Cream Puffs In Venice

The Best Person I Know

admin — Sun, 12 May 2013 15:02:18 +0000

My mom is the best person I know. She is everything to me and even though we're very different and we sometimes butt heads, she is my hero in every way. For those that know my mom, they'll know that she is a white chocolate fiend. For real. She'll steal your white chocolate from you and smile whilst doing it. I made her a special breakfast with a big jug of white chocolate sauce for her to pour over everything. And she did. I love you mommy!

Bewitched

admin — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 22:19:12 +0000

I am continuously amazed at how many cookies there are out there that I have yet to discover. As many cookies as I've baked, and I've baked many, there are always so many more waiting in the wings. During the course of a day, when some people might stare out the window, go for a short walk or go grab a coffee in order to take a short break, I will take a few minutes to troll my favourite food sites. This always perks me up. It was during one of these quiet moments, a few months back, that I came across the recipe for Strazzate on Saveur's site. I have never heard of these cookies, which are a mixture of almonds, chocolate pieces and a good shot (or two) of a liqueur called Strega. They are apparently from the Basilicata region of Italy and while not pretty to look at, they were a lovely combination of crunchy exterior and soft interior, thanks to the almonds and liqueur. While they were on the sweet side, there was a very pleasant herbal tone to the cookies provided by the Strega. For those that don't know, Strega is another in a long line of liqueurs that Italians seem to be adept at producing. This particular liqueur is on the herbal side in terms of flavour and taste since it's made using a number of herbs. The very distinct colour comes from the use of saffron as part of the process of making the liqueur. In Italian, the word "strega" means witch. Growing up, my parents had a special cupboard in the basement that was the storage place for (what seemed to me) a fairly healthy supply of certain alcohols that seemed to be very important to the family. My determination that these liquids were important to the family was based on the following: a) we were never allowed to run out of them, b) when going to visit someone or when someone came to visit us, these always seemed to be the gifts of choice and c) my mom used them generously in baking and cooking. I speak of whiskey, rum, brandy, anisette, cognac, amaretto, grappa (heaven help you if the grappa ran out ...), alchermes, vermouth and amaro. The one that used to terrify me was the amaro. My parents always had a brand called Centerba that was once foisted on me when I had a tummy ache. I was told it would help settle my stomach and make me feel better. I was lied to. While Strega was not a liqueur we had in stock, it is one that I've warmed up to in my adulthood and I certainly enjoy a sip every now and then. Mixed with the almonds and chocolate, it makes for a very interesting flavour combination and one worth trying. I was so happy to come across these cookies. While humble in appearance, they were distinct in flavour and reminded me again that Italy has such a rich and varied sweet tradition. Also, the cookies helped keep my mind of the Centerba. Shudder. You can find the recipe for Strazzate, here.

Lasagne. Words Unnecessary.

admin — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:06:55 +0000

I Say Doughnut.

admin — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 00:08:34 +0000

I say doughnut. Sounds just like donut. Except with three more letters. I love all things sweet but I have my favourites and doughnuts know that there is a special, happy spot in my stomach that is reserved just for them. That special, happy spot made my buy the March 2013 issue of Saveur based on the front cover photo, alone. My stomach is the boss so I couldn't say no. In typical Saveur fashion it's a detailed and entertaining read on the tremendous history of fried dough and the incredible people that who have made it their life's work to ensure that we all have delicious fried dough to eat. I particularly enjoyed the listing of the best doughnut purveyors in the United States. I'll be in Chicago next month so Dat Donut, The Doughnut Vault and Old Fashioned Donuts ... look out. I'm coming for you. In the meantime, I contented myself with Vanilla-Glazed Yeast Donuts and a so-so attempt at Berliners. Go forth and fry, people! Go make some doughnuts!

Buona Pasqua!

admin — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 15:28:59 +0000

To all of you, Happy Bunny Day! Cream Puff and Mammina send Easter love and best wishes to all of you!

