Dessert

pear tart / crostata di pere

| Simona

jump to Recipe

pear tart / crostata di pere / IMG_3705

the simple elegance of a crostata always wins at the table
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

The current Cook the Books Club selection is Midnight at the Blackbird Café by Heather Webber.1 On her website, the author explains:

The inspiration for this novel came years ago in a song. After hearing the Beatles' "Blackbird" for the first time, it haunted me… I was captivated with the concept of broken wings and how emotional wounds can keep many from being able to metaphorically fly… Blackbird research led me quickly to the Song of Sixpence with its “four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie,” and then a tidbit in Celtic folklore revealed that blackbirds were considered guardians and messengers of the "Other world.” With that, the heart of this book took form. What if blackbirds with their songs could pass messages from dearly departed loved ones through, of all things, pie, to bring comfort and love to those left behind?

The novel is a fairy tale (favola) set in a village in Alabama, mostly in the café of the title. Anna Kate, the protagonist, inherits the business and uses her spare time to untangle family secrets. It is a pleasant read and while the ending is fairly expected, there are a few surprises along the way.

Asian pears / IMG_3783

Asian pears and other varieties of pears are delicious and in season now
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Mulberries (more di gelso) play an important role in the story. If this were mulberry season, I would have made something with the delicious fruit, but those fleeting days are gone this year. Apples and pears of the new crop take center stage, crisp and juicy. I am Italian, so when I think about a dessert made with fruit, I think about crostata (tart). I presented crostata di mele (apple tart) some time ago2 so here I am sharing a recipe for pear tart. While the rendition on the photos uses Asian pears (pere asiatiche), the tart can be made with other pear varieties.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Pear tart

Ingredients

For pasta frolla:

  • 1/3 cup / 65 g ultrafine sugar or 1/2 cup powdered sugar (see Note 1)
  • 1/2 cup / 60 g whole-wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup / 65 g unbleached all-purpose flour (see Note 2)
  • 1/4 cup / 30 g almond flour or almond meal
  • 1/4 cup / 30 g whole-grain barley flour OR unbleached all-purpose flour OR a mix of millet and sorghum flours
  • A pinch of salt
  • 6 tablespoons / 85 g / 3 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1 large egg (possibly from pastured poultry), lightly whisked to blend yolk and white
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling:

  • 1 cup / 240 ml fruit preserves of a flavor that goes well with pears (like berries) and made mostly with fruit (see Note 3)
  • 1 pound / 450 g Asian pears or another variety of pears (choose one that bakes well), preferably organic (you should be left with a few extra slices to snack on)

Note 1: Ultrafine or superfine sugar is also referred to as baker's sugar. If you cannot find it, you can make your own by putting some regular granulated sugar in a food processor or blender and letting it run until the sugar is finely ground.

Note 2: The less gluten (as indicated by % protein) in the flour, the better (I like to use Perfect Pastry blend by King Arthur Flour). Do not use bread flour. 

Note 3: I use my homemade low-sugar preserves. I recommend you choose a good quality product, made with mostly fruit and little sugar.

How to make the pasta frolla
Put sugar, flours and salt in the bowl of the food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add butter and pulse a few times for 3 seconds at a time until the mix resembles coarse meal. Empty food processor's bowl onto your work surface.

[If you don't have a food processor: Whisk together sugar, flours and salt in a bowl. Rub or cut the butter into the sugar and flour mixture until it has the consistency of coarse crumbs. You can do this in the bowl or on your work surface, using your fingertips or an implement of choice.]

Make a well in the center of the mounded flour and butter mixture and pour the egg and vanilla extract into it. Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients, then use your fingertips.

Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball. Use some all-purpose flour as needed to flour your hands to prevent excessive sticking.

Shape the dough into a flat disk 1 inch / 2.5 cm thick and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours. I usually make it the evening before and refrigerate it overnight.

How to prepare the bottom layer of the crostata
To bake the crostata, I recommend using a 9 or 9 1/2-inch / 23-24 cm fluted round tart pan with removable bottom, about 1 inch / 2.5 cm high.

Take the pasta frolla out of the refrigerator and unwrap it. I recommend you roll the dough on a piece of parchment paper or the plastic film in which it was wrapped as it is quite crumbly.

Lightly dust with flour the top of the dough and the surface on which you are rolling it. Keep some flour handy to lightly dust the dough as you go along.

If the dough is very firm, start by pressing the dough with the rolling pin from the middle to each end, moving the rolling pin by a pin's width each time; turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat; when it softens, start rolling gently.

Roll the dough into a circle about 1/8 inch / 3 mm thick. If you used parchment paper or plastic wrap as rolling surface, flip the dough over the tart pan, centering it, and delicately press it all around so the corners are well covered. Peel away the wrap.

Trim the excess dough hanging over the edges of the pan and use it, as necessary, where you find that you came up short and/or to make the border of an even thickness all the way around. Prick the shell with a fork in several places. You will have only a small amount of dough left over, which you can use to make a thicker edge or a cookie or two (1/6 inch / 4 mm thick and cut as desired, baked at the same temperature as the tart for 15 minutes).

Refrigerate the tart shell. After 15 minutes or so, preheat the oven to 350 F / 177 C.

pear tart before baking / IMG_3701

tart ready for the oven

How to fill the crostata
Rinse, quarter and core the pears, then slice them ¼ inch / 6 mm thick.

Take the unbaked tart shell out of the fridge. With the help of a spatula distribute on it the fruit preserves in an even layer.

Arrange the pear slices in circles on top of the preserves, starting from the outside until you reach the center.

How to bake the crostata
Put the crostata in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. Check the tart to estimate the time remaining, then continue baking until the tart border is of a light golden hue.

Remove the tart from the oven and let cool slightly on a rack. If you used a tart pan with a removable bottom, release the tart base from the fluted tart ring. Let cool a bit longer on the rack, then, with the help of a wide spatula, slide the crostata onto a serving plate. Make sure the tart is completely cool before slicing delicately and serving.

Serves 10-12.

The tart is best eaten the day it is made.

1 The book's page on the author's website
2 On this blog: Apple Tart, Vinegar Tart

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

crostata di pere

or launch the crostata di pere audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

CtBThis is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

FTC disclosure: I have received the table linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

tart, fruit dessert, pear, Asian pear, crostata, Italian cuisine

chia pudding with blueberries / budino ai semi di chia con mirtilli

| Simona
chia pudding with blueberries / IMG_3168

breakfast treat or dessert?

The novel Winter Cottage by Mary Ellen Taylor is set in Cape Hudson, a coastal town in Virginia. I have never visited that part of the US, so reading descriptions of the landscape was one of the book's attractions. I also liked how the three connected stories unfolded chapter by chapter. In the present, Lucy Kincaid, still grieving for the recent death of her mother, Beth, inherits Winter Cottage and upon arriving discovers that it is actually a mansion. In a relatively recent past, Beth, then a senior in high school, interviews Mrs. Buchanan, the owner and only resident of Winter Cottage, as part of a history project. The story the elderly lady recounts is set in the early part of the 20th century.

The threads are spun in parallel and as the novel progresses we learn the secrets not only Mrs. Buchanan, but also Beth and other people kept until they died. Lucy's main objective is to find out who her father is, a piece of information Beth never revealed to her daughter. As usual, I feel that if I say more I will ruin the reading for anybody whose curiosity about the book is piqued by my post, so I will stop here. 

Shortly after her arrival at Winter Cottage, Lucy acquires a house mate, Natasha, a bright girl who, like Lucy, has recently lost her mother. Before Lucy's arrival, she would take refuge in the house to escape  her alcoholic father. Lucy tries to provide the girl with a stable household, which includes a stable food supply. The book mentions sandwiches, take-out pizza (compliments of Hank Garrison, also determined to keep Natasha safe and in school), cupcakes. How about something different, healthier, my inner voice kept asking?

chia pudding with blueberries / IMG_3166

either or both!

While I was reading the book, my husband and I had dinner at a restaurant2 that offered chia pudding as dessert. Tasting a spoonful reminded me that: 1) I like chia pudding 2) I used to make a version of it for my husband's breakfast when he first started a ketogenic diet, using hemp milk. I decided to work some more on my own version. Also around the same time I enjoyed eating fresh blueberries, so I knew whatever I made would have blueberries.

Chia pudding makes itself: you add the milk of choice and the seeds absorb it—all the more reason for Lucy to adopt it as a breakfast item for Natasha. She can prepare a couple of portions in the evening and they will be ready whenever the girl opens the refrigerator the following day.

My preference goes to unsweetened cashew milk (latte di anacardi)—just cashews, no other ingredients—which makes a luscious pudding. I have also tried using unsweetened coconut hemp milk, which has a lower calorie content and already includes vanilla extract. It makes a slightly less firm pudding. Feel free to try other milks, avoiding products with a lot of additives. My next step will be to try making cashew milk at home, which a friend of mine told me is an easy task. To sweeten the pudding I add some monk fruit3 (frutto del monaco) sweetener, a sugar replacement I have been using recently after a friend of mine gave it to me to try.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Chia pudding with blueberries

Ingredients (per portion, to be multiplied as needed):

  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 2 teaspoons monk fruit sweetener, golden or classic (the brand I use contains erythritol)
  • 1/3 cup / 80 ml unsweetened cashew only milk
  • 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Fresh blueberries, to taste
  • 1/2 tablespoon sliced almonds, toasted in a dry skillet

The evening or several hours before you plan to eat the pudding, place the chia seeds and sweetener in a ramekin or serving glass. Add the cashew milk and vanilla extract and stir well. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, stir again, then cover and refrigerate.

Take the pudding out of the refrigerator ahead of time so that, by the time you eat it, its temperature will be of your liking. (For me that is a good hour.)

Wash a handful of blueberries, then spread them on a clean kitchen towel to absorb the water. Decorate the pudding with the blueberries and sliced almonds and serve.

Serves 1

chia pudding with blueberries / IMG_3170

creamy pudding + crunchy almonds + juicy blueberries = total delight

This is now our household's favorite breakfast.

1 The book introduction on the author's website
2 If you visit Franz Joseph Glacier Village, NZ, make sure you eat at SnakeBite (if you like beer, it is a brewery)
3 Some info on monk fruit

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

budino ai semi di chia con mirtilli

or launch the budino ai semi di chia con mirtilli audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

Small_NFlogoThis is my second contribution to the 38th edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I started 12 years ago and that I continue to host.

The roundup of the event.

pudding, chia seeds, cashew milk, almonds, blueberries, dessert, breakfast

fruit salad with fresh dates / macedonia di frutta con datteri freschi

| Simona
seasonal fruit salad with dates / IMG_2599

fruit fresh from the farmers market makes a great post-run salad
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

The story told by Daniel Stone in his book The Food Explorer: The True Adventures of the Globe-Trotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats1 is fascinating, at times riveting, and I found myself staying up late some evenings to read what would happen next. Before reading the book, I didn't know who David Fairchild was. Also, I didn't know who Frank Meyer was, though I am a great fan of the Meyer lemon, named after him; had never read the full story behind the Haas avocado; had no idea how Japanese cherry blossom trees had ended up blooming in Washington D.C. and wondered why a town in Southern California was called Mecca.

