Dalla Mia Cucina

French Quarter Beignets & Scalded Milk with Espresso and Cinnamon

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Mon, 28 May 2012 00:43:00 +0000

I love creating recipes.. I'll have to tell you, I very rarely purchase cookbooks. I do have a grand selection of cooking magazines, but that is mainly because I love reading the articles and finding out "what's current" in the food industry for the season and year. And for the photo's.. I LOVE the photo's! But cookbooks.. I probably have 4-5 that are mainstay's. My regional Italian that I've had for close to 30 years, A French cookbook with beautiful egg, herb, cheese and local meat and fish dishes that are simple but infused with flavor, a Spanish Tapa cookbook, My English Tea cookbook and a wedding gift cookbook by Better Homes and Gardens Cooking that I love. It has classic cooking recipes that can be changed around so easily to suit my cooking style, and the foundational techniques were wonderful to hone my cooking skills as a young bridem 25 years ago.

But recently I came across a website of Cajun and New Orleans style cooking. A new LOVE! I am so excited to try out these recipes and get my hands on a really good New Orleans Cuisine cookbook. If you happen to know of a really good one.. please let me know!! I remember as a young woman going to an evening New Orleans Jazz Concert at a restaurant in the heart of Anaheim, Cal. where I was first introduced to Blackened Catfish. I haven't had it since but it left such a remarkable mark in my memory banks. Blackened fish will definitely be one of the first Cajun recipes I make.

This recipe for French Quarter Beignets, pronounced ben-YAYS comes from the web site, New Orleans Cuisine by Danno. Please, thumb through his many AMAZING recipes and take a look at his other web sites too. I know I will be returning many times!

These beignets were so light and delicious with my DMC style Cafe au Lait. Hot out of the frying pan straight into the powdered sugar and right onto a plate ready to eat and enjoy with a morning cup of coffee. For the coffee.. my kids love the way my mother in law makes hers. So when they are involved in our morning coffee time, they're treated to this sweet treat and drink just the way they like them. We scald the milk and then add it to a cup ready with a teaspoon of espresso powder and a teaspoon of turbinado sugar. Sprinkle a dusting of cinnamon on top. It's so creamy and yummy.. perfect to go with your hot beignets!

French Quarter Beignet Recipe

1 Envelope Active Dry Yeast
3/4 Cup Water (110 degrees F)
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Beaten Egg
1/2 Cup Evaporated Milk
3 1/2 - 3 3/4 Cups A.P. Flour
1/8 Cup Shortening
Vegetable Oil for Frying
Powdered Sugar in a shaker or sifter

Combine the Yeast, Water, and Sugar in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (You could also make this in a food processor, or the old fashioned way, by hand). Let this sit until frothy, about 5 minutes, then add the Salt, Egg, and Evaporated Milk. Mix on low speed, then add half of the flour until it starts to come together, then add the shortening. When the shortening is incorporated start adding the remaining flour, a little at a time until most of it is incorporated. At this time I always turn the dough onto a floured bench to finish by hand, just like when I make bread; it's a touch thing. Knead the dough adding just enough flour as necessary to make a non-sticky, smooth dough. Place the dough into a large oiled bowl, loosely cover and let rise (I made mine last night and let it rise overnight in the refrigerator).

After the dough has doubled in bulk, punch it down and turn it onto a floured surface and roll out into a rectangle that is about 1/2" thick. With a very sharp knife working at a diagonal to the rectangle, cut into 2" wide strips. Now cut into diamond shapes by making diagonal cuts in the opposite direction. Place the Beignets on a floured baking sheet to let rise about 40 minutes in a warm place (I place them in a barely warm oven).
When the Beignets have risen, heat 2-3 inches of vegetable oil in a large saucepan to 350-360 degrees. Place 2-3 Beignets into the hot oil at a time, being careful not to smash or deflate them. When they are golden brown, flip them over until golden brown on the other side (They go pretty quickly so start checking them right after they go into the oil). Remove to paper towel lined plates to drain. Serve hot topped with plenty of powdered sugar (because the dough doesn't contain much sugar, you will want a lot!). Best served with Cafe au Lait. Enjoy!

Makes about 2 dozen.

I cut my dough into rectangles.. but as you read the recipe you will see he cuts his into diamond shapes. I think that must look so pretty and I'm going to try that next time.

I fried mine in my cast iron skillet. It worked out wonderfully! Make sure the heat is hot enough so that the dough starts cooking and turning golden pretty quickly. You also want to make sure you continue turning them over. Have a wire basket type spoon ready to remove them and put them on a double paper lined plate.

So golden and beautiful!!

The powdering stage was the funniest stage for me the day I made these. It happened to be a beautiful breezy day and I had the window open enjoying the wind coming in. I mean, it was REALLY blowing to the point were the flame under the pan was fluttering all over the place. Don't ask me why.. but I had the tray of beignets right out of the pan near an open window.. dusting them with the powdered sugar. Definitely a site I, as well as my kitchen was. I read another recipe that instructs you too have a paper bag filled with powdered sugar and then to toss the hot beignets into the bag. That would have been the ideal route to take! So much quicker and cleaner!

The Inspired Plate May 2012 Challenge "Inspired By A Magazine Cover"

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the May 2012 Edition of "The Inspired Plate's" Food Photography and Photo Challenges.
I am so excited to introduce you to The Inspired Plate. This is the first time I am posting my challenge here on DMC. I usually post all of my photo challenges on my photography blog, A Favored Life, but I am so thrilled about these challenges and the woman I share in them with, that I really thought it would be wonderful for you to meet them and see what we are all about. To read more about our challenges and to meet some of our gals, click on the link here where you can view April's Pasta Challenge.

Once a month we post on our blogs the Food Photo and Styling challenge. Each month we are given a photo assignment related to food and styling. We are all photographers with a passion for food who really want to hone in on our styling abilities. It has been an amazing ride and we have all learned SO much from each other, from our challenges, our successes and yes.. even our failures.

This months challenge has been by far my favorite! We were asked to use a food magazine as inspiration to design our own cover. Is it any wonder that my favorite magazine is La Cucina Italiana! :) As I was looking through my magazines, I came to find out that I have issues that date back all the way to 2004.. That's 8 years worth of La Cucina Italian Magazines!!

I thought this challenge was going to be easier than it was.. I intended to style and shoot a cover as close as possible to the original, but I liked elements from two particular covers. I liked the whole roasted bird from the cover on the right.. but I wasn't ready for turkey quite yet. I also liked the braising of the vegetables from the cover on the right. Do you see the fennel? LOVE braising fennel in a rich chicken broth with a dash of color from radicchio. I also loved the placement of the roasted garlic on the tray. I had a tray!! But it is an antique toile painted tray that has the most beautiful colors.. so I wanted to add more of a color scheme to the design than the original cover has. I had my innards in a pan ready to make a wonderful gravy.. but time got away from me and I had to start my styling set up to be ready to shoot as soon as the food was all ready, so, I didn't place the gravy in the photo but opted instead to add a dish with roasted garlic and baked bread, as well as salt and pepper sides.

When you are done here.. please visit my amazing and talented friend Jennifer Olson | Central Coast, CA Food Photographer. I just met Jen in December through a friend on the Bloom Forum. (Where most of us photographers met) She has so much creativity and talent. Gorgeous to boot and the sweetest gal in the whole world! I love you Jen and your support here on The Inspired Plate always keeps me focused as a photographer growing in my art. xoxo

La Cucina Italiana inspiration cover's.

Braised Radicchio and Fennel Bulb

I first sautéed my soffrito of onions, carrots and celery in olive oil. As it became tender and translucent I added the radicchio seasoning it with fresh cracked black pepper and coarse sea salt and zest of lemon rind. Let brown just till golden and then remove it. I browned the fennel bulb lightly on all sides seasoning the same way as the radicchio and then added the chicken broth. I let the fennel become tender (aldente) and then added the radicchio back to the pan and let braise for another 3-5 minutes. The radicchio doesn't take long to cook and it loses it's color rather quickly. Less is more in this case! :) Season

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and Garlic Heads

Simply scrumptious with simple fresh herbs, olive oil and lemon zest. In a bowl mix olive oil, coarse sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, fresh oregano leaves and lemon zest together. Pour over cleaned fingerling potatoes and prepared garlic heads. Stuffing some of the oregano leaves into the garlic. Roast in 365 degree oven for 45 minutes.. till tender. Oven times vary.