Cookie Jar

admin — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 23:32:12 +0000

When I was a kid, we had a big, ceramic cookie jar on the counter. It was shaped like a mushroom, with the jar lid being the mushroom cap and the body of the jar was being the stem of the mushroom. I have no idea where that jar ended up, or what its fate was, but I remember it fondly as it was almost always full. My mom always made sure there were cookies in there to dip in your espresso (or, in the case of my brother and I since we were just children, milk with a few drops of espresso). Of course the cookies in that jar weren't the store-bought kind but rather the homemade kind. I remember sometimes feeling resentful because I wanted my fair share of Oreos, but now that I'm older, I'm just glad that we had that cookie jar full of cookies. While I enjoy all baking, I will always enjoy the cookies the most. They're in my heart and I have such a weakness for any cookie recipe that catches my eye. It may take me awhile to get to it, but rest assured that I will. I first saw the recipe for Bow Tie Cookies with Apricot Preserves two Christmases ago. The recipe has been filed away in the cookie book in my mind and I finally got around to trying them. Love. The dough for these cookies is a variation on the butter/cream cheese style of dough but interestingly, there is no sugar in the dough. The sweetness comes entirely from the preserves. I enjoyed the cookies because they weren't too sweet and the tang of the cream cheese pairs well with the sweetness of the preserves. Like all cream cheese doughs, though, these cookies lose their flakiness after a day or two so it's best to eat them quickly. Not that I expect that to be a huge problem. I hope you try these and I hope you're inspired to keep a cookie jar on your counter.

Do Play with Your Food. Especially Your Cake.

admin — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 01:53:46 +0000

While I will never lay claim to the title of "world's best cake decorator", I must say I do enjoy playing with my cake! To be sure, the very term "cake decorator" has come to take on a whole new meaning in the world of baking and cake-making. I would argue that in may ways, cake decorators today are akin to artists, pushing the envelope with breathtaking and amazing creations of butter, sugar and flour. In Toronto, places like Bobbette & Belle and Cake Opera Co. make it heard to have your cake and eat your cake too when it's so beautiful (trust me ... I always manage to eat it ...). All of this is well and good but it can make it a bit intimidating for those of us that just want to make a pretty cupcake or a special occasion cake in the humble comfort and simplicity of our own home kitchens. Enter Martha Stewart and the special edition publication The Best Of Martha Stewart Living - CAKES & CUPCAKES Magazine. On newsstands until May 13, 2013, this special edition publication gathers together some of the best and most beloved cake and cupcake recipes, with instructions on how to decorate them in all sorts of pretty and fun ways. Don't worry. There are no recipes for building a castle entirely out of sugar or recreating the Statue of Liberty out of rice treats and fondant. It's more like a handful of building-block recipes for basic cakes and frostings that you can then use to make cupcakes, layer cakes and some other special desserts. The edition provides ideas for desserts for pretty much every special occasion during the year from celebrating spring with cupcakes and buttercream flowers to desserts for the holidays. Myself, I have been hankering after chocolate for quite awhile now and I've had chocolate cake on the brain so I settled for the chocolate cake and frosting featured in this recipe. I got all fancy with my piping bag and star tip (not really) and then got really wild and crazy with some coloured sprinkles. There was no stopping me. I followed the recipe for a delicious One-Bowl Chocolate Cake and then made one of the many frosting recipes in the book. Delicious. But there were so many recipes I could have tried like this one (images below provided by MarthaStewart.com): or this one: I hope you pick up a copy of this fun compendium of recipes from Martha Stewart. There are a lot of really great ideas that are achievable at home and that will give you the satisfaction of having created something delicious and beautiful. Plus you get to play with your cake!

Nutella: How Do I Love Thee?

admin — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 02:02:40 +0000

I pride myself on remembering certain key dates. I remember the birthdays of loved ones, I remember special anniversaries and I remember those handful of important "dates" in my life - those days that for one reason or another I will never forget. How is it, then, that I missed World Nutella Day on February 5, 2013 (... by the way, thank you Sara of Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle of Bleeding Espresso for creating this worth event ...)? What's particularly irksome about this is that just a few weeks ago I was staring into an almost-empty jar of Nutella and thinking, "Hey ... isn't World Nutella Day around the corner?" All I can do is apologize to my family, my friends, the amazing people that make Nutella and all the other Nutella-lovers out there. Truly. I am so sorry. Throughout the year, I will often muse about what recipe to trot out for the next World Nutella Day. Leading up to 2013's event I had a number of ideas: Nutella Crostata, Nutella Mousse, Nutella Ice Cream and so on and so forth. In the end, though, I decided on marrying the enduring suaveness and intensity of Nutella with the solid, always-reliable workhouse of cookies: the chocolate chip cookie. I had the idea for a Nutella Chocolate Chip cookie as I flipped through a copy of Sarah Copeland's The Newlywed Cookbook: Fresh Ideas and Modern Recipes for Cooking With and for Each Other. Lest I lead anyone astray, I am not a newlywed (not even wed) but a girl can dream over her jar of Nutella, can't she? But back to my story. I was flipping through a copy of this lovely book and came across a recipe for Thousand-Layer Chocolate Chip Cookies. The recipe is accompanied by a full-page spread of photos that show the technique of layering the cookie dough to create the "thousand layers" (hint: it's not really a thousand layers but who's really gonna count?). Looking at the pictures I had a flash of an idea: why not spread on some Nutella between each layer? I give you Thousand (Amost)-Layer Chocolate Chip and Nutella Cookies. Just as a splash of lemon can transform so many dishes, a dab (okay maybe more than a dab) of Nutella simply makes a delicious cookie something even more so. I hope you will accept this offering as an apology for getting one of the most important days of year. Nutella: I love you in more ways than I can count. (The lovely people at Leite's Culinaria have posted Sarah Copeland's recipe for Thousand-Layer Chocolate Chip Cookies here. All you have to do is spread a few spoonfuls of Nutella on each layer of dough before you sprinkle on the chocolate. Enjoy.) Here's what the Cream Puff did for past World Nutella Days: World Nutella Day 2012: Nutella Scones World Nutella Day 2011: Nutella Meringues World Nutella Day 2010: Nutella Ripple Cheesecake World Nutella Day 2009: Oven Crespella with Nutella Sauce World Nutella Day 2008: This was the year that I failed Nutella. So sad. World Nutella Day 2007: Cheese-Filled Tuiles with Nutella Drizzles

A Carnevale Ogni Scherzo Vale

admin — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 01:47:36 +0000

When I was just a baby Cream Puff, I remember that I was never really into Halloween. I suspect that part of this was due to the fact that Halloween was scary for me, but also because Halloween was not a holiday with which my family was very familiar. Putting on costumes and eating lots of sweets was something you did at Carnevale. In Italy, Carnevale refers to the festivities that take place after Christmas and before the beginning of Lent. In some parts of Italy, Carnevale can be a month-long celebration, however, in most places, Carnevale generally falls in the days just before Ash Wednesday. As the kids of Italian parents, we learned early on about the traditions of Carnevale and the characters that took centre stage. I always wanted to be Colombina. But there were many you could choose from. The various characters that came out to play at Carnevale were traditional characters seen often and in various forms in Italian theatre and plays. Everybody knows that Arlecchino is a tricky fellow and Pulcinella will always make you laugh. While people probably associate the idea of Carnevale and elaborate masks with the city of Venice, Italians all over Italy will celebrate by dressing up, dancing and eating. My own family is celebrating with a costume party and a cenone (a dinner) tonight to be followed by an elaborate lunch tomorrow. My aunts have already made the traditional ravioli with various fillings (meat, ricotta and so on). Wish I was there. Sigh. Growing up, we always had a special meal on the Sunday before Lent but as we grew older, that tradition waned. I think we're still trying to get over Christmas! This year, however, I decided to do something special to mark the celebration of Carnevale so I made castagnole ("little chestnuts"). Castagnole are yet another variation on the wondrous and beautiful thing we know as fried dough. They can be served in a variety of ways, including drizzled in honey or rolled in sugar. In Ascoli Piceno, where my father is from, my aunts will roll the castagnole in sugar and then drizzle on a liqueur called Alchermes. If you've never had Alchermes, it can be tough to find. My parents would always bring a bottle back with them from Italy. It's a red liqueur that has a spicy sweetness to it and is very common in Italian desserts. The castagnole, piled on high on a serving tray, certainly made for a festive atmosphere and it certainly felt like Carnevale, at least for a brief moment. I just wish I had that Colombina costume. Sigh. (I followed the recipe for Castagnole from the wonderful site: La Tavola Marche. You can find the recipe here.)

High Five

admin — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 03:10:01 +0000

Today was one of those days where keeping the oven light on, was truly a great source of comfort. I attended the funeral of a very young boy, whose father is a friend and colleague. The one and only time I ever met this sweet little angel was about two months ago and just a few weeks before Christmas. My colleague had brought his little boy to work. They visited me briefly in my office and I was so excited and happy. The little boy was understandably shy, having never met me, so his dad told him to give me a high five. And he did. I’ve been thinking about that high five ever since. After the funeral, I came home and immediately set about baking. As I baked, I took the time to reflect on the day’s events and on the lessons to walk away with. While it was far too brief, I am so grateful that I had the chance to meet my friend’s son. I was reminded that our loved ones are the greatest gift we have, and we shouldn’t waste a single moment. Ever. I was reminded that love and faith will see us through. I was reminded of the best high five I ever got, and that I will never ever forget. (The recipe for these Peanut Butter Blossoms is here.)