These are just a handful of the stories told in the book2, which I recommend to all. In brief, David Fairchild went around the world looking for plants that could be grown in the US, with the stated goal of improving agricultural production in the country. In time, there were also others contributing to that work (Frank Meyer being one of them). The book narrates Fairchild's fascinating life, from his fateful encounter with millionaire Barbour Lathrop, who will finance a lot of his travels, to his marriage with the daughter of inventor Alexander Graham Bell, to his retirement in Southern Florida3 where he helped create a botanical garden which bears his name4.

fresh Yellow Barhi dates / IMG_2599

fresh Yellow Barhi dates (Khalal stage) at the Berkeley farmers market5

The book details not only Fairchild's successes, but also the difficulties he surmounted in his quest and the opposition he faced in later years. Such opposition will not surprise us: importing live plants from around the world risks importing live pests with potentially devastating effects. Ironically, the person mainly responsible for stopping Fairchild's activity had been his best man. The two exposed their different point of views in articles published by the National Geographic Magazine. Fairchild's is titled Our Plant Immigrants6.

date palm in Thermal, CA / IMG_2567

date palm in Thermal, CA

Of the many stories Stone recounts, one that particularly resonated with me is that of dates7. We spent the early days of this year in the Coachella Valley in Southern California, where date palms are everywhere. We also went through a town called Mecca and I wondered what connection to the famous Arabian city had prompted the naming7,8.

Also, as I was reading the book, I encountered fresh Yellow Barhi dates at the Berkeley farmers market. I had never seen fresh dates up close and personal (the view from the bottom of a palm being the closest I had come to them before) and I had no idea you could eat them before they were completely brown. The sign in the photo from the market says "Traditionally served when half yellow and half soft." Before I purchased the branch in the photo below, I tasted one that was indeed half yellow and half soft: it was a revelation. Sweet, but not as sweet as a fully dried one, the date retained a bit of crunch and had a hint of coconut. 

fresh Yellow Barhi dates / IMG_2599

fresh Yellow Barhi dates (Khalal stage)
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

It has taken my dates longer than I expected to reach the half yellow & half soft stage (called partially-rutab, where rutab is the final, soft stage9), but now they have finally started to do so and I appreciate that they are going slowly, so I get a couple a day ready to enjoy.

Fairchild introduced many types of fruit to the US (though his personal favorite, the mangosteen, never took hold here), so it was easy to decide to make a fruit salad (macedonia) for my breakfast (colazione) with fruit we eat because of his and his department's work and that is available now at the farmers market: Asian pear (pera asiatica), watermelon (cocomero), fig (fico), besides dates. Fairchild also tried to introduce the cashew tree, but domestic production never took hold, though consumption of cashew nuts (anacardi) did.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Fruit salad with fresh dates

Ingredients (serves 1):

  • Half an Asian pear
  • A wedge of watermelon (Orchid variety in my case)
  • 1 fig (Turkish brown in my case: Fairchild introduced the Calimyrna fig)
  • 2 fresh Bahri dates, half yellow and half soft OR two soft dates
  • 1 teaspoon cashew butter (Chunky Almond, Cashew & Coconut Nut Butter10 in my case) diluted with 1 teaspoon water OR a drizzle of lime juice

If possible, choose all organic fruit.

Cut the Asian pear and watermelon into bite-sized pieces. Peel the fig and cut it into 6 pieces.

Cut the dates lengthwise, remove the pit and slice crosswise. Place all the fruit in a small bowl.

Drizzle the diluted nut butter (or lime juice) on the fruit and toss gently. Enjoy!

Best post-run breakfast ever, or delicious dessert.

The photo above shows the version with fully ripe dates and lime juice.

1 The book introduction on the author's website
2 Articles talking about the book: on the Smithsonian website, on the NPR website, and an interview with Daniel Stone on CBS
3 This post includes recipes directly connected to the Kampong, the Fairchilds' home in Florida
4 The Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden website
5 From Flying Disc farm in Thermal, CA
6 Fairchild's article Our Plant Immigrants published on the National Geographic Magazine in April 1906
7 This article on the NPR website contains some information on the establishment of date palms in the Coachella Valley of Southern California
8 Mecca, CA on wikipedia
9 This photo of Bahri dates shows the stages
10 The Cashew and You (article on the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden website)
11 I tasted the Chunky Almond, Cashew & Coconut Nut Butter from Ground Up at a farmers' market I visited while in Portland and fell in love with it. (Disclaimer: I have no business relationship with the company, Ground Up)

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

macedonia di frutta con datteri freschi

or launch the macedonia di frutta con datteri freschi audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

CtBThis is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

Small_NFlogoThis is also my second contribution to the 37th edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I started 12 years ago and that I continue to host.

The roundup of the event.

Souper Sundayslogo And I am contributing my fruit salad also to Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays, a weekly event created by Cook the Books club co-host Deb of Kahakai Kitchen.

The roundup of the event.

FTC disclosure: I have received the table linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

Asian pear, watermelon, fig, dates, fruit, breakfast

pan-fried banana with macadamia nuts / banana in padella e noci di macadamia

| Simona
pan-fried banana with macadamia nuts / IMG_1631

crunchy, soft and sweet

I read the novel Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers1 by Sara Ackerman, the current selection of the Cook the Books club, in just a few days: the story is interesting, at the level both of the individual characters and of the historical background. To the tragedies of World War II and of the internment of Japanese-Americans, the novel, set on the Big Island of Hawaii, adds the personal tragedies of Violet, whose husband disappeared a year before the story starts, and of their daughter, Ella, whose distress hints at a devastating secret she cannot share.

The title refers to the soldiers stationed on the Big Island (who in the course of the story are sent to fight on Iwo Jima) and the pies Violet and her friends bake and sell to said soldiers, some of whom will play a large role in their lives.

Against the backdrop of war, most people try to live each day with hope, purpose and empathy. Violet is also determined to find out what happened to her husband. A character one would not expect in the novel is Roscoe, a lion and the soldiers' mascot, with whom Ella develops a special relationship.

The point of view alternates between Violet to Ella, which gives texture to the narration (my one quibble here being that Ella's language often feels more appropriate to an older person). I let myself be transported to what is one of my favorite places in the world.

When I think about my visits to the Big Island, one vivid memory is that of tropical fruit (frutta tropicale). A tray of it, including a bunch of small ripe bananas, always awaits us in the kitchen of the place where we stay2.

Apple Bananas

apple bananas

I immediately fell for the small, sweet bananas called apple bananas3, whereas it took  me some time to warm up to macadamia nuts. Tasting freshly roasted and lightly salted fresh macadamia nuts at the farmers' market finally made me a convert: they are so good, they are addictive.

A steady supply of apple bananas and macadamia nuts made me think about a possible dessert combining the two. A minimal kitchen made sure I kept it simple.

banana and macadamia nuts

Cavendish banana and store-bought macadamia nuts

On the mainland I replicated the recipe with regular bananas (Cavendish) and roasted Hawaiian macadamia nuts with a touch of sea salt that I found at the local store. I close my eyes and as I eat, I dream of the Big Island.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Pan-fried banana with macadamia nuts

Ingredients (per portion):

  • Half a medium banana or one apple banana
  • A few macadamia nuts, previously roasted and with a touch of sea salt  added
  • A small amount of coconut oil or other fat of choice

Slice the banana not less than 1/4 inch / 6 mm thick. Finely chop the macadamia nuts and set them aside.

Warm up a small cast-iron skillet on medium heat, then add the oil and make sure there is a thin film all around (you don't want the banana to stick to the pan nor to be drenched in oil).

Distribute the banana slices in the skillet and turn down the heat to medium-low. After a couple of minutes, gently flip the slices. The goal is to get a thin caramelized layer. After a couple of minutes, remove from the heat and transfer the slices onto a serving plate.

Sprinkle the chopped nuts on them. Serve immediately.

apple banana and macadamia nuts

the original, prepared on the Big Island (archive photo)

When I shared the recipe with two local young men (our guides for a pre-dawn hike), one of them suggested to add a bit of honey (miele). Local honey, another product you can find at the farmers' market is excellent. For me personally the recipe is sweet enough as is, but I leave the suggestion on the table in case you want to try.

1 The book's website
2 You can see some photos of Hawaiian fruit in some of my older posts: from 2010, 2012 and 2014
3 Some information on apple bananas

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

banana in padella e noci di macadamia

or launch the banana in padella e noci di macadamia audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

CtBThis is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

dessert, banana, apple banana, macadamia nuts, dessert, Hawaiian food

apple tart / crostata di mele

| Simona
apple tart / crostata di mele / DSC_3314c

a personal take on an Italian classic

Laura Ingalls Wilder's Farmer Boy, the current selection of our Cook the Books Club, is a well-known children's book in the US. It was an interesting read, giving me a glimpse into some of the literature people my age were exposed to during their childhood and a view into rural life and related activities in an age and place quite removed from mine. For Almanzo and his family the year was marked by the seasonal work they did, and that work is described in detail by Ingalls Wilder. There is also moral content, mostly with regards to money.

The distance in time and place between the book and me made some parts jarring and in this light, it was particularly interesting to listen to a recent piece on NPR on Ingalls Wilder on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of her birth1. As usual, I am thankful to belong to a book club that exposes me to works I would not have read on my own.

There is a lot of food in the book and also something dear to my heart: the imperative of avoiding food waste. This topic recurs in the story including in the chapter connected to my choice of recipe. First Almanzo and his siblings harvest apples by hand, careful not to bruise them so they won't spoil when put into storage.

mutsu apples / P1020824

it's apple season!

The other apples are pressed into cider (sidro). Making use of less than perfect apples was the subject of an article I wrote a few years ago1. I regularly buy such apples (called seconds at farmers' market around here) and eat them out of hand or use them in my kitchen. Their main fault usually a tiny bruise or discoloration that can be easily removed, or a non-conformant shape.

Almanzo likes all pies. I have nice memories of the first apple pie I tasted, during my first stay in the UK, homemade by my landlady with apples from her garden. Being Italian, my preference goes to crostata, the traditional Italian tart.

The base (shell) of a crostata is made of pasta frolla (or pastafrolla), a dough of flour, sugar, butter and eggs. In the filling of this crostata I celebrate the change of seasons by using plum preserves from summer and apples from the new crop.

apple tart / crostata di mele / DSC_3307

the baked apple slices look like rose petals

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Apple tart / Crostata di mele

Ingredients

For pasta frolla:

  • 1/3 cup / 65 g ultrafine sugar or 1/2 cup powdered sugar (see Note 1)
  • 1/2 cup / 60 g whole-wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup / 65 g unbleached all-purpose flour (see Note 2)
  • 1/4 cup / 30 g almond flour or almond meal
  • 1/4 cup / 30 g whole-grain barley flour OR unbleached all-purpose flour OR a mix of millet and sorghum flours
  • A pinch of salt
  • 6 tablespoons / 85 g / 3 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1 large egg (possibly from pastured poultry), lightly whisked to blend yolk and white
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling:

  • 1 cup fruit preserves of a flavor you like that goes well with apples and made mostly with fruit (see Note 3)
  • 2 apples, about 10 ounces / 280 g, of a variety that is sweet and crisp, organic if possible

Note 1: Ultrafine or superfine sugar is also referred to as baker's sugar. If you cannot find it, you can make your own by putting some regular granulated sugar in a food processor or blender and letting it run until the sugar is finely ground.

Note 2: The less gluten (as indicated by % protein) in the flour, the better (I like to use Perfect Pastry blend by King Arthur Flour). Do not use bread flour. 

Note 3: I use my homemade low-sugar preserves. I recommend you choose a good quality product, made with mostly fruit and little sugar.