Lemon and Herb Roasted Chicken

This simple bird was stuffed with lemon slices, a garlic bulb and fresh oregano. I doused the outside of the bird with olive oil, dry white wine, salt, pepper, cayenne, more chopped oregano and fresh lemon juice. I also roast my chickens at 365 degrees for approximately 1 to 1-1/2 hours compared to the normal 350 that so many recipes call for. I find that I get a much more juicy bird on the inside and a crisp exterior with a nice crunch to the skin. This bird may look a little dry, that's only because of the length of time it took me to get all the photo's taken. But even after re-heating it when my husband came home, it was moist and DELICIOUS!

Orange Cranberry Scones

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Tue, 01 May 2012 23:32:00 +0000

Yummy Scones for your weekend.. or for any day of the week for that matter. My kids

love having something quick to grab in the mornings before they head out to school. And

this recipe, with very little sugar, and some naturally added Vitamin C from the cranberries

and orange zest makes me feel comfortable that I'm not feeding into a junk food addiction.

You can glaze them, or do what I did here and just sprinkle with a small amount of sugar.

I really like the larger sugar crystals for breakfast breads like this. You can also substitute

coarse sanding sugar with Turbinado sugar or raw sugar.

Here is a link to check out the sugars at SWEET.. a candy and bakery supply company.

And if your interested in some more scone recipes.. here you can check out my DMC Blueberry Scones.

"Risotto” with Roasted Beets and Petite French Beans

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 23:33:00 +0000

If there’s ever a dish that I dream about, constantly, it would have to be risotto. As I sit here typing I’m thinking to myself, “Oh how I would love a hot steamy dish of rich and creamy risotto”, my dilemma, how can I possibly live off of risotto without it going to my hips. That’s it! The ONLY reason I don’t eat risotto for every meal. Those darn Italians.. Have THEE MOST AMAZING food.. Pasta’s, pizza, polenta and risotto! What’s a girl to do!!

So.. I’d like to tell you that this recipe post is an answer to my, and your, carbohydrate dilemma.. But it’s not! It’s just another epicurean temptation for something so out of this world that, you too my friend will be dreaming and drooling for risotto!

I very rarely use beets in my casserole type dishes. I like them roasted with other vegetables and I LOVE them drenched in a thick balsamic and olive oil dressing for a cold salad. But over the fall and winter season I just seemed to crave this beautiful raspberry colored root vegetable too often not to try to create a risotto dish recipe for them.

The trick to this dish was “when” to add the beets into the cooking process. I wanted my risotto to keep it’s creamy pale color while all the other vegetables took there featured place. Although a pink risotto might look pretty to some.. I wasn’t to keen on taking photo’s of pink rice. Rice my friends, in my opinion is one of the toughest food subjects to photograph.

You’ll LOVE this recipe.. Please read on for all the yummy details!

Prepare and roast your vegetables.
With a potato peeler, peel beets under running cold water. Cut them into 1/2 inch by 2 inch strips. Clean a 1/2 pound or so of petite french beans.
Put vegetables in pan, drizzle olive oil on top, add fresh cracked black pepper, salt, 1 thinly sliced garlic clove and rosemary sprigs. Toss to mix well.

Roast in 400° preheated oven for approximately 45-50 minutes.
Keep checking on them. Oven temperatures vary as well as desired softness or firmness.

This beautiful salt is called; 'Sel Gris De Gue'rande' sea salt(Grey Sea Salt). It's a coarse sea salt from the

Mediterranean waters off the coast of France. It has beautiful flavor and I love using it when roasting vegetables. I picked this batch up from the Spice Merchant in Old Town Temecula. I LOVE perusing their jars of tea's and spices. If you ever get to Temecula, you'll want to make sure to pay them a visit as well as browse our famed Old Town Temecula Farmers Market and the beautiful Old Town outdoor mall shops on Front Street.

In a very large pan on medium heat melt butter and 2-3 tablespoons olive oil. Sauté sweet onion and garlic just till they start to become translucent and soft. Pour in all of the Arborio rice and stir, coating all sides of the rice. Continue cooking and turning the rice so it doesn't darken, but cook long enough so the rice kernels evenly turn golden on all sides. Add 1/2 cup finely minced parsley. Stir. Add dry white wine, approximately 3/4 cups. This will sizzle vehemently. Cook rice stirring constantly till wine has dissipated.

Have 8 cups of chicken stock ready. You will most likely use all of this.. give a 1/4 cup or two.
Add a ladle full of the hot chicken stock. At this point season rice with freshly ground black pepper. Don't add salt yet! The chicken stock has plenty of flavor. At the final stage of cooking is when you will be able to tell if you want to add seasonings. Continue stirring. Keep heat at a temperature so that there will be a constant simmer (medium low should do it).

Let cook stirring constantly till rice again is dry. Repeat this process of ladling in broth and drying out rice until risotto is swelled and creamy but still has a bite (it should take around 30 minutes).

When risotto is ready fold in approximately 1/2 - 1 cup cheese. I used Sartori's Bella Vitano Merlot Cheese. You can also use a Gruyere or Parmesano Reggiano Cheese.

And the pièce de résistance.. roasted beets and petite french beans!

When the risotto is ready, gently fold in the roasted vegetables without over stirring to maintain a uniform cream color. Once you move them around a bit, the beautiful raspberry color 'will' start to bleed into the rice, but that's ok.. it still tastes FABULOUS!!!

Serve immediately on a platter.

At the table I like to have extra parmesan cheese to top the risotto and a small drizzle of dry white wine to splash over each individual serving. It adds such a beautiful aroma flavor.

Whole Wheat Apple Pecan Buttermilk Waffles with Lavender Honey Butter

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 23:23:00 +0000

There's nothing like a Sunday with my family gathered around the table sharing in fresh baked waffles.

Always a favorite with my husband and children.. but this new recipe utilizes whole wheat flour to give it a nuttier more satisfying bite.. as well as a healthier one too!

I love flavored butters and the addition of lavender essence was fun and fanciful at the same time. Perfect for the turn of weather and preparations for Spring! You can use any essential oil.. just remember they are concentrated and you don't need much at all. If you do happen to make a purchase of oils.. it's nice to have lemon and peppermint on hand too. You can add them to a cake mixture or buttercream icing. You'll love how unique your recipes will be when you start playing with flavors, essences and extracts. You bring a whole new level of individuality to your cooking!

Hope you enjoy! Buon Appetitio!

Laurie

Orzo Pasta with Roasted Parsnips, Carrots and Potatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:34:00 +0000

I'd love to call this my "Peter Rabbit Pasta Dish".. because as I was grabbing vegetables from my refrigerator yesterday it occurred to me that if I had a household of bunnies they would be very happy crowd.
It was for my son that this recipe came about. He is a vegetarian who also is borderline diabetic. So yesterday when he came home early from school, looking faint and pale-ish I grabbed what I had as far as veggies go and whipped this dish up. It had such beautiful flavoring. I have never used parsnips in my pasta dishes.. but with the herbs and pesto all the veggies melded so well together.

Orzo Pasta with Roasted Parsnips, Carrots and Potatoes

Pasta
1/2 - 3/4 lb. Orzo Pasta ~ cook according to manufacturers directions.
*Note ~ I salt my water with approximately 2-3 Tbsp regular salt. I also taste my water to make sure it’s not too salty, or under salted. This ensures that your pasta won’t be bland.

