Chocolate Eclaires

2011-04-22T21:52:00.006+02:00

I cannot believe I finally made it this Friday !! I baked this wonderfully yummy and superfast goodies which are fantastic : they come together in minutes and are really delicious, I want to try them with different fillings too.

I promised myself to catch the group up with all the recipes and started with these 'get out of here or I'll eat you all' babies. I made the chocolate version half recipe (froze some ganache and chocolate pastry cream for a bright future !)

Please visit French Fridays with Dorie to see more, and get yourself a copy of Around My French Table.

The Cake Slice : Cold Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake

2011-04-20T14:27:00.003+02:00

This month's recipe for The Cake Slice , we are still baking from Cake Keeper, is a wonderful cake made with cream cheese and cooked starting from a cold oven.

I made half a recipe and our cake wasn't small.

We really loved this cake and I strongly suggest you try it !

Please visit the blogroll to see more cakes !

Cold Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake

(Recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman)

Ingredients

360g cake flour

1½ tsp baking powder

200g unsalted butter, softened

230g cream cheese, softened

500g caster sugar

6 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1½ tbsp grated fresh ginger

1 tbsp grated lemon zest

Method

Adjust the oven rack to the lower – middle position. Grease a large 10-12inch Bundt pan and dust with flour.
Combine the flour and baking powder in a medium mixing bowl.

Combine the butter, cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl when necessary.

With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each
addition. Beat in the vanilla, ginger and lemon zest.

Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, a few spoonfuls at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Then mix of 30 seconds on medium speed.

Spread the batter into the Bundt tin and place the cake in a cold oven. Turn the oven to 160C and bake, without opening the oven door, until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 65 to 80 minutes.

Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert it onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

TWD : Tourtely Apple Tart

2011-04-19T13:42:00.002+02:00

Jeanette of The Whimsical Cupcake chose the recipe this week, we loved this tarte or pie, I'm the least entitled to say what it is, but I can tell you the all building had its share and it was very welcomed !

I only had three apples but had made an unsweetened apple sauce few weeks ago so I added a few tablespoon of it to the apples when cooking and I had enough filling.

Please visit the LYL post and find out how many different versions there can be !

Moosewood Mondays : Potatoes Latkes

2011-04-18T21:14:00.005+02:00

As an Italian, I have very mixed origins : my last name, Maovaz, always requires some spelling, as my mother's (Delcroix).

My Grandfather was born in what was then the Austro-Ungarian Empire, has become Jugoslavia and now is Croatia, on my mother's side her grandparents came from Belgium.

My nonno Maovaz was Buddist but none of my ancestors was Jewish that I know of.

In Rome there is a big Jewish Community, actually is the oldest in Europe, dating back to the II century B.C. and, as you can imagine Roman Jews eat pasta and not Latkes !

I'm very interested in the Jewish world as in the Jewish Cuisine, but, I must admit, these fritters are so good my children deveaured them without much interest in their origins !

The recipe calls for rutabaga and beets as well but I have never seen a rutabaga in my life and beets are no longer around.

Please visit Natashya to see what wonders she came up to !

RECIPE

(from Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates)

3 cups peeled and grated Russet Potatoes

1/2 cup grated onions

2 eggs lightly beaten

1/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspon ground black pepper

1/2 cup peeled and grated rutabaga (I skipped this)

1/2 cup peeled and grated beets (I skipped this too)

1/2 cup chopped parsley (no green things wanted)

2 Tablespoons fresh dill (same as above)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Line a colander with paper towels. Place the grated potatoes and onions in the lined colander and vigorously press out as much liquid as you can, until the grated potatoes are somewhat dry. This will help create crisp latkes.

Transfer the grated potatoes and onions to a large bowl and stir in the eggs, flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Divide the mixture among three smaller bowls . Mix the rutabaga into the first bowl, the beets into the second and parsley and dill into the third.

Preheat the oven to 200°.

Warm the oil on high heat in a large cast iron skillet until a drop of batter sizzles. Drop the batter into the skillet and fry until both sides are crisp.

I Heart Cooking Clubs : Pot-roasted Pork in White Wine with Garlic, Fennel, and Rosemary

2011-04-17T21:13:00.003+02:00

April Showers Bring May Flowers...

I had never heard of this saying, maybe because we have more rain in March.. this year though the weather is strange : it was so hot a week ago and now it seems November !

So I went for a wintery Roast very tasty and rich of perfumes from fennes seeds, garlic and white wine.

I served it with potatoes Latkes but I'll tell you more tomorrow about those.

You can find the recipe here on the Food Network or read more.

Please visit the site for more April showers !

RECIPE

Ingredients

1 (3 pound/1.5 kilogram) pork loin, off the bone and skin removed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
2 to 3 large knobs butter
Olive oil
8 cloves garlic, skin left on
1 handful fresh rosemary, leaves picked
4 bay leaves
1 fennel bulb, sliced
1/2 (750 ml) bottle Chardonnay

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

With 2 or 3 bits of string, tie up your pork loin, do this any way you like. It doesn't have to be fussy, you just want to keep the meat in a snug shape while it's cooking. Season generously with salt and pepper, then roll the meat in the fennel seeds until covered.