How to make the pasta frolla
Put sugar, flours and salt in the bowl of the food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add butter and pulse a few times for 3 seconds at a time until the mix resembles coarse meal. Empty food processor's bowl onto your work surface.

[If you don't have a food processor: Whisk together sugar, flours and salt in a bowl. Rub or cut the butter into the sugar and flour mixture until it has the consistency of coarse crumbs. You can do this in the bowl or on your work surface, using your fingertips or an implement of choice.]

Make a well in the center of the mounded flour and butter mixture and pour the egg and vanilla extract into it. Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients, then use your fingertips.

Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball. Use some all-purpose flour as needed to flour your hands to prevent excessive sticking.

Shape the dough into a flat disk 1 inch / 2.5 cm thick and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours. I usually make it the evening before and refrigerate it overnight.

How to prepare the bottom layer of the crostata
To bake the crostata, I recommend using a 9 or 9 1/2-inch / 23-24 cm fluted round tart pan with removable bottom, about 1 inch / 2.5 cm high.

Take the pasta frolla out of the refrigerator and unwrap it. I recommend you roll the dough on a piece of parchment paper or the plastic film in which it was wrapped as it is quite crumbly.

Lightly dust with flour the top of the dough and the surface on which you are rolling it. Keep some flour handy to lightly dust the dough as you go along.

If the dough is very firm, start by pressing the dough with the rolling pin from the middle to each end, moving the rolling pin by a pin's width each time; turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat; when it softens, start rolling gently.

Roll the dough into a circle about 1/8 inch / 3 mm thick. If you used parchment paper or plastic wrap as rolling surface, flip the dough over the tart pan, centering it, and delicately press it all around so the corners are well covered. Peel away the wrap.

Trim the excess dough hanging over the edges of the pan and use it, as necessary, where you find that you came up short and/or to make the border of an even thickness all the way around. Prick the shell with a fork in several places. You will have only a small amount of dough left over, which you can use to make a thicker edge or a cookie or two (1/6 inch / 4 mm thick and cut as desired, baked at the same temperature as the tart for 15 minutes).

Refrigerate the tart shell. After 15 minutes or so, preheat the oven to 350 F / 177 C.

apple tart / crostata di mele / DSC_3300

apples — thinly sliced with the help of a mandoline

How to fill the crostata
Rinse well the apples and cut them into quarters. Slice them thinly crosswise using the thinnest setting of a mandoline or similar tool.

Take the unbaked tart shell out of the fridge. With the help of a spatula distribute on it the fruit preserves in an even layer. Fan out the apple slices and distribute them over the fruit preserves to make an even layer that will look quite beautiful once the tart is baked.

How to bake the crostata
Put the crostata in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. Check the tart to estimate the time remaining, then continue baking until the tart border is of a light golden hue. Make sure the apples don't burn at the edges. (If that is about to happen, cover the tart loosely with foil and continue baking.)

Remove the tart from the oven and let cool slightly on a rack. If you used a tart pan with a removable bottom, release the tart base from the fluted tart ring. Let cool a bit longer on the rack, then, with the help of a wide spatula, slide the crostata onto a serving plate. Make sure the tart is completely cool before slicing delicately and serving.

Serves 10-12.

apple and plum preserve crostata

pretty also in black and white

The tart is best eaten the day it is made.

1 NPR: 'Little House on the Prairie' author is 150 
2 North Coast Journal: Baking Beauties
3 On this blog: Vinegar Tart

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

crostata di mele

or launch the crostata di mele audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

CtBThis is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

Small_NFlogoThis is also my contribution to the 31st edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I started some time ago and that I continue to host.

The roundup of the event.

tart, fruit dessert, apple, crostata, Italian cuisine

blueberry varenyky / varenyky con ripieno di mirtilli

| Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

making blueberry varenyky / IMG_3629

making blueberry varenyky

In our World Culinary ABC1 we have arrived in Ukraine (Ucraina), represented by the port city of Odessa. By a series of coincidences, my husband and I recently hiked to, and spent a night at, Odessa Lake2 in Rocky Mountain National Park3. So, while I have no personal images of Odessa to share, I can show you how beautiful Odessa Lake is.

Odessa Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park / IMG_3615

arriving at Odessa Lake
Odessa Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park / IMG_3616

Odessa Lake and Notchtop Mountain in the evening

To celebrate our virtual visit to Ukraine, I chose to make my version of blueberry varenyky.

Varenyky are stuffed with a variety of fillings such as mashed potato, ground meat, liver or offal, cabbage, sauerkraut, fish, hard-boiled egg (a Mennonite tradition) or a combination of these. Typical sweet fillings include quark or cottage cheese, or fruits such as sour cherries, berries and currants.4

fresh blueberries / IMG_3531

it's blueberry season!

I made blueberry varenyky using both the cocoa pasta dough I recently used to make tagliatelle5 and the plain version of the same dough (sans cocoa).

blueberry cocoa varenyky / IMG_3546
The cocoa version was more difficult to photograph due to the clash between dark brown and deep purple-blue, but I love the cocoa pasta dough.

cocoa pasta dough / IMG_3518

cocoa pasta dough

There are many recipes for the blueberry filling. I wanted something that would highlight the  distinct flavor of fresh blueberries. I adapted the recipe found in the book The Glorious Noodle by Linda Merinoff.

Printer-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Blueberry varenyky

Ingredients for the pasta dough:

  • 1 tablespoon / 7 g unsweetened cocoa (cacao amaro) + 80 g all-purpose flour + more as needed OR
    85 g / 3 ounces all-purpose flour + more as needed
  • 1 large egg (weighing no less than 2.2 ounces / 62 g with the shell)

Ingredients for the blueberry filling:

  • 1 pound / 450 g fresh blueberries, preferably organic
  • 1 tablespoon / 12 g ultra-fine or granulated sugar

Additionally:

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons / 21 g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • Powdered sugar (zucchero a velo), to taste (optional)

Makes 28-30 varenyky

How to make the pasta dough
Weigh the flour in a bowl, then add the egg and mix into a cohesive dough, first with a fork and then with your hands. If making the cocoa version, stir that and the flour with a metal whisk until the cocoa is well dispersed before adding the egg.

Empty the bowl onto a kneading board (scraping the container well) and start kneading the dough with your hands.

Add a bit more flour, if needed, to obtain a dough that is not sticky, but should not feel hard when kneaded. Knead for 8-10 minutes, folding the dough on itself towards you and pushing it away from you with the heels of your hands in a fluid motion that should feel relaxed and meditative. Cover well (e.g., wrapped in plastic film), and let rest for about an hour.

How to make the filling
Stem, rinse and drain the blueberries. Set aside 1/3 and place the rest in a saucepan. It is best to reserve the smallest blueberries, since they will remain whole and large blueberries make it more difficult to seal the varenyky. Sprinkle the sugar on top and stir. Cook over medium heat while stirring until the berries are surrounded by juice. This will take about 4 minutes.

Turn down the heat to low and simmer the blueberries for 15 minutes, stirring often for the first 10 minutes and constantly for the last 5 minutes. Fold in the raw blueberries. Remove the pan from the heat and let the blueberries cool before using.

How to make the varenyky
Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces, flatten both with a rolling pin and then roll with a pasta machine until you are down to the last notch. Sprinkle the dough with a small amount of all-purpose flour as needed to prevent sticking. Note: While you want to make sure the dough does not stick to either the board or the rolling pin, avoid having too much flour on the surface where you will deposit the filling, because you need to make the border stick.

Cut the pasta into rounds with a 3-inch / 7.5 cm scalloped cookie cutter. Place 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of each round, fold it in half to form a half moon (mezzaluna), and carefully press the border all around to seal the edge. In some versions of varenyky, the border is pleated as decoration, but I personally prefer the flat version. Using a scalloped cookie cutter means the border is not plain.

To prevent the dough from drying out while you work, roll half at a time and make sure you keep scraps covered, so you can re-roll and cut them. Fill the dough as you cut it so it doesn't dry. Place the completed varenyky on a floured plate.

blueberry cocoa varenyky / IMG_3541

How to cook and dress the varenyky
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add some coarse salt and stir. Drop 1/3 of the varenyky into the water, making sure they don't crowd, and bring back to boiling. Cook the varenyky until done (3 minutes or so). The amount of time needed depends on a few factors, so the best way to handle this is to watch attentively and taste a corner.

While the first batch of varenyky is cooking, melt the butter in a ramekin and warm up the leftover blueberry filling on very gently heat. Keep warm while the varenyky cook.

When the varenyky are ready, drain them well with a strainer and drop them on a plate. Drizzle 1/3 of the melted butter, stir gently and keep warm while you cook the others. When all the varenyky are cooked and buttered, optionally dust them lightly with some powdered sugar, then distribute the leftover blueberry filling on them. Serve immediately.

blueberry varenyky / IMG_3635

tossed and ready to be served
(napkin by La FABBRICA del LINO, Seta decor collection)

Freeze the varenyky you won't cook. When you want to prepare them, drop the frozen varenyky into the boiling water and proceed with the cooking and dressing as above.

1 The World Culinary ABC kick-off post
2 Odessa Lake
3 Rocky Mountain National Park
4 Wikipedia: varenyky
5 Post on cocoa tagliatelle 

I contribute my blueberry varenyky to the 15th installment of the Abbecedario culinario mondiale (World Culinary ABC), an event organized by Trattoria MuVarA that will bring us to visit 27 countries of the world using the alphabet as guide. O like Odessa (Ukraine) is hosted by Stefania of BigShade.

The list of recipes contributed to the event and their slide show. 

FTC disclosure: I have received the napkin free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

varenyky con ripieno di mirtilli

or launch the varenyky con ripieno di mirtilli audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

varenyky, dumplings, blueberry, ravioli, dessert, Ukrainian cuisine

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Newrule

varenyky con ripieno di mirtilli

making blueberry varenyky / IMG_3629

fasi di preparazione dei varenyky

La quindicesima tappa dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale1 è l'Ucraina, e a rappresentare il paese è Odessa. Per una serie di coincidenze, io e mio marito di recente passato una notte con la tenda vicino al Lago Odessa2 nel Parco Nazionale delle Montagne Rocciose3. Non ho immagini di Odessa da condividere, ma posso farvi vedere il Lago Odessa.

Odessa Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park / IMG_3615

arrivo al Lago Odessa
Odessa Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park / IMG_3616

Lago Odessa e Monte Notchtop di sera

Per celebrare questa tappa ho preparato la mia versione dei varenyky con ripieno di mirtilli.

I varenyky vengono preparati con diversi ripieni, come patate passate, carne tritata, fegato o frattaglie, cavolo cappuccio, crauti, pesce, uova sode o una combinazione di tali ingredienti. Ripieni dolci tipici sono formaggio quark o cottage, oppure frutta come amarene, frutti di bosco e ribes.4

fresh blueberries / IMG_3531

è la stagione dei mirtilli

Ho preparato i varenyky usando sia la pasta al cacao che ho usato di recente per fare delle tagliatelle 5 sia la versione semplice dello stesso impasto (senza cacao).

varenyky al cacao con ripieno di mirtilli / IMG_3546
La versione al cacao è più difficile da fotografare per via del marrone e blu-viola, ma la pasta al cacao mi piace un sacco.

cocoa pasta dough / IMG_3518

pasta al cacao

Ci sono molte ricette per il ripieno ai mirtilli. Io ne volevo una che mettesse in risalto il sapore dei mirtilli freschi. Ho adattato la ricetta che ho trovato nel libro di by Linda Merinoff The Glorious Noodle.

