Tiramisu

It's been quite a while since I did a post where I share step-by-step photo instructions.  Tiramisu seemed like the perfect opportunity to remedy that fact.  My sister Jenna is in town for a few days, and she wanted to cook together, so I planned several fun recipes for us to try.  We spent a couple hours at West Side Market yesterday choosing the perfect ingredients, then got to work in the kitchen.

This tiramisu is absolutely delicious.  Light and airy, it's neither soggy nor heavy as other versions can be.  I skipped the brandy/liqueur, so there's no alcoholic bite either.  I would recommend increasing the amount of espresso syrup used so that the tiramisu isn't dry - the recipe below reflects my changes.



Tiramisu
adapted from Heavenly Tiramisu

espresso syrup
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. strong espresso

mascarpone cream
1 c. heavy cream
1/3 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
16 oz. mascarpone cheese, softened

1/2 lb. savoiardi (ladyfingers) - about 28 cookies

cocoa powder


for the syrup

Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.  Remove from the heat and stir in espresso.  Pour into a shallow dish and set aside to cool.



for the mascarpone cream

Whip the cream until soft peaks begin to form, then with the mixer running, slowly add in the vanilla and sugar.  Scrape whipped cream into a separate bowl, set aside.

Place the mascarpone cheese into the mixer and whip until light and fluffy.  This will make it much easier to fold into the whipped cream. 


See how light and fluffy it is?  Much easier to work with than the original consistency, which is similar to cream cheese.

Gently fold the whipped cream into the whipped cheese.  I like to add the cream in two batches so I can get it as fully incorporated as possible without losing all the air.

I love a good assembly line, and this is a great excuse to set one up.  Set out a shallow 2-quart baking dish.  Next to it, set your shallow container of espresso syrup, and next to that, a pile of ladyfingers.

Dip each ladyfinger in the espresso syrup, flip to coat the other side, then arrange in the baking dish.

Top the layer of ladyfingers with half the mascarpone cream.

Repeat the process of dunking the ladyfingers and arranging them.  Top with the remaining half of the mascarpone cream.

Using the end of a wooden spoon, poke holes in the top mascarpone layer.

Spoon the remaining espresso syrup into the holes so it can soak down into the dessert.  Yum!

Smooth the top of the tiramisu so the holes no longer show.  Look how pretty!

I was afraid that plastic wrap would destroy the smoothness of the top layer, so I used a larger baking dish as a cover.  Refrigerate the tiramisu up to 24 hours before serving.

When you're ready to serve. slice into squares and sprinkle with cocoa powder.  This is a fabulous dessert that comes together relatively easily.  Though there are several steps, two people can put this together in no time with impressive (and delicious!) results.

Prosciutto & Spinach Panini with Pesto & Yogurt Cheese

I love panini!  Somehow, eating meat on bread becomes less of an issue for me when it's pressed, hot, and cheesy.  Also little grammar lesson for you?  Do not try to pluralize it as "paninis".  It is already plural, kind of like "pizelle" or "moose".

These were simple panini - I made pesto, then smeared it on lovely fresh Pugliese bread, topped with prosciutto, fresh spinach, and yogurt cheese.  Delicious!  For any of you who want specifics - it was two pieces of prosciutto, maybe 1/3 cup spinach, two slices (about 1" x 4" x 1/4" thick) of yogurt cheese, and maybe 1/2 tbsp. pesto on each sandwich.

I gave you some pesto advice a while ago, but I thought I'd add a more detailed "recipe".  I put that in quotes because I'm pretty flexible when I make pesto - you never know what it will be like texturally, and you will most likely have to add and subtract quantities in order to get the perfect consistency for your recipe.

My favorite thing about pesto is its versatility.  It works great as a spread on sandwiches, a topping for grilled meat, to brush on kabobs, and of course, as a pasta sauce.  It's nice to make pesto in big batches, then freeze it for later use.  You can use up your summer basil and enjoy it all year round.  At this time of year, if basil is super expensive, you can use part basil and sub other herbs in for the rest of the quantity.  Flat leaf parsley is my go-to substitute, but you can experiment with other mild herbs too.