In a casserole pan or roasting tray, fry the meat for a couple of minutes in half the butter and a little olive oil, until nice and golden.

Throw in the garlic, herbs, fennel, and wine, then cover the tray loosely with some wet greaseproof paper and cook until an insertedmeat thermometer reaches 150 degrees F. As the pork loin is off the bone it cooks very quickly. Remove from the oven and allow the meat to rest on a plate. Then, without using any more heat, finishoff your sauce in the pan, scraping any goodness off the bottom and adding the rest of the butter. Remove any large bits.

Creative Concotion # 2: Polpettine di Calamari

2011-04-13T20:21:00.005+02:00

My friend Ivy of Kopiaste to Greek Hospitality is actually one of the few blogging friends I had the pleasure to meet, when she and her husband came to Rome for a visit last year.

She is a fantastic cook and a very energetic one too, you can see her last creature here.

When I saw her last cooking group idea she got me a little worried because it's a question of NOT following a precise recipe but to create a version of a given one if not a brand new recipe; being very unsecure I always worry to make something wrong but what the heck ... I tried !

Our children love a restaurant near our place called Hosteria Pistoia they make wonderful meals very creatives and more important exquisite ! When we go there Carlo eats everything as if he had never eaten before : it's a real pleasure to see.

One of the things Carlo loves are the polpettine di calamari so I tried to make something similar.

Recipe

500 gr calamari rinsed and cleaned

Stale bread

Parsley

Orange Zest

(this is supposed to be a Lenten recipe so no eggs and cheese but I'm sure you could add some pecorino cheese and a couple of eggs)

Pulse the calamari in your mixer, add some water to the bread and when soft add to the calamari with parsley, orange zest salt and pepper.

Shape in small balls and roll in breadcrumbs before frying or cooking in your oven.

TWD : Strawberries Double Crisp

2011-04-12T21:02:00.003+02:00

Sarah of Teapots and Cakestands chose this wonderful crisp for us this week and I must say it's so good even without Rhubarb I really would love to try it with it.

I halved the recipe and made four mini ramekins, easier to share this way !

Please visit Sarah for the recipe and the LYL for more crisps.

Moosewood Mondays : Asian Turnips with Wasabi

2011-04-11T21:37:00.005+02:00

Today I found some nice white turnips at the market and decided to give them an oriental twist thanks to 'Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates' recipe.

We like salmon and crusted in sesame seeds and cooked with garlic and ginger seemed a good pairing for the turnips.

Please check what Natashya is Moosewooding today !

Recipe (from Moosewood Restautant Celebrates)

Wasabi paste

2 teaspoons wasabi powder

2 teaspoons warm water

1 pound turnips

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons brown sugar, lightly packed

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

In a small bowl combine the wasabi powder and water and set aside.

Slice off and discard the ends of the turnips and peel them with a potato peeler or pairing knife. Cut them in half lenghtwise, and then slice each half into thin half-moons.

Warm the oil in a skillet on medium heat, add the turnips, and sauté for about 4 minutes, until very slightly browned. Add water, cover the pan, and steam for 6 to 8 minutes, until tender. (I skipped this part, my turnips were already soft after sauteeing) Meanwhile whisk together the wasabi paste, soy sauce, and brown sugar in a small bowl.

When the turnips are ready, remove from the heat and toss with the wasabi mixture. Stir in the sesame seeds and, if you like top with sliced scallions and /or slivers of red bell pepper for color.

I Heart Cooking Clubs : Happy Days with Jamie ! Black Forest Swiss Roll

2011-04-10T15:27:00.003+02:00

Ciao ! I don't think it is only because I'm dieting but such a dessert can brighten any day...

I got the recipe from 'Cook With Jamie', I love all Jamie's cookbooks he fills them with such a love for good food .

I made the roll for dinner yesterday night, I had cooked lots of different things but as my father loved to say 'dessert it's like when the major enters in a very crowded Sunday church : in a way or the other he always finds the best spot !'

Please take some time to enjoy all the other happy recipes.

Black Forest Swiss Roll (Cook with Jamie by Jamie Oliver)

Ingredients:
4 eggs
4½oz caster sugar
2¼ butter, melted
3½ozplain flour, sifted
1oz cocoa powder, sifted
Filling:
Zest and juice of 2 oranges
3tbsp caster sugar
400g tin of black cherries in syrup
100g dried sour cherries
350ml double cream
100g dark chocolate

Method:
1. With an electric mixer beat together the eggs and sugar until a thick ribbon stage is reached i.e. when you lift the beaters out you should be able to leave a ribbon trail over the mix that does not immediately disappear.
2. Carefully in the melted butter then fold in the flour and cocoa powder. Fill a lined Swiss roll tin (25x35cm) with the mix and bake for 15 mins at 180°C
3. For the cherry filling, warm the orange juice and zest until the sugar is dissolved. At this point add all the cherries and cook for 5 mins.
4. Leave to cool, strain the cherries and return the liquid to the pan. Reduce the liquor to a thin syrupy consistency.
5. For the chocolate filling, bring 100ml cream to the boil. As soon as it starts bubbling, take off the heat and gently stir in the chocolate pieces. Mix to a uniform consistency and leave to cool.
6. Whip the remaining cream to stiff peaks.
7. To construct the Swiss roll, brush the sponge with the syrup. Next, spread the chocolate cream over the cake, followed by the cream. Finally top with the cherries.
8. Using the greaseproof paper roll the cake over. Chill, wrapped in the paper, until ready to slice.