Ingredienti per la pasta:

  • 7 g  cacao amaro + 80 g farina di grano + q.b. per impastare e spianare
    OPPURE
    85 g farina di grano + q.b. per impastare e spianare
  • 1 uovo codice 0 (peso non inferiore a 62 g col guscio)

Ingredienti per il ripieno ai mirtilli

  • 450 g mirtilli freschi, preferibilmente bio
  • 1 cucchiaio / 12 g zucchero superfine o semolato

 Ingredienti per il condimento:

  • 20 g burro
  • zucchero a velo, q.b.

Dose per 30 varenyky

Come preparare la pasta
Pesare la farina in una ciotola, poi aggiungere l'uovo e mescolare il tutto (prima con una forchetta e poi con le mani) fino ad ottenere un impasto. Se fate la versione al cacao, mescolarlo bene alla farina prima di aggiungere l'uovo.

Vuotare la ciotola sul piano di lavoro e lavorare fino a quando l'impasto sia liscio. Farlo riposare, ben coperto (per esempio, avvolto in pellicola), per una un'oretta.

Come preparare il ripieno
Mondare, sciacquare e scolare i mirtilli. Metterne da parte 1/3 e mettere il resto in un pentolino. È meglio tenere da parte i mirtilli più piccoli, dal momento che rimarranno interi e grossi mirtilli rendono più difficile chiudere i varenyky. Spolverare lo zucchero sui mirtili e mescolare. Cuocere a fuoco medio mescolando fino a quando i mirtilli sono circondati dal loro succo. Ci vogliono circa 4 minuti.

Cuocere i mirtilli a calore basso per 15 minute, mescolando spesso i primi 10 minuti e sempre negli ultimi 5 minuti. Aggiungre i mirtilli messi da parte. Mescolare bene, poi togliere il pentolino dal fuoco e far freddare prima di usare.

Come fare i varenyky
Tagliare l'impasto in due pezzi uguali, spianarli un po' con un matterello e poi con la macchina per la pasta fino all'ultimo spessore. Spolverare l'impasto con un pochino di farina per evitare che si attacchi, ma evitare di avere farina sulla superficie dove depositerete il ripieno, altrimenti sara difficile sigillare il bordo.

Tagliare la pasta con uno stampino rotondo smerlato di 7,5 cm di diametro. Depositare un cucchiaino (5 ml) di ripieno al centro di ciascun cerchio, piegarlo a metà a formare una mezzaluna e premere il bordo tutto intorno per sigillarlo bene. In alcune versioni dei varenyky, il bordo viene pieghettato a formare una decorazione, ma io preferisco la versione piatta. Dal momento che utilizzo uno stampino smerlato, il bordo non è liscio.

Per evitare che l'impasto si asciughi mentre lavorate, spianate una meta per volta e tenete coperti i ritagli in modo che possiate spianarli di nuovo e tagliarli. Riempite e chiude l'impasto man mano che lo tagliate in modo che non si asciughi. Depositare i varenyky su un piatto infarinato.

varenyky al cacao con ripieno di mirtilli / IMG_3541

Come cuocere e condire i varenyky
Portare a bollore acqua in una pentola capiente, salare l'acqua e tuffare 1/3 dei varenyky nell'acqua in modo che abbiano spazio per emergere. Riportare a bollore. Cuocere 3 minuti circa. Il tempo preciso dipende da vari fattori, quindi la cosa migliore è controllare con attenzione e assaggiare un angolo per verificare che i varenyky siano pronti.

Mentre il primo gruppo di varenyky cuoce, fondere il burro e scaldare a fuoco dolcissimo il resto del ripieno di mirtilli. Tenere caldo fino a quanto tutti i varenyky sono cotti.

Quando sono pronti, scolarli bene con una schiumarola e depositarli su un piatto. Versarci sopra 1/3 del burro fuso, mescolare delicatamente e tenere al caldo mentre cuocete gli altri varenyky. Quando sono tutti cotti, spolverarli con dello zucchero a velo (facoltativo), distribuire su di essi il ripieno di mirtilli rimasto. Servire immediatamente.

varenyky con ripieno di mirtilli / IMG_3635

mescolati e pronti per essere serviti
(tovagliolo de La FABBRICA del LINO, collezione Seta decor)

Congelare i varenyky che non cuocete. Quando volete prepararli, tuffateli nell'acqua bollente ancora surgelati e procedete con la cottura come sopra.

1 Post inaugurale dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale
2 Odessa Lake [in inglese]
3 Rocky Mountain National Park [in inglese]
4 Wikipedia: varenyky [traduzione mia]
5 Post sulle tagliatelle al cacao [in inglese]

FTC disclosure: Ho ricevuto il tovagliolo gratuitamente dall'azienda produttrice (la FABBRICA del LINO). Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso per presentarlo sul mio blog. Le opinioni espresse nel post sono interamente personali.

Con questi varenyky con ripieno di mirtilli partecipo alla quindicesima tappa dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale, un evento organizzato dalla Trattoria MuVarA che ci porterà a visitare 27 paesi del mondo usando le lettere dell'alfabeto come guida. O come Odessa (Ucraina) è ospitata da Stefania di BigShade.

La lista di ricette contribuite all'evento e lo slide show che le mostra.  

 

 

cocoa tagliatelle with ricotta, raspberry coulis and chocolate sauce / tagliatelle al cacao con ricotta, salsa di lamponi e salsa di cioccolato

| Simona
cocoa tagliatelle with ricotta raspberry coulis and chocolate sauce / IMG_3530

pasta for dessert

Author Patricia V. Davis is writing a trilogy set on the Queen Mary1, the retired ocean liner moored in the harbor of Long Beach, CA. In anticipation of the first book of The Secret Spice Cafe Trilogy2, titled Cooking for Ghosts and Lost Lovers, Patricia has launched a contest that runs until August 15. The idea is to prepare a personal interpretation of one of two dishes that appear in the book: Cristiano's Spiced Shrimp Rohini or Angela's Raspberry Chocolate Truffle Tarts.

I thought about various ways of deconstructing the dessert and created this recipe. If I were the pastry chef at the Secret Spice Cafe, this would be my raspberry chocolate specialty, something rather surprising — though knowing that I am Italian, the guests would understand.

cocoa pasta dough / IMG_3518

cocoa pasta dough

The dessert is composed of four elements:

  • cocoa tagliatelle
  • ricotta, which I make at home3
  • raspberry coulis
  • chocolate sauce

Printer-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Cocoa tagliatelle with ricotta raspberry coulis and chocolate sauce

The recipe makes two portions.

Ingredients for the cocoa pasta:

  • 1 tablespoon / 7 g unsweetened cocoa (cacao amaro)
  • 80 g all-purpose flour + more as needed
  • 1 large egg (no less than 2.2 ounces / 62 g)

Ingredients for the raspberry coulis (see Note #1 below):

  • 12 ounces / 340 g fresh raspberries
  • 1 tablespoon / 12 g ultra-fine or granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon / 5 ml fresh lemon juice

Ingredients for the chocolate sauce (see Note #2 below):

  • 75 ml heavy whipping cream
  • 50 ml non-fat milk
  • 3 tablespoons / 1 1/2 ounces / 42 g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 4 ounces / 115 g good quality chocolate 70%, finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon / 2.5 ml vanilla extract
  • 1/16 teaspoon fine sea salt

Additionally:

  • 70 g / 2 1/2 ounces fresh ricotta, possibly homemade

Important: I listed the ingredients and provided the instructions following the order of the recipe name. However, both the raspberry coulis and the chocolate sauce can be prepared before the pasta and refrigerated until ready to use.

Note #1: these quantities make more than necessary for the pasta and you can halve them. My thought is that, since you are going through the effort of straining the puréed raspberries to obtain a smooth sauce, you may as well make a nice batch. You will certainly find ways of using it.

Note #2: these quantities make more than necessary for the pasta. However, the sauce keeps in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks and you can find ways of using it within that time. This chocolate sauce was derived from a recipe by David Lebovitz4.

How to make the cocoa tagliatelle
Weigh the flour and cocoa in a bowl and stir them with a metal whisk until the cocoa is well dispersed, then add the egg and mix into a cohesive dough, first with a fork and then with your hands.

Empty the bowl onto a kneading board (scraping the container well) and start kneading the dough with your hands.

Add a bit more flour if needed to obtain a dough that is not sticky, but should not feel hard when kneaded. Knead for 8-10 minutes, folding the dough on itself towards you and pushing it away from you with the heels of your hands in a fluid motion that should feel relaxed and meditative. Cover well (e.g., wrapped in plastic film), and let rest for about an hour.

Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces, flatten both with a rolling pin and then roll with a pasta machine until you are down to the last but one notch. Sprinkle the dough with all-purpose flour as needed to prevent sticking.

Let the rolled dough rest for a short while. Sprinkle the dough with a bit of all-purpose flour, then cut each piece into tagliatelle (long strips that are 1/4-inch / 6 mm wide) with the machine attachment or by hand. In the latter case, fold a 3-inch strip of pasta lengthwise away from you. Continue to fold the strip until the entire pasta sheet is folded into a flattened roll. With a sharp knife, cut across the flattened roll. Immediately unfold the cut tagliatelle.

Lay out the tagliatelle in such a way that they don’t stick to each other until you are ready to cook them.

How to make the raspberry coulis
Place raspberries in a bowl and add and sugar. Stir well and let sit for half an hour or so. Process the raspberries briefly with an immersion blender. Press through a fine-mesh strainer, using a spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard seeds.

In a saucepan, bring raspberry sauce to a simmer and maintain for 8 minutes or so to reduce it. Remove from the heat, let cool a bit, then add the lemon juice and stir well.

Can be prepared in advance, and, once cooled, refrigerated in a lidded container.

How to make the chocolate sauce
In a small saucepan, warm up the cream, milk and butter until the fluid begins to steam.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate, vanilla, and salt, stirring until the chocolate is melted and the sauce is smooth. It will take a little while, so be patient and keep stirring. The chocolate aroma will make this a pleasant task.

Can be prepared in advance. Once the sauce reaches room temperature, pour it in a glass jar, place the lid on and store in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks. Warm up the amount of the sauce you need by putting it in a jar or ramekin and placing it in a pan of very hot water.

How to cook and dress the cocoa tagliatelle
Bring a small pot of water to a rolling boil. Since the pasta takes only a short time to cook, prepare the sauces just before tossing it into the boiling water.

Place 1 1/2 tablespoons / 22.5 ml of chocolate sauce in a ramekin and gently heat until the sauce melts. I do this by heating up in a small saucepan enough water so that I can immerse the ramekin in it without having the water come up its rim. Immerse the ramekin in the water and remove the pan from the heat. Stir as the sauce melts.

Place 3 tablespoons / 45 ml of raspberry coulis in a ramekin and gently heat to lukewarm. I do this in the microwave set to defrost checking often.

Prepare the ricotta as the water comes to a boil. I like to think about this dessert as shared by a couple and given that it is eaten warm, I dress it and toss it in a serving bowl, then plate it and serve immediately. Put the ricotta in a bowl and mash it with a fork to make a cream. If it is on the dry side, add to it a teaspoon or so of the pasta cooking water.

Add some coarse salt to the boiling water, stir and then toss the tagliatelle in it. Bring water back to boiling and keep it there. The time needed to cook the tagliatelle is only a few minutes, so don’t wander away.