Roasted Veggies
2 Parsnips
2 Carrot
3 Small White Rose Potatoes
6 Asparagus Spears (thin ones)
4 Roma Tomatoes seeds removed and chopped
5 sprigs thyme leaves removed
5 Basil Leaves chiffonade

Olive Oil Marinade
3/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. prepared Pesto (store bought kind is fine)
2 Cloves Garlic thinly sliced
1 Shallot thinly sliced
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper to taste
Sea Salt to taste
1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
Parmesan (always the best quality you can afford) for grating over pasta

Preparations
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Cook your pasta and set aside.
Line a cookie tray with parchment paper or heavy duty tin foil.
Clean and cut up all your vegetables. Place in a bowl.
Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients. Toss over vegetables to coat well.
Lay vegetables on prepared cookie tray. If there is extra oil marinade drizzle it over vegetables.
Roast in the center of a preheated oven for approximately 20 - 30 minutes. The vegetables should be tender and caramelized. They are SO yummy this way!
Toss vegetables into prepared Orzo pasta. Put onto a heat proof serving platter. Sprinkle around a cup of parmesan cheese over the top.
Put back into the oven for 10 to 15 minutes till cheese melts and starts to get golden. Keep an eye on it, all ovens are NOT created equal.

Enjoy!!
Buon Appetito, Laurie

Apple Walnut Pull-Apart Bread Muffins with Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Butter

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:42:00 +0000

There is a bakery in the San Diego area that sells the tastiest breakfast breads ever! They're filled with yummy goodness like lots of cinnamon sugar doused with butter, nuts and fruits.. and the dressing on top just drips with a sticky rich sugary glaze that is definitely finger licking good. But getting to San Diego on a weekly basis is pretty much out of the question for me with a busy family and schedule to keep so I knew I had to do the next best thing and replicate these breads in my own kitchen.

Success!! (This was my first attempt, Cherry Almond Bread) It really just came down to finding the right sweet yeast dough recipe and making the recipe my own from then on out with fillings, extracts, nuts and spices. I don't glaze them as much as the bakery does.. though my kids wish I would, but I make extra sugar glaze with the addition of cream cheese and have it in a separate bowl for dipping.

Here I made the bread loaf into muffins. It was really easy and the steps were all the same except that I used the lined muffin tins. I love the look of the extra paper as a liner, so I cut 5 inch squares of Parchment and filled the pans with that. I used the bottom of a juice glass to shape the papers until I was ready to fill them with the dough pieces and apple filling.

Enjoy!

Apple Walnut Filling

1 Can Apple Pie Filling

2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar

1 Cup chopped Walnuts

2 Tsp. Bourbon or Bourbon Vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Butter

1 Stick Regular Butter (room temp.)

1 1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon

2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar or Maple Syrup

Blend all ingredients in a mini prep.

Refrigerate or use immediately.

Dough for Sweet Rolls and Breads

Dough Ingredients

1 cup whole milk

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 1/2 cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour, divided

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 1/4 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast (from 2 envelopes yeast)

1 teaspoon salt

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Dough Preparation

Combine milk and butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until butter melts and mixture is just warmed to 120°F to 130°F, 30 to 45 seconds. Pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1 cup flour, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add 21/2 cups flour. Beat on low until flour is absorbed and dough is sticky, scraping down sides of bowl. If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes. Form into ball.

Lightly oil large bowl. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375˙

Line a muffin pan with papers. Spray lightly with non stick spray. Tear small chunks of dough and start layering them in the muffin liners interchanging with cinnamon sugar, nuts of your choice and fruit filling. After pan is filled 3/4 of the way up, let rise covered in a draft free location for an additional 30 to 40 minutes.Bake in a pre-heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes depending on your ovens heat. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't over brown. Take out and let rest. Enjoy for breakfast or brunch!

Buon Appetitio..

Laurie

A “Gluten Free” Fig and Frangipane Tart with a Peach Amaretto Glaze on an Almond Shortbread Crust

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:57:00 +0000

A “Gluten Free” Fig and Frangipane Tart with a Peach Amaretto Glaze on an Almond Shortbread Crust

Does anyone else long for the time of year that figs are in season? I adore this fruit! I have a special affinity with figs.. growing up we had plenty of them, a fig tree right outside my bedroom window in our backyard. When ripe, this fruit would produce the most plump, gorgeous, raspberry colored, juicy fruit EVER!!!!

Unfortunately, I haven't had as much luck with fruit trees as my parents did.. 'I'm still waiting for my apple tree, after having it now for three years, to bear fruit'. So when at the market recently eyeing these luscious gems I quickly snapped up a dozen.. only to be disappointed with the lack of flavor and sweetness. I needed some idea to make this tart more fragrant so that's when I decided to glaze the fruits with the peach amaretto jelly. It was a beautiful save!

I also have been using an almond shortbread crust for tarts, pecan pies and cheesecakes now for quite a few years. Adapting this recipe to Gluten Free didn't change the taste or texture one bit. The almond shortbread crust is actually a cookie.. but one time I had a pecan torte with a regular shortbread cookie crust and have been hooked on "shortbread" as pie bases ever since.

What You’ll Need..
6-9 Figs cleaned, tips removed and sliced four ways lengthwise
Gluten Free Almond Shortbread Crust
Gluten Free Frangipane
Peach Amaretto Jelly
Recipes Follow;

Almond Shortbread Crust
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 tsp. bourbon vanilla extract
2/3 cup “gluten free” *all purpose flour
1/3 cup blanched almonds or almond flour (meal)
2 tablespoons brown rice flour or cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt

Pre-Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Pulse almonds with sugar in a food processor till finely ground, add rice flour, gluten free flour and salt. Pulse till well combined. Add butter and vanilla, mix just enough for the dough to start gathering together. Lightly butter the bottom of a tart pan or a cheesecake pan and up the sides a quarter of an inch. Press the shortbread mixture on the bottom. Pierce with a fork. Bake the crust in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes. (It will cook again once the frangipane and figs are on top)

Frangipane
Adapted from the Foodie Handbook by Pim Techamuanvivit
½ cup blanched almonds
1/8 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup confectioner’s
7 tbsp. butter at room temperature
1 large egg
1 tsp. Amaretto

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the almonds evenly on a baking sheet and place them in the oven. Roast them for about 7-10 minutes,(kepp an eye on them) or until slightly toasted and fragrant. Transfer to a plate and let cool to room temperature.

Put the cooled almonds and the sugar’s into a food processor and process until fine. Add the butter, egg and amaretto, pulse until well combined. Leftovers can be wrapped with plastic and left in the refrigerator for a few days and in the freezer for up to one month.

Peach Amaretto Jelly
½ cup peach jam or homemade peach preserves
2-3 Tbsp. Amaretto
1 rounded tsp. honey

Mix the honey and amaretto in a small bowl, add the peach preserves and blend well. The mixture should be thin enough to brush on the figs, if it is still to thick, add a bit of water till the consistency is just right.

Putting It All Together

Pre-heat oven to 350°
Lay the fig slices on a tray. Lightly glaze the figs with the peach amaretto jelly.
Spread the frangipane over the top of the prepared par-baked Almond Shortbread Crust.
Layer the figs on top of each other starting on the outside going in so that the last figs will sit higher and create a flower type look. Drizzle the top lightly with more of the peach amaretto jelly so the crust and the frangipane have some of it as well.
Bake the tart in the pre-heated oven for 30-40 minutes.

*The recipe below is a blend to make your own gluten free all-purpose flour at home.

I buy mine pre packaged by Bob’s Red Mill.. only because it’s convenient at my local grocers.. but check out the link I provided for you below.. Living Without Magazine has a variety of flour blend recipes you can make at home.. Including a Gluten Free Pastry Flour blend!

Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
source Living Without Magazine

1/2 cup rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch/flour
1/4 cup cornstarch or potato starch

Two Toned Cocoa and Amaretto Pizzelles

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 03:14:00 +0000

Pizzelles.. they are the quintessential Italian treat that look wonderful plated at an elegant dessert table with it's beautiful floral lace pattern and it's crisp texture. It is a quick an easy cookie to prepare that is the talk of the room at many school parties or family get-together's.

