fruit

pear tart / crostata di pere

| Simona

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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

recipe: pear tart (crostata di pere)

| Simona

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recipe: kohlrabi slaw with fresh fruit

| Simona

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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

recipe: apple tart (crostata di mele)

| Simona

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cachi “cioccolato” / chocolate persimmons

| Simona
chocolate persimmon

they are here!

Just in case you think I am pulling your leg:

chocolate persimmon

see, I told you!

And this is what they look like in all their orange glory:

chocolate persimmon

beautiful and so good!

What a difference a week makes! Two Sundays ago, during my visit at the Temescal Farmers' Market (Oakland, CA), I asked about chocolate persimmons at the Blossom Bluff Orchards' stall. I was told that they were not yet ready. Last sunday, there they were!

In case you are wondering, I did not buy the whole case. They need to ripen a bit before I can eat the ones I bought, so this is a case of delayed gratification, but my gustatory memory tells me that this variety of persimmon is worth the wait. In the meantime, my eyes savor their intense color.

New bww logoThis is my contribution to edition #103 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 Lynne of Cafe Lynnylu.

The monochromatic photos were shot in color and then converted  using Lightroom preset Split Tone 4.

This post contains the gallery of images contributed to the event.

On this page, you can find out who is hosting the current and future editions of the event.

Meena - CMPCS - LogoAnd I am contributing the color photo to The Colour Me Photography Challenge Series created by Priya of The Humpty dumpty Kitchen. The theme for the month of October is orange.

This post contains the gallery of images contributed to the event.

torta soffice con frutta mista / sponge cake with mixed fruit

| Simona
DSC_1442
raspberries, mango and cherries on a soft cake

Excerpt from A Mind to Murder by P.D. James

This delightful page comes from the novel A Mind to Murder by P.D. James (1963), the second of the Adam Dalgliesh novels. In my announcement for the current edition of Novel Food, I mentioned that I was reading it:

I read the first one Cover Her Face and liked it a lot, so now I am on to the second one. "In 1962 P.D. James' first novel, Cover Her Face, was published. In that novel she introduced the sensitive, taciturn, and hardworking Inspector Adam Dalgliesh" (source).

The murder to which the excerpt refers occurrs at the Steen Psychiatric Clinic, in London. An interesting detail is that at the beginning of the story, Superintendent Dalgliesh (of Scotland Yard) is asked to visit the scene of the crime while he is at a party:

At the other end of the square Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh of the Criminal Investigation Department was attending the ritual autumn sherry party given by his publishers which had coincided with the third reprint of his first book of verse. He didn't overestimate his talent or the success of his book. The poems, which reflected his detached, ironic and fundamentally restless spirit, had happened to catch a public mood.

Dalgliesh is a published poet: see, I told you that he is an interesting character. And P.D. James is a skillful and sensitive writer. I hope that the excerpts give you a glimpse of her art. With both novels, I had difficulty putting down the book, the traditional hallmark of the deeply absorbed reader.

The passage about the tea offered to Dalgliesh by Mrs. Fenton struck me particularly, since we are told in detail what was prepared for Dalgliesh and his reaction to the feast. Having recently presented two recipes for scones, I decided try my hand at something different to offer Superintendent Dalgliesh. I started my search using "iced sponge" as a trace, and, after looking at a number of recipes, I chose the one for Lemon Sponge Cake with Mixed Berries.

For Superintendent Dalgliesh, in the case at hand the conclusion does not come easy. In fact, in the lead up to the novel's denouement, he voices his uneasiness. This being a mystery, saying more would put me in the difficult position of revealing important details of the story and I'd much rather pique your curiosity and make you reach for the volume.

DSC_1431

a nice, light cake

And now for the cake that I contribute to the tea prepared for Superintendent Dalgliesh. It a lightly sweetened cake with an soft texture that is just perfect for a proper English tea. I halved the quantities of the original recipe, halved again the sugar and made a couple more adjustments. I also used a mix of fruit, rather than jsut berries: raspberries (lamponi), mango and cherries (ciliegie). Instead of honey, I drizzled some fruit syrup on the top. The syrup is a by-product of macerating fruit for making preserves. At a preserve-making class I took from June Taylor, I saw her drain some of the juice produced by the fruit, when it was too much, which can happen, depending on the kind of fruit used. I boiled the syrup to reduce it slightly, and jarred it with the intention of using it in situations like the one at hand. It is lightly sweetened and very fruity.