When the pasta is ready, remove from the heat, pour a glass of cold water in the pot, stir and then drain the pasta, leaving a bit of water clinging to it. Toss pasta and ricotta. For the presentation, arrange pasta in a nest shape, pour raspberry sauce in the center, then make a ribbon all around it with the chocolate sauce. Toss well before serving.

If you prefer, divide the ricotta into two bowls and proceed as above, but diving the ingredients between the two bowls and repeating the steps for each one.

cocoa tagliatelle with ricotta, raspberry coulis and chocolate sauce/ IMG_3527

the view from above

I enjoyed making pasta with cocoa, and you will see another version in the next post: stay tuned.

As mentioned at the beginning, this recipe was inspired by, and developed for, the recipe contest organized by Patricia V. Davis. The contest is open until August 15. Details are available on the Secret Spice Cafe's Facebook page.

1 Wikipedia: The Queen Mary
2 Cooking for Ghosts and Lost Lovers web page
3 One of the posts in which I talk about making ricotta
4 Recipe for Salted Butter Chocolate Sauce by David Lebovitz

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

tagliatelle al cacao con ricotta, salsa di lamponi e salsa di cioccolato

or launch the tagliatelle al cacao con ricotta, salsa di lamponi e salsa di cioccolato audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

cocoa pasta, noodles, ricotta, raspberries, chocolate, Italian cuisine

Minneapolis and a recipe for aebleskiver / Minneapolis e una ricetta per aebleskiver

| Simona

 [cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

aebleskiver / IMG_3265
aebleskiver, why haven't I met you before?

The thirteenth stop of our World Culinary ABC1 , which I am hosting, is the United States (Stati Uniti), my adoptive country. The city chosen to represent the US is Minneapolis, the largest city of the state of Minnesota.2 Together with the state capital, Saint Paul, Minneapolis forms the metropolitan area called the Twin Cities.

Screen Shot 2015-06-14 at 5.44.55 AM

google map of Minneapolis

I have been to Minneapolis a few times, as my husband has friends there (all my visits occurred in the summer: winter in the Twin Cities is quite intense3). Skyscrapers (grattacieli) are not an attraction for me, nor are stadiums or stores. What makes Minneapolis special in my eyes are its bike trails.4

Boasting nearly 200 miles of recreational paths winding through the metro area, you'll see how we prize the outdoors. In fact, Minneapolis has one of the only fully urban scenic byways in the country.

"Nearly 200 miles" (approx. 320 km): did you get that? Basically, a bicyclist's heaven (paradiso per ciclisti). Every time we have visited the city, my husband and I have rented bikes and taken advantage of the paved, well-marked and well-kept trails, riding around the pretty lakes that dot the city, along the Mississippi River, and on the Midtown Greenway.

image from en.wikipedia.org

image from wikipedia

The latter is a 5.5-mile long former railroad corridor with bicycling and walking trails located in south Minneapolis. "For most of its distance across the city, the corridor is grade-separated from the street grid, either in a gorge passing under bridges carrying streets overhead, or on a levy with traffic passing underneath it.  This offers barrier-free bicycling that can make cross-town trips faster than going by car"5 — and definitely more pleasant.

The scenery along the trails varies: from verdant lake shores to riverside (sometimes re-purposed) industrial buildings to backyards and community gardens. The pleasure of riding a bike in Minneapolis comes also from the orderly traffic on the trails and the attention car drivers gives to bicyclists when they share a street.

The lakes (laghi) are also an attraction. "With over 22 lakes in the metropolitan area alone, there is a rich lake culture that will make you get outdoors, stay healthy and be continuously struck by the beauty of nature. The main attraction is the Chain of Lakes: Four of the largest lakes in Minneapolis."6

Finally, a special mention goes to the Minnesota Center for the Book Arts, a vibrant art center housed in a beautiful complex.7 Minneapolis is famous for its theater scene and is reportedly getting on the map as a food destination.8

To decide which dish to make to start the three weeks the World Culinary ABC dedicates to the US, I looked for a traditional berry and/or rhubarb recipe. On a page listing Minnesota recipes,9 the word Aebleskiver caught my attention. I don't know how it happened that in my 20 years living in the US I have never met aebleskiver, but a photo made me decide to remedy.

Æbleskiver (/ˈeɪ.bləˌskiː.vɜr/; Danish meaning apple slices [singular: æbleskive]), also called "appleskives" are traditional Danish pancakes in a distinctive shape of a sphere… The English language spelling is usually aebleskiver or ebleskiver.10

That a traditional Danish dish found a home in Minnesota is not surprising, given the history of immigration from Scandinavia to the Midwest.11 On the Æbleskiver wikipedia page, you can see the photo of a man making æbleskiver at Danebo, the Danish-American Cultural Center in Minneapolis. In Tyler, MN, at the end of July they celebrate Aebleskiver Days12 and in Askov, MN, "rutabaga sausage is served along with traditional Danish Aebleskiver" during the Askov Rutabaga Festival & Fair, held in late August, an event that dates back to 1913.13

aebleskiver / DSC_7094

golden nuggets served with roasted applesauce

To make aebleskiver, I purchased the special pan, then started my experiments. The first time was a bit tense, as the instructions I had read for turning them were not easy to apply. But then I watched the video Making Aebleskiver with Arne and from then on, making them was fun. The recipe below is the result of some reading and some testing of a few variations. Not having tasted aebleskiver before, I can't say how my version compares to what you would eat in Minnesota, but I can say that aebleskiver have become a breakfast favorite in our household.

Printer-friendly version of briciole's recipe for aebleskiver

Ingredients:

  • 1 large egg, possibly from pastured poultry
  • 250 ml / 1 cup + 1 tablespoon buttermilk, well stirred; as usual, I use my homemade kefir instead of buttermilk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 25 g / 1 ounce whole-wheat pastry flour (a personal choice, to add nutritional value)
  • 100 g / 3.5 ounces all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tablespoon / 7 g sugar
  • 1 teaspoon / 4 g baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon / 1.6 g baking soda
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon / 14 g / 1/2 ounce unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • powdered sugar, for topping

Special equipment: an aebleskiver pan (with slots 2.25 inches / 5.7 cm in diameter) that works well with the type of stovetop you have and a couple of bamboo skewers.

Break the egg and pour the white into a small bowl. Let stand to bring to room temperature. Add the yolk to the buttermilk or kefir and whisk in. Do the same with vanilla extract.

Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk to aerate and blend.

Place aebleskiver pan on the stove and heat up on medium heat. Oil the slots. I use sunflower oil for this, rather than butter, and a pastry brush to ensure the slots are well oiled (the bristles burn a bit, so I will need to replace the brush at some point).

Beat egg white until stiff peaks form.

Pour the liquid into to the bowl with the dry ingredients and add also the butter. Stir until just combined. Add 1/3 of the egg white and fold in delicately, then repeat with the rest of the egg white. The batter will not be homogeneous: that's ok.

Make sure the pan is well heated and each slot well oiled. Pour about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of batter in each slot. The batter should reach just below the rim: if it overflows, turning the aebleskive will be more difficult.

making aebleskiver / IMG_3303

the phases of cooking aebleskiver

The batter will puff up (see left photo of the bottom row below): the fun has begun. When a thin crust has formed on the bottom of each aebleskive, insert the skewer down into the batter close to the rim until it hits the side of the mold, then slide the aebleskive up about 1/3 of the way, as in the video. If the slot was well oiled, the aebleskive will easily slide. [If not, do not force or you'll tear the crust. Instead, run the tip of the skewer around the inner side of the rim to separate the aebleskive (and next time remember to oil more).] The still fluid batter will flow into the freed area of the slot (see middle photo of the bottom row above).

Then again, when a thin crust has formed, use the skewer as before to slide each aebleskive up another 1/3 of the way. Again, the still fluid batter will flow into the empty area of the mold. Finally, use the skewer to roll each aebleskive forward so that the still crustless section is at the bottom (see right photo of the bottom row above). This ensures the aebleskive becomes a sphere.

Turn the aebleskiver often to ensure even cooking. It takes several minutes. Be patient and stay next to the pan. Makes sure the aebleskiver cook but don't burn. Adjust the heat if the pan becomes too hot. Check doneness with a toothpick: if it comes out clean, the aebleskive is ready.  Transfer to a plate.

Oil the empty slots and repeat until all the batter is used. At the beginning, you may want to do 3-4 at a time so you can become familiar with turning the aebleskiver. Also, start with the amount of ingredients I specify: it is a manageable batch for a beginner. Then double it to accommodate more guests.

Dust aebleskiver with powdered sugar. Serve with applesauce or fruit preserves.

Makes 18 ableskiver.

Aebleskiver are best eaten as soon as they are made. Should you have leftovers, re-heat them in the oven before serving them.

Also, you can add a little filling to aebleskiver (sweet or savory) or make them using sourdough starter: that's next on my list.

aebleskiver / IMG_3213

served with strawberry preserves

Now it's your turn: to participate in this installment of the World Culinary ABC:

  • post an American recipe on your blog between now and end of the day Sunday, July 5
  • in the post, include a link to this announcement and to the Abbecedario culinario mondiale (World Culinary ABC)
  • leave a link to your post in the comments section below or send me an email at simosite AT mac DOT com
  • multiple contributions are welcome
  • archived posts are acceptable, if they are updated with the required information
  • if you don't have a blog but would like to contribute a recipe, send me an email at simosite AT mac DOT com and I will be happy to post it for you

1 The World Culinary ABC kick-off post.
2 Wikipedia entry for Minneapolis
3 Climate of the Twin Cities (click on the link at the bottom of the chart to see the temperature values in Celsius)
4 Minneapolis Biking Trails (and here is a map) and biking page on the City of Minneapolis website (the video gives a sense of the various trails and of how bikes are part of the city transportation options)
5 The Midtown Greenway (this Flickr group has photos of activities along the Greenway)
6 Minneapolis lakes and the Chain of Lakes map
7 Minnesota Center for Book Arts
8 Minneapolis is a food star in ascendance
9 Minnesota recipes
10 Wikipedia entry for Æbleskiver
11 Scandinavian immigration (Harvard University Library)
12 Aebleskiver Days
13 The Askov Rutabaga Festival & Fair

I contribute my aebleskiver to the 13th installment of the Abbecedario culinario mondiale (World Culinary ABC), an event organized by Trattoria MuVarA that will bring us to visit 27 countries of the world using the alphabet as guide. M like Minneapolis (USA) is hosted by me, Simona of briciole.

The list of recipes contributed to the event and their slide show.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post

aebleskiver

or launch the aebleskiver audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

aebleskiver, ebleskiver, breakfast, dessert, Minnesota cuisine, Danish cuisine

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Newrule

Minneapolis e una ricetta per aebleskiver

aebleskiver / IMG_3265
aebleskiver, dove vi siete nascosti finora?

Per la tredicesima tappa dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale1 sarete ospiti da me e insieme visiteremo gli Stati Uniti, il mio paese d'adozione. La città scelta per rappresentare gli USA è Minnepolis2, che è la città più grande del Minnesota e insieme a Saint Paul, capitale dello stato, che si trova immediatamente ad est, forma le cosiddette Twin Cities (città gemelle).

Screen Shot 2015-06-14 at 5.42.18 AM

Il Minnesota confina con i seguenti stati: ad ovest, North e South Dakota; a nord, Manitoba ed Ontario (province canadesi); ad est, Wisconsin; e a sud, Iowa. Il pezzo di lago che si vede sulla cartina è Lake Superior. Il Minnesota è chiamato "lo stato dai 10.000" laghi poiché la sua superficie piatta ne è cosparsa.

