Zabaglione

If you're a fan of custards and puddings, then I recommend you try this sweet home made Italian dessert. Zabaglione (pronounced zah-bah-yone) is made of three basic ingredients: sugar, egg yolk and Marsala wine. Whipped heavy cream can also be used, as well as flavorings such as grated lemon peel, ground cinnamon and vanilla extract. You'll need a double boiler, or a stainless steel bowl on top of, but not touching, simmering water. After just 10 minutes of continuous whisking (yes, you have to put some effort into this recipe), you end up with a sweet, creamy, delicious treat that can be served as a topping for fresh berries, cakes, cookies or figs. Add a few minutes to the cooking/whisking time and you'll get a terrific mousse-like consistency. Either way, you can not go wrong.

I first heard about this dessert a few months back. After doing some research on the web, I found a variety of recipes. All use the same basic ingredients (egg yolk, sugar, Marsala wine). I really liked the exrta flavor that was added to this particular recipe that I found here.

ZABAGLIONE

(courtesy of SimplyRecipes.com)

6 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup Marsala wine
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Ground cinnamon
Vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
Strawberries, raspberries, or biscotti

Place egg yolks, and sugar in a large, round-bottomed stainless steel bowl. Add grated lemon peel and a pinch of cinnamon and a drop of vanilla extract to the yolk mixture. Pour in the Marsala wine. You can use sweet Vermouth as a substitute for the Marsala.

Half-fill a pot with water, bring the water to a simmer and reduce the heat to low. Set the pan or bowl containing the custard mixture over the water; the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. Whisk the custard mixture, making sure that the water does not boil. This ensures that a gentle, even heat thickens the mixture without curdling it. Whisking traps air in the yolks for a light, fluffy mixture.

Continue whisking for about 10 minutes, until the mixture triples in volume, froths up and becomes pale. When it reaches the desired consistency, take the container of custard out of the pot. Slightly thickened, the custard can be used as a sauce. Longer cooking will thicken the custard further, giving it the texture of mousse. Continue whisking for a minute or two to prevent the custard from sticking to its container.

Serve the custard while still warm, or, if you want to serve it cool, set it aside for about 15 minutes. Whisk heavy cream until it forms soft peaks; add the whipped cream to the cooled custard and use a whisk to gently fold them together. Reserve some of the whipped cream to serve on top.

Ladle the zabaglione into individual dishes. Serve with whipped cream, berries, and/or cookies such as biscotti.

Serves 6.

New Guest Recipe - Gingerbread

It's beginning to look (and feel) a lot like Christmas! As we quickly approach the holidays, what better way to celebrate than with a delicious gingerbread! This week, my good friend Emma shares with us a fantastic gingerbread recipe, and also works her magic to give us a gluten-free version! Enjoy!

Where to begin with this month's blog? I guess I should start by telling you that I had every intention of blogging about Struffoli (aka Honey Balls) for the Christmas season. My intentions were so good that I actually went out and bought an expensive, imported bottle of Limoncello for that exact purpose. However, a million other little things happened to prevent me from getting the chance to make it. For example, my cat got sick...twice! And I took in some foster kittens even though I said I was going to take a break until after the holidays. And, of course, I got hit with the cold from hell. All of this in between wanting to spend as much time with all of the people whom I love that happened to be visiting from out of town this month.

So, I decided to blog about a recipe that I had made before and knew would turn out well. It's a gingerbread recipe by Emeril that I came across a few years ago. This recipe has been bulletproof for me. Seriously, I have made countless substitutions to this recipe and each time I've had perfect results. I've done everything from using dark molasses in place of the regular (and/or a combination of the two when I've fallen short of one or the other), to adding bittersweet chocolate chips. In case you're thinking about adding the chocolate chips (which I highly recommend), let me just warn you that they did sink to the bottom of the pan during baking. I'm pretty sure this can be remedied by coating the chips in 1 - 2 tbsp of the flour mixture before adding it to the batter, or you can always try sprinkling the chips on top before baking. Either way, I think they were a delicious addition and worthy of trying again.

