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

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.

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

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.

Daring Baker's Challenge: Baked Alaska

As you can see we have an injured guest for josephine's first birthday !!

The August 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking. For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was the gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make a pound cake to be used in either a Baked Alaska or in Ice Cream Petit Fours. The sources for Elissa’s challenge were Gourmet magazine and David Lebovitz’s “The Perfect Scoop”.

The photos of my baked Alaska look so bad I intended to make onother one but never made and even postponed posting forever...

The baked Alaska itself was fun to make and a surprise for my Italian guests who didn't know what to expect from it.

I really loved the smell and taste of the browned butter pound cake and regretted not tasting it fully when frozen.

I used a middle layer of pound cake too but I think it was too thick.

I used the chocolate ganache ice cream I had made for Tusday with Dorie.

I used the chocolate ganache ice cream I had made for Tusdays with Dorie and some little leftovers of store bought ice cream.

This dessert was easy to assemble provided you have enough room in your freezer !!

RECIPE

Vanilla Ice Cream

1 cup (250ml) whole milk
A pinch of salt
3/4 cup (165g) sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise OR 2 teaspoons (10ml) pure vanilla extract
2 cups (500ml) heavy (approx 35% butterfat) cream
5 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract

1. Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan until the liquid steams. Scrape out the seeds of the vanilla bean with a paring knife and add to the milk, along with the bean pod. Cover, remove from heat, and let infuse for an hour. (If you do not have a vanilla bean, simply heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan until the liquid steams, then let cool to room temperature.)

2. Set up an ice bath by placing a 2-quart (2 litre) bowl inside a large bowl partially filled with water and ice. Put a strainer on top of the smaller bowl and pour in the cream.

3. In another bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks together. Reheat the milk in the medium saucepan until warmed, and then gradually pour ¼ cup warmed milk into the yolks, constantly whisking to keep the eggs from scrambling. Once the yolks are warmed, scrape the yolk and milk mixture back into the saucepan of warmed milk and cook over low heat. Stir constantly and scrape the bottom with a spatula until the mixture thickens into a custard which thinly coats the back of the spatula.

4. Strain the custard into the heavy cream and stir the mixture until cooled. Add the vanilla extract (1 teaspoon [5ml] if you are using a vanilla bean; 3 teaspoons [15ml] if you are not using a vanilla bean) and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, preferably overnight.

5. Remove the vanilla bean and freeze in an ice cream maker. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can make it without a machine. See instructions from David Lebovitz:http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/07/making_ice_crea_1.html

Brown Butter Pound Cake

19 tablespoons (9.5 oz) (275g) unsalted (sweet) butter
2 cups (200g) sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring) (See “Note” section for cake flour substitution)
1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (3g) salt
1/2 cup (110g) packed light brown sugar
1/3 (75g) cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C and put a rack in the center. Butter and flour a 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) square pan.

2. Place the butter in a 10” (25cm) skillet over medium heat. Brown the butter until the milk solids are a dark chocolate brown and the butter smells nutty. (Don’t take your eyes off the butter in case it burns.) Pour into a shallow bowl and chill in the freezer until just congealed, 15-30 minutes.

3. Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. Beat the brown butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well, and then the vanilla extract.

5. Stir in the flour mixture at low speed until just combined.

6. Scrape the batter into the greased and floured 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) square pan. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula and rap the pan on the counter. Bake until golden brown on top and when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

7. Cool in the pan 10 minutes. Run a knife along the edge and invert right-side-up onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Glaze (For the Ice Cream Petit Fours)

9 ounces (250g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup (250 ml) heavy (approx 35% butterfat) cream
1 1/2 tablespoons (32g) light corn syrup, Golden syrup, or agave nectar
2 teaspoons (10ml) vanilla extract

Stir the heavy cream and light corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add the dark chocolate. Let sit 30 seconds, then stir to completely melt the chocolate. Stir in the vanilla and let cool until tepid before glazing the petit fours.