Budino al Cioccolato dell'Artusi

2011-04-04T20:03:00.004+02:00

Genny di al Cibo Commestibile ci ha sfidato ad una preparazione artusiana in pentola a pressione.

Mio papà era un maniaco della pentola a pressione...ci facevamo pure la pasta!

Tra tutte le ricette volevo fare un budino a bagnomaria , ho scelto quello al cioccolato che piace di più ai bambini. Era tanto che non sfogliavo l'Artusi e pressione o no mi è venuta voglia di molte altre ricette!

667. BUDINO DI CIOCCOLATA

Latte, decilitri 8.
Zucchero, grammi 80.
Cioccolata, grammi 60.
Savoiardi, grammi 60.
Uova, n. 3.
Odore di vainiglia.

Grattate la cioccolata, mettetela nel latte e quando questo comincia a bollire gettateci lo zucchero e i savoiardi, sminuzzandoli colle dita. Mescolate di quando in quando, onde il composto non si attacchi al fondo e dopo mezz'ora di bollitura passatelo per istaccio. Quando è diaccio aggiungete le uova frullate e la vainiglia, versatelo in uno stampo liscio, il cui fondo avrete prima ricoperto di un velo di zucchero liquefatto, e cuocetelo a bagnomaria.

Grammi 50 di zucchero bastano per ricoprire il fondo dello stampo. Si serve freddo.

I Heart Cooking Clubs : Salmon with Green Beans Cherry Tomatoes and Olives

2011-04-03T18:14:00.004+02:00

This is our first week with Jamie Oliver and I chose a recipe that could work for my diet !

The recipe is very easy : maybe my salmon was too thin so I cooked the vegetables longer.

RECIPE

400 gr green beans
200 gr cherry tomatoes
1 to 2 handfuls black olives, destoned & sliced
2 T olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 handful fresh basil, picked

2 x 200 gram salmon fillet steak
1/2 lemon
12 anchovy fillets

Preheat the oven and a roasting tray at the highest temperature.

Tail the green beans, blanch them until tender (6 minutes) in salted, boiling water, and drain. Put in a bowl with the cherry tomatoes and the destoned olives. Toss in the olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the basil.

Give the salmon fillets a quick wash under the tap and pat dry with kitchen paper towels. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon over the fillets, on both sides, then season both sides with salt and pepper and drizzle a little olive oil over the top.

Take the hot roasting tray from the oven. Put the salmon at 1 end of the roasting tray. Add the green beans mixture next to the salmon in the tray

Lay the anchovies over the green beans! (Don’t forget)

Roast in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Fresh, Clean Pure Friday - Banana, Orange & Bran Bread

2011-04-01T21:54:00.004+02:00

I've been working so much these late months I've rarely blogged now Spring is giving me more energies and I'm coming back to Roz wonderful collection of fresh ideas.

Years ago when I was living in California I bought a book called 'Coffe Cakes and Quick Breads' by Renny Darling I've used it again and again sharing the recipes with tasters and everytime I need a fast way to use up some fruit I head to it like tonight...

RECIPE

1/2 cup butter softened (I used rice oil)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup all bran cereal (I used old fashioned rolled oats)

1 orange medium, grated . use fruit juice and peel

1 medium banana

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup yellow raisins

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon powdered cloves

Beat together first 7 ingredientsuntil blended.

Combine and add the remaining ingredients and stir until blended. Do not overmix.

Divide batter between 4 greased mini loaves pans ( I used two bigger ones) and bake in a 350° oven for about 40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool in pans for 15 minutes and then remove and let cool on a rack.

Crostatine con le Fragole

2011-03-31T21:05:00.005+02:00

Purtroppo ho scoperto solo ora della raccolta di Caris per il Santa Lucia e sono fuori tempo ma so quanto il Santa Lucia sia importante per tantissime persone e sarebbe proprio un delitto se una struttura così dovesse chiudere.

Caris chiede una ricetta che piaccia ai bambini questa non è neanche una ricetta ma i miei figli ne vanno matti e, visto che cominciano a comparire le prime fragole , eccola quì !

Ricetta

Pasta frolla con olio

(da 'le dolci tentazioni' di Luca Montersino)

500 gr farina di farro bianca (io ho usato una 00 di grano)

250 gr zucchero di canna grezzo

70 gr. olio extravergine d'oliva

70 gr. olio di semi (io ho usato olio di riso)

125 gr. acqua

12 gr lievito per dolci

1 baccello di vaniglia

Sciogliere lo zucchero in acqua, unire il lievito, i due oli, la farina e i semi di vaniglia. Lasciare riposare in frigo.