The traditional recipe calls for anise and anise seeds..yes, like my Spungna Di Biscotti Cake.. but also like the Biscotti, it works well with many flavorings. During the holidays I'll give Pizzelle cookies as gift's, side-dipped in a chocolate coating and for more of a festive look sometimes sprinkled with fine glittery candies.

Here I made a two toned pizzelle with cocoa on one side and a dousing of Amaretto in the lighter version. Oh so yummy and flavorful,
and according to my husband, addictive.

Amaretto Pizzelles
(Makes about 2-3 dozen)

3 eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon amaretto liqueur
1-3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar.
Add the butter, vanilla, and amaretto.
Add the flour and baking powder and mix well.
The batter should be stiff enough to be dropped by spoon.
The batter can also be refrigerated for later use.

Cocoa Pizzelles
(Makes about 30)

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Sift the flour, baking powder, and cocoa together in a bowl.
In another bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar.
Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Whisk until combined.
Add the flour mixture and blend until smooth.

*Heat the pizzelle baker and follow the directions for How to Make a Pizzelle.
Put half a teaspoon of each, cocoa and amaretto, side by side onto the iron to achieve the two toned affect. It takes practice.. but the result is beautiful and delicious!

Chocolate Meringue Cookies (Gluten Free)

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 20:59:00 +0000

I love all things meringue .. I have made rainbow colored meringue cookies, meringue nests, have floated them on a crema anglaise sauce.. made little mushrooms for a Bûche de Noël yule log, used them for a Pavlova,
made meringue sticks for my famous “Dalla Mia Cucina Style” Perfect Party Cake and my all time favorite use is for the dessert ‘Baked Alaska’. But, what has racked my brain for many a year has been those darn Chocolate Meringue Cookies.

I have tried many recipes.. even using my favorite meringue cookie recipe and swapping out some of the sugar with cocoa powder, just to end up with a deflated cookie.. and ego.

So will I ever learn.. I should have known that Nick Malgieri, my favorite pastry chef, would have the perfect recipe.. I adore his baking techniques and have used many of his recipes for years as a base to many of my pastry needs. So when I was looking thru endless magazines and cook books for THE recipe.. there it was “Chocolate” by Nick Malgieri.. and the perfect recipe for Chocolate Meringue Cookies.

What sets this recipe apart is the use of good quality unsweetened chocolate blocks.. not cocoa, and, beating the egg whites and sugar together over a hot water bath. This meringue base was like marshmallow cream, so smooth and satiny, a perfect foundation for the perfect cookie.

I hope you try this.. you’ll love-Love-LOVE them, if that is, you are looking for something not too sweet, something crisp, light, gluten free, and a low fat treat.

This recipe is from “Chocolate” by Nick Malgieri.
Recipe yields around ’34′ 2-inch cookies.

Ingredients
3 large egg whites
1 cup minus 2 tbsp of extra-fine granulated sugar
3 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 275 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a wide skillet, bring about 1 inch of water to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low.
In a bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl, combine the whites and sugar, whisk to combine. Place the bowl into the skillet filled with hot water and whisk constantly until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are heated to 130 F.
The process will take about 6-8 minutes.
Place the bowl onto a base of the stand mixer, or just use hand-held electric beaters to beat the whites until increased in volume and substantially cooled.
Beat on medium speed if you are using the stand mixer, and on high with the hand-held one. The mixture should be stiff and glossy but not dry and clotted.
Pour the chocolate over the meringue and fold it with a rubber spatula.
Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with 1⁄2 inch star tube and pipe S shapes, or use a larger star tip and pipe meringue rounds as I did in this recipe. Pipe about 1 1⁄2 inches apart, on the prepared pans.
Bake the meringues about 15-20 minutes, until crisp on the outside but still somewhat soft within.
*(Nick’s recipe sets the oven to 300 degrees, I like the cookies a bit more crisp and dry. So my recommendation here is 275. :)
Slide the cookies, still on the parchment, to a cooling rack. If the cookies do not release from the paper they are underdone and should be returned to the oven for a several minutes.
The cookies are the best on the day they are baked. But if you need you can keep them between sheets of parchment paper in an air-tight container.

Carmalized Onion, Potato and Eggplant Rustici" with a Pasta Frolla Dough

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Tue, 17 May 2011 18:14:00 +0000

This Potato and Eggplant Rustici has boosted my moral at home.
Being a Foodie and using my family as the taste testers of my creations.. doesn't always fare well. I may think it's "fabulous", "noteworthy" and "darn ready for a cookbook", but unfortunately I have some picky eaters in my household.

For instance, I made Chicken Marsala a few weeks ago.. oh my gosh.. I LOVED it! But my husband said, too much Marsala taste.. and my daughter didn't like the mushrooms.
"What TO DO???"

One thing I know I will always get raves for with my husband and kids, is Empenada's and Rustici.
I posted an article recently on my Pistachio and Beef Savory Pastries.. that was an unexpected flavor hit for them. I was uncertain to what their response would be, but you know, something happens when a filling is wrapped in a Pasta Frolla Dough.. It's usually a hit!

This Italian Pasta Frolla recipe is the basic recipe you can find in almost any Italian cookbook or Nonna's kitchen collection.

Pasta Frolla

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 freshly grated lemons, zest of or 1 oranges
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1.In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and zest.
2.Cut in the butter, until it resembles coarse meal.
3.Add the egg and the vanilla and toss the mixture until incorporated.
4.Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead very lightly, forming into a disk.
5.Chill, wrapped in plastic at least 1 hour or overnight.
6.Let the dough stand at room temperature until softened, but still firm enough to roll out.

The filling ingredients are as follows;

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Shallot finely chopped
3 Cloves Garlic finely minced
1 Stalk Celery finely chopped
1 Carrot Finely Chopped

2 Large Vidalia Sweet Onions thinly sliced
2 Large Eggplants cubed
3 Large Russet Potatoes cubed
1 Cup Dry White Wine
1 Rounded Teaspoon Turmeric
Cayenne Pepper to taste
Kosher Salt to taste

In a very large stainless steel pan I saute my shallots, garlic, celery and carrots in around 1/8 cup olive oil. When nicely browned set apart in a different dish.
In the same pan.. without washing it first, I then season and saute my main ingredients and cook them separately not to lose their individual flavors. When they are all done and fork tender but not to soft combine them all together adding the garlic, shallot, celery and carrot saute. (back into the large pan)

Season with cayenne and tumeric. I have never cooked with tumeric before.. but I wanted the drama of some gorgeous amber color. Thinking it would only lend to color, I was so pleasantly surprised at the flavor it lent. It was perfect with the potatoes, onions and eggplant!

Add the white wine and cook till the mix is moist but not sopping wet. Add more heat and season to taste if you would like. I love the extra cayenne.:)

I made individual rustici's for my family. They cooked beautifully this way and made a wonderful presentation on the individual plates.

Set racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
Cook until the dough is baked through and the filling is set, about 30 to 40 minutes.
For more detailed instructions Nick Malgirei has a great recipe here with instructions for another type of rustici.

Below is a close up picture of an apple blossom, from my tree not pictured..
Photo was enhanced in Photshop with added background texture! :)

Ciao and Buon Appetito!
Laurie

Apple Cinnamon Muffins and "my" Master Carpenter

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:29:00 +0000

The recipe.. easy, ingredients.. basic, prep work..a snap!

What I do in the home "IS" in comparison, easy to what my husband does out in the field and on the job sites on any given day. He grew up at his fathers side learning the trade as a Master Carpenter.. but as the years went by he grew even more in his art, adding residential building and custom home design to his resume. And.. as many more years progressed he changed hats all together and now builds in the commercial sector.

So when I say I am proud and exited at his latest project, it's because I miss seeing him pick up a piece of wood, prep it, shape it, sand it, paint it and present it as a finished piece of art work. And more so, I guess I can also say I'm exited because the presentation is in our home!