When making this recipe into the gluten-free version, I discovered that I didn't have quite enough of any of the various gluten-free flours that I keep around. So, I ended up using equal parts of two different gluten-free flour blends. In the end, the recipe worked. My only complaint is that it rose a little too high and collapsed slightly in the middle after baking, but that can easily be fixed by adjusting the amount of baking soda in the recipe. Most importantly, it had no negative effect on the taste or texture of the bread.

Oh, and did I mention that dark beer plays a huge role in this gingerbread? I didn't, did I? Well it does, and I think it may be what sets this gingerbread apart from all other gingerbread recipes. Since making this bread a few years ago, I have learned that while I don't care for the taste of dark beer on it's own, I love the flavor it lends to baked goods. And, more often than not, I will have a few bottles of it stashed in my fridge just in case I get the urge to bake with it.


GINGERBREAD
by Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter (room temp)
1 cup turbinado sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup molasses (regular or dark will work, but I prefer the dark)
1 cup Guinness, or other dark beer

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch cake pan and line with parchment paper. (Please note: I usually use the mini foil loaf pans instead of the cake pan and bake for approximately 10 minutes more than called for. I get two loaves, which are the perfect size for gift-giving. On several occasions, I've even made it in a full loaf pan. I can't quite remember how long it took to bake but I want to say about an hour and 15 minutes, and you may need to tent the pan with foil to prevent the top from getting too dark.)

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and nutmeg, In a third bowl, combine the molasses and beer and stir to dissolve. Add the dry ingredients and beer mixture alternately to the egg mixture, starting with and ending with the dry ingredients. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until puffed and set, about 35 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool in the pan on a wire rack.

GLUTEN-FREE GINGERBREAD
adapted from Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter (room temp)
1 cup turbinado sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups gluten-free flour mix (I used 1 cup King Arthur Flour's g/f flour blend and 1 cup Bob's Red Mill g/f flour blend)
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (I had a minor issue with this recipe puffing up and collapsing slightly in the middle, so you may want to adjust the amount of baking soda used.)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup molasses (regular or dark will work, but I prefer the dark, especially since the g/f beer I used is not as dark as the Guinness)
1 cup Redbridge Gluten-free beer

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch cake pan and line with parchment paper. (Please note: I usually use the mini foil loaf pans instead of the cake pan and bake for approximately 10 minutes more than called for. I get two loaves, which are the perfect size for gift-giving. On several occasions, I've even made it in a full loaf pan. I can't quite remember how long it took to bake but I want to say about an hour and 15 minutes, and you may need to tent the pan with foil to prevent the top from getting too dark.)

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. In a medium bowl, sift the gluten-free flour, xanthan gum, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and nutmeg, In a third bowl, combine the molasses and beer and stir to dissolve. Add the dry ingredients and beer mixture alternately to the egg mixture, starting with and ending with the dry ingredients. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until puffed and set, about 35 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool in the pan on a wire rack.

NEW - Thanksgiving Desserts: Pumpkin Layer Cake & Gluten-Free Pumpkin, Sweet Potato & Coconut Pie

It's that special time of year again, when we gather with family and friends to give thanks, prepare for the upcoming holiday season and celebrate with an amazing meal. Over the past two years, I have shared a few suggestions for Thanksgiving side dishes, desserts and drinks (you can visit my previous posts by clicking here and here). Because my mom is the one in charge of our holiday feast, my suggested recipes are slim and unfortunately I have offered all that I can (for now!). Luckily, my friend Emma has once again offered to share with us a few of her favorite Thanksgiving recipes. Thank you, Emma, for sharing. And thanks to all of you for for continuing to check out Cucina Domenico. May you and yours have a blessed, happy and healthy Thanksgiving!
Ciao,

Dom

GUEST RECIPES

by Emma Caperelli Loerky

Since Thanksgiving is right around the corner, I have decided bring you two recipes that would be a nice addition to your Thanksgiving table. Both are a dessert and both feature pumpkin. This time I am going to offer you one that is gluten-free as well as one that is not. Both are equally delicious and I hope you enjoy them.