Meringue (For the Baked Alaska)

8 large egg whites
½ teaspoon (3g) cream of tartar
½ teaspoon (3g) salt
1 cup (220g) sugar

Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt on high speed in an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Beat in the sugar gradually in a slow stream until stiff peaks form.

Assembly Instructions – Ice Cream Petit Fours

1. Line a 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) pan with plastic wrap, so that no sides of the pan are exposed and so there is some extra plastic wrap hanging off the sides. Spread 1 ¾ to 2 cups (450ml to 500ml) ice cream into the pan. Cover with more plastic wrap and freeze several hours.

2. Once the brown butter pound cake has completely cooled, level the top with a cake leveler or a serrated knife. Then split the cake in half horizontally to form two thin layers.

3. Unwrap the frozen ice cream. Flip out onto one of the layers of cake and top with the second layer of cake. Wrap well in plastic wrap and return to the freezer overnight.

4. Make the chocolate glaze (see above.)

5. While the glaze cools, trim ¾” (2cm) off each side of the ice cream cake to leave a perfectly square 7.5” (19cm) ice cream cake. Cut the cake into twenty five petit fours, each 1.5”x1.5” (4cmx4cm).

6. Glaze the petit fours one at a time: place a petit four on a fork and spoon chocolate glaze over it.

7. Place the petit fours on a parchment-lined baking sheet and return to the freezer for one hour.

Assembly Instructions – Baked Alaska

1. Line four 4” (10cm) diameter tea cups with plastic wrap, so that plastic wrap covers all the sides and hangs over the edge. Fill to the top with ice cream. Cover the top with the overhanging plastic wrap and freeze for several hours, or until solid.

2. Level the top of the brown butter pound cake with a serrated knife or with a cake leveler. Cut out four 4” (10cm) diameter circles from the cake. Discard the scraps or use for another purpose.

3. Make the meringue (see above.)

4. Unwrap the ice cream “cups” and invert on top of a cake round. Trim any extra cake if necessary.

5. Pipe the meringue over the ice cream and cake, or smooth it over with a spatula, so that none of the ice cream or cake is exposed. Freeze for one hour or up to a day.

6. Burn the tips of the meringue with a cooking blow torch. Or, bake the meringue-topped Baked Alaskas on a rimmed baking sheet in a 500°F/260°C oven for 5 minutes until lightly golden. Serve immediately.

Meringhe Veneziane

Quando ho visto la foto del Mio libro favorito sul post di Sabrine ho avuto un tuffo al cuore, questo manuale mi era stato regalato al mare da bambina e da allora è stato il fedele compagno di tanti anni di pasticci e disastri culinari.

Da piccoli passavamo interminabili vacanze in una casa in campagna lontana da tutto e fare le ricette di Nonna Papera era un grande evento.

Sono rimasta a lungo indecisa su quale ricetta scegliere, una delle preferite era la crostata Settecolli (soprattutto dopo che mio fratello e la mia cara amica Flavia ne avevano fatta cadere una per terra e avevano sistemato le striscioline di pastafrolla in una N, ribattezzandola crostata Natalia) ma era già stata scelta, così ho fatto i biscotti di Brigitta senza accorgermi che erano anche loro già stati scelti proprio da Sabrine !

Dovevo capitolare e fare le Meringhe Veneziane causa di un trauma/meringhe che è durato fino a poco fa.

Quando le avevamo provate mio padre le aveva montate con un frullino a manovella (eravamo quasi nella Preistoria) però dopo, non so perchè (ho sempre pensato fosse colpa mia) si erano totalmente smontate restando un orribile liquido marroncino (avevamo optato per la versione al cacao) che...siamo stati obbligati a mangiare per due giorni !!!

Ecco. Mio padre era uno che aveva sofferto la fame e non solo... , ma io le meringhe non le ho più provate per anni e anni !

Ora eccole nella versione base, mi piacerebbe che mio papà fosse ancora qui per riderci su!