For a job most appreciated and all his hard work that I'm so grateful for, filling the house with scents of apple cinnamon and making sure there is an ample supply of muffins in the basket is the least and most simple thing I can do.
That is..compared to what he has been doing.

This recipe is adapted from a recipe I have on my website for Zucchini Pineapple Bread. The cake recipe is basic, just exchanging chopped apples for the zucchini and pineapples. I also used bourbon vanilla instead of the rum, adding an 1/8 of a cup of apple juice to compensate for not having the pineapple.

For the streusel topping, I used 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 3 tablespoons butter.
For the glaze topping, I used powdered sugar, a drizzle of milk, vanilla and cream cheese. Make sure it's thin enough to drizzle over the muffins when done.

*Often when I cook I don't use a recipe,
I do the taste and try test till it's just right! :)

This was a bonus room being turned in to a college girls suite.

Our youngest daughters room.
Called "Visions Of Lavender"

Had to add the visual.. lavenders from my kitchen window!

All the door and window casings, as well as the crown and baseboards are being redone throughout the whole house.

An arch and columns where there was none before..

Ciao for now.. please visit me when you get the chance at my photography blog..

Buon Appetito, Abbracci e Baci!
Laurie

Gnocchetti Sardi (Malloreddus)

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 18:39:00 +0000

Gnocchetti Sardi, or Malloreddus Sardi in the Sardinian language, is a pasta similar in shape to a cavatelli or gnocci, but made with durum wheat semolina and no eggs. It is a staple in Sardinia prepared usually with a heavy tomato based sauce with beef, lamb or sausage which clings to the heavy ridged pasta shape.

Growing up in our home making gnocci was a family event. The memories of my sister's and I sitting at the table with our mom and grandmother, rolling little pieces of pasta dough on a colander or gnocci board will forever grace my mind.

Over the years it has been wonderful collecting new recipes and trying old favorites with a twist from regions other than Calabria and Abruzzi.

Malloreddus
4 cups Semolina Flour
1 ½ cups Warm Water
½ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon ground Saffron

* Recipe and directions for homemade pasta are from Mario Batali.

Mound the semolina in the center of a large bowl or work surface.

Make a well in the center of the semolina and add the water; salt, and saffron. Using a fork, beat together the water, salt, and saffron, and then begin to incorporate the semolina, starting with the inner rim of the well. As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape. When half of the flour is incorporated, the dough will begin to come together. Start kneading the dough, using primarily the palms of your hands. Once you have a cohesive mass, set the dough aside and scrape up and discard any dried bits of dough.

Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 10 more minutes, dusting the boards with more flour when necessary. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature before using.

Cut the pasta into 4 pieces.

Roll each piece into ropes, and cut into ¼-inch-thick pieces.

Roll each piece down the back of a fork or against a gnocci board to give it the characteristic ridges, and set aside on a floured surface until ready to cook.

When pasta is ready to cook, have a pot of salted water ready at a rapid boil. Save your water to add to the pasta sauce later. When pasta is ready they will begin to float to the surface.

For the busy mom in me, I have been taking a few steps lately to save me some cooing time. At the beginning of the week, or at the end depending on my schedule, I have been preparing some of my garlic, onions and peppers a head of time. I normally use everything fresh, but I have been a bit more busy this school year than usual.

For my peppers, I have been grilling them ahead and then marinating them in olive oil and dried herbs in the re-fridge. When I'm ready to use them I take them out and slice what I need. These last for one week.

Likewise, for minced garlic I have been taking a whole head, separating and peeling the cloves, finely chopping them and putting them in a small preserve jar covered in olive oil so they don't oxidize. This I always use up within a week as well. If I am making something that calls for thinly sliced garlic I always have fresh garlic on hand. It really has helped me speed up my cooking time.

For this recipe I sauteed garlic, thinly sliced marinated peppers, red pepper flakes, steamed broccoli and fresh basil in olive oil. I added around 1 cup of the pasta water that I cooked the Malloreddus in(Beautiful flavor). I also added some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. When ready to serve, sprinkle a good amount of freshly grated Pecorino Romano.

When you get a chance.. I'd love to know what you think of my new Photo Blog!

Buon Appetito, Abbracci e Baci!
Laurie

Pistachio Beef "Rustico" Rustic Savory Pastry

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 19:36:00 +0000

It is no secret that I have a love affair with pistachios, this aromatic nut is flavorful and holds its own when combined with meats such as beef and sheep, but is as gentle as a lamb when whipped into a gelato and candies or used as a base for my smooth and tasty pistachio pesto and cream sauce. But then again, you will often just find me eating them right out of a plain paper sack, satisfied to snack on instead of the alternative, oily roasted peanuts and potato chips.

I'm always looking for ways to incorporate pistachios into my home cooking, and when I found that I had a couple extra cups the same night I was making a collection of savory pastries I began combining flavors in my head. The pistachio and ground sirloin were definitely the stars, but they combined well with sauteed shallots, fennel and garlic, red pepper flakes, capers, raisins and a sweet port wine.

I first browned my ground sirloin, then added red pepper flakes as well as cayenne pepper, ground black pepper, salt, capers and raisins. In a food processor I ground my shelled pistachios and then added them to the beef mix.

In a separate saute pan in olive oil I lightly sauteed my chopped shallots and fennel till translucent. Then I added my finely chopped garlic and continued to saute till golden. This was then added to the pistachio beef mix. I approximately used 1 onion, 1 shallot and 3 cloves of garlic.

When all ingredients were combined I then added a few more teaspoons of olive oil, a 1/4 cup of wine and a dab of butter plus a few more seasonings for taste. A note on the wine.. I love a rich fortified wine with the beef to add a sweet and savory flavor. You can add any fruity white wine that would pair well with the raisins.. a Muscat Canelli would be wonderful! I had Port on hand and the sweet thickness of it goes so well with plums, prunes and raisins.. so this is what I happened to use for the raisins sake. :)
(The addition of a sweet wine is key to this flavorful savory tart)

The "pastry" is a post in itself. Pasta Frolla is the typical Southern Italian pastry for Rustici and Crostata's. It is by far my favorite pastry to use and is not too hard to make. It tastes like a combination of a shortbread crust and pie pastry dough, but in my opinion is better than both and holds up to many a pastry dessert.

I do love Nick Malgieri's pastry recipe's, and his are usually my "go to" recipes of choice.

But this Italian Pasta Frolla recipe is the basic recipe you can find in almost any Italian cookbook or Nonna's kitchen collection.

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 freshly grated lemons, zest of or 1 oranges
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1.In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and zest.
2.Cut in the butter, until it resembles coarse meal.
3.Add the egg and the vanilla and toss the mixture until incorporated.
4.Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead very lightly, forming into a disk.
5.Chill, wrapped in plastic at least 1 hour or overnight.
6.Let the dough stand at room temperature until softened, but still firm enough to roll out.

Buon Anno and Buon Appetito!!
I hope you and yours enjoy a Blessed New Year,
From My Kitchen..

Laurie

When a Cheesecake looks like the San Andreas Fault

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 22:47:00 +0000

It may not have looked pretty enough to serve.. but it was a taste masterpiece!

I had ingredients left over from my Pumpkin Marsala Spice Cake with a Cheesecake Surprise, so my intention was to reverse the dessert and make a simple cheesecake with a pumpkin swirl. It was in fact a good idea, I have made this type of cheesecake before and it has turned out wonderfully. But this time I wanted the pumpkin flavor to just be an accent, infusing the cake with just a slight taste of pumpkin.

I piped the cheese filling 1/4 of the way up the pan, then I dolloped a few teaspoons of pumpkin filling in the cheese and swirled it around, then adding more cheese filling to 3/4 of the way up the pan. I then dotted the pumpkin filling on top of the cheese filling so that I could run a toothpick through the dots creating a pretty design on the top of the cheesecake, as you see above.