Pesto!

1 c. fresh basil leaves, packed
1/4 c. pignoli (pine nuts) or walnuts
2 cloves garlic, peeled
salt & pepper
1/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients except olive oil in the bowl of a food processor.  Process until mixture stops moving (mine typically gets stuck to the sides once it's been minced).  Scrape down the sides, then while running the food processor, stream olive oil in through the feed tube.  Stop, scrape down the sides, and taste the pesto.  Depending on its consistency, you may want to add more basil and nuts (to thicken it) or more olive oil (to thin it out).  Remember to season it to taste with salt and pepper.  The pesto I made this time was very thick - I wanted it to spread nicely on sandwiches and not be watery at all.  When I turned it into a pesto cream for pasta later in the week, I thinned it out with milk and a bit of heavy cream.

Store pesto for a couple days in food storage containers as pictured above, or ladle into ice cube trays and freeze.  Store the frozen cubes in a zip-top bag.  Each cube is 2 tablespoons of pesto - the perfect amount for four panini or one bowl of pasta.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting

So, World Nutella Day is today, February 5, and in order to assist you in celebrating this illustrious holiday, I present to you a slammin' chocolate cupcake recipe from my friend Samantha (who brought us this and this) and an AMAZING Nutella frosting.  If you've never had Nutella, stop reading this, go to the store, and report back once you've bought some.  I'll wait.

Got it?  Good.  Let's move on.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Start with one box of chocolate cake mix.

Using the measurements on the cake mix box as your guide, make the following changes:

-Replace the oil with melted butter
-Replace the water with chocolate milk
-Add one box instant chocolate pudding.

Line muffin pans with paper liners, fill, and bake according to box directions.  I was able to get 16 large and 12 mini muffins out of this recipe.  When they are finished baking, remove to racks to cool.


In the meantime, prepare your frosting and learn more about World Nutella Day from its creators - here and here.


Nutella Frosting
from The Unrepentant Carbivore

1 c. powdered sugar
1 c. Nutella
5 tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 c. heavy cream

Combine first five ingredients in the bowl of your KA mixer (or use a handheld electric mixer) and beat until ingredients are fully combined and mixture is fluffy.  Add the cream and beat until it is fully incorporated and the batter is "light and smooth".

Frost the cupcakes and immediately bring at least a dozen to the neighbor's house, as I did.  Otherwise, you will end up eating them all, and nobody wants to get sick on World Nutella Day, right?

Ham, Brie, & Green Apple Panini with Homemade Potato Chips

While Andrew and I were saving for our wedding, I got a waitressing job to help out with expenses.  I ended up meeting some amazing people and eating some fantastic food.  The Grill was a really great restaurant with a focus on good food and community service.  It was a small converted diner that focused on local foods, homemade everything, and bringing people together.  They even donated a percentage of their profits to a different community-based organization each month.  I was devastated when The Grill went out of business - my heart went out to the owners, and as the weeks went by after it closed, I started to realize how much I would miss the people, and of course, the amazing food.

The Cheddar Bacon Mashed Potatoes I shared with you were a favorite at The Grill, and this panini is another one.  I used to love to put in my order for a Ham, Brie, & Green Apple Panini at the end of my shift, then sit at the counter with my sandwich and a pile of sweet potato fries or homemade potato chips.  I attempted to recreate that panini, and I think I did a darn good job.  Please ignore the fact that I have a red apple in my photos - certain husbands were not listening when I said "you can eat all the fruit you want, just leave me one green apple."  So anyway, pretend it's green if you want.

Ham, Brie, & Green Apple Panini

 8 slices crusty, chewy Italian bread

1 cooked ham steak

1 Granny Smith apple

8 oz. brie cheese

2 tbsp. butter

Cut the ham to fit pieces of bread.  Press between paper towels to remove as much liquid as possible.  Slice the brie and the apple.  I prefer to leave the skin on the apple, but of course, do whatever makes you happy.