Un grazie enorme a Sabrine per aver riportato alla memoria tanti ricordi , in casa mia nessuno faceva dolci ed è grazie a nonna Papera se sono diventata una aspirante pasticcera.

RICETTA

gr 300 zucchero al velo;

6 chiare d'uovo;

gr 10 burro;

poca farina bianca.

Sbattete a lungo le chiare con 250 gr dello zucchero, fino ad ottenere una neve molto soda. Mettere la neve in una tasca da pasticcere col becco liscio e deponete sulla piastra da forno tanti mucchietti abbastanza distanti tra loro. Spolverate le meringhe col resto dello zucchero e cuocete un'ora in forno a 140°.

99 Colombe : Torta di mele - Italiano a seguire

As many of you may remember a year ago an earthquake struck the city of L'Aquila and its surroundings.

People from Abruzzo are very well known for their strenght and will power, as for many other beautiful sides of their character.

The beautiful Aquila is still filled with debris and the people who loved to walk and meet in the center are becoming more and more angry and hopeless.

You might already know that many Americans have origins from Abruzzo : Madonna,Michael Bublè, Dean Martin and John Fante between many others.

Abruzzo is famous for many specialty foods among which are the products of the Sorelle Nurzia factory, since 1835 their little soft torroncini are a must for Christmas.

A group of bloggers decided to do something to help them get a new start by preparing a dessert using their products.

Francesco Arena , a photographer, visited the factory and shot some great photos.

I got a traditional colomba with raisins and candied orange peel and decided to make an apple tarte.

I used a store bought puff pastry for the base, then spread a thin layer of homemade orange marmalade ( remember ?)

Covered it with a homey pastry cream layer (just one whole egg, 2 Tbs sugar, 1 Tbs cornstarch and 300 ml milk).

And finally a layer of thinly cut colomba, cover all with apple slices brush with some thinned marmalade.... Bake in a 380° oven and here it is !

ITALIANO

Quando ho saputo dell'iniziativa di 99 colombe ho cercato di immaginare quale ricetta avrei potuto preparare e questa semplice torta di mele ispirata a una torta di una pasticceria della mia infanzia mi è subito venuta in mente.

E' una ricetta semplicissima e veloce ma squisita ! La colomba delle Sorelle Nurzia si è unita con la crema e la marmellata in una meravigliosa crema all'arancia.....purtroppo non ce n'è più !!!!

Il procedimento è semplicissimo: si fodera una teglia con un rotolo di pasta sfoglia si ricopre di marmellata di arance, crema paticcera, colomba (o pandispagna, pandoro, panettone) e finalmente le mele. Io ho spennellato le mele con un po' di marmellata di arance diluita a frullata. Si cuoce a 200 ° per una quarantina di minuti.

Daring Baker's Challenge: Orange Tian in italiano a seguire

The 2010 March Daring Baker’s challenge was hosted by Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings. She chose Orange Tian as the challenge for this month, a dessert based on a recipe from Alain Ducasse’s Cooking School in Paris.

I must confess I wasn't expecting much from this recipe (mostly I thought the whipped cream layer was going to be dull) but, as often, I was wrong !!

As you can see I got to work with the largest oranges (the apple is the smallest !)

For this recipe we got to prepare the pate sablee base, the marmalade, the orange segments and the orange caramel (super yummy !).

I know I'm very bad but I started this last day morning !!

I made the pate sablee and while it was in the fridge I started the marmalade and got on preparing the segments... these will be the last oranges in the season and are organic so I didn't want to throw away all the rinds so I decided to blanch them too and candy them.

I was so sure the kids wouldn't try the orange tian that I planned a family style strawberries tian as well but I was wrong once again !! They loved it !!

I wanted to use a heart shaped muffin silicon pan so I cut out a template of the hearts and cut the pate sablee with it (it didn't spread !!) for the rest it went quite smoothly. If you want to try making the tian I'm sure you could skip the marmalade step if using some good store bought marmalade.