It created San Andreas like faults in all the dotted places on my cake. Not so pretty.. but the slight infusion of pumpkin was the success I was hoping for.

Now let me tell you about the crust.. this was where most of the flavor punch came from. With an ingredient list of graham cracker crumbs, ginger snap cookie crumbs, ground cinnamon pecans, brown sugar, butter and a drizzle of marsala wine.. we were all in heaven. The combination of flavors were (and are) a perfect melding of holiday aromatics.

So while I may make a few adjustments for future swirly's that decorate the top of my cake, I won't change this crust!

An addition to our cheesecakes that my mom had taught us when we were young in the kitchen, was to take the cake out five minutes before it was done and add a sour cream topping, put it back in the oven and bake for an additional five minutes. For the sour cream topping we just mixed together sour cream, a couple of tablespoons of sugar, vanilla and a splash of lemon (if a lemon based cheesecake). This topping would for sure hide any of the cracks on the cake.. and it tastes so good!

While I don't have an exact recipe for the pumpkin filling, I added around;

Pumpkin Filling
15 oz. pureed pumpkin, 1 egg, 1/2 cup half and half, sugar, bourbon vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves to taste.

The rest of the recipe is as follows;

Crust
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup ground ginger snap cookies
1/4 cup finely chopped cinnamon or candied pecans
1/2 stick melted butter (more if needed)
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. Marsala

Cheesecake
3 sticks of 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
3 Tbs. Flour
2 tbsp. Bourbon vanilla extract
1 tbsp Marsala wine

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees°.
In a food processor grind ginger snap cookies and pecans. Mix together with graham cracker crumbs and the remainder of crust ingredients. Lightly press into a spring-form pan going up an inch or so on the sides. Set crust aside.

Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla and Marsala, blend until smooth and creamy.

Pour 1/4 of the batter into prepared crust. Dollop some of the pumpkin and swirl around with a knife. Avoid cutting into the crust. Add the remainder of cheese filling and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Dot the cake all the way around.. in columns, with the pumpkin filling. With a toothpick, move slowly around the circle through the middle of the dots. Cover bottom securely with foil. I do this so butter from the crust does not drip in my oven. I almost think this also prevents the bottom from cooking to quickly while the thick middle is cooking.

* If you want to avoid the San Andreas Fault look.. you can limit your pumpkin filling to the middle section of your cake only. :)

Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is a little jiggly in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Turn the heat off and open the door of the oven so it is ajar. Let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. At least 12 hours. I like to make my cheesecakes a whole day in advance to serving.

Buon Appetito!
Laurie

Pumpkin Marsala Spice Cake with a Cheesecake Surprise

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 19:35:00 +0000

Happy November to all my friends.. Holiday preparations are here! I'm in the kitchen testing out some new recipes.. I have been playing around with finely ground almonds in my cake batters. By eliminating some of the flour, and replacing it with the almond meal it adds such nice texture and eliminates some of the density from the gluten, at the same time creating a very moist cake. Almond meal in Italian baked goods is very common anyway.. and so delicious!

This cake is similar to the Pumpkin Cake with a Cheesecake Swirl that I have previously shared.. I played with the cheesecake layer a bit and added a bit more pumpkin to this recipe. My family.. as well as my picky eldest daughter LOVED the taste and moistness of this cake. I hope you do too!

Pumpkin Bread Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 1/3 cups flour
1 cup ground blanched almond meal
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 ½ tsp salt
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup Marsala wine
18oz pumpkin, canned

Cheesecake Surprise Ingredients
1/2 pound Philadelphia Cream cheese at room temperature*
(*Very important for smooth filling)
1/4 cup sugar
1- tablespoons flour
1 teaspoons bourbon vanilla
1/4-cup sour cream
1 egg

Cheesecake Filling Directions
Mix cream cheese, sugar, flour, and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed setting until well blended. Blend in sour cream. Add egg, mixing on low speed just until blended.

Pumpkin Marsala Spice Cake with a Cheesecake Surprise

Make Cake
1. Grease and dust with flour the bottom and 1/2 way up sides of 2 loaf pans; set aside.
In a very large mixing bowl beat sugar and oil with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add eggs and beat well; set aside.

2. In a large bowl combine flour and almond meal, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cloves. Combine Marsala and water. Add flour mixture and marsala/water liquid alternately to sugar mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Beat in pumpkin. Spoon batter 3/4 of the way into prepared pans.
Put dollops of cheesecake filling onto pumpkin batter till 1/4 of the pan is left free from batter. Push cheesecake dollops down into the pumpkin batter a bit.

3. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 55 to 65 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool in pans in the oven with door ajar. When cool, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Best if prepared a day ahead of serving. Cool completely before removing from pans. Test doneness of cake by piercing it in the center of the cake with a toothpick. It's finished when the toothpick comes out clean.

Buon Appetito, Abbracci e Baci!
Laurie

Green Beans and Potatoes in Broth

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 22:34:00 +0000

This is such a tasty way to serve vegetables poached in a wonderfully light broth infused with tomato, spices and wine. If you like hearty vegetable soups, this is along the same lines but the vegetables are poached just till a fork can pierce them and then they are sautéed in a bit of olive oil and herbs till golden. These go well with beef or poultry and can be served hot or at room temperature which makes them ideal for picnics and barbeques.
Ingredients

Vegeatables
1 lb fresh green beans cleaned and cut to 1 ½ inch length sizes
4 large baking potatoes cut into chunks

Broth
Water to cover vegetables in pot
1 ½ cups tomato sauce
1 cup white wine
2 tsp. vegetable or chicken bouillon
Yellow Onion sliced roughly
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste

Sauté
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
Poached Vegetables
Salt and pepper if needed
1 tsp. fresh rosemary finely minced
2 tsp. fresh basil chopped roughly
2 tsp. fresh thyme

Directions
In a stock pot, pour water over vegetables just to cover. Add tomato sauce and wine, yellow onion, bouillon and seasonings. Let come to a boil, lower heat and cook for around ten minutes. Just so they are slightly tender enough to pierce with a fork.

Remove vegetables from broth, reserving liquids for use in sauté.
In large sauté pan, heat olive oil. Sauté garlic till translucent. Add poached vegetables, toss or stir to coat and cook. Add fresh herbs and season to taste *if needed. They should have been seasoned adequately in poaching broth. Add around a ¼ of a cup of reserved liquid. Cook till well seasoned but don’t cook so long that the vegetables start to fall apart. The liquids will thicken a bit with the starch of the potatoes. This adds to the wonderful flavor. Serve hot or at room temperature. They taste great the next day as they sit in broth overnight!
Buon Appetito,
Laurie

Stuffed Mushrooms

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 18:38:00 +0000

If there's one side dish that is most requested by my children in our home.. it would have to be stuffed mushrooms. I love cooking with mushrooms and in my opinion they make a successful ingredient in almost everything. :) One of my first posts here on DMC was an onion and mushroom saute. Yumm! You can check it out here.

You can use white button mushrooms, which are also called agaricus, crimini mushrooms, portabello mushrooms or porcini mushrooms for the base. Did you know that portabello mushrooms are the same as crimini just on a larger scale.
For the stuffing I use bread crumbs, freshly ground from a stale loaf of bread or store bought crumbs are fine too. I add Parmesano Reggiano grated cheese, finely shredded mozzarella, melted butter, white wine and salt and pepper to taste. Very little black pepper for it will overwhelm the flavors if your not careful. I don't have exact quantities for this recipe but I do always start with the bread crumbs and cheese for the base and work from there. Add the liquids a little at a time. A few tablespoons of melted butter then a few tablespoons of the wine till the mixture is moist enough to hold together when pinched. Have your mushrooms ready, stems removed, mushrooms cleaned with a damp cloth or a dry brush. Don't ignore your stems from the mushrooms.. they will make a wonderful addition to your stuffing if finely mince and added to the rest of the ingredients.

Bake in a preheated 375° oven for approximately 12 - 15 minutes. They will be golden brown in color and the cheese from the inside should be oozingly delicious.