BROWN BUTTER PUMPKIN LAYER CAKE

Adapted from Fine Cooking

There are two things that set this cake apart from other cakes I've made in the past - the brown butter both in the batter and in the frosting, and the sweet yet salty nut topping. Let me just say that browning the butter takes this cake from good to excellent, and I don't think I'll ever make buttercream icing again without browning the butter first. It was amazing! That being said, I followed the recipe exactly except for using canned pumpkin purée instead of making my own, doubling both the frosting and the topping and I also weighed the flour instead of using a measuring cup. Based on the reviews I read, I thought that doing so would ensure that the cake wouldn't be too dense. I had fantastic results and I definitely think you should do the same. While I didn't use all of the frosting or the topping, I used much more than 1 batch would've provided. Believe me, you will find something to use the leftover frosting on if you don't eat it all as is (like we did). Next time I make this, I may make cupcakes out of it to make sharing easier.

Ingredients:

For the cake
1 1/2 cups pumpkin purée
9 oz. (or 2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for the pans
3/4 cup unsalted butter; more for pans
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk

For the topping (I am writing this as the recipe stated but I doubled it)
1 1/2 tbs unsalted butter
2/3 cup pecans
1/2 cup unsalted, raw, hulled pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
2 tbs firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 tsp table salt
1 1/2 tbs chopped crystallized ginger

For the frosting (I am writing this as the recipe stated but I doubled it)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Make the cake
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the over to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans with removable bottoms (or butter two 9-inch round cake pans, line bottoms with parchment, butter the parchment, and flour the pans).

Melt the butter in a heavy-duty 1-quart saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally until the butter turns a nutty golden-brown, about 4 minutes. Pour into a small bowl and let stand until cool but not set, about 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and cloves. In a large bowl, whisk 1-1/2 cups of the pumpkin purée with the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and buttermilk until very well blended. With a rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Gently whisk in the brown butter until completely incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake the cakes until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 28 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto racks, remove the pan bottoms or parchment, and cool completely.

Make the topping
Melt the butter in a heavy-duty 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the pecans and pepitas and cook until the pecans brown slightly and the pepitas begin to pop, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the brown sugar and salt and stir until the sugar melts and the nuts are glazed, about 2 minutes. Stir in the ginger. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool in the skillet.

Make the frosting
Melt the butter in a heavy-duty 1-quart saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally until the butter turns a nutty golden-brown, about 4 minutes. Pour into a small bowl and let stand until the solids settle at the bottom of the bowl, about 5 minutes. Carefully transfer the bowl to the freezer and chill until just firm, about 18 minutes. Using a spoon, carefully scrape the butter from bowl, leaving the browned solids at the bottom; discard the solids.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light in color and the brown sugar has dissolved, 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar and continue beating until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.

Assemble the cake
Put one cake layer on a cake plate. Spread 1/2 cup of the frosting on the layer. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the nut mixture over the frosting and top with the second layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Arrange the remaining topping in a ring 1-1/2 inches in from the edge of the cake and serve.


GLUTEN-FREE PUMPKIN, SWEET POTATO & COCONUT PIE

When I first saw this recipe I thought it looked like a lot of flavors going on at one time, too many in fact. But when I read the recipe and noticed that the coconut came in the form of coconut milk, and that it didn't call for any other form of milk, I knew I had to try this. Since my husband can't have milk products, I have struggled to find a decent pumpkin pie recipe for him. They always seem to lack something either in the consistency or the flavor. This pie was perfect. It has a nice texture and the flavors work well together. It tastes like a pumpkin pie with a nice subtle hint of coconut. My son, who says he dislikes coconut and can eat gluten, asked for seconds. And my husband loved it as well.

As far as the crust goes, I like to make my own using King Arthur Flour's Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour blend. I've had the best results with this product but you can use any brand you like. And when rolling out the dough, I have found it easier to roll it out between two pieces of plastic wrap. That way I don't have to use any additional flour which helps in keeping it from getting too dry. This technique has worked the best for me when making a gluten-free pie crust. Also, in order to create the leafy trim around the crust, I made two separate batches of pie crust and I used a pie crust leaf shaped cutter.