Recipe

For the Pate Sablee:

Ingredients U.S. Imperial Metric Instructions for Ingredients
2 medium-sized egg yolks at room temperature
granulated sugar 6 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon; 2.8 oz; 80 grams
vanilla extract ½ teaspoon
Unsalted butter ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons; 3.5 oz; 100 grams ice cold, cubed
Salt 1/3 teaspoon; 2 grams
All-purpose flour 1.5 cup + 2 tablespoons; 7 oz; 200 grams
baking powder 1 teaspoon ; 4 grams

Directions:
Put the flour, baking powder, ice cold cubed butter and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade.

In a separate bowl, add the eggs yolks, vanilla extract and sugar and beat with a whisk until the mixture is pale. Pour the egg mixture in the food processor.

Process until the dough just comes together. If you find that the dough is still a little too crumbly to come together, add a couple drops of water and process again to form a homogenous ball of dough. Form into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.

Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface until you obtain a ¼ inch thick circle.

Using your cookie cutter, cut out circles of dough and place on a parchment (or silicone) lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until the circles of dough are just golden.

For the Marmalade:

Ingredients U.S. Imperial Metric Instructions for Ingredients
Freshly pressed orange juice ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons; 3.5 oz; 100 grams
1 large orange used to make orange slices
cold water to cook the orange slices
pectin 5 grams
granulated sugar: use the same weight as the weight of orange slices once they are cooked

Finely slice the orange. Place the orange slices in a medium-sized pot filled with cold water. Simmer for about 10 minutes, discard the water, re-fill with cold water and blanch the oranges for another 10 minutes.

Blanch the orange slices 3 times. This process removes the bitterness from the orange peel, so it is essential to use a new batch of cold water every time when you blanch the slices.

Once blanched 3 times, drain the slices and let them cool.

Once they are cool enough to handle, finely mince them (using a knife or a food processor).

Weigh the slices and use the same amount of granulated sugar . If you don’t have a scale, you can place the slices in a cup measurer and use the same amount of sugar.

In a pot over medium heat, add the minced orange slices, the sugar you just weighed, the orange juice and the pectin. Cook until the mixture reaches a jam consistency (10-15 minutes).

Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge.

For the Orange Segments:

For this step you will need 8 oranges.

Cut the oranges into segments over a shallow bowl and make sure to keep the juice. Add the segments to the bowl with the juice.

[See YouTube video in the References section below for additional information on segmenting oranges.]

For the Caramel:

Ingredients U.S. Metric Imperial Instructions for Ingredients
granulated sugar 1 cup; 7 oz; 200 grams
orange juice 1.5 cups + 2 tablespoons; 14 oz; 400 grams

Place the sugar in a pan on medium heat and begin heating it.

Once the sugar starts to bubble and foam, slowly add the orange juice. As soon as the mixture starts boiling, remove from the heat and pour half of the mixture over the orange segments.

Reserve the other half of the caramel mixture in a small bowl — you will use this later to spoon over the finished dessert. When the dessert is assembled and setting in the freezer, heat the kept caramel sauce in a small saucepan over low heat until it thickens and just coats the back of a spoon (about 10 minutes). You can then spoon it over the orange tians.

[Tip: Be very careful when making the caramel — if you have never made caramel before, I would suggest making this step while you don’t have to worry about anything else. Bubbling sugar is extremely, extremely hot, so make sure you have a bowl of ice cold water in the kitchen in case anyone gets burnt!]

For the Whipped Cream:

Ingredients U.S. Metric Imperial Instructions for Ingredients
heavy whipping cream 1 cup; 7 oz; 200 grams
3 tablespoons of hot water
1 tsp Gelatine
1 tablespoon of confectioner's sugar
orange marmalade (see recipe above) 1 tablespoon

In a small bowl, add the gelatine and hot water, stirring well until the gelatine dissolves. Let the gelatine cool to room temperature while you make the whipped cream. Combine the cream in a chilled mixing bowl. Whip the cream using a hand mixer on low speed until the cream starts to thicken for about one minute. Add the confectioner sugar. Increase the speed to medium-high. Whip the cream until the beaters leave visible (but not lasting) trails in the cream, then add the cooled gelatine slowly while beating continuously. Continue whipping until the cream is light and fluffy and forms soft peaks. Transfer the whipped cream to a bowl and fold in the orange marmalade.
[Tip: Use an ice cold bowl to make the whipped cream in. You can do this by putting your mixing bowl, cream and beater in the fridge for 20 minutes prior to whipping the cream.]

