Archive for October, 2011

Mastering The Art of French Cooking

Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1


 
“This is a book for the servantless American cook…” So begins Volume 1 of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, the masterwork of Mmes. Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck. This month we celebrate fifty years since the book’s publication. Congratulations to all involved in bringing forth this wonderful book. I can not believe it has been that long. I remember when it came out, and did it ever make a splash in my neighborhood.

The dedication reads:

to
La Belle France
whose peasants, fishermen, housewives, and princes-not to mention her chefs – through generations of inventive and loving concentration have created one of the world’s great arts

But the book is not for the French. Not at all, and the authors made that crystal clear in their Foreword when they wrote “In fact the book could well be titled ‘French Cooking from the American Supermarket.'” Their goal was to inculcate fundamental cooking techniques thereby enabling women to “…gradually be able to divorce yourself from a dependence on recipes.” The authors speak of “…a greed for perfection…” that informs the production of a perfectly roasted chicken. But this greed was not reserved to the roasting of a bird. It was this greed for perfection that drove the authors over ten years, countless rewrites and the rejection of publishers, to persevere and ultimately triumph with this masterwork. Call it seminal. Call it revolutionary. This book forever changed the way Americans cook. Read more… »

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Panna Cotta all’Amaretto

Posted October 20, 2011 By Adri

Another in The Panna Cotta Diaries

Amaretto Panna Cotta

Well, I am back to The Panna Cotta Diaries. I was in the mood. Comfort food. Easy comfort food. For me, that’s Panna Cotta. I decided to use Amaretto, and not just any Amaretto – Luxardo Amaretto di Saschira. If you have never tasted this brand, then you have never tasted Amaretto, the “little bitter” liqueur.

Amaretto
 
Luxardo uses the famous almonds from Avola in the province of Siracusa in the south of Sicily. Real almonds. Some say really the best almonds. Not all brands use almonds, much less the magnificent ones from Avola. Some use lesser quality nuts, peach pits or synthetic flavorings. I mention all this because until I tasted Luxardo, I did not care for Amaretto very much at all. If you think Amaretto is not for you, give the Luxardo a try. I bet that just as I did, you will change your mind.
 
 
The liqueur is a gorgeous clear amber. Open this sleek, slender bottle, and smell the heady scent of the finest marzipan. It is not as sweet as other brands, and the almond taste opens up as the liqueur wraps your mouth in a delicate blanket of almond. This is one luxurious liqueur, and it imparts the most extraordinary burnt sugar and almond flavor to this dessert.

 

 

 

Amaretto Panna Cotta

Amaretto Panna Cotta

makes 6 1/2 cup servings

This Panna Cotta is just in time for elegant winter time dinner parties. I make it with a full 1/4 cup of Amaretto along with almond and vanilla extracts. Don’t skimp on the quality of liqueur. With this much Amaretto, you must use high quality spirits. Go for the good stuff, such as Luxardo. Ditto for the almond extract and vanilla extracts – use a fine brand such as Nielsen-Massey or Sonoma Syrup Co.
 
I tried several amounts of gelatin with this one. I started with 2 1/4 teaspoons, and the set was not firm enough. I upped it right to 3 teaspoons, and it was much too firm – a nerf ball comes to mind. I backed off to 2 ½ teaspoons – it was just a shade too tight, finally settling on a scant 2 ½ teaspoons. Remember though, the set on Panna Cotta is very much a personal choice. So feel free to change the amount up or down. but just remember that you will not need to change it very much. Unless you want a nerf ball, that is. For a photo essay on how to make Panna Cotta and information on how to treat gelatin, see my post on Espresso Panna Cotta.

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 cups whole milk, divided
1/4 cup Amaretto
1/4 cup granulated sugar
scant 2 1/2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
chocolate curls to garnish

Pour 1/4 cup milk in shallow bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over milk and soften five minutes. Be sure all the gelatin comes in contact with the milk – otherwise it will not soften properly.

Pour cream, remaining 1 cup milk and sugar in medium saucepan. Stir to combine. Over medium flame, heat to scalding. Do not let mixture boil.

Remove from heat, add softened gelatin, stirring to combine thoroughly. Continue stirring until gelatin has dissolved. The mixture should be quite smooth.

Strain mixture into clean bowl. Add Amaretto and extracts and combine thoroughly.

Set bowl over an ice bath. Stir frequently to promote even cooling until mixture develops the consistency of high-fat heavy cream.

Pour into serving glasses. Cover with plastic and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

Garnish with bittersweet chocolate curls for service.

A note: I like to cool the Panna Cotta until it thickens somewhat. That way when I move it from my counter to the refrigerator, it does not shift in the serving glass and I get a perfectly even line of Panna Cotta in the glass. Do avoid the pitfall of letting it get too thick. You will wind up with an uneven surface. I know. I know. Picky, picky.

Amaretto Panna Cotta


Note: You can click on any picture for a larger image, and to see a slide show!

I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.

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Tortelli Caramelle for Columbus Day

Posted October 9, 2011 By Adri

Christopher Columbus del Piombo 1519

The second Monday in October? Hint – the children’s ditty:

“In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue… “

Bravo! You got it. It’s Columbus Day. On this day Cristoforo Colombo or as we know him Christopher Columbus, intrepid explorer and navigator, arrived in the New World, and the Whole World changed forever. There were other momentous goings on that year – the demise of Lorenzo the Magnificent (Lorenzo de Medici, 1449-1492) for one, but today the subject is the gentleman from Genoa, not the nobleman from Florence. The historic arrival date is October 12, 1492, and Columbus Day is a very big deal in the Italian-American community. They stage living tableaux, parties and parades. Schools are closed. Italian flags are flown with pride as Italian-Americans joyously claim their heritage. Read more… »

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Cucina-Povera-CoverLarge
Cucina Povera: Tuscan Peasant Cooking

 

Let us pause in life’s pleasures and count its many tears,
While we all sup sorrow with the poor;
There’s a song that will linger forever in our ears;
Oh hard times come again no more.

“Hard Times” Stephen Foster (American songwriter 1826-1864)

 

I was bowled over when I received a copy of this cookbook to review. Its subject is Tuscan peasant cooking, and true to its folk, the Mangiafagioli (beaneaters), pictured on the cover is a bowl of Roasted Tomatoes, Beans and Onions – peasant food if ever there was. This is a simple dish, economical and easy to prepare, but more than that it is representative of the soul satisfying fare within. This dish like so many others in the book can be put together without fuss, yielding flavor greater than the sum of its parts.

Throughout history the working class of Italy has been no stranger to hard times. Read more… »

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L’Americana – a Cocktail for Amanda Knox

Posted October 3, 2011 By Adri

Amanda Knox L'Americana Cocktail
Oh, how I waited on this one.  Don’t confuse this with the classic cocktail, The Americano.  No, I did not misspell anything.  For four years I have followed the saga of Amanda Knox, the young American student jailed in Perugia, Italy for the November 2007 murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher.  I followed Amanda through her original trial, her incarceration and appeal, and finally through this last most excruciating weekend.  I emailed with friends halfway across the globe.  We agonized for Amanda, her co-defendant Rafaelle Sollecito and especially for the Kercher family.  Lady Justice, as they say, grinds slowly, but she grinds finely, and she freed Amanda Knox.  Even now, Amanda is most likely on her way back home.  Amanda’s home now. Read more… »

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