Three things about this recipe that I'd like to point out. First, I used a ricer for the potatoes. I actually had to force them through several times and I was concerned that there wasn't going to be enough filling because of all of the potatoes that were left behind. In the end, there was plenty of filling. And second, because of the long cooking time, you will definitely have to cover the crust with foil or a pie shield about an hour into cooking. And third, it is very important to refrigerate the crust before baking, so please don't skip that part!

Gluten-Free Pie Crust
Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour
1 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbs cold butter
1 large egg
2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar

Directions:
Lightly grease a pie pan

Whisk together the flour, sugar, xanthan gum, and salt.

Cut the cold butter into pats, then work the pats into the flour mixture until it's crumbly, with some larger, pea-sized chunks of butter remaining.

Whisk the egg and vinegar or lemon juice together until very foamy. Mix into the dry ingredients. Stir until the mixture holds together, adding 1 to 3 additional tablespoons of cold water if necessary.

Shape into a ball and chill for an hour, or up to overnight.

Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before rolling.

Roll the dough out between two pieces of plastic wrap and invert into the prepared pie pan.

Wrap loosely with plastic wrap and place the unbaked pie crust in the refrigerator for at least a half hour before baking.

Filling
Adapted for Fine Cooking

Ingredients:
1-1/4 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 small cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
3 whole cloves
1 small star anise, crumbled
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
15-oz. can pure solid-pack pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 Tbs. multi-purpose gluten-free flour
3/4 tsp. table salt
1/2 cup well-stirred canned coconut milk (not coconut cream)
3/4 cup cold whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks with 1-1/2 Tbs. granulated sugar

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine the sweet potatoes, cinnamon stick pieces, cloves, star anise, and ginger slices with enough water to just cover the contents. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until the sweet potatoes are very tender when pierced with a fork or skewer, about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes, reserving the boiling liquid. Return the potatoes to the pot over low heat and toss to dry them a bit. Discard the cinnamon, cloves, and star anise. Force the warm potatoes through a ricer, a food mill, or a sieve. Boil the liquid if needed, until reduced to 1/4 cup. Let the sweet potato mash and the liquid cool.

Position an oven rack in the lower half of the oven; heat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and sweet potato purée. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, melted butter, and reserved spiced liquid. In a separate bowl, stir together the granulated and brown sugars with a wire whisk until any large lumps of brown sugar are gone. Sift the gluten-free flour and salt over the sugars; stir to blend. Add the sugar-flour mixture to the pumpkin and stir well until no pockets of sugar are visible. Blend in the coconut milk.

Scrape the filling into the chilled pie shell; smooth the top. Brush the pie crust with an egg beaten with 1 tbs water and sprinkle with turbinado sugar (optional) and bake for 1-3/4 to 2 hours, turning the pie several times so it bakes evenly. The point of a thin-bladed knife should come out clean when inserted into the center of the filling, and the edges of the surface will be unevenly cracked. If the edges of the pastry darken too much before the filling is cooked, cover them with a pie shield or strips of aluminum foil. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

New Guest Recipe: Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cupcakes

With the second anniversary of the Cucina Domenico blog coming up, it is no secret that networking has played a major part in gathering my blog followers and readers. From my co-blogging project with Una Mamma Italiana and earning a spot on Lorraine Ranalli's Cucina Chatter radio broadcast, to forming Facebook friendships with Johnny "Meatballs" DeCarlo and many other food bloggers, I am very grateful for the opportunities that networking has brought.

This week I am very proud to introduce a new friend to the Cucina Domenico readers. Emma Caperelli Loerky is a South Philly native who I had the pleasure of becoming Facebook 'friends' with via this blog. I would often notice the fantastic recipes that Emma would post. Her recipes are always very creative and beautifully presented. They are also often gluten free. Being very impressed with her creativity and focus on gluten free recipes, I approached Emma about contributing some of her recipes to my blog, and am very happy that she has agreed to do so.

