Let us Prepare for Holidays Step 2

We feel so much in the holidays and  so we prepare a wonderful base for  cakes  to be decorated in many ways.

Pasta Biscotto

Butter 60 g
Manitoba Flour 160 gr
1 pinch salt
8 eggs
Vanilla 1 bag
160 g sugar

Mix together in a bowl 2 eggs, 2 egg yolk and 70 grams of sugar.

Cooking in a double boiler, beat the ingredients until the mixture becomes soft and fluffy .

Remove the bowl from the double boiler  and fold the mixture gently . 

Unite, stirring in the same way, the flour previously mixed with the vanilla, making them fall gradually by a sieve, and finally, add the melted butter . 

In another bowl, place 2 egg whites and a pinch of salt: beat the egg whites until stiff, adding  10 grams of sugar and mixing  for 2 minutes. 

Add the egg whites into the mixture, folding  them . Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, grease it: roll out the mixture into the baking dish layer with a height of about 1 cm, bake for about 6-7 minutes at 220  C°. 

Take a clean kitchen towel, moisten it slightly with water and when the cookie dough is cooked, remove it from the oven and flip it over it. Now you have to remove the dough from the parchment paper , if this is difficult, brush the paper with cold water, and try to take it slowly with the dough already discovered with the other hand. After the operation is completed, roll the dough in the damp cloth. When the pasta is cold, unroll it  and stuff with chocolate ,cream or custard or jam, spread over the entire surface with a spoon or with a long  smooth blade knife. Wrap the roll again, and place in refrigerator for about 20 minutes. When serving, sprinkle with icing sugar , cut into at least 2  cm. thick slices and serve . 

You can drench  the pasta biscotto with rum, maraschino or  alkermes.

Let us Prepare for Holidays Step 1

Let us prepare for the holidays with a delicious
'Crema Pasticcera' that you can offer on its own or in  more complex desserts.

Crema Pasticcera

6 egg yolks
5 tablespoons of sugar
1 l. milk
5 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon potato starch
1 vanilla pod
Simmer milk in a saucepan with the vanilla pod.
In a separate bowl, work the egg yolks and sugar very well until it is creamy and frothy , pour the warm milk slowly  then  add the sifted flour and starch.
Continue to beat, remove the vanilla bean into the saucepan, add a little at a time and stirring with a whisk, the mixture of egg yolks, flour, sugar and milk.

Bring it to  a boil, and, stirring constantly, simmer on low heat for a few minutes until the mixture thickens, beating constantly with a whisk to avoid lumps
Turn off the heat and cool the cream, stirring occasionally. The cream is ready.
Chocolate Variation: add  to the  hot cream 100 gr. of  dark chocolate  melted in a bain marie/double boiler
For those who suffer from celiac disease, we recommend replacing the dose of flour with the gluten-free flour and gluten free chocolate

Happy Valentines Day!

The hours pass and you still have not decided how to impress your sweetheart? Do not panic! We help you with an idea for a simple and delicious cake for a tet-a-tet romantic.

Safron is such a versatile spice and can be added to  a wide range of Italian foods including pasta dishes,meat, bread and dessert.In Panna cotta to change  the pure white colour of the cream , in Biscotti di Prato / Cantucci as a contrast  to almonds .

Important is that only small quantities of saffron are required in cooking because of its strong flavour and colour.

Torta di ricotta and Zafferano is a  light recipe to enjoy the colour and taste of saffron.

Grounded saffron is mixed directly with the other ingredients,otherwise   squeeze a orange/lemon, warm the juice slightly and dissolve the saffron in it before mixing to the dough.

Ricotta Cheese & Safron Cake

250g flour

300g ricotta cheese

1 packet of saffron

250g sugar

3 eggs

Grated peel of 1 lemon

16 gr. baking powder 

0,5 gr. Vanilla powder 

1 pinch of salt

Decoration:icing sugar

Fruit amarena

Place the ricotta in a bowl with the sugar and work them together until you have a cream. Add the flour and the other ingredients  and  mix well. Add the egg yolks and the grated lemon peel  and  mix. Whisk the  egg whites stiffly and then gently mix them  with the prepared mixture.

 Then pour into a cake tin and  bake  in a pre-heated oven at 180°C  for 40-45 minutes.

Then remove the cake from the oven and leave it to cool. Transfer it  to a serving plate,dust with icing sugar and serve with  gelato and fruit marena on  a side.

Vanilla Gelato

It’s white and cold ,it looks like the snow . Italian Vanilla Gelato is perfect for Holidays.

Serve it with amarene ( bitter cherries),melted chocolate or chocolate flakes .

Let’s have some in the freezer ready to prepare a stuffed Panettone.

GELATO ALLA VANIGLIA

FIORDILATTE

200g cream

450g milk

175g sugar

8 g vanilla powder

Mix all the ingredients,after having dissolved the sugar in the cold milk and prepare the ice-cream.

Suggestion : serve it with a fruit salad or pour on it old traditional balsamic vinegar or some “Amarene”

For amarene have a look at here

Panna Cotta in Tuscany

Answering to Jon's request , we add one of our dessert recipes :

PANNA COTTA

600 g cream

250 g icing sugar

50 g milk

2½ sheets gelatine

½ vanilla bean

Place the cream, icing sugar and vanilla over a low heat. Mix until the icing sugar melts (don’t let the mixture boil). Dissolve the isinglass in two spoonfuls of cold milk and then add it to the cream, which you have removed from the heat. Pour the cream in the little moulds .Leave to cool in the fridge for a few hours.

Suggestion: * Add zafferan to the cream

Serve with fruit sauce (strawberry, roseberry or grapes),chocolate, liquer (limoncello or nocino)