Butter one side of two pieces Italian bread.  Place the first slice, butter side down, on a hot panini press.  Top with ham, apple, and cheese.  Place second slice of bread, butter side up, on top of the sandwich.  Close the press and press down hard to "smush" the sandwich and get that classic panini shape.

 

You can easily cook two sandwiches at a time, on the press.  If you don't have one, you can use a grill pan on the stove - just put a heavy pan with a can in it on top of the sandwiches to press the sandwich.

I served these with an amazing new discovery - Microwave Potato Chips!  These chips are easy to make and unbelievably delicious.  I don't keep potato chips in the house anymore, so it was a nice treat to be able to make just enough for us to eat, with none leftover to tempt me during the day!

These chips get amazingly crispy and take on a "kettle-cooked" flavor.  We opted to make salt and pepper chips, which were delicious, but you try adding vinegar instead of pepper if you like.

Microwave Potato Chips
adapted from Eating Well

1 large Idaho potato, unpeeled, scrubbed
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Use a mandolin or a very sharp knife to slice the potato into 1/8" thick rounds.

Toss to coat in the olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Spread the chips in one layer on a large microwave-safe plate.  Microwave on high 2-3 minutes.  Chips should be starting to brown.  Turn them over, the microwave on high 2-4 minutes.  Keep an eye on them - once they burn, they are pretty gross.  You may need to repeat this process to get the chips the color/texture you want.  Once they are done, remove to a serving bowl/plate and repeat the process with the remaining potato slices.

Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata is an Italian restaurant staple.  A buttery, lemony sauce with capers, a thin piece of chicken, served with pasta...what could be bad about that?  The problem for me is, most restaurants use way too much lemon in their Chicken Piccata.  I'm not a fan of lemon in food, mostly because people tend to overuse it, overwhelming their dishes with tartness. 

Have I turned you off of the idea of Chicken Piccata yet?  I hope not, because done right, this dish is a delicious meal to serve the next time you have guests for dinner.  I used Giada's recipe, but dialed back the lemon juice just a hair.  My version below shows my changes.  I purchased "chicken breast filets" at my farmer's market - already butterflied, cut in half, and pounded thin.  Talk about eliminating the legwork!  Of course, you pay extra to have the work done for you, but the way I see it, I paid about $10 for meat that fed 4 people with 2 servings of leftovers.  So $10 / 6 servings = $1.67 per serving.  Not bad, huh?




Chicken Piccata
adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis 

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied, cut in half, pounded thin
2/3 c. AP flour, for dredging
salt & pepper
8 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 c. + 2 tbsp. lemon juice
2/3 c. chicken stock
1/4 c. brined capers, rinsed
1/3 c. fresh parsley, chopped
1 lb. capellini pasta
garlic powder
Italian seasoning


Set oven to "warm" or "100 degree" setting.

Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Dredge in flour, coating both sides, then shaking off excess flour.

In a large saucepan, melt 2 tbsp. of butter with 3 tbsp. olive oil.  When butter is sizzling, add two pieces of chicken to the pan.  I was only able to cook one piece at a time, so I sauteed two chicken breasts in this time.  Cook the chicken 3 minutes on each side, then remove to an oven-proof serving plate and put in the oven to keep warm.  Repeat with the second piece if necessary.

Add 2 tbsp. of butter and 2 tbsp. of olive oil.  When butter is sizzling, add two piece of chicken to pan (or one at a time again, if necessary).  Cook chicken for three minutes on each side, remove to serving plate and keep warm in the oven.

Add the lemon juice, stock, and capers to the pan to deglaze.  Scrape up all the yummy brown bits with a wooden spoon, then add 2 tbsp. butter and whisk vigorously. 

In the meantime, boil a large pot of water over high heat.  Add 1 tbsp. olive oil and a generous sprinkle of kosher salt.  Cook capellini according to package directions.  Drain and return to pot.  Add butter, stir to coat.  Season to taste with garlic powder and Italian seasoning.

Make a "bed" of pasta on a plate.  Top with chicken and spoon sauce over the top.  Garnish with fresh parsley.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things!