Ingredients:

  • 3 large eggs, separated
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/4 cup (50 g) superfine sugar: take 1 tablespoon of it after measuring
  • 1 tablespoon hot water
  • 1/2 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup cake flour
  • Mixed fruit
  • 2 tablespoons fruit syrup

Follow the instructions as on the original recipe with the following adjustments:

  • Add the tablespoon of sugar you separated to the egg whites.
  • Use an 8-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
  • If your oven allows it, use the convection bake option.
  • Check the cake after 30 minutes in the oven.
  • Drizzle fruit syrup over top of cake; however, if you don't have syrup, use the honey and lemon juice blend as in the original recipe.

DSC_1435
Considering the challenge I face every time I decide to decorate something, I am proud of myself for how I was able to keep my inner genie under control here. I think that a Kandinsky-influenced decoration would not have been appropriate in the case of Mrs. Fenton's tea.

Small_NFlogo This is my second contribution to the 16th edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I have started some time ago.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

Bookmarked recipes new logoAnd I am submitting this recipe, bookmarked on the Prevention magazine website, to the July edition of Bookmarked Recipes, an event originally started by Ruth of Ruth’s Kitchen Experiments and now hosted by Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

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

torta soffice con frutta mista

or launch the torta soffice con frutta mista 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.]

cake, fruit, raspberry, lemon, mango, cherry

Novel Food #15: tortine al cocco e mango / coconut and mango friands

| Simona
coconut and mango friand

"Oh, mamma, that shows you never saw Mr. Thornton. He looks like a person who would enjoy battling with every adverse thing he could meet with — enemies, winds, or circumstances. The more it rains and blows, the more certain we are to have him. But I'll go and help Dixon. I'm getting to be a famous clear-starcher. And he won't want any amusement beyond talking to papa. […] You know I never saw him but once, and then we were so puzzled to know what to say to each other that we did not get on particularly well."

"I don't know that you would ever like him, or think him agreeable, Margaret. He is not a lady's man."

Margaret wreathed her throat in a scornful curve.

"I don't particularly admire ladies' men, papa. But Mr. Thornton comes here as your friend — as one who has appreciated you" —

"The only person in Milton," said Mrs. Hale.

"So we will give him a welcome, and some cocoa-nut cakes. Dixon will be flattered if we ask her to make some; and I will undertake to iron your caps, mamma."

By the time I read this passage in Chapter 9 (Dressing for Tea) of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel North and South, I had already seen the BBC movie and so I knew how the story would progress.

Since we don't watch TV and don't really follow TV-related news, I choose DVDs based on interest. My husband and I like period drama and the BBC productions are usually very good. We had already seen Wives and Daughters and Cranford adapted from Gaskell's novels, so North and South was a natural choice. Little I knew how much I would like the movie and then enjoy the book as well. I also didn't know that the movie was such a great success.

In this novel, Gaskell takes a close look at labor tensions in Milton, a (fictional) industrial city in the north of England. John Thornton, the male protagonist, is the owner of a mill. Margaret Hale is the daughter of a clergyman who leaves the Church of England and moves the family from rural Helstone, in the south of England, to Milton. Every time John and Margaret meet, they collide. The way their relationship evolves is quite interesting.

Two other characters that are important in the book and got amazing performances in the movie are Mrs. Thornton, John's mother, and Higgins, the mill worker whose daughter is befriended by Margaret.The scene where John proposes to Margaret reminded me a bit of that of Mr. Darcy proposing to Elizabeth Bennett. North and South is very different from Pride and Prejudice and yet there are some subtle links, as pride and prejudice play a role in both novels.

There are plenty of videos on YouTube showing scenes from the movie, but if you have not seen it, I would recommend you watch it from the beginning and enjoy each of the episodes. And yes, there are differences between the book and the movie, because they are different media. For example, while the book can follow Margaret analysis of her feelings and of her tormented conscience (she has lied to a constable and Mr. Thornton knows, but she cannot reveal to him the reason why she did it) the movie has to show this. This is a story in which people change due to events and also other people's influence. For example, Higgins ends up establishing a relationship with Mr. Thornton, who becomes his employer after being the enemy during the workers' strike. In the movie this relationship is nicely portrayed.

