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Showing posts with label cake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cake. Show all posts
Pairing Chocolate with Wines for Valentine!
As with all food and wine pairings, chocolate and wine pairing is personal, and it often comes down to taste buds. The rule of thumb when pairing wine with food or chocolate is to find foods that complement the wine rather than match it. Perhaps the best rule with wine as with chocolate, is to indulge in what you love. Be guided by pairing suggestions, but if you find a combination you particularly enjoy, go with it!
In general, the creamier the chocolate, the lighter the body of wine. The richer the chocolate, the fuller the body of the wine. Similar to formal wine tasting, you can experiment with a varieties of chocolates. Work from light white chocolate through milk chocolate and end on the drier notes of dark chocolate with light-bodied to full-bodied wines. By starting with the more understated nuances of white chocolate and ending with dark or bittersweet chocolate, you will keep your palate from starting on overdrive and missing the subtle sweet sensations found in more delicate chocolate choices (and wine).
What is the difference between Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate? Milk chocolate contains 30-40 % cocoa solids, whereas dark chocolate contains at least 60 % cocoa solids.
How do I choose the best quality chocolate? Chocolate that has a glossy surface and is free from blemishes is the best quality. If the surface is cloudy or gray, this may be a sign that chocolate is old or has been subject to extremes in temperature or handling. Be sure to read the ingredients list. Example: if a dark chocolate has synthetic vanillin rather than pure vanilla, the flavor may be altered.
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White Chocolate and Wine Pairing Suggestions: While white chocolate is not a true chocolate, you may still want to include it with a wine pairing. White chocolate tends to be more mellow and buttery in flavor, making it an ideal candidate for the sweeter styles wines |
ü Brachetto d’Acqui ü Ice wine ü light Sherry ü Moscato d'Asti ü Rosé Port ü Sweet Rosé ü Tokaji Aszù |
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Milk Chocolate and Wine Pairing Suggestions: Since milk chocolate is part chocolate, part cream, it's not only delicious but versatile to pair. Milk chocolate is made from dark chocolate that has a lower cocoa solid content and higher sugar content. |
ü Alsace
Pinot Gris ü Champagne
ü Gewurztraminer ü Lambrusco ü Light Port ü Lighter
Pinot Noir ü Madeira ü Malvasia delle Lipari ü Mavrodaphne of Patras ü Muscat ü Petite
Sirah ü Riesling ü Sauternes ü Vin Santo ü Viognier |
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Dark Chocolate and Wine Pairing Suggestion: Unlike Milk chocolates, dark chocolates needs more attention while pairing. Dark chocolates contain more polyphenols, which gives it a bitter taste. It requires bolder strong red wines with dominant fruit or berry notes, with higher alcohol levels. |
ü Amarone della
Valpolicella ü Banyuls ü Barolo Chinato ü Bordeaux ü Cabernet Sauvignon ü Dry Marsala ü Malbec ü Merlot ü Ruby Port ü Sangiovese ü Shiraz ü
Vin Santo del Chianti |
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| Regina Sesame Cookies |
Elegant on the outside, simple and genuine on the inside… experience
these traditional and delicious Sicilian sweets with Coffee or with a dessert
wine.
Regina cookies (Sesamini)
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest 2 oranges
Juice of 1 ½ - 2 oranges
2 cups raw sesame seeds
1.
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line 2
baking sheets with parchment paper.
2.
Dry ingredients: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder,
and salt.
3.
Wet ingredients: In another large bowl, add the softened butter and sugar;
blend well with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the eggs, zest, vanilla,
and juice of 1 1/2 oranges: blend again.
4.
Mix: Add the dry ingredients in three to four batches; continue
mixing on low speed until the dough is fairly smooth. If the dough is a little
dry, add a little more orange juice a little at a time and mix well. Refrigerate
the dough about 20 minutes.
5.
Form: Pinch off a piece of dough and see if it forms a ball
easily. Make small golf size balls first, then roll into an oblong shape, about
1 ½ inches long.
6.
Bake: Place the sesame seeds on a plate and roll the cookies into
the sesame seeds, pressing them so the seeds stay on. Place the cookies on the
baking sheets keeping the cookies 1- 1 ½ inches apart. Bake 20-25 minutes or
until lightly browned at the bottom. Do not overbake or the cookies will be too
dry.
7.
Cool, and store in airtight
containers. Baking time depends on size of cookies. The sesame seeds on cookie
should be slightly golden. Makes about 2 dozen depending on size.
Limoncello Sugar Cookies
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| Limoncello Cookies |
(Yields 20-24 cookies)
1 stick cold unsalted butter
1½ cups granulated sugar
1 egg
2 ½ cups organic all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons Limoncello
Zest of two large lemons
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 stick cold unsalted butter
1½ cups granulated sugar
1 egg
2 ½ cups organic all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons Limoncello
Zest of two large lemons
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Icing
optional:
1 cup confectioner sugar
2 -3 tablespoons limoncello
1 cup confectioner sugar
2 -3 tablespoons limoncello
Limoncello
1.