Ciao and Buon Appetito!
Laurie

Whole Grain Pecan Loaf and Fall in Temecula

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 18:16:00 +0000

There is something about the change in seasons that gives way to a breadth of newness.. the jewel tone hues of summer redesigned to shades of crimson, sienna and umber. The air thins out as the moisture from the humidity declines and the wisps of the wind blow gentle breezes across the plains here in my Temecula.

Sometimes words alone can't describe it.. not even the pictures captured through my lens. But the feeling I get with this sensation none the less is enough to brighten my countenance and fill me with a renewed vigor.

There is nothing I love more than to welcome the cooler season with scents of fresh baked breads and the nutty aromas of whole grains and nuts.. and cloves! Something about the scent of cloves in all it's allure and mystery speaks not just of Thanksgiving and Christmas, but of a quintessence that entertains a feeling of anticipation.

A much needed day of rest and relaxation as I strolled through the Vail Lake Resort off of Hwy 79.. I have a special spot that I often retreat to that overlooks the glen and the lake in the distance. I can't recall a time ever visiting my little haven without being greeted by the whistle of the wind rustling through the trees.

“Prayer is not a way of making use of God; prayer is a way of offering ourselves to God in order that He should be able to make use of us. It may be that one of our great faults in prayer is that we talk too much and listen too little. When prayer is at its highest we wait in silence for God's voice to us; we linger in His presence for His peace and His power to flow over us and around us; we lean back in His everlasting arms and feel the serenity of perfect security in Him.”
Quote by William Barclay

Even my eldest daughter today made a remark about
the weather finally giving way to Fall..

This ridge in Temecula is along The Rainbow Gap, a valley way that brings cool air from San Diego's ocean through to the Temecula Valley.. the affect of this cool air is what gives the Temecula Vineyards it's plush flora and makes grape growing ideal. The moderate daytime temperatures and warm sunny days along with cool nights, are ideal conditions for the best wine grapes.

After a stroll on a crisp fall day there is nothing more comforting than a slice of fresh baked whole grain bread with yummy oats and pecans, scented with clove and drenched in homemade honey butter.

Beautiful sepia colors of dried out sunflowers..

Every year we look forward to a visit to Peltzer Farms for their annual fall festivities and gorgeous display of pumpkins.

Bella's choice..

...and mine!

Happy Fall 2010!!
Can't wait to unveil some hardy recipes and photo's..
Ciao, Abbracci e Baci!!

Laurie

Crumbly Delicious Blueberry Buckle

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:45:00 +0000

We have had such beautiful weather so far this year, unlike the typical 100 and up degree weather that we usually have. It has been perfect for baking and berry picking.. but alas, the berries at the local farm have faded and given their last bounty. I'm so glad that our grocery produce stalls are still full with these blue beauties, I think this gem has to be my favorite fruit of all!

This is a simply delicious recipe adapted from The Barefoot Contessa's Blueberry Crumb Cake.
It tasted just like you would think a moist coffee cake would, with lots of blueberries and cinnamony sugar goodness on top..
only to be enhanced by a scoop (or two) of vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients
For the streusel:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

For the cake
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2/3 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.

For the streusel
Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.

For the cake
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers,
crumble the topping evenly over the batter.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool completely and serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.

2006, Barefoot Contessa at Home

Apricot Zabaione and Almond Shortbread Tartlets

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:12:00 +0000

With the heat of summer I haven't been cooking as much fancy fare.. but instead have been utilizing my indoor grill and then filling up our salad bowl with fresh lettuces and vegetables.

While staying close to the air conditioned kitchen though, I have had fun creating some new desserts while playing with some old Italian recipes to "up the flavor ante" and to add my own DMC style. (take a look at the address bar, Dalla Mia Cucina ~ DMC is now my sites domain) :)

Here with this Zabaione, I incorporated an apricot flavor by blending a puree I made by processing some sun dried apricots with a little bit of sweet fortified wine, then carefully mixing it with a bit of home made whipped cream. It gave it a mousse like texture.. light and airy and "oh so delicious".

I love the delicateness of a shortbread crust.. even more so.. an almond shortbread crust that pairs perfectly with apricots and amaretto.

This dessert has all the desired elements of a sweet craving, for an elegant dinner party or a gratifying end to a Sunday meal.

Hope you enjoy..

Buon Appetito!!
Laurie

Blackberry Wine & Coconut Cakes and a Contest Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 22:25:00 +0000

We have had a wonderful and eventful month of June thus far. Relatives in town for my daughters graduation plus an extended holiday has left us with the feeling of exuberance and excitement, but also a little sad knowing it will soon come to an end as my sister and her family head back to there little parcel of land in the Northern part of California. While my sister was hear we had a fun time of food, fellowship and shopping for fanciful items at the antique market. *Below are some pretty spoons and linens I picked up for literally pennies on the dollar.

This is a simple dessert I made with fresh, sweet blackberries and blackberry wine to make a syrup and then baked it into a yummy coconut pound cake batter. It was so delicious!

On our free time I captured some shots of new growth and foliage in the yard. This is a single pedal from a purple Agapanthus plant.

I also want to thank all of you who commented on my blog as well as on my Facebook page giving me some great ideas for my kitchen remodel. Using the Random Number Generator website the number chosen was 2. Lynn from Blue Skies is the winner of the $60.00 gift certificate to CSN Stores. "Congratulations Lynn"!!!! xoxo

Blackberry Wine Syrup

Ingredients
1 -1/2 cup Blackberry Wine
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 Pint cleaned and dried blackberries

Preparation
Combine the wine, sugar and vanilla in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low; cook for 10 minutes or until the liquid becomes syrupy and has reduced by about two-thirds. With heat on low add the blackberries stirring just till they begin to soften but keep there shape.

Coconut Pound Cake

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut (6 oz), toasted and cooled

Preparation
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
Butter 6 ramekins and dust with flour, knocking out excess flour.

Whisk together flour (2 cups), baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes with a stand mixer or 8 to 10 minutes with a hand held mixer. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in extracts. Reduce speed to low, then mix in flour mixture until just combined. Fold in coconut gently but thoroughly with a rubber spatula.

Spoon batter evenly into individual ramekins around 3/4 of the way up. Place ramekins on cookie sheet. With a large spoon, carefully place blackberries and syrup over cake batter not skimping on berries.
Bake until golden and bubbly and a wooden pick or skewer inserted into side comes out clean, 20 - 25 minutes

Cool individual cakes on a rack 15 minutes. Top with whipped cream and enjoy!!
Buon Appetito!!

Oatmeal "Orange Molasses" Raisin Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 21:46:00 +0000

Summer started with a flurry of activities and the excitement of a graduation. Our oldest daughter is now on her way to a collegiate course that may take another 8 years or so depending on whether or not she sticks with her plans! We are so proud of her and a little overwhelmed emotionally too.
Can you relate? :)

And now that their vacation has begun, I'm already realizing that with the kids home, writing and posting favorite recipes will probably come few and far between. This simple recipe was a perfect choice to start the kids' summer off with and to also share with visiting family in for the festivities. It may look like a simple Oatmeal Raisin Cookie..
but my play with ingredients gives it a complex flavor and texture.

You may have read my holiday cookie post a few years ago called the "Italian Filled Cookie". This cookie is my families version of the traditional Sicilian cookie called a Cucidati. It is so delicious and filled with yummy goodness in the form of chocolate, apple butter and rum soaked raisins. If you have never poached pears or soaked fruit.. you really need to try it. I don't normally enjoy raisins straight from the box, dry and shriveled, they, like prunes, really only remind me of growing old and "not so gracefully". :) So if I can help it.. smooth, plump and hydrate is my adage!

With this Oatmeal recipe I plump and hydrate the raisins. I was intending on using Rum or Marsala. I love those flavors together, they are a match made in heaven. But with none on hand I decided to improvise with what I did have. I had an assortment of juices.. apple, orange, pear.. but I also needed to have something that would intensify the flavor as the liquid and the raisins simmered. Molasses and raisins.. and with that, orange juice for the liquid became the perfect choice!