Prima di usaew lavorare di nuovo la pasta un planetaria con 5 gr di acqua.

Crema pasticcera

(da 'le dolci tentazioni' di Luca Montersino)

io ne ho fatta mezza dose

800 gr di latte intero

200 gr panna fresca (ho usato solo latte)

300 gr tuorli ( mi scoccia non usare le chiare così l'ho fatta con uova intere)

300 gr zucchero semolato

40 gr amido mais

35 gr amido di riso (ho usato solo amido di mais)

vaniglia

Portare a bollore latte panna e semini della vaniglia.

Montare uova e zucchero e incorporare gli amidi versare il composto sopra il latte in ebollizione e aspettate che si formino dei piccoli vulcani, amalgamate il tutto con una frusta. Togliete dal fuoco e fare freddare.

Ho cotto la pasta frolla negli stampini mettendoci sopra dell'alluminio e dei pesetti o fagioli.

Una volta raffreddate le basi ci ho messo la crema e le fragole che non erano ancora state mangiate !

Bread Baking Day # 88 : No Knead Bread - Sourdough Mixed Flours No Knead Bread

2011-03-31T18:51:00.006+02:00

In italiano a seguire

This month the Bread Baking Day, an event created by Zorra, is hosted by the lovely Italian Blogger Cinzia of Cindystar.

The theme Cinzia chose is No-Knead breads and I'm really curious of all the wonderful breads that will be baked with this tecnique.

I'm a fan of sourdough so I made a No Knead with it and with different flours ( whole wheat, rye, durum wheat and all purpose) I must say I loved the result , but I would love to try again and again !

Please visit Cinzia to get more ideas.

Recipe

1 cup sourdough (mine is a 50 %)

3 cups flour ( I did a mix and match of what I had on hand)

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 salt

I briefly mixed all the ingredients and left them raise at 70 F for around 8 hours.

I turned on a very floured counter and gave it a business letter fold.

I covered with a floured towel and let rise until doubled.

I put it in a very hot oven in a very hot dutch pan covered.

I baked for about 30 minutes.

I uncovered and baked until it reached 200 F.

Questo mese il Bread Baking Day, un evento mensile creato da Zorra, è ospitato dalla fantastica Cinzia di Cindystar.

il tema che Cinzia ha scelto è il pane senza impasto ( No-Knead ) sono veramente curiosa di vedere tutte le possibiletà che ci sono con questo metodo, che è veloce e produce un pane veramente notevole.

Io amo molto il mio lievito madre, così l'ho usato anche per questo tipo di impasto. Avevo un po' di farine miste ( integrale, segale, semola rimacinata e 00). Il pane è venuto veramente fantastico ogni volta che apro la pentola (io ne uso una di ghisa)questo pane mi stupisce !

Visitate Cinzia per saperne molto di più.

RICETTA

1 tazza di lievito madre (il mio è al 50 %)

3 tazze di farina ( come dicevo integrale, di segale, semola rimacinata e 00)

1 1/2 tazze d'acqua

1 1/2 cucchiaini di sale

Ho mescolato velocemente gli ingredienti e li ho lasciati lievitare per circa otto ore.

Ho rovesciato l'impasto su un piano infarinato e ho dato le pieghe.

L'ho coperto con un canovaccio infarinato e l'ho lasciato lievitare fino al raddoppio.

Ho scaldato forno e pentola con coperchio al massimo.

Ho messo il pane nella pentola con la chiusura in alto e l'ho cotto per circa 30 minuti.

Ho tolto il coperchi e ho proseguito la cottura fino a che all'interno non raggiungeva i 200° F.

TWD : Pecan Powder Puffs

2011-03-29T19:30:00.004+02:00

The host of the week is Tianne of Buttercream Barbie she chose these sinful cookies and wil have the recipe here. Please visit all the other bakers .

My dear friends as some of you might know I have a problem with spreading and as you can see me puffs (made with almonds btw) I did it again !

I tried reducing the butter, freezing the dough before shaping and after ..... well anyway even if I'm dieting I tried a tiny crumb and they were heavenly !!!!

You can see the spreading problem but it was not the only problem !

I saved the precious crumbs for a cheese-cake crust what do you think ?

Weekend Herb Blogging #276 - Torta alla Banana

2011-03-27T17:08:00.004+02:00

Scroll down for the English version

Partecipo a questo Weekend Herb Blogging ospitato da Cinzia di Cindystar.

'Il Weekend Herb Blogging è una raccolta settimanale di ricette e/o note informative sulla miriade di prodotti vegetali che ci circondano, siano essi fiori, piante, frutti, semi, alle volte davvero inusuali ed inaspettati.
E' nato in America quasi per caso nell'ottobre del 2005 dalla mente creatrice di Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen, potete trovare tutta la storia qui. Questo evento è diventato sempre più popolare di anno in anno grazie ai tanti bloggers partecipanti che, con le loro ricette e i loro posts, arrichiscono la propria cultura culinaria riguardo al mondo vegetale, in qualunque forma esso si presenti. Ed è proprio questa la peculiarità dell'evento: riuscire ad acquisire più conoscenza e dimistichezza sulla cucina con i vegetali.
Dal novembre del 2008 Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once è la nuova infaticabile "direttrice" di questo evento settimanale, di cui potete trovare tutte le raccolte settimanali qui. Da fine novembre Bri cura l'edizione italiana, potete dare un occhio alle raccolte settimanali qui.'