Assembling the Dessert:

Make sure you have some room in your freezer. Ideally, you should be able to fit a small baking sheet or tray of desserts to set in the freezer.

Line a small tray or baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone sheet. Lay out 6 cookie cutters onto the parchment paper/silicone.

Drain the orange segments on a kitchen towel.

Have the marmalade, whipped cream and baked circles of dough ready to use.

Arrange the orange segments at the bottom of each cookie cutter. Make sure the segments all touch either and that there are no gaps. Make sure they fit snuggly and look pretty as they will end up being the top of the dessert. Arrange them as you would sliced apples when making an apple tart.

Once you have neatly arranged one layer of orange segments at the bottom of each cookie cutter, add a couple spoonfuls of whipped cream and gently spread it so that it fills the cookie cutter in an even layer. Leave about 1/4 inch at the top so there is room for dough circle.

Using a butter knife or small spoon, spread a small even layer of orange marmalade on each circle of dough.

Carefully place a circle of dough over each ring (the side of dough covered in marmalade should be the side touching the whipping cream). Gently press on the circle of dough to make sure the dessert is compact.

Place the desserts to set in the freezer to set for 10 minutes.

Using a small knife, gently go around the edges of the cookie cutter to make sure the dessert will be easy to unmold. Gently place your serving plate on top of a dessert (on top of the circle of dough) and turn the plate over. Gently remove the cookie cutter, add a spoonful of caramel sauce and serve immediately.

ITALIANO

Devo confessare che non mi aspettavo molto da questa ricetta (per lo più ho pensato che strato di panna montata sarebbe stato poco interessante) ma, come al solito, mi sbagliavo!

Come potete vedere ho avuto modo di lavorare con delle arance giganti

Per questa ricetta abbiamo dovuto preparare la base di pate sablee, la marmellata, gli spicchi d'arancia e il caramello all'arancia (super buono!).

So di essere molto discola, ma ho iniziato questa mattina che era l'ultimo giorno!

Ho fatto la sablee e mentre era in frigo ho iniziato la marmellata, e la preparazione dei segmenti ... queste saranno le ultime arance della stagione e sono biologiche, quindi non volevo buttare via tutte le scorze così ho deciso di sbollentarle e farle candite.

Ero così sicura che i bambini non avrebbero mangiato il Tian all'arancia che ho preparato una tian di fragole ma mi sbagliavo ancora una volta: se la sono pappata tutta !

Volevo usare una teglia di silicone per muffin a forma di cuore così ho tagliato un modello del cuore in carta ci ho tagliato la sablee. Per il resto è andato tutto liscio. Se volete provare a fare il Tian sono sicura che è possibile saltare il passaggio-marmellata utilizzando qualche buona marmellata.

Ricetta

Per la Pate Sablee:

Ingredienti
2 tuorli d'uovo di medie dimensioni a temperatura ambiente
80 grammi di zucchero semolato
½ cucchiaino di estratto di vaniglia
100 gr burro freddo, tagliato a dadini
Sale 1 / 3 cucchiaino; 2 grammi
200 gr di farina
1 cucchiaino di lievito in polvere; 4 grammi

Mettere la farina, il lievito, il burro freddo a cubetti e il sale in un robot da cucina dotato di una lama d'acciaio.

