The Basic Art of Italian Cooking kitchen here in Italy was busy with many recipes today, although still hot,hot, hot and no desire to use an oven or a stove but preparing for some end of summer picnics to take advantage of the summerl iek weather that will be ending soon (I think).

Of all the recipe swe worked on my favorite is a sort of cheesecake made with fresh ricotta..my faovrote part of making the cheesecake was taking a walk to the local place in town where they produce the fresh ricotta.. Here it is ..

Ricotta Raisin Cheesecake

1 1/4 lbs (fresh, if possible) ricotta

2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

6 eggs

1/4 cup raisins

peel and juice of one fresh lemon

1 tsp of orange flower water

a pinch of salt

1 tsp baking powder

Place raisins in a small bowl of warm water for 15 minutes. Place ricotta in a bowl with sugar, blend with wooden spoon until you it is a smooth creamy mixture, add in egg yolks. Sift 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and add into ricotta cream. Blend, then  and add in orange flower water and juice and peel of lemon. Blend

Beat egg whites till firm  with pinch of salt. Add t oricotta mixture blending in with wooden spoon. Drain raisins, dry with paper towel and dust with remaining flour. Add into ricotta cream. Blend in with wooden spoon.

Line a pie pan with baking paper. Place in battter, eve nout batter with wooden spoon. Cook in ove npreheated to 360 degrees for 55 minutes or unti ltop is golden in color.

Get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking:Holidays & Special Occasions before the holidays with 140+ recipes, menus, Holiday stories and more!

Mangia Bene, Viv Bene,

Maria

http://twitter.com/Marialiberati

Copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

Sundays in Rome always turn into special days..and this weekend was no exception. A  trip there  for an event on Saturday  for my latest book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking-Holidays & Special Occasions turned into more than just that ..Sunday was  filled with finding  favorite foods in Rome and seeing old friends-Moses &  Michelangelo..

 It  became a  trip to revisit those old friends..a stop to see Michelangelo’s Moses, the Trevi Fountain and canlt forget Santa Maria sopra Minerva… I have seen them many times and can sit in front of them for hours upon end and take in their beauty..almost embarassingly so..my eyes become wide open in amazement.. thinking of Michelangelo toiling in front of his Moses…

But enough about the art..let’s get into the food.. From cornetto & cappuccino near Santa Maria Maggiore to Pizza in Trastevere..coffee at St.Eustachio and EUR and gelato near Montecitorio…what a weekend program..  attempting to fit in all the local food stops one could fit in..It seemed like so many foods but  so little time to get them all in..

Pizza in Rome is at its best when it is thin ,made with fresh mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil and most places display a sign to tell you the ingredients uses as do the places that make their own gelato. The sign is usually somewhere on the glass case that displays the pizza and/or gelato..

In 100 degree weather the  gelato creations, looking as something that may have been created by one of the masters, melt so quickly one has but a split second to  admire the aesthetic beauty. Enjoying a dish of gelato outside in Rome under the summer sun is an experience in contrast..the heatof the August sun beating down,the cool,creamy liquid refreshing your senses..the intense flavors hypnotizing…almost diverting your attention away from the uncomfortable temperatures at least for a few minutes.

A linguine with cold pasta sauce coming later today  for lunch..

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

http://twitter.com/Marialiberati

 copyright, 2009, Maria Liberati, The Basic Art of Italian Cooking

Halloween, Mardi Gras where did it all come from- from Venice of course. Well the Romans had a type of Carnevale that they celebrated and the Venetians made it famous…  wherever the Holiday started the most important thing is the treats that are made during Carnevale….

As promised here are more highlights from my short visit to Venice. If you are not able to visit in person, you can  bring a taste of Venice into your kitchen. My first  blog post at http://marialiberati.com/blog2/?p=486 contained recipes for local favorites there. 

For tips on visitng Venice go to http://tinyurl.com/6sj6dg

Here is another special  recipe for a typical sweet  treat and more on Carnevale http://tinyurl.com/8bzrvp

For more great recipes get your copy of the best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking at http://www.marialiberati.com

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

I can hear the fireworks outside my office window as I am writing . Alfonso would like to think they are shooting fireworks for his birthday but I know it is for a feast they celebrate in this part of Italy (abruzzo) Saint Antonio. Bonfires are lit in the street and a small  town in the mountains has a week long fest of eating ,processions and more.

This morning into this afternoon we proceeded with assembling the Sacher Tortes into this beautiful creation. Thank goodness we did this in two days. Yeserday we baked the cake layers. Today was filling and frosting..