Qualche anno fa sono andata a tenere un breve seminario ad Asuncion in Paraguay.

Non ho potuto visitare praticmente nulla, ma nelle brevi pause ho visto molte signore che avevano dei rudimentali banchetti in cui vendevano erbe di vario tipo. Dagli enormi mortai che avevanno ho capito che preparavano anche cure specifiche per vari disturbi oltre a vendere 'pacchetti pronti' ad esempio per il Tererè che è una bibita fredda a base di Yerba (noi la chiamiamo Mate ma per loro il mate è la Yerba calda) ho trovato un blog dove è spiegato così bene che vi metto il link.

Mentre facevo lezione molti studenti bevevano il Tererè da enormi thermos e tutti facevano lo stesso ovunque.

Mi sono informata e mi hanno spiegato quanto le erbe sia importanti nella cultura degli indios Guaranì.

Tra le altre erbe mi ha colpito la Stevia sentite che pianta incredibile : 'I principi dolcificanti sono in tutte le parti della pianta ma sono più disponibili e concentrati nelle foglie, che quando sono seccate (disidratate), hanno un potere dolcificante (ad effetto della miscela dei due componenti dolcificanti) da 150 a 250 volte il comune zucchero. Contrariamente allo zucchero i principi attivi non hanno alcun potere nutrizionale (zero calorie), ed essendo prodotti naturali sono relativamente stabili nel tempo ed alle alte temperature, per cui conservano perfettamente le loro caratteristiche anche in prodotti da forno o in bevande calde, diversamente da altri dolcificanti di sintesi come l'aspartame, che subisce degradazione.'

Prima che partissi il Signor Ferretti, il mio traduttore, mi regalò la Stevia in varie forme e, non trovando nulla in italiano, ho comprato un libro americano 'Stevia Sweet Recipes'.

Mio fratello, noto anche come 'lo zio Marco che sa tutto' sostiene che la pianta si può trovare nei vivai. Io , per ora, ho ancora le scorte....

RICETTA

3 cups di farina integrale

1/4 cucchiaino di sale

1 1/2 cucchiaini di Stevia Extract Powder

4 1/4 cucchiaini di lievito per dolci

3 uova separate

1 cup latte

6 cucchiai di olio (io uso quello di riso)

2 1/2 cucchiaini di vaniglia

1 cup di banane schiacciate (2 banane)

Ho farcito la torta con un ganache al cioccolato e l'ho ricoperta con dello yogurt greco magro con Stevia e cacao.

Setacciare farina, lievito sale e Stevia.

Montare le chiare a neve.

unire tuorli, banane, olio, latte, vaniglia e banane. Aggiungere agli altri ingredienti e da ultimo unire le chiare.

Dividere tra due teglie da 20 cm oliate e infarinate e cuocere in forno preriscaldato a 180° per 25/30 minuti.

Weekend Herb Blogging #276 Banana Cake

2011-03-27T15:16:00.005+02:00

I'm partecipating to this Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Cinzia of Cindystar.

Some years ago I went to Asuncion, Paraguay for a short week of work. I didn't get to see much but in the short walks around I could see many people, mostly older ladies, selling herbs in the streets

Many students would drink Tererè in class during the lessons and I grew more and more interested in the Guaranì herb culture.

One of the many herbs Paraguaian people uses is called Stevia and it is a natural sweetener with no calories.

''With its steviol glycoside extracts having up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, stevia has garnered attention with the rise in demand for low-carbohydrate, low-sugar food alternatives. Because stevia has a negligible effect on blood glucose, it is attractive as a natural sweetener to people on carbohydrate-controlled diets.''

The translator who helped me teach , Mr. Ferretti, was so kind to give me Stevia in different forms when I left so I got a recipe book called Stevia Sweet Recipes from which I got this recipe.

RECIPE

3 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons Stevia Extract Powder

4 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

3 eggs separated

1 cup milk

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup mashed ripe banana (2 bananas)

frosting as desired (I mixed some lowfat greek jogurt with cocoa and some Stevia)

filling as desired (I made a chocolate ganache)

I a bowl sift together the dry ingredients.

Beat the egg whites until stiff and set aside.

Stir together egg yolks, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla, and bananas. Add the dry ingredients an beat to combine. Fold in beaten egg whites.

Turn into 2 8 inches oiled and floured pans and bake in preheated oven 25 to 30 minutes until cake tests done.

Cool in pans 10 min. Turn out to finish cooling on racks.

Fill and frost.

Daring Baker's Challenge: Yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake

2011-03-27T10:25:00.004+02:00

The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.

I'm finally back to Daring Baker's and with a super wonderful recipe ! I made it twice already and even if my cakes are flat Andrea loves them very much !!