In una ciotola, aggiungere i tuorli delle uova, estratto di vaniglia e lo zucchero e sbattere con una frusta finché la miscela è chiara. Versare il composto di uova nel robot da cucina.Lavorare fino a quando l'impasto si aggrega. Se si scopre che la pasta è ancora un po 'troppo friabile , aggiungere un paio di gocce d'acqua . Formare in un disco, coprire con pellicola trasparente e lasciare riposare in frigo per 30 minuti.

Preriscaldate il forno a 180°.

Stendete la pasta su una superficie leggermente infarinata fino ad ottenere un cerchio di 1/2 cm di spessore.

Tagliare dei cerchi di pasta e metterli su una teglia da forno. Cuocere in forno per 20 minuti o fino a quando i cerchi di pasta sono appena dorati.

Per la marmellata:

Ingredienti
100 gr succo d'arancia appena spremuto
1 arancia grande a fette sottili
acqua fredda per cuocere le fette di arancia
pectina 5 grammi
di zucchero semolato: usare lo stesso peso il peso di fette d'arancia, una volta che sono cotte

Affettare finemente le arance. Mettere le fette d'arancia in una pentola di medie dimensioni con acqua fredda. Fate bollire per circa 10 minuti, eliminare l'acqua, ri-riempire con acqua fredda e sbollentare le arance per altri 10 minuti.

Sbollentare le fette d'arancia 3 volte. Questo processo elimina l'amarezza della buccia d'arancia, quindi è indispensabile utilizzare nuova acqua fredda ogni volta che si sbollentano le fette.

Una volta scottate 3 volte, scolate le fette e lasciatele raffreddare.

Una volta che sono abbastanza fredde da maneggiare, tritatele.

Pesare le fette e utilizzare la stessa quantità di zucchero semolato.

In una pentola a fuoco medio, aggiungete le fettine di arancia tritata, lo zucchero appena pesato, il succo d'arancia e la pectina.Cuocere fino a quando il composto raggiunga una consistenza di marmellata (10-15 minuti).

Trasferire in una ciotola, coprire con pellicola trasparente e mettere in frigorifero.

Per i segmenti di Arancia:

Per questo passaggio avrete bisogno di 8 arance.

Tagliare le arance a spicchi su un piatto fondo e assicurarsi di mantenere il succo. Aggiungere i segmenti nella ciotola con il succo.

Per il caramello:

Ingredienti
200 gr di zucchero semolato
400 gr di succo d'arancia

Mettere lo zucchero in una casseruola a fuoco medio e cominciare riscaldandolo.

Una volta che lo zucchero inizia a bollire e la schiuma, aggiungere lentamente il succo d'arancia. Appena il composto inizia a bollire, togliere dal fuoco e versare la metà della salsa sugli spicchi d'arancia.

Riserva l'altra metà della miscela di caramello in una piccola ciotola - che si intende utilizzare in seguito per il dessert finito. Quando il dolce è assemblato e in freezer, riscaldare la salsa di caramello conservato in una piccola casseruola a fuoco basso finché non si addensa e veli appena il dorso di un cucchiaio (circa 10 minuti).

Per la panna montata:

Ingredienti
200 gr di panna da montare
3 cucchiai di acqua calda
1 cucchiaino di gelatina (io ho usato 2 fogli a bagno in acqua fredda)
1 cucchiaio di zucchero a velo
marmellata d'arance (vedi ricetta sopra) 1 cucchiaio

In una ciotola, aggiungere la gelatina e acqua calda, mescolando bene fino a quando la gelatina si scioglie. Lasciate raffreddare la gelatina a temperatura ambiente, mentre fate la panna montata. Montate la panna con una mano sul mixer a bassa velocità fino a quando la crema inizia ad addensarsi per circa un minuto.Aggiungere lo zucchero a velo. Aumentare la velocità di . Montare ancora la panna quindi aggiungere la gelatina raffreddata lentamente mentre continuate a montare fino a quando la crema è leggera e soffice. Trasferire la panna in una ciotola e unire la marmellata di arance.
Assemblare il dolce:

Assicurarsi di avere un certo spazio nel vostro congelatore.Idealmente, si dovrebbe essere in grado di montare un piccolo foglio di cottura o un vassoio di dolci, da mettere in freezer.