Julie Andrews might have been happy with doorbells and sleighbells and schnitzel with noodles, but me, I like food.  And things having to do with food.  I got a bunch of great foodie Christmas gifts this year, some that I asked for, some that were surprises, and I wanted to share my haul with the blogosphere.

A staple in my family is panettone, an Italian bread/cake that's made with dried fruits.  If you buy it in the grocery store or at a department store, you often pay upwards of $8 a loaf for it.  But if you buy it at the Christmas Tree Shops, you can get it for half that price...which of course, means you can get two!

My sister Jenna picked out a beautiful granite cutting board for Andrew and I.  It's found a place of honor next to the stove, and I love that I can quickly chop ingredients, rest a hot pot or a dirty spoon, or toss a steaming hot noodle on it to cool quickly. 

Andrew got me two awesome Silpats, fresh from France (well, via Amazon)!  I am so excited to use them for baking - talk about a great gift!  Nonnie found Madagascar vanilla beans - I was on the last one of my stash, so that was perfect timing!

Here's a collection of some of my other favorite gifts.  The white bottle with the yellow label is Lemon Verbena Sugar from the Village Herb Shop.  I'm looking forward to making sugar cookies with lemon zest and this sugar in them.  The gold labeled bottle (sorry about that crazy reflection, by the way!) is full of whole nutmegs that Nonnie and my mom found for my stocking.  You can see those vanilla bean vials again - hey, I'm pretty psyched about them, you can't blame me for posting two photos, can you? 

The "herb-savor" is a great product that I spotted in Real Simple magazine.  You can buy it from prepara - Ann got one for me and one for herself because she thought it was so cool.  She was right - it rocks!  It's an upright container that fits into a base which has a water well.  You change out the water the way you would with fresh flowers, and it keeps your herbs fresh, watered, and protected.  I've been storing flat leaf parsley in it; so far we're at seven days, and it still looks as fresh as the day I brought it home.

Though this isn't truly a "foodie" gift, I was thrilled to receive these stacking bins from SunCast (looks like Home Depot has the best price right now).  I love that you can open each bin while they're stacked on top of one another, and the bright primary colors are cheerful and fun.  Ann got these for us and we put them to use immediately.  Our town doesn't do pick-up recycling, but having grown up in the Northeast, recycling is a no-brainer for us.  We save our recyclables and bring them to a recycling center every few weeks, so this is a great way to keep them organized.

Since this post is titled "My Favorite Things", I feel the need to add a couple pet photos.

Finn reminds you to bundle up - we do live in the Snow Belt, after all!

 

 

And Evin says, "take these ornaments down, it's JANUARY!"

Did you get foodie gifts for the holidays?  What was your favorite new "toy"?  Anything still on your wish list?

Tortellini Soup with Sausage & Escarole

This soup has so many delicious Italian ingredients - cheese tortellini, spicy sausage, escarole - that you know it's going to be fantastic!  What I like best about this is that it comes together in half an hour and it doesn't require any long simmering times.  This comforting soup is something different from your old standards, but after one bowlful, you'll want to add it to your regular winter meal rotation.

If you can't find fresh escarole, you could substitute fresh spinach in this recipe.  The original recipe doesn't contain sausage, so if you were to omit that and swap in vegetable broth for the chicken broth, you could make this a vegetarian meal.  If I only have half the liquid as chicken stock, I supplement with water.  No matter what small changes you make, Tortellini Soup with Sausage & Escarole is a hearty, savory soup that will please your whole family.


Tortellini Soup with Sausage & Escarole
adapted from examiner.com 


1 lb. bulk ground spicy Italian sausage
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 c. white wine
8 c. chicken stock
2 lb. cheese tortellini
1 head escarole, washed and chopped
pecorino romano cheese (optional)

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until translucent.  Add the Italian sausage and cook over medium high heat, breaking up large clumps, until sausage is cooked through.

Deglaze the pan with the white wine - the liquid will steam a bit and pull up all the brown bits stuck to the pan (ie. the flavor!) - and allow to simmer and reduce for about 2 minutes.  Add the chicken stock, cover, and bring to a boil.