I filled one of them with nutella and slivered almonds and the other one with apples cinnamon and raisins. I was afraid of filling them too much but ended with unfilled cakes.

I really urge all of you to try this wonderful recipe for the Sweet Yeast Dough : it comes together so well it's a real pleasure to work with .

Thanks to Jamie of Life’s a Feast and Ria of Ria’s Collection for this wonderful challenge !

You can download a printable recipe here or follow the recipe:

Preparation time:
For the dough:
10 - 15 minutes preparation of the dough
8 – 10 minutes kneading
45 – 60 minutes first rise
10 – 15 minutes to prepare meringue, roll out, fill and shape dough
an additional 45 – 60 minutes for second rising.

Baking time: approximately 30 minutes

Equipment required:
Measuring cups for dry ingredients
Measuring cup for liquid
Measuring spoons
Cutting board and sharp knife for chopping nuts & chocolate if using
2 large mixing bowls
1 small mixing bowl
1 medium mixing bowl for beating egg whites, preferably plastic or metal
1 medium saucepan
Electric mixer or stand mixer
Wooden spoon
Rolling pin
Spatula
Clean kitchen scissors or sharp knife
Plastic wrap & clean kitchen towel
Parchment paper
2 medium-sized baking trays (or 1 large if your oven is large enough)
Cooling racks
Serving platter
Vegetable oil to grease bowl

FILLED MERINGUE COFFEE CAKE
Makes 2 round coffee cakes, each approximately 10 inches in diameter
The recipe can easily be halved to make one round coffee cake

Ingredients
For the yeast coffee cake dough:

4 cups (600 g / 1.5 lbs.) flour
¼ cup (55 g / 2 oz.) sugar
¾ teaspoon (5 g / ¼ oz.) salt
1 package (2 ¼ teaspoons / 7 g / less than an ounce) active dried yeast
¾ cup (180 ml / 6 fl. oz.) whole milk
¼ cup (60 ml / 2 fl. oz. water (doesn’t matter what temperature)
½ cup (135 g / 4.75 oz.) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 large eggs at room temperature

10 strands saffron for Ria’s version (Saffron might be hard to find and it’s expensive, so you can substitute with ½ - 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom or ground nutmeg. Or simply leave it plain like Jamie’s version)

For the meringue:

3 large egg whites at room temperature
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup (110 g / 4 oz.) sugar

For the filling:

Jamie’s version:
1 cup (110 g / 4 oz.) chopped pecans or walnuts
2 Tablespoons (30 g / 1 oz.) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (170 g / 6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate

Ria’s version:
1 cup (130 g / 5 oz.) chopped cashew nuts
2 Tablespoons (30 g / 1 oz.) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon garam masala (You can make it at home – recipe below - or buy from any Asian/Indian grocery store)
1 cup (170g / 6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips ( I used Ghirardelli)

Egg wash: 1 beaten egg
Cocoa powder (optional) and confectioner’s sugar (powdered/icing sugar) for dusting cakes

**Garam (means “hot”) masala (means “mixture”) is a blend of ground spices and is used in most Indian savory dishes. It is used in limited quantities while cooking vegetables, meats & eggs. There is no “one” recipe for it as every household has a recipe of their own. Below, I am going to share the recipe which I follow.

4 or 5 sticks (25 g) Cinnamon Sticks (break a stick and open the scroll)
3 ½ tablespoons (25 g / less than an ounce) Cloves, whole
100 g. (3.5 oz.) Fennel seeds
4 tablespoons (25 g / less than an ounce) Cumin seeds
1 ½ tablespoons (10 g / less than half an ounce) Peppercorns
25 g (less than half an ounce) Green Cardamom pods

In a small pan on medium heat, roast each spice individually (it hardly takes a minute) until you get a nice aroma. Make sure you stir it throughout so that it doesn’t burn. As soon as each spice is roasted, transfer it to a bowl to cool slightly. Once they are all roasted, grind into a fine powder by using a coffee grinder, or pestle & mortar. Store in an airtight container and use as needed.

Directions:

Prepare the dough:

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 ½ cups (230 g) of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast.

In a saucepan, combine the milk, water and butter and heat over medium heat until warm and the butter is just melted. Ria’s version: add the 10 saffron threads to the warmed liquid and allow to steep off of the heat for 10 minutes. This will give the mixture a distinct aroma and flavor and a yellowish-orange hue.

With an electric mixer on low speed, gradually add the warm liquid to the flour/yeast mixture, beating until well blended. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes. Add the eggs and 1 cup (150 g) flour and beat for 2 more minutes.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a dough that holds together. Turn out onto a floured surface (use any of the 1 ½ cups of flour remaining) and knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth, sexy and elastic, keeping the work surface floured and adding extra flour as needed.

Place the dough in a lightly greased (I use vegetable oil) bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise until double in bulk, 45 – 60 minutes. The rising time will depend on the type of yeast you use.

Prepare your filling:In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar for the filling if using. You can add the chopped nuts to this if you like, but I find it easier to sprinkle on both the nuts and the chocolate separately.