Foderare un piccolo vassoio o una teglia con carta da forno o un foglio di silicone. Poggiare 6 stampini sul foglio.Scolate i segmenti di arancia su un canovaccio.

Disporre gli spicchi d'arancia sul fondo di ogni stampino. Assicurarsi che tutti i segmenti si tocchino e che non ci siano spazi.

Una volta che avete disposto in modo ordinato uno strato di spicchi d'arancia sul fondo di ogni stampino, aggiungere un paio di cucchiai di panna montata e con delicatezza in modo che riempiano lo stampino in uno strato uniforme. Lasciare circa 1 /2 cm per il cerchio pasta.

Usando un coltello mettere un piccolo strato di marmellata d'arancia su ogni cerchio di pasta.

Adagiare un disco di pasta su ogni stampino (il lato di pasta coperto di marmellata dovrebbe essere il lato verso la panna montata). Premere delicatamente sul cerchio di pasta per assicurarsi che il dolce sia compatto.

Posizionare il dessert nel freezer per 10 minuti.

Usando un piccolo coltello, delicatamente girare intorno ai bordi dello stampino per assicurarsi che il dessert sarà facile da sformare. Delicatamente mettere il vostro piatto da portata sullo stampino e girare il piatto . Rimuovere delicatamente lo stampino, aggiungere un cucchiaio di salsa al caramello e servire subito.

Daring Baker's Challenge: Cannoli Siciliani

The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele ofParsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book.

I'm sorry I'm posting very late !

Our challenge this month was very familiar because we were asked to make cannoli siciliani and demanding because even my mother in law who is from Sicily never thought of frying the real thing. Once I started to make them I decided to try two recipes the one from our host and the one from Enza my dear friend who is responsible for my blogging.

You can see in the picture above the two cannoli on the left are the ones from the DB and the others are from Enza. Comparing the recipes the main difference is that in Enza's recipe there is less fat and no egg white.

As a filling I used simply the traditional ricotta and sugar (my mother in law lets it rest for a day but I wasn't so patient !)

The recipe

Lidisano’s Cannoli
Makes 22-24 4-inch cannoli
Prep time:
Dough – 2 hours and 10-20 minutes, including resting time, and depending on whether you do it by hand or machine.
Filling – 5-10 minutes plus chilling time (about 2 hours or more)
Frying – 1-2 minutes per cannoli
Assemble – 20–30 minutes

RECIPE NOTE: THE EQUIVALENTS FROM THIS RECIPE WERE PREPARED USING THIS CONVERSION SITE: http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/index.asp.

CANNOLI SHELLS
2 cups (250 grams/8.82 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons(28 grams/1 ounce) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.06 ounces) unsweetened baking cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams/0.04 ounces) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (approx. 3 grams/0.11 ounces) salt
3 tablespoons (42 grams/1.5 ounces) vegetable or olive oil
1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.18 ounces) white wine vinegar
Approximately 1/2 cup (approx. 59 grams/approx. 4 fluid ounces/approx. 125 ml) sweet Marsala or any white or red wine you have on hand
1 large egg, separated (you will need the egg white but not the yolk)
Vegetable or any neutral oil for frying – about 2 quarts (8 cups/approx. 2 litres)
1/2 cup (approx. 62 grams/2 ounces) toasted, chopped pistachio nuts, mini chocolate chips/grated chocolate and/or candied or plain zests, fruits etc.. for garnish
Confectioners' sugar

Note - If you want a chocolate cannoli dough, substitute a few tablespoons of the flour (about 25%) with a few tablespoons of dark, unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch process) and a little more wine until you have a workable dough (Thanks to Audax).