Luckily I had some apricot marmelade left over from this summer’s preserves that I maade from the farm here. Apricot marmelade is used to fill the cake that has been cut in two. Then the laborious process of making the chocolate glaze begins. First a syrup of water and sugar has to be boiled slowly, then the dark chocolate added and then the mixture has to thicken and cool.

While that is being done 2 tblsps of apricot marmelade and 1 tablespoon of water have to be heated to a boil on the stove. This mixture has to be put through a sieve and then spread on top of the cake before it is iced.

Now it was item for the icing. The chocolate mixture was ooh so creamy and thick. Spreading it took the longest, to get it smooth on top..you know just like in the photos..

More tomorrow, gotta go ..tonight we are tasting the Sacher tortes….

For more great recipes get your copy of the best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking at http://www.marialiberati.com

copyright, 2008,Maria Liberati

Editor: Sara Harris

What is it about cookies (dolci- in Italian) that have even the harshest food critics saying, Mmm! Whether these sinfully sweet desserts are prepared warm and gooey or tastily crunchy, I’ve never met a cookie that even Santa Claus didn’t like. Derived from the Dutch word koekie, meaning little cake, in most countries cookies are referred to as biscuits. Dating back as far as the 7^th century, these perfectly sized treats journeyed globally into the hearts of society by the 14^th century, quickly becoming a scrumptious crowd-pleaser among travelers, street vendors, and social classes alike. By the 1600’s cookies marched straight into the ovens of the Americas, proving a multitude of recipes were anything but ‘cookie-cutter’. The delicious aromas springs a nostalgic vision of generations hovering over antique appliances, waistlines cinched in funky aprons, as family traditions and bakeoffs leaves us wanting more.

Indigenous to parties and holiday dinners, Anginetti (a personal favorite) is a traditional Italian cookie-biscuit crafted to pillowy-white hints of lemon, vanilla, and confectioners’ icing. Perfect for tea parties, I located a family recipe and skillfully tried it… unsurprisingly they tasted exactly how I remembered. Versions of Anginetti float throughout the internet, but if you’re not in the mood to bake visit http://www.bellasbakery.com/ or http://www.gullaces.com/ for delectably purchasable homemade goodies.

With a cookie-versatility ranging from chocolate sambuca, buccellati, cannoli, biscotti, dolce di fichi, as well as popular originals like chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin… it seems someone always has their hands in the cookie jar.

Anginetti Bite-Sized Italy (yields approximately 40 cookie-biscuits)

Cookies:

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon zest

6 tbsp butter

½-cup skim milk

½-cup regular sugar (or Splenda)

3 whole eggs or ¾ cup of Egg Beaters

3 -j1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

Icing:

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

1-cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees while lining large cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and non-stick coating.

In large mixing bowl, beat vanilla, zest, margarine, milk, and sugar with electric mixer on medium setting until texture is well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating each addition, and then continue to beat mixture for 1 minute.

On low speed, blend flour (1 cup at a time), powder, and baking soda until consistency becomes firm, sticky dough. If needed, have wooden spoon available for mixing. Dust hands lightly with additional flour, rolling dough into bite-sized balls. Place approximately 20 onto prepared cookie sheet, spacing 2 “apart.

Bake 10-12 minutes, or until light golden brown.

Icing: While first batch is baking, combine vanilla, lemon juice, sugar, and water into a small mixing bowl, whisking ingredients until mixture is completely blended. Remove cookies from oven, placing a sheet of wax or parchment beneath wire rack. Using a small pastry brush, frost the tops of each cookie with icing, sprinkle with additional confectioners’ sugar, and transfer to rack for cooling. Begin second batch.
Still have a sweet tooth? Check out Maria Liberati’s delicious Cannoli recipe… http://marialiberati.com/blog2/?p=221

Be sure to visit http://www.marialiberati.com/ and get your copy of the bestselling book, The Basic Art of Italian Cooking, by Maria Liberati.

 copyright, 2008, Maria Liberati

The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm

The plums are growing faster than we can pick them. The summer sun in August is so powerful and the fruit grow quickly. Our helpers picked two trees full of plums on Saturday and the third tree is now full of ripened ’susine’ (in the US they call them Italian plums) they are small and a light green or yellow color and very sweet and small.

Today with the new susine (Italian plums) we will be getting I will be making the perfect summer ‘crostata’. Crostata is a pie that is shallow  (or shallow comparedto the extremely high pies we make in the US) and a feast for the taste buds. A crostata is usually made with fruit or marmelade or both. However, besides the tasty plums that make this pie special the ‘pasta frolla’ (which is a tasty crust made in Italy) makes this pie in the ultimate. But if you don’t have a lot of time and want to use a pre-made crust you can but the results will not be as tasty. Better yet, make this  crostata when you have a little extra time..it will be well worth it. This recipe comes direct from my cooking school and culinary tour two weeks ago in Tuscany with Velia and  Gian Luca from the Champagneria in Orvieto. It was just as delicious there with the plums picked at the farm there.  I am doing the crostata with the susine/plums from my farm here in Abruzzo today and most likely tomorrow as well (the plums seem to be  in endless supply  on the trees).