Preheat
oven to 350º F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking
mat.
2.
In
a food processor pulse the sugar and butter together until well blended. Add the
egg and mix until well combined and creamy.
3.
In
a bowl, stir in and mix flour, baking powder, salt, limoncello, lemon zest and
lemon juice. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and pulse a few times. Repeat two more times. Allow the mixture to
sit about 3 minutes to allow lemon flavor to develop. Transfer to a bowl. If some
butter should stick to the bottom of the processor, just take out and mix with
the fork in the bowl.
4.
Scoop
the cookie dough by the tablespoon full and roll into a ball. You can also use a small scooper. Place
cookie dough onto baking sheet, spacing about 1½ inches to 2 inches apart.
Lightly press each cookie down. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden.
Depending on thickness it may take a minute or two longer. Cool.
5.
If
you like you can mix the confectioner sugar with limoncello to create a
glaze. When cookies are cool, drizzle
over the cookies.
Sweet Potato Pita Bread (Yeast Free)
1 cup 00
or all-purpose flour, extra flour for dusting
Pinch of sea
salt
½ - 1
teaspoon ground cardamom
1 cup
sweet potato, cooked
1/2
teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Flour for
dusting
Boil a large sweet potato with the skin on until tender and
soft. Test with a fork or skewer.
Place the flour, salt, and cardamom in a bowl.
Remove potato from pan and allow to cool slightly.
Peel while still hot: mash quickly with a fork. Add 1 cup of mashed potato into
the bowl with flour while still warm. Add the olive oil; mix quickly with a
fork. When a dough has formed, remove from bowl and transfer to a floured
surface. Knead to combine. Do not overwork the dough.
Roll the dough into a log, then cut into 6-8 portions. Dust
your hands with flour and press each piece of dough to flatten as round as
possible. Flour and place all portions aside and cover for 10-15 minutes.
Using a floured rolling pin, roll out each dough rotating
to keep its round shape. Do not put too much flour on the dough or the result
will be tough bread. Roll to about 1/16 of an inch thickness.
Heat a crepe pan or large skillet on medium heat. When hot,
place the bread on it. Cook 20-30 seconds on one side, then flip at 30 second
intervals until the bread starts to bubble. When it starts to bubble, allow to
cook about 45 seconds, then flip again. The bubbles mean that it is cooking
from the inside as well. The entire process of flipping and cooking should take
about 2 minutes.
When ready, transfer the cooked bread to a kitchen towel in
a basket to keep warm. Continue cooking the other portions repeating the same
process. Brush off any pieces of leftover flour or bread before cooking the
other portions and check the heat, if too hot lower slightly.
This recipe can be made with any spice you such
as ground ginger, cumin, coriander and even fennel seeds. If you come up with
other options, please send me a comment, I would love to learn what other
options are available.
Chickpea Dates Cake (With alternatives)
3 medium ripe bananas,
mashed (organic if available)
3 tablespoons maple syrup
or honey
1/4 cup + 2 TBSPs aquafaba
(liquid from canned chickpea or
Cannellini beans, or 2 eggs)
2 tablespoons avocado oil or extra virgin olive
oil (or Canola if not available)
1 tablespoon vanilla
extract
1 1/2 cups chickpea flour
(almond or regular flour if not available)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamom,
optional
Pinch sea salt
6-8 large pitted chopped dates
(or chopped walnuts, other nuts, or dried fruit)
1. Preheat your oven to 350F
degrees. Butter a standard loaf pan. Set aside.
2. Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing
bowl, mash the ripe bananas until smooth. Add in maple syrup or honey, oil, and
vanilla; stir well.
3. Dry ingredients: in a bowl add the
chickpea flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and cardamom; combine.
4. Fold in the chopped dates
or nuts. Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, or
until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. Allow the bread to cool
in the pan for a few minutes before removing it. Slice and enjoy!
Chickpea flour is also called besan flour,
garbanzo bean flour. If you are gluten-free chickpea, almond, and gluten-free flour
can be used. I made 2 and froze then into thick slices. When they thaw out you could heat a few
minutes in skillet… Moist and Delicious.
Zuccotto Cake for Festive Occasions
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| Zuccotto Cake for Festive Occasions |
Zuccotto, a Florentine cake, was presented for the first time at Caterina de Medici's court during a banquet held for distinguised Spanich visitants. It is believed that a famous Italian artist named this dessert, Elmo di Caterina (Caterina's helmet). The cake shape resembled an infantry helmet of that time known as a Zuccotto. Given its royal origins, the Zuccotto has survived many centuries;
it’s a timeless dessert with a vintage appearance. Some ingredients have
changed over time; however the objective of making this unique and noble dessert
is to keep the flavors simple and the ingredients few. This is my version of a
simple Zuccotto:
Zuccotto Cake for Festive Occasion
2
(12-ounce) rectangular pound cakes
1/4
cup amaretto, rum or other liquor for brushing
2
cups heavy whipping cream
1
cup frozen strawberries, thawed and crushed
1/2
teaspoon almond extract
1
cup toasted sliced almonds
Additional
whip cream for topping
Cover a large bowl with plastic wrap
and let the wrap hang over the edges. Slice the pound cake into thin slices. Cover
around the bowl with the pound cake slices starting with the center. Save some
slices for the top. Brush the cake with liquor of choice.
In a dry cold metal bowl, whip the
heavy cream with almond extract until thickened. Fold in the crushed berries
into whip cream. Spread half of the mixture of the whip cream mixture into
cake, add a few toasted almonds and cover the mixture with another layer of
cake slices. Repeat the process one more time and cover the top of the bowl
with remaining cake slices. Make sure that the entire bowl is covered with the
cake slices, sides, top and bottom. Wrap
tightly with the plastic wrap pressing down slightly.
Chill the Zuccotto for 2-3 hours, or
overnight.
Unmold onto a cake plate or platter.
Dust with cocoa powder, powdered sugar, or layer with additional whipped cream
and toasted almond on top. Fresh fruit can also be added as decorations.
Regina cookies (Sicilian Sesame Cookies)
 |
| Sesame cooking with fresh zest and juice of oranges |
 |
| Sesame Cookies - Regina Cookies |
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest 2 oranges
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest 2 oranges
Juice of 1 – 1 ½ oranges
2 cups raw sesame seeds
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line a
baking sheet with parchment paper.
Dry ingredients: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Wet ingredients: In another large bowl, add the butter and sugar; blend well with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the eggs, zest, vanilla, and juice of 1 orange; blend again. Add the dry ingredients in three to four batches; continue beating on low speed until the dough is fairly smooth. If the dough is a little dry, add a little more juice of orange, a little at a time and mix well. Pinch off a piece of dough and see if it forms a ball easily. Make small golf size balls first, then roll into an oblong shape, about 1 ½ inches long. (The dough should be coming together well, it should not be too soft to the touch)
 |
| Rolling the cookies in the sesame seeds |
Place the sesame seeds in a plate and roll the cookies into the sesame seeds, pressing them so the seeds stay on. Place the cookies on the baking sheets keeping the cookies 1- 1 ½ inches apart. Bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned at the bottom. Cool, and store in airtight containers. Baking time depends on size of cookies. The sesame seeds on cookie should be slightly golden. Makes about 2 dozen depending on size.
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| Baking the sesame cookies |
I have made these cookies before by following a traditional recipe that my mom used to make....they turned out a little too dry for me. So, I experimented with orange zest and juice instead of adding more butter or eggs and they were simply delicious, beautifully scented!
These are great dunkers! Growing up my dad would dunk these
cookies in red wine, while I would dunk them in my mother’s freshly made
lemonade. I still prefer the lemonade.
Alba’s Napolitan Christmas Struffoli
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| Struffoli |
Ingredients for the Dough:
4 cups unbleached
flour
4 ounces
unsalted butter, softened
3 whole eggs
+ 1 yolk
¼ cup sugar
1 ounce Limoncello liqueur
Zest 1 large orange
Pinch salt
¼ cup sugar
1 ounce Limoncello liqueur
Zest 1 large orange
Pinch salt
Pinch baking
soda
1 ounce whole
milk or almond milk
For the syrup:
1 ½ cups
honey
¼ cup
sprinkles
 |
| Creating the logs |
 |
| Cutting into small pieces |
Directions for
the dough:
In a large bowl
add and mix the flour, salt and baking soda together. Make a little well in the
center of the bowl. Add remaining ingredients
in the center. Incorporate and mix batter
until it is homogenized. Knead about 5
minute until the dough is smooth (if the
dough is too tough, add a little milk, if it is too soft add a little more
flour). Cover with towel in a bowl and allow to rest at least 30 minutes at
room temp.
Once rested,
divide into 8 smaller pieces; roll each
piece into thin long logs (thin snakes). Cut each log into tiny ¼ inch pieces
about the size of chick peas. Set on a
clean towel to get ready to cook.
Prepare a
medium size pan half filled with a light vegetable, canola, or safflower
oil. When hot, add a batch of struffoli
at a time and cook. Stir continuously
and cook until just golden (not brown). Transfer cooked struffoli to paper
towel to drain the excess oil. Continue this process until all the struffoli
have been cooked.
 |
| Frying the dough |
Directions
for the syrup:
In a wide
pan, heat the honey on medium-low heat about 3 minutes. Turn off heat; add the cooked struffoli. Mix well and uniformly. Transfer the struffoli to a dish and shape like
a wreath or small Christmas tree. Decorate lightly with sprinkles. Allow to
rest about an hour before serving.
Struffoli
are sweet morsels of delicious tiny dough balls that are first fried and then dipped
in warm honey. It is a traditional dessert in the Campania region of Italy which is served for Christmas Eve or Christmas day. Struffoli are decorated with colored sprinkles, candied fruit, and even coated almonds. They
can be prepared in advance. I usually
prepare them a few days before Christmas. There are a few variations of this
recipe depending of where you live. Even
though struffoli are served at Christmas, there is no rule in America, so you
could make them for any special occasion and watch them go swiftly!
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