CANNOLI FILLING
2 lbs (approx. 3.5 cups/approx. 1 kg/32 ounces) ricotta cheese, drained
1 2/3 cups cup (160 grams/6 ounces) confectioner’s sugar, (more or less, depending on how sweet you want it), sifted
1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams/0.04 ounces) ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon (4 grams/0.15 ounces) pure vanilla extract or the beans from one vanilla bean
3 tablespoons (approx. 28 grams/approx. 1 ounce) finely chopped good quality chocolate of your choice
2 tablespoons (12 grams/0.42 ounces) of finely chopped, candied orange peel, or the grated zest of one small to medium orange
3 tablespoons (23 grams/0.81 ounce) toasted, finely chopped pistachios

Note - If you want chocolate ricotta filling, add a few tablespoons of dark, unsweetened cocoa powder to the above recipe, and thin it out with a few drops of warm water if too thick to pipe.

DIRECTIONS FOR SHELLS:
1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer or food processor, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the oil, vinegar, and enough of the wine to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and well blended, about 2 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge from 2 hours to overnight.

2 Cut the dough into two pieces. Keep the remaining dough covered while you work. Lightly flour a large cutting or pastry board and roll the dough until super thin, about 1/16 to 1/8” thick (An area of about 13 inches by 18 inches should give you that). Cut out 3 to 5-inch circles (3-inch – small/medium; 4-inch – medium/large; 5-inch;- large. Your choice). Roll the cut out circle into an oval, rolling it larger and thinner if it’s shrunk a little.

3 Oil the outside of the cannoli tubes (You only have to do this once, as the oil from the deep fry will keep them well, uhh, oiled..lol). Roll a dough oval from the long side (If square, position like a diamond, and place tube/form on the corner closest to you, then roll) around each tube/form and dab a little egg white on the dough where the edges overlap. (Avoid getting egg white on the tube, or the pastry will stick to it.) Press well to seal. Set aside to let the egg white seal dry a little.

4. In a deep heavy saucepan, pour enough oil to reach a depth of 3 inches, or if using an electric deep-fryer, follow the manufacturer's directions. Heat the oil to 375°F (190 °C) on a deep fry thermometer, or until a small piece of the dough or bread cube placed in the oil sizzles and browns in 1 minute. Have ready a tray or sheet pan lined with paper towels or paper bags.

5. Carefully lower a few of the cannoli tubes into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry the shells until golden, about 2 minutes, turning them so that they brown evenly.

8. Lift a cannoli tube with a wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, out of the oil. Using tongs, grasp the cannoli tube at one end. Very carefully remove the cannoli tube with the open sides straight up and down so that the oil flows back into the pan. Place the tube on paper towels or bags to drain. Repeat with the remaining tubes. While they are still hot, grasp the tubes with a potholder and pull the cannoli shells off the tubes with a pair of tongs, or with your hand protected by an oven mitt or towel. Let the shells cool completely on the paper towels. Place shells on cooling rack until ready to fill.

9. Repeat making and frying the shells with the remaining dough. If you are reusing the cannoli tubes, let them cool before wrapping them in the dough.

TWD: Berries-Apple Crisps

This week it was Em of the Repressed Pastry Chef who had the pleasure to choose a recipe and it was this nice Crisp.

Until yesterday I thought it was impossible to find fresh cranberries her in Rome, but while I was going to work I was looking around in the Campo de' Fiori Market and actually saw an unique package of cranberries !! It's a special seller who had them he seels the most incredible and exotic foods and he is so expensive I didn't have the courage to ask him the price of those berries !

Anyway I had made the Crisp a few days ago in the pre-flu era and I used frozen wild berries and raisins for it. I had lots of millet flakes so I used those instead of oats but in spite of all my changes the Crisp was very nice and easy to put together !

Please visit the TWD blogroll for a variety of mixed recipes !

I Heart Cooking Clubs : Chocolate Pavlova

Well this is not my usual midnight snack as you might imagine but for a special midnight... why not ? The recipe you find here makes a BIG pavlova ! My guests (mostly children) had different views about the toppings so I sliced it and 'topped' each slice.

Visit the blog for more appropriate snacks !!!