Screen Shot 2015-06-14 at 5.44.55 AM

pianta google di Minneapolis

Sono stata diverse volte a Minneapolis dove mio marito ha degli amici (sempre d'estate dal momento che l'inverno è troppo freddo per i miei gusti3). Non ho alcuna affinità per grattacieli, stadi e negozi. Quello che rende Minneapolis speciale ai miei occhi sono i suoi percorsi ciclabili, in totale quasi 20o miglia (circa 320 km).4 Praticamente un paradiso per ciclisti.

In occasione di ogni visita, io e mio marito abbiamo preso a noleggio due biciclette e abbiamo approfittato della vasta rete di percorsi ciclabili, ben marcati e ben mantenuti, per girare intorno ai laghi che punteggiano la città, lungo il Mississippi River, e sulla Midtown Greenway.

image from en.wikipedia.org

foto da wikipedia

Quest'ultima si trova a Minneapolis sud ed è una specie di autostrada lunga circa 9 km con entrate ed uscite (e anche posti di ristoro) riservata a ciclisti e pedoni. In origine era un corridoio ferroviario.5

Il panorama intorno ai percorsi varia: dalle verdeggianti rive dei laghi al paesaggio post-industriale lungo il fiume a giardini residenziali. Il piacere di andare in bicicletta a Minneapolis deriva anche dal fatto che gli automobilisti sono molto attenti quando si trovano a condividere la strada o quando un ciclista attraversa davanti a loro.

I laghi che punteggiano la città sono un'altra attrazione. Ce ne sono più di 20 solo nell'area metropolitana. I quattro più grandi costituiscono quella che si chiama Chain of Lakes (catena dei laghi).6 Oltre ad essere circondati da percorsi ciclabili, i laghi sono aperto al traffico di canoe e kayak.

Infine, una menzione speciale va al Minnesota Center for the Book Arts, attivo centro artistico ospitato in un bel complesso.7 Minneapolis è famosa per i suoi teatri e si sta affermando come destinazione gastronomica.8

Per decidere con quale piatto inaugurare queste tre settimane di soggiorno negli USA con l'Abbecedario, ho cercato una ricetta con frutti di bosco e/o rabarbaro, entrambi ora in stagione. Su una pagina di ricette del Minnesota9 la parola Aebleskiver ha catturato la mia attenzione. Non so come sia successo che in 20 anni da che sono qui non abbia mai incontrato Aebleskiver, ma una fotografia mi ha fatto decidere di rimediare.

Æbleskiver (/ˈeɪ.bləˌskiː.vɜr/; in danese significa fettine di mela [singolare: æbleskive]), chiamati anche "appleskives" sono frittelle danesi dalla caratteristica forma sferica. Lo spelling inglese è di solito aebleskiver o ebleskiver.10

Che un piatto tradizionale danese abbia messo su casa in Minnesota non è sorprendente, data la storia di immigrazione dalla Scandinavia alla zona degli USA chiamata Midwest .11 Sulla pagina di wikipedia dedicata agli Æbleskiver, si vede la foto di un uomo che li prepara a Danebo, il centro culturale danese-americano a Minneapolis. A Tyler, Minnesota, alla fine di Luglio si celebrano Aebleskiver Days12 e ad Askov durante la sagra della rutabaga, che si tiene a fine Agosto dal 1913 (Askov Rutabaga Festival & Fair) "salsicce e rutabaga vengono servite insieme ai tradizionali Aebleskiver danesi."13

aebleskiver / DSC_7094

aebleskiver serviti con salsa di mele arrosto

Per fare gli aebleskiver ho comprato la padella speciale (con sette incavi semisferici) e ho cominciato a fare esperimenti. La prima volta ero un po' nervosa, perché le istruzioni per fare girare gli aebleskiver che avevo letto non erano facili da seguire. Poi ho guardato il video Making Aebleskiver with Arne e da quel momento in poi fare gli aebleskiver è stato divertimento puro. La ricetta qui sotto è il risultato di letture varie e le prove pratiche di alcune variazioni. Dal momento che non ho mai mangiato gli aebleskiver prima di provare a farli non so come i miei siano a paragone di quelli che si possono gustare in Minnesota, ma posso dire che a casa nostra sono diventati divi della colazione. 

Ingredienti:

  • 1 uovo codice 0
  • 250 ml latticello (o, come nel mio caso, kefir fatto in casa) mescolato bene
  • 1/2 cucchiaino di estratto di vaniglia
  • 25 g / farina integrale per dolci (tocco personale per aggiungere valore nutritivo)
  • 100 g farina
  • 1/2 cucchiaio / 7 g zucchero
  • 1 cucchiaino / 4 g lievito in polvere
  • 1/4 cucchiaino / 1,6 g bicarbonato di soda
  • un pizzico di sale
  • 1 cucchiaio / 14 g burro, fuso non caldo
  • zucchero vanigliato, per la superficie

Inoltre avrete bisogno di una padella per aebleskiver14 (con incavi di 5,7 cm di diametro) che sia adatta al tipo di fornelli che avete e di uno o due spiedini di bambù.

Rompere l'uovo e versare l'albume in una ciotolina. Attendere fino a quando raggiunga temperatura ambiente. Versare il tuorlo nel latticello o kefir e mescolare. Fare lo stesso con l'estratto di vaniglia.

Mettere tutti gli ingredienti secchi in una ciotola e mescolare con una frusta per areare.

Mettere la padella per aebleskiver sul fornello e scaldare a calore medio. Ungere gli incavi. Io uso olio di semi di girasole invece del burro, e un pennello che mi permette di ungere le pareti in modo uniforme (le setole si bruciano un po', quindi ad un certo punto dovrò sostituirlo con uno nuovo).

Montare l'albume a neve ferma.

Versare il liquido nella ciotola con gli ingredienti secchi e aggiungere anche il burro. Con una spatola mescolare solo fino a quando gli ingredienti sono appena amalgamati.

Aggiungere 1/3 dell'albume montato e inglobarlo delicatamente, poi ripetere con il resto. L'impasto non è completamente omogeneo.

Assicurarsi che la padella sia ben calda e ogni incavo ben unto. Versare circa 2 cucchiai (30 ml) di impasto in ogni incavo. L'impasto arriva appena sotto il bordo: se va oltre diventa difficile girare l'aebleskive. 

making aebleskiver / IMG_3303

le fasi di cottura degli aebleskiver

L'impasto si gonfia (vedi foto a sinistra in basso) e il divertimento comincia. Quando si è formata una crosticina sul fondo di ciascun aebleskive, inserire lo spiedino nell'impasto vicino al bordofino a quando tocca la parete dell'incavo, poi far scivolare l'aebleskive verso l'alto per 1/3, come si vede nel video. Se l'incavo è ben unto, l'aebleskive scivola agevolemente. [Se no, non forzate la mano o la crosticina si lacera. Invece, fate passare la punta dello spiedino intorno al bordo dell'aebleskive per separarlo dalla padella (e la prossima volta ungete meglio).] L'impasto ancora fluido scivola nell'area libera dell'incavo (vedi foto al centro nella fila in basso).

Poi di nuovo, quando si è formata una crosticina, usare lo spiedino per far scivolare l'aebleskive verso l'alto per 1/3  (vedi foto a destra nella fila in basso). Infine, fate ruotare ciascun aebleskive in avanti in modo che la parte ancora aperta scivoli in basso (vedi foto in alto). In questo modo l'aebleskive assume la caratteristica forma a sfera.

Continuare a girare gli aebleskiver spesso per assicurare una cottura uniforme. Ci vogliono diversi minuti. Siate pazienti e non vi allontanate dalla padella. Assicuratevi che gli aebleskiver cuociano senza bruciare. Regolare il calore sotto la padella se diventa troppo calda. Fare la prova dello stecchino per verificare che l'aebleskive sia cotto. Trasferire su un piatto.

Ungere gli incavi vuoti e ripetere fino a quando tutto l'impasto sia utilizzato. All'inizio fate 3-4 per volta in modo da familiarizzarvi col processo. E usate la quantità di ingredienti che specifico: è ben gestibile per un principiante. Poi potete raddoppiare le dosi per accontentare un numero maggiore di ospiti.

Spruzzare gli aebleskiver con zucchero vanigliato. Servire con salsa di mele o conserva di frutta.

Dose per 18 ableskiver.

Gli aebleskiver sono al meglio mangiati appena fatti. Se ve ne restano alcuni, riscaldateli in forno prima di servirli.

Gli aebleskiver si possono fare ripieni (dolci o salati) e anche utilizzando della pasta madre: a breve provero entrambe le opzioni.

aebleskiver / IMG_3213

serviti con conserva di fragole

Adesso tocca a voi: per partecipare a questa tappa dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale:

  • postate una ricetta americana sul vostro blog da adesso fino al termine di domenica 5 Luglio
  • nel post fate riferimento a questo annuncio e all'Abbecedario culinario mondiale
  • lasciate il link del vostro post in un commento qui sotto o mandatemi un messaggio a simosite AT mac DOT com
  • contributi multipli sono ben accetti
  • e anche post dal vostro archivio, se li aggiornate con le informazioni di cui sopra
  • se non avete un blog ma volete contribuire una ricetta, mandatemela via email a simosite AT mac DOT com e io la pubblicherò per voi

1 Post inaugurale dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale
2 Wikipedia: Minneapolis
3 Clima delle Twin Cities [in inglese]
4 I percorsi ciclabili di Minneapolis (e relativa cartina) e la pagina sul sito di Minneapolis (il video mostra i diversi percorsi e come le biciclette facciano parte dei mezzi di trasporto cittadino) [in inglese]
5 La Midtown Greenway (questo gruppo Flickr group ha foto di attiviti lungo la Greenway) [in inglese]
6 I laghi di Minneapolis e la cartina della Chain of Lakes [in inglese]
7 Minnesota Center for Book Arts [in inglese]
8 Minneapolis stella gastronimica in ascesa [in inglese]
9 Ricette del Minnesota [in inglese]
10 Wikipedia: Æbleskiver [in inglese]
11 Immigrazione scandinava (Harvard University Library) [in inglese]
12 Aebleskiver Days [in inglese]
13 The Askov Rutabaga Festival & Fair [in inglese]
14 Da quanto ho letto tra i risultati di una ricerca su google la padella per aebleskiver dovrebbe essere disponibile in Italia. Fatemi sapere se la trovate.

Con questa ricetta partecipo alla tredicesima tappa dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale, un evento organizzato dalla Trattoria MuVarA che ci porterà a visitare 27 paesi del mondo usando le lettere dell'alfabeto come guida. M come Minneapolis (Stati Uniti) è ospitata da me Simona di briciole.

La lista di ricette contribuite all'evento e lo slide show che le mostra. 

 

The list of recipes contributed and contributors to the event / La lista delle ricette contribuite all'evento:

crostata di arance / orange tart

| Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

orange tart / IMG_2648

a flavorful flower
(place mat from La FABBRICA del LINO)

Cara Cara oranges1 from the farmers' market and an invitation to a potluck inspired this crostata. The success led to encores. Citrus season (la stagione degli agrumi) is the perfect time to make this tart, which brings the sun to your table, regardless of what the thermometer says.

Choose sweet, flavorful oranges. Their juicy freshness contrasts the buttery crust. The peach preserves offers another layer of flavor and texture. There is enough sweetness to please the palate without overwhelming it.