The final scene in both the novel and the movie is heart melting. They two scenes are different in setting but they show the same event: both Margaret and John come to acknowledge their feelings for each other. All right, I will go so far as to admit that North and South has turned me into a great fan of Richard Armitage. (Watch the movie and you'll agree with me.)

Going back to the excerpt which opens the post: As Margaret explains, she and Mr. Thornton have met once before and the meeting was not particularly successful. Right after the scene in the Hale's house, in the same chapter, we see Mr. Thornton getting ready for the visit. Her mother warns him against Miss Hale: she casts her as the poor girl looking for a rich husband.

"Mother" (with a short scornful laugh), "you will make me confess. The only time I saw Miss Hale, she treated me with a haughty civility which had a strong flavour of contempt in it. She held herself aloof from me as if she had been a queen, and I her humble, unwashed vassal. Be easy, mother."

"No! I am not easy, nor content either. What business had she, a renegade clergyman's daughter, to turn up her nose at you! I would dress for none of them — a saucy set! if I were you."

Mrs. Thornton is an important character and in fact the book ends with a reference to her, no less.

What kind of coconut cakes did Dixon, Mrs. Hale's faithful maid, prepare for Mr. Thornton? I am not sure and decided not to worry too much, and focus rather on what I would make for Mr. Thornton. I imagined small, dainty cakes, something light and appropriate to eat with tea. I then remembered seeing something interesting in Haalo's blog Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once: an Australian sweet treat called friand. Haalo says:

The history of Friands is a little sketchy as they almost appear to have come from nowhere but they have won our hearts. They seem to be based on a French cake called Financier.

Haalo's recipe for Mango friands was a favorite among the ones she has presented. In it, coconut is included as flour. I also liked a slightly different version, where the friands are baked in mini-pans. I have those molds and rarely use them. In the end, I took element from both recipes, added a personal touch and came out with my version of friands for Mr. Thornton. I have never tasted a friand, so I am not sure how mine compares to what is served in Australia. Maybe I should visit again and find out. (We were there many years ago and I have fond memories of our trip, especially of our stay in Tasmania.)

coconut and mango friand

coconut and mango friand

The full batch would make six cakes, but for our small household, I halved the quantities and this "reduced" recipe is what I give below. 

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons [36 g] ultra-fine sugar
  • 1/4 cup [33 g]  all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup [22 g] (desiccated) shredded coconut [I actually used a mix of coconut flour and shredded coconut and weighed the ingredients]
  • 2 tablespoons [15 g] almond meal
  • 2 egg whites at room temperature
  • 2 oz [56 g] butter, melted and cooled a bit
  • 1 cheek of fresh mango, finely diced
  • 2 dried apricots (albicocche), finely diced

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Grease three mini loaf tins (4 x 2 1/4 inch) and set aside. Alternatively, line the bottom and short sides using a strip of parchment paper and grease the long sides of each tin. Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. In a small bowl, beat egg whites until fluffy/soft peak. Pour melted butter into dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add half the mango pieces and stir to combine. Add a portion of the egg whites and fold gently, then add the rest and fold as well.

Spoon the batter into the tins. Distribute mango and apricot pieces on the surface. Put in the oven and bake 20-25 minutes or until the tops are light golden. Apply the toothpick test to make sure the friands are cooked. Remove from the oven and cool in tins for a few minutes. Gently take the cakes out of the tins and cool on a wire rack.

coconut and mango friand

nice texture

As usual, my efforts did not produce something elegant, but the friands were nice and they were much appreciated by Mr. Thornton my husband.

Small_NFlogo This is my contribution to the 15th edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I have started some time ago.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

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

tortine al cocco e mango

or launch the tortine al cocco e mango 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.]

coconut, mango, dessert

yogurt a colazione / yogurt for breakfast

| Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

yogurt, pear and pistachios

yogurt, pear and pistachios

Breakfast option #1: homemade plain, non-fat yogurt, diced baked pear (pera), chopped toasted pistachios (pistacchi). My husband does not use any sweetener. Sometimes I add toasted pecans instead of pistachios.