This week we are featuring Emma's Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cupcakes...just in time for all your Halloween parties! You will have the opportunity to read more of Emma's contributions in future Guest Recipe posts here at Cucina Domenico. You can also read more about Emma and her approach to gluten free cooking below.

Welcome to the Cucina, Emma!


Hello all,

I'd first like to thank Dominic for giving me the opportunity to contribute to his blog. I'm really excited and flattered and I hope to be able to bring you recipes that you find useful. My name is Emma, and, like Dominic, I was born and raised in South Philly. I also raised my son, Jake, there for the first 12 years of his life. In 2006, I moved to San Diego to marry my best friend, Karl.

Up until I met my husband, I had never thought I'd leave South Philly. I had also never heard of Celiac Disease, which is an autoimmune disease in which the lining of the small intestine is damaged from eating gluten and other proteins found in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats (I borrowed that definition from Google, people). Being Italian American and growing up in South Philly, where macaroni, meatballs, and sausage (aka Gravy) is the mandatory Sunday dinner, and the soft pretzel is a food group (seriously, as a child we were given soft pretzels in school along with milk at snack time), I was baffled.

Anyway, in the past 5 years, I've learned to read labels and I'm learning how to cook and bake for my husband. I should also mention that my husband cannot have milk products. Apparently, it's quite common for people with Celiac Disease to become intolerant to dairy products as well. Fortunately, my husband can still have eggs and butter. So, needless to say, I've had quite a few mishaps and I'm not always successful, but I have come across a few recipes that I think are worthy of sharing. I should point out that not everything I make is gluten free. My son and I still eat gluten, and, quite often, I will make two versions of the same dish. Even though it can be time-consuming, doing that allows me to freeze any extra gluten free portions, and it also cuts down on cost since gluten free products can be quite expensive.

One last tidbit about myself, I am a mother and housewife who, besides cooking and baking and having 2 dogs and 2 cats of my own, also fosters cats and dogs. Once a week, my family and I volunteer at our local animal shelter as well. Aside from having dinner together as a family each night, volunteering has become a family ritual and we look forward to it every week.

These are the things that bring my family together and I'm excited to share some of our favorite recipes with you. Hopefully, you will enjoy them as well and share them with your own families.

Mangiamo!

GLUTEN FREE PEANUT BUTTER CUPCAKES
yields 24 cupcakes but can be halved to make 12

When Dominic first asked me to submit a recipe to his food blog, the first ingredient I thought about using was pumpkin. Of course since it's fall, pumpkin is one of the more obvious choices. But it's also Halloween, which happens to be my favorite time of year. That led me to think about candy and what I could come up with based on a popular candy bar. So, I thought it would be fun to make a chocolate peanut butter cupcake that would be similar to a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. I found tons of recipes and I was able to come up with a gluten free version on my first try. I actually halved the recipe because I was sure that it would take at least two attempts, so I was pleasantly surprised when they came out perfect on the first try. I was so pleased that I couldn't just stick to my initial plan of having a peanut butter cupcake with a chocolate icing. I knew I wanted to do something with fluff, so I made a fluff icing and used a peanut butter icing as a filling. Basically, they are a gluten free Fluffernutter cupcake. I used that same peanut butter icing to decorate my chocolate peanut butter cupcakes as well. Let me just add that I am aware that I am not going to win any prizes for my cupcake decorating skills, but I think they came out pretty cute considering that I have no clue what I'm doing. So, I have two different icings and a ganache to go with the gluten free peanut butter cupcake. I was tempted to fill some with raspberry jelly, but I didn't want to get too carried away, especially since I also planned on making a non-gluten free version. But you best believe that I will be making these again, and when I do, there will be jelly involved!

I'd also like to point out that I used this gluten free flour with excellent results. It is my new favorite gluten free flour and I recently discovered that I can find it at my local Whole Foods. I'd also like to mention that I adapted my recipe from one that I found on allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:
2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup peanut butter (not natural)
2 eggs at room temperature
1/4 cup milk (I used soy milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Multi-Purpose Flour Blend
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 pinch of salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat brown sugar, shortening, and peanut butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time until well blended, then add vanilla and applesauce and beat until combined. In another bowl, combine gluten free flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and xanthan gum. Stir dry ingredients into the wet ingredients alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Spoon into lined muffin cups and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The cupcakes are done when the tops spring back when touched.


Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients:
8 oz chocolate chips
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk (I used soy milk)

Directions:
Put all the ingredients into the bowl of a double boiler. If you don't have a double boiler, just place a bowl on top of a pan of simmering water. Make sure the water does not touch the bowl or you risk scorching the chocolate. Stir frequently until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly before using.


Peanut Butter Frosting
Ingredients:
1/2 cup room temperature unsalted butter
1 cup peanut butter (not natural)
2 cups confectioners sugar
1/3 cup cream or milk (I used soy milk)

Directions:
Beat the butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the sugar and slowly add enough milk or cream until it reaches a good consistency (you may not need all of the milk).

Assembling the Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes:
After the cupcakes have cooled, dip the tops of them in the slightly cooled ganache and let them set in the fridge for about an hour. You can then make "webs" out of the peanut butter icing by drawing circles on top of the cupcake then dragging them outward using a toothpick. Or you can just pipe a dollop on top of the cupcake, or, better yet, you can fill the inside of each cupcake with the peanut butter icing, which is what I wished I would have done in the first place.


Fluffernutter Cupcakes with Fluff Icing
Ingredients:
1/2 lb room temperature unsalted butter
7 1/2 oz jar Fluff
2 cups confectioners sugar

Directions:
Beat butter until creamy. Add marshmallow fluff and slowly add sugar.

Assembling the cupcakes:
Using a cupcake plunger, remove a portion of the center of each cupcake. Pipe a small amount of the Peanut Butter Icing into the center of each cupcake. Pipe the tops of each cupcake with the Fluff Icing.

One last thing, those cute little bats you see are edible and I got them at etsy.com.

Chocolate Guinness Tarts

I came across this recipe while I was doing some reading on a beer web site. My first thought was 'beer, chocolate, pastry...everybody wins!' I made them this past weekend, and they didn't disappoint. The Guinness taste didn't really come through as much as I expected, but dark chocolate has a very powerful taste of its own, and you're only using 1/2 a cup of the beer. However, stout and chocolate compliment each other very well, so this combination makes total sense. What I would suggest for future servings, and I will be making these again, is to serve at a party, place the tarts on a big plate, and have a small cups of Guinness sitting next to it, so your friends can help themselves to a rich and tasty dessert.

CHOCOLATE GUINNESS TARTS

45 mini sweet fillo shells (found in the frozen food section)
Two 3.5oz good quality dark chocolate (min 70% cocoa solids)
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Guinness

Bring a pan of water to a gentle simmer and sit a heatproof bowl over the top - not allowing the water to come into contact with the bottom of the bowl. Break the chocolate into the bowl and add the butter and the beer. While the chocolate mixture is melting, whisk the eggs and the sugar until pale and smooth. When the chocolate has melted, stir the bowl to amalgamate the other ingredients, and then pour into the egg and sugar mixture. Stir well and pour into the shells. Bake in a pre-heated 425ºF oven for 4 minutes. Refrigerate overnight and serve.

Cinco De Mayo! Apple Cinnamon Empanadas

It's Cinco De Mayo season! The celebration the Mexican Army's victory at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862 (often confused with Mexico's Independence Day, which is September 16th). It has also earned it's rankings as a major "party holiday." Just as Saint Patty's Day is celebrated with shamrocks, Guiness and Jameson, many Cinco De Mayo parties will be overflowing with sombreros, Corona, Do Equies, Jose Cuervo and lots of Mexican food.

Although most of my recipes are of the Italian flavor, one dessert that I have made which is very Cinco De Mayo friendly is empanadas. Empinadas are Spanish turnovers (a stuffed bread or pastry), and would make for a great Cinco De Mayo dish. They can be stuffed with meats as a meal or fruits as a dessert. We recently made apple cinnamon empinadas for a Dominican dinner party that our friends hosted, and they went over really well...especially with a few rum & cokes! We used apple pie filling, but we pulsed it a bit in the blender to make it less chunky, but not liquidy. After they were baked, we dusted them with cinnamon sugar.