Crostata de Susine (Plum Pie) 

(this makes enough for 8 people)

*1 pie crust or pasta frolla recipe that follows

*1 lb of plums or Italian plums

*2 egg whites

*2 tblsps of apricot marmelade

*1 tblsp of pinoli nuts

*grated peel of 1 lemon

*powdered sugar for dusting

*1/4 cup finely ground almonds

Place pre-made pie crust or pasta frolla crust (recipe follows) in  buttered pie pan. Pan should be about 2-3 inches deep. This is typically a shallow pie. Puncture bottom of pie crust with fork. Wash and dry the plums and remove nut inside and cut plums into thin slices.

Blend ground almonds, sugar, lemon peel, egg whites with an electric mixer and beat until soft peaks form. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Brush the apricot marmelade on bottom of crust. Pour in almond mixture. Level mixture with a small knife.  Arrange plum slices on top. Place pinoli nuts around plum slices. Cook for 30-35 minutes. When cool dust with powdered sugar.

 Here is the recipe for the typical Italian crust. We used this for the crostata we did at my first culinary tour in Tuscany a few weks ago at my farm there.  This crust is the secret to making delicious pies, pre made crust has no distinctive flavor, but this crust gives your senses a true delight.  Our next culinary tour will be September of 2009 in Tuscany, if you are interested in more information on the cooking school in Tuscany and the tour there email us at :info@marialiberati.com

Pasta Frolla

*10 ounces of butter (unsalted)

*3/4 cup sugar

*2 egg yolks

*1 1/2 cups flour ‘00′

*1/4 ounce of powdered yeast

*2 tblsps of potato starch

*grated peel of one lemon

*1 tsp of pure vanilla flavoring

*pinch of salt

If you want to cheat and use a food processor to blend these ingredients you cna first put into the processor  the butter and sugar. When they are well blended add in the next ingredients a little at a time. The processor should have everythign well belnded in about 5-6 minutes. Mixing by hand will take about 20 minutes. When dough is smooth and shiny remove from processor. If dough is sticky to the touch belnd in a pinch of flour with your hands or until dough is not sticky but smooth.  Form the dough into one large ball and place in refrigerator for approximately 3 hours to become firm.

Then roll out on board dusted with flour for a pie crust.  Place crust into buttered pie pan for crostata  recipe above.

For more recipes get your copy of the best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking at http://www.marialiberati.com

 copyright, 2008, Maria Liberati

The Basic Art of Italian Cooking

Editor:Sara Harris

What is it about cookies (dolci- in Italian) that have even the harshest food critics saying, Mmm! Whether these sinfully sweet desserts are prepared warm and gooey or tastily crunchy, I’ve never met a cookie that even Santa Claus didn’t like. Derived from the Dutch word koekie, meaning little cake, in most countries cookies are referred to as biscuits. Dating back as far as the 7^th century, these perfectly sized treats journeyed globally into the hearts of society by the 14^th century, quickly becoming a scrumptious crowd-pleaser among travelers, street vendors, and social classes alike. By the 1600’s cookies marched straight into the ovens of the Americas, proving a multitude of recipes were anything but ‘cookie-cutter’. The delicious aromas springs a nostalgic vision of generations hovering over antique appliances, waistlines cinched in funky aprons, as family traditions and bakeoffs leaves us wanting more.

Indigenous to parties and holiday dinners, Anginetti (a personal favorite) is a traditional Italian cookie-biscuit crafted to pillowy-white hints of lemon, vanilla, and confectioners’ icing. Perfect for tea parties, I located a family recipe and skillfully tried it… unsurprisingly they tasted exactly how I remembered. Versions of Anginetti float throughout the internet, but if you’re not in the mood to bake visit http://www.bellasbakery.com or http://www.gullaces.com for delectably purchasable homemade goodies.

With a cookie-versatility ranging from chocolate sambuca, buccellati, cannoli, biscotti, dolce di fichi, as well as popular originals like chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin… it seems someone always has their hands in the cookie jar.

Anginetti Bite-Sized Italy (yields approximately 40 cookie-biscuits)

Cookies:

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon zest

6 tbsp butter

½-cup skim milk

½-cup regular sugar (or Splenda)

3 whole eggs or ¾ cup of Egg Beaters

3 -1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

Icing:

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

1-cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees while lining large cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and non-stick coating.