I wish I could bottle my husbands enthusiasm.. he is so kind and wonderful and gave these cookies the highest rating he has given any of my cookies before! I thought they were pretty good too, not so overpowering or bitter with molasses, but yet in my opinion not to sweet either. I say in my opinion, because my mom did say they were a little too sweet for her, but normally she adds very little sugar to anything. :)

As far as a recipe goes.. I took a generic oatmeal cookie recipe from one of my favorite wedding gift cookbooks and added my improv on ingredients from there. Chocolate pieces, coconut and walnuts were also added to my orange molasses soaked raisin oatmeal cookie batter. :) For a more intense orange flavor, I would add some zest of an orange. It all melded together so wonderfully!

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (optional)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups rolled oats

**1/2 cup raisins simmered in molasses and orange juice, then drained (read up above)

3/4 cups chocolate chips

3/4 cups chopped walnuts

1/2 cup coconut (optional but yummy)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees f.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and, if desired, cinnamon and cloves. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Stir in rolled oats, drained raisins, chocolate chips, walnuts and coconut. refrigerate for 1 -2 hours.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto un-greased cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are golden. Let stand on cookie sheets for 1 minute. Transfer to wire racks and let cool. Makes about 48 cookies.

**You can either soak your raisins and molasses in a jar for 1 day or over night, or you can speed up the process by simmering them on low in the orange juice and molasses till they are plump. I used 1 cup of orange juice to a 1/4 cup of molasses. When they were done I drained them in a sieve before I added them to the cookie batter.

Buon Appetito!
Laurie

Simple as an "Olive and Anchovy Crouton"

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 20:21:00 +0000

You've heard the phrase, "Less Is More", well this is a concept that applies here to a dinner salad simply prepared with a few ingredients. The star, being the crouton is so infused with flavor that it wows the taste buds. The trick here is to minimize flavors that would compete with the olive and anchovy in the crouton. Sunflower seeds, very mild and small, tomatoes, not too fruity or aromatic and mild Gorgonzola.. a smooth and mild cheese unlike a Blue or Roquefort that may steal the show.

I had the idea for this crouton when my leftover Kalamata Olive loaf was beginning to get stale and my leftover anchovies from my Gallette were sitting alone in the refrigerator. I hate to waste food.. waste not want not. So I gathered the anchovies and pulsed them in my mini food processor with a fruity olive oil, added some red pepper flakes and black pepper for a spicy infusion. Cubed the remainder of the olive loaf and tossed them in the oil mix to coat. I set my oven to 300 degrees. Any lower and they get too crisp for my liking. I like a bit of a chewy but dry texture to my croutons.. although if you like them extra crunchy I would definitely lower the oven temperature to 250 degrees.
While in the oven check every ten minutes turning them over repeatedly till they are a nice golden brown.

To dress up this salad I drizzled a nice fruity olive oil and a "little" red wine vinegar over it, and sprinkled a little sea salt on top. Growing up I remember my Calabrian grandmother preparing salads dressed with a simple dressing of olive oil, salt and a little red wine vinegar. I loved it this way. It really brings out the flavor and freshness of your salad ingredients.

Don't forget to give me your "Kitchen Remodel" ideas and enter my Kitchen Remodel contest for a chance to win a $60.00 gift certificate. You can enter here. Grazi!!

Buon Appetito!
Laurie

A Savory Galette with Gruyere, Anchovies, Arugula Olives and Capers.. and a Contest!

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 21:08:00 +0000

*Be sure to read the bottom of this post for the contest details!

I have had the hardest time posting this.. the picture doesn't do the end result justice. But if there is any time you are going to trust me.. now is it!

This Savory Gallete with the mix of olives, capers and anchovies.. plus the addition of lots of garlic and shallots had the most beautiful aroma and set the house a whirl. Talk about an intoxicating bouquet! Then enter in the arugula and Gruyere cheese.. so much flavor and texture that it will be a "tart recipe" worth keeping in the front of your recipe box.

The title of this recipe also limits some of the star ingredients for this Gallete, I used three different cheeses. Besides Gruyere, I used Fontina to blend with it and then topped the tart with Chevre goat cheese before putting it in the oven.

I started by making my dough. I love to add fresh herbs to my dry ingredients in the processor. They really impart beautiful aromas. This especially works well with a delicate and mild cheese tart when you want to make it a little more savory. Here is another recipe where I incorporate basil into my dough.

Crust Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cleaned and dried arugula leaves
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons chilled non hydrogenated solid vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Crust Preparation
Mix flour, sugar, and salt in food processor. Add arugula and pulse to incorporate. Add butter and shortening; pulse until coarse meal forms. Add 2 tablespoons ice water; pulse until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dry. *DO NOT OVER MIX YOUR DOUGH. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk and wrap in plastic. Chill 2 hours. Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before continuing.

I love all of these ingredients!

You don't want to add salt to your saute. There is plenty of flavor in these ingredients. For myself, I like to use olives cured in oil to eliminate some of the saltiness. If you can't find any or if you have olives and capers in a brine solution on hand I suggest you rinse them. The anchovies are very salty and will impart much flavor!

3/4 cups Manzanilla and Kalamatta Olives sliced in half and seeds removed (rinse well if in brine solution)
2 Tbp. Capers (also rinse)
Red pepper flakes
Fresh ground black pepper
1 large (or two small) shallots finely chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
5 anchovy fillets cut into small pieces
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
1 cup grated Fontina cheese
3/4 cups crumbled goat cheese

1 egg white
3 tablespoons milk for washing your pastry (whisked together)

Saute garlic, shallots, red pepper flakes and fresh ground black pepper in olive oil till golden.

Add olives, capers and anchovies. Saute for 3 minutes and turn heat off.

Add arugula and blend well. Set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 350°.
Roll out dough and transfer to a round cookie sheet lined with non stick foil or parchment.

Sprinkle with grated Gruyere and Fontina blend.

Top with the arugula anchovy olive blend.

Dot on top with the crumbled goat cheese.

Fold up your dough in a non uniform rustic style. Brush with egg white/milk mixture. Bake in 350° oven for approximately 40 minutes - 50 minutes until dough is golden.
Buon Appetito!
Laurie

Now for the contest..

This last week being the memorial weekend we had all sorts of cooking tools, utensils and small electrics out on the counter. We were a busy family cooking and grilling! It had me thinking of all the items I still don't have.. and things I could still use. We are in the process of a house remodel. There are some things staying.. and many things going! Currently we have "can lighting" in my kitchen but are considering a new lighting system. Candice Olson, designs some of the beautiful rooms utilizing beautiful light fixtures like track lighting, sconces and hanging lights. What to do!!

We are also changing out the cabinetry and back splashes. I'm going all white! Woohoo.. I might regret it later, but we currently have stain grade and it's time for a change. Instead of white marble behind the stove though I think I'm going to use stainless as a back splash along the oven wall. We have all sorts of ideas.. but I can never have too many!
So your challenge, if you choose to accept it, is #1. To comment to this post with a link to a design element that would make my life in the kitchen much easier! :) That includes storage ideas and accessories too!

Also #2.. "link love" my friend! If you can just mention the contest with this link on your blog, twitter, or Facebook and leave me a message as to where I can see it, you will automatically be entered into the contest with a chance to win a $60.00 gift certificate to CSN Stores. That's it.. two things! The contest will last two weeks from today. The last day to submit a comment and a link to this post will be June 17th! If you enter anonymously be sure to add your name and email address to your comment.

*For the Winner.. with your purchase you will be expected to pay all tax, shipping and handling costs, so please take that into consideration when making your purchase choice. The winner will receive the certificate via their e-mail from
CSN Stores.

Thank you so much for taking my "remodel challenge".. so let the games begin!
P/S. The next contest will be a pasta and risotto exchange!

Ciao, abbracci e baci!
Laurie