To prepare the pear, preheat the oven to 350 F. Wash a ripe but firm pear (e.g., Bosc) and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices lengthwise. Take the slices that include some of the core, cut each in half lengthwise and carve out the core. Distribute on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat and bake for 10-15 minutes (depending on pear variety). Let cool, then dice. Depending on the size of the pear, you may not use it all, in which case, do not dice the leftover slices until needed. (You can add diced baked pear to a lunch or dinner salad.)

Variation on option #1: cooked cracked oats (or oatmeal) at the bottom, then yogurt (a smaller quantity than in the original option), fruit and nuts as above.

yogurt, kiwi, blueberries and pistachios

yogurt, kiwi, blueberries and pistachios

Breakfast option #2: homemade plain, non-fat yogurt, sliced kiwi (kiwi), blueberries (mirtilli), chopped toasted pistachios. Again, no sweetener added.

I have started making yogurt at home only recently: there was no reason to prevent me, really. I just never decided to try. Then, one day, I did — using this culture. The process is straightforward and the result quite pleasing. (I will talk more about yogurt making in a future post.)

Yogurt entered my life when I was about 18 and has never left it, in the sense that I have been eating yogurt pretty much every day ever since. I like it and it is good for my digestive system. Recently, an observational study brought attention to yogurt. In summary, what you eat matters in many ways, including long-term weight gain (or lack thereof). Below is a quote from the paper describing the study and the results:

Relationships between Dietary Changes and Weight Changes
[…] The dietary factors with the largest positive associations with weight changes, per serving per day, were increases in the consumption of potato chips (1.69 lb), potatoes (1.28 lb), sugar-sweetened beverages (1.00 lb), unprocessed red meats (0.95 lb), and processed meats (0.93 lb)… Weight gain associated with increased consumption of refined grains (0.39 lb per serving per day) was similar to that for sweets and desserts (0.41 lb per serving per day). Inverse associations with weight gain, per serving per day, were seen for increased consumption of vegetables (−0.22 lb), whole grains (−0.37 lb), fruits (−0.49 lb), nuts (−0.57 lb), and yogurt (−0.82 lb).

And here is an excerpt from an article on the findings aimed at the public at large:

The data also showed that eating specific high-quality foods was linked with less weight gain over time. In fact, the more daily servings people ate of fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains and yogurt, the less weight they gained. The yogurt finding — each extra daily serving prevented 0.82 lbs. of weight gain — was unexpected, Mozaffarian says: "This clearly deserves further attention to determine if this is cause-and-effect and, if so, why."

Finally, this is a short video where the lead author (Dr. Mozaffarian) summarizes the results of the research.

Note that the breakfast options I presented above include servings of three of the foods associated with better outcome: yogurt, nuts and fruit. By adding cracked oats, the variation on option #1 includes also a fourth one, whole grains (cereali integrali).

Yogurt + fruit + nuts = a flavorful and healthy combination

Whb320

This is my contribution to edition #320 of Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Astrid of Paulchen's Foodblog?!.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

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

yogurt a colazione

or launch the yogurt a colazione 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.]

[jump to Comments]

yogurt, fruit, nuts

Newrule

yogurt a colazione

yogurt, pear and pistachios

yogurt, pera e pistacchi

Colazione numero 1: yogurt fatto in casa, bianco e magro, pera cotta a dadini e pistacchi tostati tritati. Mio marito non aggiunge alcun dolcificante. A volte uso noci pecan tostate invece dei pistacchi.

Per preparare la pera, scaldare il forno a 175-180 C. Lavare una pera matura ma soda (per esempio, Bosc) e tagliarla per lungo a fettine di mezzo centimetro di spessore. Tagliare a metà per lungo le fettine che comprendono parte del torsolo e rimuoverlo. Distribuire su una lastra da forno coperta con un tappetino di silicone per forno e infornare per 10-15 minuti (a seconda della varietà di pera). Far intiepidire e tagliare a dadini. A seconda della grandezza della pera, non la userete tutta, nel qual caso non tagliare a dadini le fettine che rimangono. (Potete farlo dopo e aggiungere i dadini di pera ad un'insalata per pranzo o cena.)