Now, you know that my Paisan blood would not let a dish like this go without getting a little bit of Italian influence in the mix. So here's how we're gonna do that. Take a spoonful or two of Nutella (the creamy hazelnut spread created by Pietro Ferrero during World War II as a chocolate substitute, due to a rashioning of cocoa) and place it in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat it up for 15 seconds, wait 5 seconds, then heat up for another 15 seconds (30 seconds straight will cause it to burn). Place an empanada on a plate next to a small scoop of vanilla ice cream. Drizzle with the melted Nutella for what might be the best dessert you'll ever have.

Olé!

Apple Cinnamon Empanadas

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 small can apple pie filling
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
vanilla ice cream
Nutella


DAY BEFORE: Cream butter and cream cheese together until smoothly blended. Beat in the flour. Shape dough into a smooth ball, wrap in foil or cling wrap, and refrigerate overnight or up to a week.

AT BAKING TIME: Remove dough from refrigerator 30 minutes before using. Heat oven to 375º.
Lightly pulse apple pie filling in a blender or food processor to thin it out, but not liquidy.
Roll chilled dough thin*. Cut with 3 inch round cookie cutter or small juice glass. Place small spoonful of filling in center of each round, moisten edges with water.
Fold round over and press edges together. Bake on lightly greased cookie sheet 15 to 20 minutes. Immediately roll in sugar mixed with cinnamon.

Take a spoonful or two of Nutella, and place it in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat it up for 15 seconds, wait 5 seconds, then heat up for another 15 seconds (30 seconds straight will cause it to burn). Place an empanada on a plate next to a small scoop of vanilla ice cream. Drizzle with the melted Nutella.

* If you're having trouble rolling the dough, add more flour. It'll make the dough less sticky.

Easter Recap: Breaking Bread

The decorations have been put away, the candy baskets have been separated and divided, and the last of the ricotta pies have been finished. Another Easter holiday has come and gone. It was a good holiday for us this year filled with family get-togethers, insane amounts of home made food, breads and desserts, a trip to the zoo with the kids, and beautiful spring weather. Aside from a minor 'ham catching on fire' incident at my in-law's house, it was a perfect holiday weekend. There was, however, a slight situation that had me a bit concerned....

In my last post, I wrote about my attempt to make Easter bread this year. I did my research, checked out a good amount of recipes, and put together what I thought would make for a traditional Easter bread. I gave it a test run the week before Easter and got thumbs up across the board. I wrote out the recipe, posted it on my blog and shared it with my readers. Compliments and kudos came in, and a few people even said that they were looking forward to trying the recipe themselves. Mission accomplished, right?

Holy Saturday (the day before Easter) was a particularly busy day. Aside from the regular weekend chores, we decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather to catch up on some outdoor cleanup. On top of all this, I still had plans to make two of my 'perfected' Easter breads. Now, as I've written a number of times, I am no baker. I am not familiar with the in's and out's of dough, but I do know that the slightest adjustment can screw up your dough like nobody's business. I followed my recipe to the tee, covered it and let it alone to do it's thing. I check on it an hour later and it looked nice and poofy, all ready to go...or so I thought.

I don't know when it happened, how it happened or why it happened, but when I went to punch down the dough, it turned into a gooey mess. Maybe it was the humid weather, maybe not. Whatever it was, it wasn't dough that could be weaved, braided and twisted as I previously promised. SInce it was now 8:30 at night, I was faced with two options - scrap the dough, hang my head in shame and have no Easter bread to serve for breakfast, or make some sort of compromise. I found that compromise in the form of a tube pan. I figured if I can't shape the bread, let the bread shape itself. And that it did in the tube pan! What started out as a glop-fest rose into a beautiful, cake-shaped loaf of sweet, fresh bread. A little glaze and some candy sprinkles later, and the bread was saved. It was an Easter miracle!

So, if you tried my recipe and had similar struggles, my heartfelt apologies. But if you own a tube pan, give it a shot next year. I promise you'll be glad you did!