Once the dough has doubled, make the meringue:
In a clean mixing bowl – ideally a plastic or metal bowl so the egg whites adhere to the side (they slip on glass) and you don’t end up with liquid remaining in the bottom – beat the egg whites with the salt, first on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high and continue beating until foamy and opaque. Add the vanilla then start adding the ½ cup sugar, a tablespoon at a time as you beat, until very stiff, glossy peaks form.

Assemble the Coffee Cakes:

Line 2 baking/cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Punch down the dough and divide in half. On a lightly floured surface, working one piece of the dough at a time (keep the other half of the dough wrapped in plastic), roll out the dough into a 20 x 10-inch (about 51 x 25 ½ cm) rectangle. Spread half of the meringue evenly over the rectangle up to about 1/2-inch (3/4 cm) from the edges. Sprinkle half of your filling of choice evenly over the meringue (ex: half of the cinnamon-sugar followed by half the chopped nuts and half of the chocolate chips/chopped chocolate).

Now, roll up the dough jellyroll style, from the long side. Pinch the seam closed to seal. Very carefully transfer the filled log to one of the lined cookie sheets, seam side down. Bring the ends of the log around and seal the ends together, forming a ring, tucking one end into the other and pinching to seal.

Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife (although scissors are easier), make cuts along the outside edge at 1-inch (2 ½ cm) intervals. Make them as shallow or as deep as desired but don’t be afraid to cut deep into the ring.

Repeat with the remaining dough, meringue and fillings.

Cover the 2 coffee cakes with plastic wrap and allow them to rise again for 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Brush the tops of the coffee cakes with the egg wash. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until risen and golden brown. The dough should sound hollow when tapped.

Remove from the oven and slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheets onto the table. Very gently loosen the coffee cakes from the paper with a large spatula and carefully slide the cakes off onto cooling racks. Allow to cool.

Just before serving, dust the tops of the coffee cakes with confectioner’s sugar as well as cocoa powder if using chocolate in the filling. These are best eaten fresh, the same day or the next day.

Additional Information:

The recipe calls for active dried yeast. An excellent source for yeast conversions and substitutes ishttp://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/19314/re-yeast-conversion-fresh-dry-and...

http://www.foodsubs.com/LeavenYeast.html

Bread Baking Buddies : Rewena paraoa (Maori bread)

2011-03-25T12:57:00.004+01:00

This month we travel a long way with Lien our Bread Baking Babe Host : New Zealand !

She found this very interesting Maori bread that uses fermented potatoes as leavening.

You will see in the round-up how beautifully other bakers have decorated their bread ...I went for a simple NZ slashing !

Please visit Lien for more informations !

RECIPE

Rewena
100 g potato, peeled and thinly sliced
165 ml water
extra water
165 g strong bread flour
1 tsp liquid honey

Dough
400 g strong bread flour
1 tsp salt
20 g liquid honey
1/4 tsp instant active dried yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, roughly chopped
150 ml water
330 g rewena, as above
additional flour, for dusting
4— 5 ice cubes, for creating steam in the oven

To prepare the rewena, place the potato and water into a saucepan and then boil until the potato is soft, leave the lid off. Mash the cooked potato in the water and add extra water until you have 250 g in total. Put into a bowl and cool until lukewarm. If the mashed potatoes are too hot, it will cook the starch in the flour. Mix in the flour and honey to make a soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place until the dough ferments. After one day you'll see a few bubbles on the surface, after two days a lot. You can use it after two days or up to three, if you'll leave it longer it'll be over its strongest point.

To make the dough, put all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and, using a wooden spoon, combine to form a soft dough mass. (You may need to adjust with a little more flour or water.) Knead the dough in the spiral mixer for 8 -10 minutes (starting on speed 1 or 2, halfway on speed 3) until the dough (almost) clears the sides and the dough is smooth and elastic.

Place the dough into a lightly oiled large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place. Once the dough has almost doubled in size (this will take approximately 1 hour), tip the dough onto the bench dusted with flour and gently knock it back by folding it onto itself three to four times. Return the dough to the lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave for a further 30 minutes in a warm place.

Fold the dough to form a large rectangle. This doesn't need to be exact, just as long as it's tight and compact. Place on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to prove for approximately 60-120 minutes, depending on room temperature.

(optional) Cut a silver fern-leaf or Maori moko design stencil out of stiff paper. Remove the plastic wrap from the dough and place the stencil on the dough's surface (I sprayed the stencil with pan coating, otherwise it would have got stuck on the dough), then with a fine sieve filled with a little (white rye) flour, lightly dust flour over the stencil so you are left with a pattern on the loaf. Carefully remove the stencil. Using a sharp knife or razor blade, cut around the edge of stencilled pattern.

Preheat the oven to 220ºC with a baking tray or baking stone inside (the stone should really be hot!) and a small ovenproof dish on the bottom shelf. Place the loaf in the oven and quickly throw 4-5 ice cubes into the small ovenproof dish and close the oven door.

Bake for 10 minutes and then turn the tray around, reduce the oven temperature to 200°C and bake for a further 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is a dark golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.

