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Crostata di Funghi

Posted November 17, 2012 By Adri

Mushroom Tart

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For those of you out there, and I know you are there, who are not serving turkey this Thanksgiving, but rather are going whole hog and serving ham, let me recommend this crostata as an accompaniment or a starter. Cremini are affordable, and they are in markets everywhere. Their meaty taste and hearty texture are perfect Fall fare. And if you want to really splurge – it’s Porcini season in Piemonte, and the little piglets (porcini – piglet in Italian) have made the trek to the U.S. Substitute an ounce or two for some of the cremini. You will be rewarded with a heady mushroom perfume and extravagant taste. Read more… »

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Zuppa di Funghi – Mushroom Soup

Posted November 15, 2012 By Adri


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Forget mushroom soup in a can. Once you taste this homemade soup brimming with the taste of cremini mushrooms and winter vegetables you will never go back. It’s a snap to make, and now is the time to do it. Cremini mushrooms are easy to find and they are delicious. These small brown mushrooms are closely related to the white button mushrooms we grew up with here in the U.S. I prefer Cremini – they have a bit more flavor and texture. They are immature Portabello mushrooms, and are often marketed as “Baby Bella.” Add a few Porcini if you have them, for an even richer flavor. You can dress this soup up with a dollop of mascarpone at service or even add 1/4 cup of Cognac or Marsala. It will warm you on a winter night, and it would be a wonderful starter for Thanksgiving. Read more… »

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Fernet Branca – Gelato al Fernet Branca

Posted November 9, 2012 By Adri

Fernet Branca – Gelato al Fernet Branca

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Acquire the taste. Say hello to the big daddy of amari. Say hello to Fernet (fur-net) Branca. There are other makers, but when a patron asks for Fernet, the barman knows he wants Fernet Branca from Fratelli Branca Distillerie. Bernardino Branca invented Fernet in 1845, and it is still made according to the original secret formula. Secret, I repeat. The company admits to twenty-seven ingredients from four corners of the globe. Word among the cognoscenti, however puts the figure at upwards of forty. Known are gentian root, rhubarb, gum myrrh, aloe, red cinchona bark and galanga. Saffron is rumored. Read more… »

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The Daily Cookie by Anna Ginsberg

Posted November 7, 2012 By Adri

A Book Review

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Bloggers aren’t just blogging anymore. Nope, they’re writing cookbooks, and the latest entry is from Anna Ginsberg, of the blog Cookie Madness. I was very pleased to receive a review copy of Ms. Ginsberg’s book, The Daily Cookie: 365 Tempting Treats for the Sweetest Year of Your Life, just in time for holiday baking and cookie exchanges.

In 2005 Ms. Ginsberg started blogging, and she never looked back. After she accomplished her goal of baking a batch of cookies every day for an entire year she moved on to other baked goods, posting something new almost every day. Aside from blogging, she found time to win the 41st Pillsbury Bake-Off and many other contests. In the cookie world, she is the real deal. Read more… »

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White Peach Crostata

Posted August 12, 2012 By Adri

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There’s no doubt about it. Come summer, the luscious peach rocks the fruit world. Succulent and heavily scented, sporting their peachy blush, they are piled high at Farmer’s Markets and grocery stores everywhere. Their message is “Summer has Arrived.” Read more… »

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When the Moon Hits Your Eye or Spaghetti in the Sky

Posted July 16, 2012 By Adri

Spaghetti al sugo di carne

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We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.

President John F. Kennedy, September 12, 1962


Gaetano Crocetti

 

 

 

I often find myself wondering what my grandfather, Gaetano Crocetti, thought as he sailed to America in 1913. As he voyaged across the Atlantic Ocean from Naples to New York he must have looked up from the deck of the Hamburg and gazed at the Moon. I bet he never dreamed he would have two sons, and of those two Italian-Americans, one would help send men to the Moon and the other would become world famous singing about the Moon. Read more… »

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