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World Nutella Day, February 5, 2012
Bring it Forth
More than seventy years ago pastry chef Pietro Ferrero invented Nutella. Originally supplied in Mamma convenient sliceable loaves and called “pasta gianduja” it was made of cocoa and Piemontese hazelnuts. Over time the formula was modified, made spreadable and renamed “supercrema gianduja” and ultimately in 1964 was renamed Nutella. It was first imported to America in 1983, and the rest, as they say, is history.
This delightful nut and milk chocolate concoction even has its own day. In 2007, Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle from Bleeding Espresso realized that Nutella deserved some serious recognition, a day for people to proudly eat Nutella directly from the jar. (Well, they suggest use of a spoon.) A day when one might wish to sit for a portrait whilst lovingly caressing a jumbo jar of the cocoa and hazelnut manna. And year by year the number of celebrants has grown. The world is a sweeter, better place. Yes, my thanks go out to Sara and Michelle who “solemnly declare Sunday, February 5th World Nutella Day 2012 – a day to celebrate, to get creative with, and most importantly, to EAT Nutella.” Read the remainder of this entry »
Zabaglione con crema e frutti di bosco
Zabaglione with Cream and Mixed Berries
Christmas has come and gone, but the holidays are far from over. And that means you need another one or two desserts. By now lots of us want to keep it on the lighter side, so how about frutti di bosco topped with an orange scented zabaglione? Frutti di bosco – fruits of the forest, or as we say, mixed berries – often raspberries and blackberries – are a wonderful flavor combination, and oh so beautiful to behold. A big glass bowl of mixed berries looks like a collection of jewels to me, and there is no better way to serve them than topped with Zabaglione con crema.
Zabaglione (zabaione, or to the French sabayon) is a luscious blend of egg yolks, sugar and liquor, traditionally Marsala wine. The yolks, sugar and wine are whisked vigorously over a double boiler until thoroughly cooked, and tripled in volume, with no trace of raw egg yolk taste. Once cooked, it can be served as is or combined with whipped cream to make a most ethereal dessert a friend of mine calls “clouds.” Read the remainder of this entry »
Blood Orange Fruit Gelatin
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles today
To-morrow will be dying.
…Robert Herrick
Grab them while you can. Juice them and freeze their juice. The season does not last forever, but right now blood oranges are everywhere, including my back yard, so I am using them a lot. Tarts, panna cotta, cocktails, zabaglione and some very adult gelatin. I remember eating lots of Jell-O when I was a kid. It’s the red flavors I liked best – none of that green stuff for me. Pass the raspberry, hold the lime. I can picture holding my mom’s wooden spoon and looking down as I stirred the garnet liquid, knowing that in a while it would transform into its own unique state of matter, somewhere between jiggly and solid, a state that, when exposed to the heat of my mouth, would return once again to its liquid beginnings. Magic. But as always, times and tastes change, and Jell-O was long ago relegated to the realm of childhood memory. Until Bart was in the hospital, that is. (To forestall any worry – he is perfectly well now. No troubles.) But after many days of no food at all, the angels of mercy presented him with Jell-O. He loved it. He devoured it. He wanted more. Either the poor guy was really hungry, or that Jell-O was really good. I will never know. But when he returned home he wanted some from scratch. Homemade fruit gelatin. Not a glamorous name, but that is what it is. I thought why not? This could be really good. We bought some cherry juice and gave it a try. It was easy to make and we were rewarded with a blast of pure cherry flavor. More experimentation was surely in order; at each visit to Trader Joe’s we’d scan the juice section for a new flavor to try. Bart always got to choose, still does. Along with cherry, some of our favorites are pomegranate, blueberry and cranberry, and now blood orange. Topped with a dollop of softly whipped cream, homemade fruit gelatin is surprisingly refreshing. Pure fruit taste.
My standard recipe is 2 cups of liquid, sugar and 1 packet (1/4 oz.) KNOX Unflavored Gelatine. Don’t be put off by the idea of using gelatin. Once you understand it, you’ll get the hang and you’ll wonder what the fuss was about. Proper gelatin use consists of two steps. First you must soften, or “bloom” the gelatin. To do this pour a small portion of liquid into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Set aside for 5 minutes. Do not stir. Second, pour softened gelatin into hot liquid and stir to dissolve. See, no hassle. No mystery. For more info on gelatin use, see my post on Espresso Panna Cotta.
Depending on the juice you use you may or may not need to add sugar – cranberry and pomegranate always need sugar, from 4 to 6 tablespoons for 2 cups of their very tart juices. Grape juice may not need any sugar, but remember that you will eat this cold, so a bit of sugar may be necessary to lift the flavor, no matter how perfect the juice seems when you first try it.
I say go for it. Perfect your fruit gelatin technique in time for summer. You can wow your guests with unusual flavor combinations and multi-layered delights.
In the fifties every chic hostess used Dorothy Thorpe glassware; in a nod to my mom, the most chic of hostesses and the woman who taught me all about Jell-O, I give you Blood Orange Fruit Gelatin in Dorothy Thorpe glassware.
Blood Orange Fruit Gelatin
makes 4 servings
2 cups strained blood orange juice
3-4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 packet (1/4 oz. or 2 1/4 teaspoons) KNOX Unflavored Gelatine
Pour 1/4 cup juice into a small bowl. Sprinkle KNOX Gelatine over, and set aside to soften for 5 minutes. Do not stir.
Pour remaining juice in small saucepan and add sugar to taste. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat.
Pour softened gelatin into hot liquid, stirring to combine well and dissolve gelatin. If your juice has cooled, quickly bring it back to the boil, remove from heat and add gelatin mixture, just to be certain it will dissolve.
Pour mixture through a fine strainer set over medium bowl. Place bowl over an ice water bath to cool, stirring occasionally.
Pour mixture into serving glasses and cover carefully with plastic. Refrigerate until completely chilled and set.
To serve, garnish with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream.
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David Rocco
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One of the things a foodie loves best is discovering new things about food, whether it be new cuisines, foodstuffs, gadgets, books or food personalities. Passions work that way. New is fun. New is often good. David Rocco is new. David Rocco is good. Read the remainder of this entry »