Once stock is boiling, add tortellini and escarole.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Cook for five minutes, or until tortellini is heated through.  If you like, serve with a sprinkling of pecorino romano cheese.

Christmas Cookies: Pizelle

Last year, I made Christmas cookies as gifts, and this year I'm continuing the tradition.  Though I made eight different types of cookies last year, the only one I posted was Gingerbread.  This year, I'm repeating several of the same cookies I made last Christmas.  Some of these recipes are ones that my mom and I always made together, and living 600 miles apart, it's a nice way to feel close to my family during the holidays.

Today I made pizzelle, a traditional Italian cookie that requires a special press.  This is the one I own, and I love it.  For about $40, you can make pizzelle for years to come.  Once you master the recipe and use of the machine, you can make cannoli shells, ice cream cones, waffle bowls, and more using the basic recipe.

Here's my pizzelle maker:

I use the "Classic Pizzelle" recipe that came with my Cuisinart Pizzelle Press and double it, which yields 60-70 cookies.

Classic Pizzelle
from Cuisinart

3-1/2 c. all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
6 large eggs
1-1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 c. unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp. vanilla extract

Sift flour and baking powder together in a small bowl, set aside.

Combine eggs and sugar (I use my KA mixer for this) for about one minute.  Slowly pour melted butter and vanilla into bowl of running mixer until combined.  Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. 

Follow the directions for preheating and baking using your pizzelle press.  Cool on a rack, dust with powdered sugar just before serving.  I like to add candies to the tray for color.

If you wish to shape your pizzelle, you need to do it as soon as they come off the press.  Once they start to cool, attempting to bend or shape them will only break the cookies.  These are an Italian favorite, and a staple of Christmas Eve in my family.  If you choose to purchase a pizzelle press, I know your family will be thrilled to make them a part of their holiday tradition too!

 

Cheater's Homemade Pizza

Though I'd love to make my own pizza dough every time I have a hankering for pizza, that doesn't always cut it in the "quick weeknight meal" category. Especially if I end up making Andrew put the pizzas together! Plus, you may remember from this pot pie recipe how much I appreciate an easy meal.

I love Boboli breads. Nonnie and my mom tell me I'm pronouncing it wrong - I say "Bub-oh-lee" and they say "Bahba-lee". I'm not sure which way is right, but they are yummy. I recently picked up a two-pack of the large whole-wheat pizza crusts so that Andrew and I could have pizza for dinner with leftovers for lunches.

For this round of pizzas, I went with simple ingredients - homemade sauce, shredded cheese, pepperoni, and sliced onion.

I made an Italian Feast a few days before, so I had sausage left from the sauce. I cut it into coins for Andrew's pizza. (See the giant pot in the background? It's yummy sauce!)

To make the pizzas, simply spread sauce to about 1" from the edge of the pizza. Top with shredded cheese, pepperoni, onions, sausage, and any other toppings you can think of. Sprinkle a little more cheese on! I like to add "pizza seasonings" - oregano, basil, parsley - but it's definitely optional.

I don't like sauce, so you can see my pizza on the right - I just drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil over the crust.

Bake according to the package directions - I think mine was 425 for 10 minutes. An easy weeknight dinner with minimal effort, plus plenty left over for lunches the next day!

Seafood Linguine

Andrew and I have been married since June 2008. Even though we now have a wedding anniversary to celebrate, I think it's fun to celebrate our "dating anniversary" too. There are so many sad days in life, don't you think it's nice to celebrate every happy occasion you can think of?

Monday marked six years that Andrew and I have been together. Instead of going out to dinner, we decided to make a dinner we both love - seafood linguine. We stalked the seafood section of our local grocery store, then put together a simple scampi sauce. The meal turned out beautifully, and the anniversary was pretty great too!

Seafood Linguine

1 medium onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lb. sea scallops

1/2 lb. large shrimp

2 cans minced clams

1-1/2 lbs. mussels

1 lb. linguine

1 c. white wine

1 bottle clam juice

olive oil

salt

red pepper flakes

To start, drizzle olive oil into a large saucepan. Saute onions, garlic, and red pepper over medium heat unti onions are soft. At the same time, put a large pot of salted water on to boil for your pasta.

Clean mussels by washing them and removing their beards and any loose barnacles. The nice lady at the seafood counter was kind enough to pack the mussels on ice for me, since I wasn't planning to use them until the next day.

Add wine, clam juice, and mussels to pan. Bring to a simmer and cover.

While the mussels are cooking, prepare the other seafood. Don't forget to put the pasta into your boiling water!

The sea scallops we bought were really big, so I cut each one into six small chunks.

I like canned clams. I LOVE fresh clams, but they are tough to get at a decent price here in Ohio, and honestly, it would take SO much work to get the same amount of fresh clams that you get in a can.

So anyway. Crack the two cans. Drain one. Add both cans of clams, one with juice, to the saucepan.

Andrew helped me peel and devein the shrimp. This is NOT a pretty process, so I did not photograph it for you. I'm trying to entice you with my food, not gross you out. I chopped the shrimp, then added the shrimp and scallops to the pan. These only need to cook for two or three minutes, until the shrimp turn pink and the scallops turn opaque white.

Drain the pasta whenever it's done cooking. If the timing isn't perfect, just let it sit in the colander for a moment while you finish prepping the seafood.

Pile your cooked pasta into the pan.

Get your husband, neighbor, local superhero, or weightlifting pal to lift up that super heavy pan and dump it into a large bowl. Make sure you scrape out all the onions, clams, and other yummy goodness.

Get your garlic bread ready. You can find my recipe here. If you're comfortable with the broiler, you can prep your bread in the two minutes that the shrimp and scallops are cooking and broil it while you are mixing the linguine and serving it.

All in all, it's a pretty simple recipe that yields fantastic results. If you're a seafood fan, this is one that's definitely worth adding to your list of "special occasion" menus.

Sausage Grinders

So, if you're from Connecticut, chances are you read the title of my post and thought "yum, sausage grinders!" If you are from anywhere else, you probably read the title of my post and thought, "um, what's a grinder?" If there's one thing I've learned living in the Midwest, it's that nobody else calls it a grinder! Well, let me clear this up for you people: a grinder is also known as a hoagie, a sub, a footlong, a sandwich, and on and on!

Throughout high school and college, I worked at a pizza restaurant - Teddy's. My very first job there was as a pizza girl. My life consisted of making the pizzas and grinders, taking orders over the phone, and working the cash register. It was a fun job and we were allowed to eat pretty much whatever we wanted. Some of the most popular grinders we offered were the "parms" - chicken, eggplant, and sausage. Now, Andrew loves a good sausage sandwich, and I thought I could put together a sausage parm grinder for him that would knock his socks off.


I started out by sauteeing three peppers and two onions, sliced into hefty strips, in a little bit of olive oil. I wanted to get a good char on these veggies before I added them to the sauce, so no salt yet! Salt will cause them to start breaking down and releasing their water, which will make them take much longer to blacken up nicely.

In the meantime, I added the sausage to a pot of homemade sauce. If you don't have any in your freezer, or you don't like to make your own, use your favorite brand of *gasp* jarred sauce.

Once the veggies are soft and blackened, I add those to the sauce pot too.

Simmer away!

I let this sit on the stove for several hours, mostly because I cooked this on my lunch break and we weren't eating it until dinner time.

Now, time to prepare your sandwiches! Slice grinder rolls lengthwise, leaving the roll connected on one side. Sprinkle one side of the bread with grated mozzarella and Italian seasonings. Broil for a few moments. Try not to forget you put the rolls in the oven.

Add a sausage link to the roll, then top with peppers, onions, and sauce. Feel free to add more cheese if you want!

Andrew was really happy with his grinders. I think he was just as happy to hear someone else around here calling them grinders! Whatever you want to call them, these sandwiches are yummy, easy, and hearty enough that they can be a simple weeknight dinner when paired with a salad.