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Granita di Caffè con Panna
Espresso Granita with Whipped Cream
Dateline: Rome, August 1971
It was hot. Hot like only Rome can get in August. That’s why the Romans leave the Eternal City to us tourists. I walked toward the Colosseum and realized the asphalt was literally sinking beneath my feet. I could feel the heat of it through my shoes. Like I said Rome is hot. I decided to take a detour and grab something refreshing. I said to the waiter, “Prendo una granita di caffè, per favore.” “Con panna?” came the response. I thought a second and said, “Si, con panna.”
That interchange was almost lightning fast, and so was relief. The translation is simple, “I’ll have a Granita di caffè.” “With cream?” “Yes, with cream.” Very quickly the waiter brought me a glass of icy coffee crystals topped with softly whipped cream. I don’t know if service was always that fast or if I presented in a most precarious state. Cool and icy, with the taste of strong coffee and a kiss of sugar, it hit the spot. I felt better and continued on to Emperor Vespasian’s iconic amphitheater. Read the remainder of this entry »
Blood Orange Pudding
Gelo di arancia rossa
Alright, I will admit it. I am a nostalgia freak. Just over a year ago my hometown newspaper axed its stand alone Food Section. Doubtless a victim of the recession and changing reading habits, the Food Section of yore had breathed its last. From its glory days of over thirty pages, through the years the section became smaller, continuing the inexorable march to its current iteration as part of a Saturday lifestyle sampler. Read the remainder of this entry »
Creme Caramel from Bouchon
By way of The Los Angeles Times
Well, this is getting to be a habit around here – making recipes from the Los Angeles Times Food Section. Last week the Times ran a recipe for Creme Caramel from Thomas Keller’s Bouchon restaurant. I just had to try it – I am a sucker for custard desserts and creme caramel is my fave. I can never resist the combination of caramel and creamy custard. But this one is different; it is by far and away the finest, most sophisticated rendition of this dessert I have ever eaten. Not too sweet and made with only milk, you’ll find no ½ & ½ or heavy cream here, it has an utterly seductive texture that is silky and light. Just the right ratio of eggs and egg yolks to milk and a low cooking temperature ensure a most elegant set, a custard that jiggles just a bit on the plate and melts on your tongue. I have five words for you: Do try this at home.
Click here for the LA Times recipe.
I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.
Nancy Silverton’s Bittersweet Chocolate Cake
The Signature Chocolate Dessert from Osteria Mozza
Give Americans a menu, and most will order the chocolate dessert. Last Thursday’s Los Angeles Times Food section showcased a chocolate dessert dressed to the nines, just in time for the holidays. From Los Angeles area chef Nancy Silverton of Osteria Mozza, comes a bittersweet chocolate fantasia – dense chocolate cake napped with voluptuous fudge sauce presented with a trio of chocolate confections – candied almonds dipped and rolled in cocoa, chocolate coated candied hazelnut clusters and chocolate dipped honeycomb. I simply can not conjure up a more spectacularly elegant dessert for New Year’s Eve.
The success of this dessert will rest on the quality of your ingredients. With one pound of chocolate in the cake alone, you will not want to skimp, especially not when you are going to invest this much effort. Be sure to use fine quality: my favorite is Callebaut (available from Amazon). However, brands such as Valrhona and Scharffen Berger are also marvelous. The same holds true for the fudge sauce – use high quality cocoa. Go for Pernigotti, or Penzeys high fat (24%) natural cocoa from Penzeys.com.
Okay, I know it looks like a lot – this is fine dining in the home, senza dubito. Don’t be daunted; you can do this. Just do not make the mistake of thinking you can do it all in one day. Each of the five components can be made ahead, some as far as a week, and in the case of the fudge sauce, several weeks. The recipe and directions available at the LA Times website are meticulous in their detail, and Ms. Silverton and the editors have generously included a video.
Buone feste!
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.
LA Times Gravenstein Thin-Crusted Apple Tart
When you have really nice apples you don’t need anything else. Well, except for some butter and flour to make a tart. When I saw the article in the August 11 edition of the Los Angeles Times about the endangered Gravenstein apple and the accompanying recipe, I just had to give it try. I had forgotten about Gravensteins. They were one of my mother’s favorites for baking, along with Jonathans. The Gravenstein apple, once a large crop in California is now in danger of disappearing. There are several reasons, foremost among them, the apples are difficult to harvest, perishable and quite simply, farmers can make more money growing other crops. However the Gravenstein is not without friends. Read the remainder of this entry »
Los Angeles City Schools Coffee Cake
Well, my blog is one year old today! To celebrate, I am going back to the beginning. My inaugural post was about the Sweet Rolls that were sold at Nutrition at Paul Revere Junior High and Palisades High Schools. Those cinnamon brown sugar delights were my preferred “Nutrition” time treat. There was another choice, however, and kids were of one stripe or the other. It was either Sweet Rolls or Coffee Cake. Read the remainder of this entry »