In the photos, the tart rests on my glass serving plate on an elegant place mat by la FABBRICA del LINO.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Orange tart

Ingredients:

For pasta frolla:

  1. 1/3 cup / 65 g ultrafine sugar or 1/2 cup powdered sugar (see Note 1)
  2. 1/2 cup / 60 g whole-wheat pastry flour
  3. 1/2 cup / 65 g unbleached all-purpose flour (see Note 2)
  4. 1/4 cup / 30 g almond flour or almond meal
  5. 1/4 cup / 30 g whole-grain barley flour OR unbleached all-purpose flour
  6. A pinch of salt
  7. 1/4 teaspoon grated zest of organic orange
  8. 6 tablespoons / 85 g / 3 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  9. 1 large egg (possibly from pastured poultry), lightly whisked to blend yolk and white

For the filling:

  • 1 cup / 240 ml peach preserves (see Note 3)
  • 3 Cara Cara oranges, or other sweet variety, possibly organic

Note 1: Ultrafine or superfine sugar is also referred to as baker's sugar. If you cannot find it, you can make your own by putting some regular granulated sugar in a food processor or blender and letting it run until the sugar is finely ground.

Note 2: The less gluten (as indicated by % protein) in the flour, the better (I like to use Perfect Pastry blend by King Arthur Flour). Do not use bread flour. 

Note 3: I use my homemade low-sugar peach preserves. I recommend you choose a good quality product, made with mostly fruit and little sugar.

How to make the pasta frolla
Put sugar, flours (2nd through 5th ingredient in the list) and salt in the bowl of the food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix.

Add butter and pulse a few times for 3 seconds until the mix resembles coarse meal. Empty food processor's bowl onto your work surface.

[If you don't have a food processor: Whisk together sugar, flours (2nd through 5th ingredient above) and salt in a bowl. Rub or cut the butter into the sugar and flour mixture until it has the consistency of coarse crumbs. You can do this in the bowl or on your work surface, using your fingertips or an implement of choice.]

Make a well in the center of the mounded flour and butter mixture and pour the egg and zest into it. Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients, then use your fingertips.

Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball. Use some all-purpose flour as needed to flour your hands to prevent excessive sticking.

Shape the dough into a flat disk 1 inch / 2.5 cm thick and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours. I usually make it the evening before and refrigerate it overnight.

How to prepare the orange layer
Rinse well and dry the oranges.

Either peel and set aside the peel to candy it or zest the oranges and freeze the zest for future use, then peel the oranges. Basically, don't throw away something that can be used. Cut oranges into 1/4 inch / 6 mm slices. Depending on the size of the oranges, you may not need all the slices, but prepare them and you can always snack on the leftover slices. Cut all but one slice in half crosswise. Choose a nice one, since it will be the center of the tart.

Remove the white center core from all the slices. Place slices in a bowl and every now and then drain the juice that collects at the bottom and save it.

How to prepare the bottom layer of the crostata
To bake the crostata, I recommend using a 9 or 9 1/2-inch / 23-24 cm fluted round tart pan with removable bottom, about 1 inch / 2.5 cm high.

Take the pasta frolla out of the fridge and unwrap it. I recommend you roll the dough on a piece of parchment paper or the plastic film in which it was wrapped as it is quite crumbly.

Lightly dust with flour the top of the dough and the surface on which you are rolling it. Keep some flour handy to lightly dust the dough as you go along.

If the dough is very firm, start by pressing the dough with the rolling pin from the middle to each end, moving the rolling pin by a pin's width each time; turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat; when it softens, start rolling gently.

Roll the dough into a circle about 1/8 inch / 3 mm thick. If you used parchment paper or plastic wrap as rolling surface, flip the dough over the tart pan, centering it, and delicately press it all around so the corners are well covered. Peel away the wrap.

Trim the excess dough hanging over the edges of the pan and use it, as necessary, where you find that you came up short.

Press the remaining dough around the border into the sides of the pan making sure the border is an even thickness all the way around. Prick the shell with a fork in several places. Refrigerate. After 15 minutes or so, preheat the oven to 350 F / 177 C.

IMG_2644

ready for the oven

How to bake the crostata
Take the unbaked shell out of the refrigerator. With the help of a spatula evenly distribute the peach preserves on it to create a thin layer.

Put the crostata in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes until the border is golden.

Remove the tart from the oven and let cool slightly on a rack. If you have used a tart pan with a removable bottom, release the tart base from the fluted tart ring.

Let cool a bit longer on the rack, then, with the help of a wide spatula, slide the crostata onto a serving plate. Set aside.

How to finish the crostata
Shortly before serving the crostata, pour the orange juice into a small saucepan and reduce it to half over low heat.

Distribute the orange slices on the crostata. I start from the outer border and make circles of half slices until I reach the center, where I place the whole slice. Use quarter slices to fill in gaps here and there. With a pastry brush, paint the reduced orange juice on the surface.

Slice delicately and serve.

Serves 10-12.

The tart is best eaten the day it is made.

orange tart / IMG_2655

this slice is for you
(place mat from La FABBRICA del LINO & handmade wood cake server)

1 Cara Cara oranges on wikipedia

FTC disclosure: I have received the place mat free of charge from the manufacturer. I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting them on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

crostata di arance

or launch the crostata di arance audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

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tart, fruit dessert, orange, crostata, Italian cuisine

Newrule

crostata di arance

crostata di arance / IMG_2648

come un fiore
(tovaglietta de La FABBRICA del LINO)

Arance a polpa rossa dal farmers' market e un invito ad una festa hanno ispirato questa crostata. Il suo successo mi ha spinto a replicare diverse volte. La stagione degli agrumi è il momento giusto per preparare questa crostata che porta il sole a tavola indipendentemente da quello che dicono le previsioni del tempo.

Scegliete arance dolci e ricche di sapore. La loro succulenza contrasta con la base burrosa. La conserva di pesche contribuisce un altro strato di sapore. C'è abbastanza dolcezza da soddisfare il palato senza sovraccaricarlo.

Nelle foto, la crostata è posata su un piatto da portata di vetro sopra una tovaglietta de la FABBRICA del LINO.

Ingredienti:

Per la pasta frolla:

  • 65 g zucchero fine o a velo
  • 60 g farina integrale per torte
  • 65 g farina 00 per dolci
  • 30 g farina d'orzo integrale oppure 30 g farina 00 per dolci
  • 30 g farina di mandorle
  • un pizzico di sale
  • 1/4 cucchiaino buccia grattugiata di arancia bio
  • 85 g burro freddo non salato tagliato a pezzetti
  • un uovo codice 0, leggermente sbattuto per mescolare albume e tuorlo

Per il ripieno:

  • una tazza / 240 ml confettura di pesche, possibilmente fatta in casa (vedi Nota 1 sotto)
  • 3 arance dolci e ricche di sapore, di medie dimensioni, possibilmente bio (vedi Nota 2 sotto)

Nota 1: io utilizzo la mia marmellata di pesche a basso contenuto di zucchero. Vi raccomando di utilizzare un prodotto di qualità che contenga soprattutto frutta (piuttosto che zucchero).

Nota 2: A seconda delle dimensioni delle arance, potreste non utilizzarle tutte, ma è meglio avere qualche fettina di arancia che avanza che non averne abbastanza. Potete sempre godervi uno snack alla frutta.

Fare la pasta frolla
Mettere zucchero e farine nel robot e pulsare alcune volte. Aggiungere il burro e pulsare un po' di volte per 3 secondi per sabbiare. Vuotare il contenitore del robot sulla superficie di lavoro.

[Se non avete il robot, lavorare il burro nel misto di farine e zucchero con le dita.]

Disporre gli ingredienti a fontana e versare l'uovo nel centro. Incorporarlo con una forchetta e poi con le dita.

Lavorare l'impasto solo fino a quando si forma un composto coeso. Se necessario, usare un pochino di farina 00 per infarinare le mani.

Formare un disco piatto di 2,5 cm di spessore e avvolgerlo nella pellicola. Far riposare la pasta frolla in frigorifero per almeno due ore. Io di solito la preparo di sera e poi la utilizzo il giorno dopo.

Preparare le arance
Lavare e asciugare le arance.

Sbucciare le arance e mettere da parte la scorza per candirla, oppure grattugiare la buccia e congelare per usarla al bisogno, poi sbucciare le arance. Insomma, non scartare questa parte della frutta senza utilizzarla.

Tagliare le arance a fettine spesse 6 mm. Tagliarle poi a metà (a mezzaluna) tranne una. Scegliere una carina dal momento che sarà al centro della crostata.

Rimuovere il filamento bianco al centro delle fettine. Mettere le fettine in una ciotola e ogni tanto scolare il succo che si raccoglie sul fondo e metterlo da parte.

Preparare la base della crostata
Per cuocere la crostata consiglio di usare una teglia per quiche (col bordo scanalato) di 23-24 cm di diametro, alta 2,5 cm e col fondo che si separa dal bordo.

Tirare fuori dal frigorifero la pasta frolla. Potete stendere la pasta su un pezzo di carta da forno o sulla pellicola in cui era avvolta. Questo rende poi più facile trasferirla sulla teglia.

Infarinare leggermente la superficie della pasta frolla e la superficie su cui la stendete. Tenere a portata di mano un poco di farina per infarinare al bisogno.

Se la pasta frolla è dura, premerla con il matterello cominciando dal centro del disco. Muovere il matterello di una larghezza e premere di nuovo. Ruotare la pasta frolla di 90 gradi e ripetere. Quando si è ammorbidita abbastanza, cominciare a stenderla con delicatezza fino ad uno spessore di 3 mm.

Trasferire la pasta frolla sulla teglia e premerla tutt'intorno in modo che il fondo sia ben coperto. Se usate carta da forno o pellicola, rovesciare la pasta frolla sulla teglia e rimuovere il supporto con delicatezza.

Tagliare la pasta frolla in eccesso intorno al bordo ed utilizzarla dove non ce n'è abbastanza o per formare un bordo di larghezza uniforme. Dovrebbe avanzare solo una piccola quantità di pasta frolla che potete utilizzare per fare il bordo più spesso o un paio di frollini.

Punzecchiare il fondo con i rebbi di una forchetta in diversi punti. Mettere in frigorifero.

IMG_2644

la base con la marmellata prima della cottura

Cuocere la crostata
Attendere 15 minuti e poi scaldare il forno a 177 C.

Tirare fuori dal frigorifero la base di pasta frolla e con l'aiuto di una spatola, distribuire su di essa in modo uniforme la marmellata di pesche formando uno strato sottile.

Infornare e cuocere per 40-45 minuti, fino a quando il bordo sia dorato.

Sfornare e far raffreddare leggermente su una griglia. Se avete usato una teglia col fondo che si separa, staccare il bordo.

Far raffreddare ancora un po' sulla griglia, poi con l'aiuto di una spatola larga, far scivolare la crostata su un piatto da portata. Mettere da parte.

Completare la crostata
Mezz'ora prima di servire la crostata, versare il succo d'arancia in un pentolino e, a fuoco basso, ridurlo a metà.

Distribuire le fettine di arancia sulla marmellata per creare lo strato superiore. Io comincio dal bordo esterno e faccio cerchi concentrici di mezze fettine verso il centro, dove pongo la fettina intera. Utilizzare quarti di fettine qua e là per riempire spazi.

Tagliarla con cura e servirla.