In large mixing bowl, beat vanilla, zest, margarine, milk, and sugar with electric mixer on medium setting until texture is well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating each addition, and then continue to beat mixture for 1 minute.

On low speed, blend flour (1 cup at a time), powder, and baking soda until consistency becomes firm, sticky dough. If needed, have wooden spoon available for mixing. Dust hands lightly with additional flour, rolling dough into bite-sized balls. Place approximately 20 onto prepared cookie sheet, spacing 2 “apart.

Bake 10-12 minutes, or until light golden brown.

Icing: While first batch is baking, combine vanilla, lemon juice, sugar, and water into a small mixing bowl, whisking ingredients until mixture is completely blended. Remove cookies from oven, placing a sheet of wax or parchment beneath wire rack. Using a small pastry brush, frost the tops of each cookie with icing, sprinkle with additional confectioners’ sugar, and transfer to rack for cooling. Begin second batch.

Still have a sweet tooth? Check out Maria Liberati’s delicious Cannoli recipe… http://marialiberati.com/blog2/?p=221

Be sure to visit http://www.marialiberati.com and get your copy of the bestselling book, The Basic Art of Italian Cooking, by Maria Liberati.

  copyright,2008, Maria Liberati,The Basic Art of Italian Cooking

editor: Joseph McVeigh

If cannoli is the champion of Italian desserts, tiramisu is the challenger. Although it may seem that tiramisu has been around for as long as cannoli (and in a perfect world it would have been), most people don’t know that tiramisu – as we know it today- was not created until the early 1970s by a chef named Roberto Linguanotto in the city of Treviso, Italy.

One reason tiramisu is famous is because of the rumors that surround its invention. Rumors that were not fully cleared up internationally until recently. The first of such rumors claims that tiramisu was created in the town of Siena for Duke Cosimo de Medici. The other main story is more racy and alleges that tiramisu, which translates to “pick-me-up”, was used by prostitutes to revitalize their stamina. Both tales bear some truth in that layered cakes have been around for a long time and that the eggs, sugar, and caffeine in tiramisu are energizing. But the cakes made for dukes and demimondaines were not the tiramisu we know and love today. The credit for that famous cake goes to Roberto Linguanotto and the Beccherie restaurant.

Mr. Linguanotto began work as a pastry chef at the Beccherie restaurant in Treviso in 1970. He says he was inspired by owner Mrs. Alba Campeol to “devise new, simple flavor combinations respecting the local tradition.” What he came up with is a masterpiece. Tiramisu combines simplicity with excellence to be one of Italy’s most famous and favorite desserts. But Mr. Linguanotto, despite being the creator of such a sensation, remains sensible. On his website (www.tiramisu.it/whoiam.html), he says, “I have kept trying to conceive new ideas, with just one goal in mind: my customers’ satisfaction” and that he feels “rewarded by everything I’ve managed to learn.” I think we are all rewarded by what he has managed to teach.

Tiramisu
1 1/2 cups espresso coffee

2 teaspoons sugar

4 medium eggs
1/2 cup and 2 tsps. sugar
1 lb mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
35-40 savoiardi (ladyfinger cookies)

2 tablespoons bitter cocoa powder

4 ounces of dark dark chocolate shaved (for top of cake)

Prepare a strong espresso coffee. Dissolve two teaspoons sugar in it, while the coffee is still hot. Let the coffee cool to room temperature. Seperate egg yolks from egg whites into 2 different bowls.

Add ¼ cup sugar to egg yolks and beat till creamy. In seperate bowl, beat mascarpone cheese till creamy. Continue beating while adding in (a little at a time) egg yolk/sugar mixture.

Then beat egg whites with ¼ cup sugar and pinch of salt till soft peaks form. Fold egg whites gently into mascarpone mixture with wooden spoon.

Dip half of the ladyfingers in the coffee and place in the pan in a single layer.

Spread half of the mascarpone cream on the layer of ladyfingers..

Dip the remaining ladyfingers in the coffee and

Spread the remaining mascarpone cream on top of second layer of ladyfingers.

Sprinkle with cocoa powder and decorate with chocolate shavings and refrigerate for about three to four hours.

This is the original tiramisu recipe. If you want to make this a bit lighter, I find that a mixture of 1-8 ounce container of plain lowfat yogurt whipped together with 1-8 ounce pakage of non-fat or lowfat cream cheese makes a great lower calorie substitute for the mascarpone cheese and eggs.

Substitute artificial sweetener for the sugar although there is not that much sugar I nteh recipe.

Ladyfingers are not high calories and the small amount of cocoa and chocolate are fine and not loaded with calories.

So either way you can enjoy the dessert!

For more great recipes get your copy of the best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking at http://www.marialiberati.com