(adapted from: “Global Baker” – Dean Brettschneider)

I Heart Cooking Clubs : Arrivederci Giada ! Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

2011-03-25T12:29:00.003+01:00

This is the last week we, at I Heart Cooking Clubs, are cooking with Giada.

I didn't know anything about her if not what every italian knows about her grand parents.

And I must confess I was a bit suspicious about her cooking but I was proved wrong as I found most of Giada's recipe very good and interesting.

So to say good-bye and thank-you I chose these wonderful cookies rich with lemon !

I actually do not know why my cookies stayed round instead of looking like Giada's but as my usual problem is Spreading I won't complain !

Here is where I got the recipe.

RECIPE

Ingredients

Cookies:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lemon, zested

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lemon, zested

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cookies:

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Glaze:

Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. Pack the cookies into a decorative container.

TWD : Honey Nut Brownies

2011-03-21T21:43:00.002+01:00

I feel like the Groundhog finally coming out...let's see !

Suzy of My Suzy Homemaker chose this recipe and, I know I repeat myself, everytime I'm surprised and think that Dorie's book is like Mary Poppins bag : wonderful recipe keep coming out !

I used a very special honey : Sulla (hedysarum coronarium ) now....please do not ask me how the brownies were because I'm on a strict diet and didn't taste a crumb ! But I saw my family eating them with a smile and happy neighbours too.

I had read on the P&Q that they were a bit cakey so I cooked the brownies a bit less and I think they were very good.

If you happen to be around here give me a buzz and I'll be happy to share some cookies too !!

Please visit Suzy for the recipe and the blogroll for more honeys !

Moosewood Mondays : Sweet Pumpkin Cookies

2011-03-21T19:03:00.003+01:00

Quite some years ago I found a copy of 'Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant' in an english bookshop that sadly doesn't exist anymore and I fell in love with the Moosewood collective, now I own almost all their books and Mollie Katzen's too of course.

I really enjoy reading through them and was surprised when 'Volcano' Natashya started to cook Moosewood's Mondays so I'm finally joining her with one cookie recipe that manages to please all.

RECIPE

(from Moosewood Restaurant New Classic)

Yields about 42 cookies

1 cup butter, room temp (I used rice oil)

1 cup sugar

1 cup pumpkin purée

1 egg lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped toasted peanuts (I used almonds)

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla and mix until well blended. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinamon, allspice, and salt, and add to the mixing bowl. Stir well to form a soft batter. Stir in the chopped nuts, raisins and, if you like, the chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoonsfuls onto a large, unoiled baking sheet (or two smaller ones), allowing a little space for the cookies to spread as they bake. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cookies just begin to brown slightly on the bottom.

I Heart Cooking Clubs : Spud Week - Bacon and Pancetta Potatoes

2011-03-20T21:21:00.003+01:00

You see I learned a new word : spud !

It sounds like Pippi Longstocking' secret word but simply means potatoes (or not?).

I really wanted to cook with Giada these last weeks so I choose a simple and delicious (I imagine since I'm on a diet ...) dish which my bacon lover Carlo would eat.

Please visit my colleagues on the blog and check our future chef !

The recipe can be found here or read on

RECIPE

4 thick-cut slices bacon, roughly chopped
2 (1/4-inch thick) slices pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh thyme leaves

Directions

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and pancetta. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon and pancetta are brown and crispy, about 10 to 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and pancetta pieces to paper towels to drain. Add the potatoes and garlic to the pan. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the potatoes are golden and cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes. Add the thyme, cooked bacon and cooked pancetta to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Transfer the potatoes to a large serving bowl and serve immediately.

The Cake Slice : Chocolate Cream Pound Cake

2011-03-20T19:03:00.004+01:00

It is so long I'm not blogging I'm not sure to remember how to !

I can't wait for my job to finish because I do not have much time for anything apart from blogging.

Well anyhow I managed to bake this simple loaf pan pound cake from 'Cake Keeper Cakes' by Lauren Chattman.

As Carlo was found intolerant to lactose I'm triyng to reduce it whenever I can and I'm using rice oil instead of butter . I didn't substitute the cream though...

We enjoied the result I got a velvety dark crumb, maybe a bit 'elastic' but probably it was my fault. I think it was a fairly easy and fast cake to bake.

Please visit the The Cake Slice blogroll

Recipe

60 g cocoa powder
55 ml double cream
150 g plain flour
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
100 g unsalted butter, softened (I used rice oil)
335 g caster sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method
Heat the oven to 160C. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and dust with flour.
Sift the cocoa powder into a heatproof bowl. Place the cream in a microwavable bowl and heat for 30-60 seconds until just boiling. Pour the hot cream over the cocoa and stir and mash with a spoon to make a thick paste. Set aside to cool.
Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bow once or twice as necessary. Beat in the cocoa powder paste until well combined (it will look grainy but this is fine).
With the mixer on medium-low speed add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Stir in the vanilla (the batter should now be smooth and glossy).
Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, a third at a time, scraping down the sides after each addition. Add the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake until it is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Invert it onto a wire rack and then turn it right side up on the rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.
Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Makes one 9x5 inch loaf cake .