Easter Bread

Tis the season for Easter pies, cakes, breads and desserts!

Last year, I posted an article on Easter traditions in an Italian household (click here for the article). It was a great opportunity for me to trace the history of the many desserts and treats that are served during this special season. It was also an opportunity for me to share my recipes for the traditional Italian ham and rice pies that are served this time of year. My main goal in writing this blog is putting my own spin on traditional recipes and sharing them with you. I spent the past 5 years or so tweaking and adjusting my versions of the ham and rice pie recipes until I felt that they were right. I was very honored to receive some positive and very kind feedback on last year's post.

This year, I set a new goal for the Easter season – I decided to learn how to make Easter Bread. For those of you not familiar with Easter Bread, it's a sweet bread (often flavored with anise) that's braided and woven into a basket shape. It usually has colored Easter eggs placed in the middle and is topped with a glaze and candy sprinkles, which gives it a bright and festive look. Serving a slice topped with butter, with a nice hot cup of coffee, tea or espresso makes for the perfect spring time breakfast.

While growing up in my neighborhood, you either made your own bread with a special family recipe, or you stood in line at the neighborhood bakery, waiting for a fresh loaf. We were fortunate to have a wide variety of neighborhood bakeries, including Varallo's, Potito's, Termini's, Isgro's and Cosmi's, to name a few. My grandmother would make her own bread, as would many of my aunts. Not wanting to tamper with their perfected recipes, I set out to find a recipe of my own. I checked out a bunch of recipes on the web (there are many out there) and put together a recipe that sounded best to me. One challenge that I had to deal with right off the bat is that we do not own a large stand mixer. Quite a few bread recipes that I found suggest you don't use a hand mixer, as the dough may become too heavy and burn out the unit. After a bit of searching, I did find a recipe that didn't require too much work or a dough hook attachment. I started there, adjusted some ingredients to my taste and gave it a shot. Gotta say, I was very happy with the end result! The taste, the texture, the aroma...it was all there!

Before we get to the actual recipe, there's one more anecdote on traditions that I would like to share with you. Earlier this week, I posted as my Facebook status "Trying out new Easter Bread recipe." True to family fashion, my cousin quickly stepped up and offered to share my Aunt Tina's recipe for Easter Bread if I ran into any trouble. A friend of mine also offered to share a recipe that she had (she made sure to let me know that she wasn't allowed to share her Mom's recipe...ain't no arguing that one!). This is exactly what I had in mind when I started this blog. A nice little community to share recipes with family and friends and be influenced by each others ideas. Thank you to my cousin Pauline and and my friend Emma for having my back this time around! And thanks again to everyone for continuing to check out my updated posts. It's a fun ride and I'm glad to share it with all of you!

Buona Pasqua!

EASTER BREAD

1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 package dry yeast
3 eggs at room temperature

Optional ingredient for additional flavor*
1/2 tsp. aniseed OR 1/4 tsp. anise extract

Eggwash (1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon of water)
6 dyed Easter eggs**
sprinkles

*Anise has a licorice flavor and is often used to flavor cakes and cookies. Aniseeds are traditionally used, but you can use anise extract if you do not want the small seeded texture in your bread. The ratio of seed vs. extract is 2 to 1.

**There is no need to pre-boil the 6 dyed Easter eggs. They will cook with the bread in the oven. Carefully dye them and tuck into the bread when called for.

In a small saucepan warm milk and butter to lukewarm. In a large bowl mix 3/4 cup flour, sugar, and yeast. Add warm milk mixture, stirring well. Add 3 eggs and aniseed/anise extract, blend well, and add remaining flour. Knead with a dough hook or on a floured board until smooth, then place in a greased bowl and cover, let rise for 1 hour.

Punch down dough. Divide in half; roll each piece into a 24 inch rope. Loosely twist ropes together; place on a greased baking sheet and form into a circle. Pinch rope ends together. Cover and let rise for about an hour.

Brush bread with egg wash, gently spread sprinkles over bread Gently split ropes and tuck eggs into openings. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown.