Castagnaccio

by Michele

A dense cake made with chestnut "castagna" flour to give the rich flavor and color. The crackle effect and density is similar to that of a brownie. However, the chestnut flour, pinenuts, rosemary and raisins give it a very unique flavor that can only be described once tasted!

Pizza

 

Pizza ai mozzarella, funghi & pancetta affumicata

Homemade pizza 

(mozzarella, mushroom & smoked bacon)

yum!

Tiramisu

Tiramisu

by Michele

Preparation time: 30min
Servings: 6
Ingredients
20-25 pcs ladyfingers (savoiardi)
3 eggs
1 & 1/4 cups mascarpone
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup strong black coffee
2 Tbsp of rum (or more if you desire)
pinch of salt
unsweetened baking cocoa (to sprinkle generously over the top)

PreparationPrepare the coffee and set aside. Separate the yolks of the eggs in a large bowl and the whites directly in the mixing (kitchenaid) bowl. Add the sugar to the yolks (save 2 teaspoons) and whisk it to the obtain a soft and light cream. Add the mascarpone spoon by spoon one at a time, continuing to whisk it. The cream has to be well homogenized and dense. Add the rum and whisk it.
Now go back to the Kitchenaid's bowl: Add a pince of salt to the whites. Beat them on high speed until they form peaks with tips that stand straight when the beaters are lifted. Now we proceed to mix the two bowls...
Add a spoon of whites to the cream to soften it, then you have to add all the rest, but you have to change the tool. Use a spatula instead of the wire whisk. To add it, cut the cream from bottom to top "lifting" while mixing. Now the "cream" is done. Set it aside and proceed layering the Tiramisu.
Take the coffee, add the 2 tsp of sugar you saved. Take 10 ladyfingers. Dip one flat side of each into the coffee and place into the desired deep dish (I prefer pyrex or ceramic) forming a layer of lady fingers. Take half of the mascarpone cream mixture and make a layer over the ladyfingers. Sprinkle generously with cocoa forming the first layer. With the rest of the cream, fill a pastry bag and make small roses all over the top. Sprinkle again of cocoa generously and put into fridge to cool. Enjoy!

Meat Potato Pie

by Michele  

  

Pineapple Rum Raisin Marmalade

Marmellata D'Ananas by Michele

Pineapple Rum Raisin Marmalade

"Special Edition"

1 whole pineapple

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup sugar

1/2 pint rum

1 pkg pectin

Prep Time: 20 min

Makes: 1 quart

Preparation:

Cut the pineapple in small cubes. In a pan, add pineapple cubes, raisins, sugar and pectin. Bring to boil for at least 3 minutes to allow the pectin to set. Remove from heat. Add the rum and pour hot into desired size jars.

Special note: As I heard laughter coming from the kitchen, I thought I better go inspect what was happening. I found Michele with a big smile on his face as he whipped up his latest creation! 

"I had to do something with all that pineapple!" - Michele

Soupe de Poisson

A french soup made of fish, broth

enjoyed with fresh bread rounds floating

topped with rouille and 

fresh grated cheese

We love this soup so much that on a recent trip to France, we found the fresh spices at the open market to make our own rouille at home. The aroma of the spices, the taste of the soup is beyond words! It definitely makes you feel like you are actually in France by the seaside soaking up the warm glowing sunsets.

Thanksgiving in Milan

We celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday last Sunday by cooking a small feast. As the holiday approached, I happily searched for some different recipes that were reminiscent of the traditional ones. This is what we came up with. Michele enjoyed his second Thanksgiving and happily looks forward to next year! We debated whether to buy a whole turkey or not.  In the end decided on a large breast instead. (Interesting note: It's a bit difficult to find cranberries here). That's okay, the fresh pomegranate glaze we made was by far a favorite! I think we'll make that a new tradition.

Thanksgiving Menu

roast turkey with pomegranate glaze

mashed potatoes with baked ham & bèchamel 

 greenbeans & creamy mushroom sauce   

homemade bread

herb roast

chocolate cream pie
pumpkin roll

prosecco

ps. Ok, so someone got a little excited to add the "chocolate shavings" over the choc.cream pie :)

Pumpkin roll

Just in time for Thanksgiving...

Pumpkin roll with cream cheese swirl

 The holidays always remind us of special recipes. One of my favorites that naturally comes to mind is my aunt's "pumpkin roll!" We just attempted the recipe for the first time and it was a success! We have so much pumpkin now, that we decided to make a few more, maybe even some soup, ravioli or a risotto! Thank you for sharing your recipe Aunt Vicki!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

A little holiday cheer...

We may have been a little bit excited to get our Christmas Tree this year! Oh yes, we are well aware of how early it actually is, but when you buy a live one...you can set it up as early as you like!

Sunday morning I woke up to the sound of the KitchenAid mixer and various tunes, whistling coming from the kitchen. He's at it again, the holiday baking has begun. :)

Oatmeal lemon zesty coconut M&M cookies

Yummm!

Few words, photos...need I say more?

Paris Brest

A French dessert said to have been created by a pastry chef in honor of a bicycle race between Paris and Brest. It consists of a baked almond-topped choux pastry ring, which is patterned after a bicycle tire, that is split and filled with a praline-flavored buttercream. Source: foodnetwork.com

Refreshing...

Nectarines chilled in white wine, sugar and mint! 

by Michele

p.s. yummm!

Buon Compleanno, Michele!

August 25, 2010

Buon Compleanno menu

breakfast - chocolate chip pancakes

appetizer - crayfish tails on Swedish knäcke bröd

...and wine of course! 

main course - lamb with garlic, herbs and potatoes

dessert - princess tårta 
(sponge cake with raspberry & butter cream filling covered in a layer of marzipan)

Barchette - just docked...

After our recent inspiration to create "Barchette" aka. the little puff pastry boats, a few new Barchette sailed into our kitchen. These included spinach, yogurt cream cheese, egg, french herbs and a few sardines jumped into a couple of the boats. :) Inspired by the recent find at the supermercato (see post below).