10-12 porzioni

La crostata è al meglio il giorno che viene fatta.

crostata di arance / IMG_2655

questa fettina è per te
(tovaglietta de La FABBRICA del LINO & spatola di legno fatta a mano)

FTC disclosure: Ho ricevuto la tovaglietta gratuitamente dall'azienda produttrice. Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso per presentarla sul mio blog. Le opinioni espresse nel post sono interamente personali.

grunt ai frutti bosco / berry grunt

| Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

raspberry grunt (slump) / napkin by La FABBRICA del LINO / IMG_2514

version with raspberries served with homemade vanilla ice cream
(napkin by La FABBRICA del LINO, Seta decor collection)

The fifth stop of our World Culinary ABC is Canada and finally I can say: I've been there — though my visit was limited to a few days in Toronto for a conference.

The dish I chose to celebrate our virtual visit comes from the eastern part of Canada and New England. It is called grunt or slump, depending on the area, and is similar to the cobbler, but cooked on the stove rather than baked. (Grugnito is Italian for grunt; slump's translation depends on the context: forte calo or recessione.)

There are many recipes online featuring various berries and also plums (and various theories about how the dish got its names). For my version I adapted my recipe for cobbler. I made it three times 1) with frozen blackberries (more), 2) with frozen raspberries (lamponi) and 3) with fresh strawberries (fragole). All the versions were excellent and much appreciated.

blackberry grunt (slump) / IMG_2507

version with blackberries served with homemade vanilla ice cream
(vintage Homer Laughlin "Chanticleer" plate)

The photos show how I served my berry grunt as dessert: at room temperature, topped with my homemade vanilla bean ice cream. I also served it for breakfast, warm, by itself or topped with plain yogurt (yogurt bianco). 

FTC disclosure: I have received the napkin free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Berry grunt (slump)

Ingredients for the fruit sauce:

  • 1 quart fresh or frozen blackberries or raspberries or blueberries (see below for handling of frozen berries)
    OR 22 ounces / 625 g fresh organic strawberries
  • 1/4 cup / 50 g granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon / 5 ml fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest from an organic lemon
  • 1/2 cup / 120 ml water

Ingredients for the dumplings:

  • 1/2 cup / 60 g whole-wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup / 65 g all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons / 25 g ultra-fine or granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon / 3.2 g baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon / 1.5 g baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon / 1.5 g fine sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons / 1 ounce / 28 g cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon / 2.5 ml vanilla extract OR, if using raspberries, almond extract
  • 100 ml / 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon [homemade] kefir or buttermilk, stirred well

Note on fruit and sugar: I used local blackberries I picked and froze last summer; local raspberries from a friend's garden she had frozen for me and fresh California-grown organic strawberries. The natural sweetness of fruit requires only a small amount sugar.

If using frozen berries, defrost and drain. I collected the water and added to it to make the required 1/2 cup / 120 ml. If using fresh strawberries, hull and slice them (depending on the size, cut them into 4 to 8 slices).

To make the fruit sauce, combine the five ingredients listed in a Dutch oven or saucepan. (I tried using both; however, the 8 inch / 20 cm wide and 3 inch/ 7.5 cm deep saucepan with a glass lid allows me to watch the dumplings puff up later.) Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or your fingers until coarse crumbs form. Stir in the kefir or buttermilk and extract just until the flour is moistened.

Drop tablespoons of dough into the simmering berries, spacing them: I suggest to start by making a ring of dumplings around the edge and then make another ring inside it. Continue until all the dough is used.

Cover the pan tightly. Simmer 15 minutes without lifting the lid, until the dumplings are firm and look dry. (This is where the glass lid comes handy.) A toothpick inserted in the center of one of them should come out dry. If your dumplings are on the large side, they may need 20 minutes.

raspberry grunt (slump) / IMG_2511

the view once the lid comes off

Spoon dumplings in serving bowls and top with berries. Enjoy plain or accompanied with plain yogurt. When no longer hot, enjoy accompanied with vanilla ice cream.

Serves 4-6.

strawberry slump (grunt) on La FABBRICA del LINO napkin / IMG_2545

version with strawberries served with homemade vanilla ice cream
(napkin by La FABBRICA del LINO, Seta decor collection)

Like all fruit-based dishes, the berry grunt is as good as the berries you use to make it, so look for flavorful ones. Once you have the fruit, the dish comes together fairly quickly, so it is a good option for a breakfast or brunch or as dessert. The contrast between soft dumplings and juicy, sweet berries is a complete pleasure.

strawberry grunt (slump) / IMG_2544

I contribute my Berry Grunt to the 5th installment of the Abbecedario culinario mondiale (World Culinary ABC), an event organized by Trattoria MuVarA that will bring us to visit 27 countries of the world using the alphabet as guide. E like Edmonton (Canada) is hosted by Elena of Zibaldone culinario.

The list of recipes contributed to the event and their slide show.

Shop-local-badgeLocal berries make my grunt suitable for the Shop Local Food Blogging Challenge organized by Elizabeth of Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary.

 

New bww logoThe parting shot goes to edition #155 of Black and White Wednesday – A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Cinzia of Cindystar, and hosted this week by Cinzia herself.

The photo was shot in color with my iPhone and then converted to sepia (Lightroom preset B&W Contrast Low).

The gallery of images contributed to the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post

grunt ai frutti di bosco

or launch the grunt ai frutti bosco audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

grunt, slump, blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, fruit dessert, Canadian cuisine

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grunt ai frutti bosco

raspberry grunt (slump) / IMG_2514

versione ai lamponi servita con gelato alla vaniglia fatto in casa
(tovagliolo de La FABBRICA del LINO, collezione Seta decor)

La quinta tappa dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale è il Canada e finalmente posso dire: ci sono stata — anche se ho visitato solo Toronto dove ho partecipato ad una conferenza di lavoro diversi anni fa.

Il piatto che ho scelto per celebrare questa tappa viene dalla parte orientale del Canada e dal vicino New England (USA). Viene chiamato grunt (grugnito) oppure slump (forte calo, recessione) a seconda della zona geografica ed è simile al cobbler ma è cotto in pentola piuttosto che al forno. Ho deciso di non tradurre il nome che è piuttosto divertente da pronunciare. 

Ci sono molte ricette online con vari tipi di frutti di bosco e anche prugne (e anche diverse teorie su come mai il piatto ha acquisito il suo nome). Per la mia versione ho adattato la mia ricetta per il cobbler. Ho fatto il grunt tre volte: 1) con more surgelate, 2) con lamponi surgelati, e 3) con fragole fresche (la California produce fragole quasi tutto l'anno). Tutte e tre le versioni sono venute bene e sono state apprezzate a tavola.

blackberry grunt (slump) / IMG_2507

versione alle more servita con gelato alla vaniglia fatto in casa

Nelle foto si vede come ho servito il mio grunt come dessert: a temperatura ambiente accompagnato dal mio gelato alla vaniglia. L'ho anche servito per colazione, caldo, da solo oppure con dello yogurt bianco.

FTC disclosure: Ho ricevuto il tovagliolo gratuitamente dall'azienda produttrice (la FABBRICA del LINO). Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso per presentarlo sul mio blog. Le opinioni espresse nel post sono interamente personali.

Ingredienti per lo strato di frutta:

  • 4 tazze / 950 ml frutti di bosco (more, lamponi o mirtilli) freschi o surgelati (vedi sotto la nota su come preparare i frutti di bosco surgelati)
    Oppure 625 g fragole fresche bio
  • 50 g zucchero semolato
  • 1 cucchiaino / 5 ml succo di limone
  • 1 cucchiaino buccia grattugiata di limone bio
  • 120 ml acqua

Ingredienti per gli gnocchetti di pasta:

  • 60 g farina integrale per dolci
  • 65 g farina 00 per dolci
  • 25 g zucchero superfine o semolato
  • 1 cucchiaino / 3,2 g lievito per dolci
  • 1/4 cucchiaino / 1,5 g bicarbonato di soda
  • 1/4 cucchiaino / 1,5 g sale fino
  • 28 g burro freddo (non salato) tagliato a pezzetti
  • 1/2 cucchiaino / 2,5 ml estratto di vaniglia oppure, se si usano i lamponi, estratto di mandorla
  • 100 ml kefir o latticello [fatto in casa], mescolato bene

Nota su frutti di bosco e zucchero: io ho usato more raccolte e surgelate da me l'estate scorsa; lamponi che una mia amica ha raccolto dal suo giardino e surgelato e fragole bio della California. Una modica quantità di zucchero è sufficiente a complementare la naturale dolcezza della frutta.

Se usate futti di bosco surgelati, fateli scongelare e scolateli. Io ho raccolto l'acqua e ne ho aggiunta abbastanza da arrivare a 120 ml. Se usate le fragole fresche, rimuovere il picciolo e affettarle (a seconda della grandezza, tagliare ogni fragola in 4-8 fettine).

In una casseruola di ghisa o pentola mescolare i 5 ingredienti dello strato di frutta. (Io ho provato ad usare entrambe; la pentola di 20 cm di diametro e alta 7,5 cm con il coperchio di vetro mi permette di vedere gli gnocchetti gonfiarsi durante la cottura.) Portare a bollore su fuoco medio, coprire e ridurre il calore a basso. Sobbollire per 5 minuti.

Nel frattempo in una ciotola di media grandezza mescolare farine, zucchero, lievito, bicarbonato e sale. Tagliare il burro nella farina con le dita fino ad ottenere un composto sabbioso. Mescolare il kefir o latticello e l'estratto solo fino a quando la farina sia inumidita.

Far cadere l'impasto a cucchiaiate nei frutti di bosco che sobboliscono lasciando un po' di spazio tra uno e l'altro: suggerisco di fare un anello di gnocchetti intorno all'orlo esterno e poi fare un altro anello all'interno di esso. Continuare fino a completa utilizzazione dell'impasto.

Coprire ermeticamente la pentola. Sobbollire per 15 minuti senza sollevare il coperchio fino a quando gli gnocchetti sono cotti. (Il coperchio di vetro aiuta nel giudicare lo stato di cottura.) Uno stecchino inserito al centro di uno di loro deve uscire asciutto. Se i vostri gnocchetti sono piuttosto grossi possono necessitare di 20 minuti di cottura.

raspberry grunt (slump) / IMG_2511

the view once the lid comes off

Mettere gli gnocchetti di pasta in ciotoline e metterci sopra dei frutti di bosco. Gustare al naturale o con dello yogurt bianco. Quando è tiepido o a temperatura ambiente, gustare con del gelato alla vaniglia.

Porzioni: 4-6.

strawberry slump (grunt) / IMG_2545

versione alle fragole servita con gelato alla vaniglia fatto in casa 
(tovagliolo de La FABBRICA del LINO, collezione Seta decor)

Come tutti i piatti a base di frutta, il grunt è tanto buono quanto buoni sono i frutti di bosco utilizzati per prepararlo, quindi sceglieteli pieni di sapore. Una volta che i frutti di bosco sono pronti, il grunt è si prepara rapidamente, quindi è una buona opzione per colazione o brunch, oltre che come dessert. Il contrasto tra gli gnocchetti di pasta soffici e i frutti di bosco dolci e sugosi è una delizia.

Con questa ricetta partecipo alla quinta tappa dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale, un evento organizzato dalla Trattoria MuVarA che ci porterà a visitare 27 paesi del mondo usando le lettere dell'alfabeto come guida. E come Edmonton (Canada) è ospitata da Elena dello Zibaldone culinario. 

La lista di ricette contribuite all'evento e lo slide show che le mostra.