Variazione della colazione numero 1: fiocchi d'avena cotti, poi yogurt (in quantità minore che nella versione originale) poi frutta e frutta secca lipidica come sopra.

yogurt, kiwi, blueberries and pistachios

yogurt, kiwi, mirtilli e pistacchi

Colazione numero 2: yogurt fatto in casa, bianco e magro, fettine di kiwi, mirtilli e pistacchi tostati tritati.

Ho cominciato a fare lo yogurt in casa da poco tempo. Veramente non c'è nessun motivo per non averlo fatto prima. Semplicemente non avevo mai deciso di farlo e poi un giorno ho deciso e l'ho fatto, utilizzando questo mix di fermenti. Il processo è semplice (non uso la yogurtiera) e il risultato buono. (Descriverò in un post futuro come faccio.)

Ho cominciato a mangiare yogurt a 18 anni e non ho più smesso, nel senso che da allora lo mangio praticamente tutti i giorni. Mi piace e fa bene al mio apparato digerente. Di recente, i risultati di uno studio hanno portato l'attenzione sullo yogurt. In breve, quello che mangiamo è importante in molti modi, compreso il lento aumento di peso che si osserva nelle persone andando avanti negli anni o l'assenza di tale aumento. L'articolo che descrive lo studio e i risultati osservati è stato pubblicato sul New England Journal of Medicine. Nella versione in inglese del post ne riporto un paragrafo.

Qui di seguito ho tradotto un paragrafo di un articolo sui risultati scritto per il pubblico non specializzato:

I dati mostrano che il consumo di certi cibi di elevata qualità è legato ad un minore aumento di peso nel tempo. Infatti, più porzioni di frutta, verdura, frutta secca lipidica, cereali integrali e yogurt le persone osservate nello studio hanno consumato e meno peso hanno acquistato. Il dato relativo allo yogurt — ogni porzione giornaliera in più ha prevenuto un aumento di peso di 372 grammi — è stata una sorpresa, dice Mozaffarian: "Questo dato chiaramente merita ulteriori ricerche per stabilite se c'è un rapporto di causa-effetto e, in caso positivo, il perché

Se siete interessati a saperne di più, in questo breve filmato il dr. Mozaffarian, autore principale dell'articolo su NEJM, offre un riassunto dei risultati della ricerca.

Da notare che le opzioni per la colazione che ho presentato comprendono tre delle categorie di cibi menzionati nell'articolo per essere associati ad un risultato positivo: yogurt, frutta fresca e frutta secca lipidica. Avendo i fiocchi di avena, la variazione all'opzione numero 1 comprende anche una quarta: i cereali integrali.

yogurt + frutta fresca + frutta secca lipidica 1 = un connubio buono e salutare

1 In inglese la parola nuts è un termine generico che descrive noci, mandorle, nocciole, ecc. cioè un sottoinsieme di quella che in italiano chiamiamo frutta secca. Questa pagina fa la distinzione tra frutta secca lipidica e frutta secca glucidica che ho adottato in questo post.

Whb320

Questo post è il mio contributo all'edizione numero 320 di Weekend Herb Blogging, un evento creato da Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen, organizzato ora da Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once, la cui versione italiana è organizzata da Brii di briggishome, e ospitata questa settimana da Brii stessa.

Questo post contiene il raccolto dell'evento.

salsa di mele arrosto / roasted applesauce

| Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

roasted applesauce
A little while ago, a friend of mine gave me a case of apples she had harvested from her tree. In the past, I have used apples with other fruit to make preserves and I was planning to follow the same path, but the amount of apples called for additional ideas. From a corner of my memory, the title of a recipe (ricetta) floated to the foreground and since I remembered also where I had seen it, I was able to retrieve it.

The recipe in question is Judy Rodgers' Roasted Applesauce and the two elements that got my attention were: the author and the word "roasted." I have recently featured a recipe from Judy Rodgers' The Zuni Café Cookbook and several times in the past few months I have talked about my experiments with roasted fruit (for example, strawberries and peaches).

What happened next is a bit strange to explain: I scanned the blog post introducing the dish and missed the link to the actual recipe. So, besides making some changes based on personal preference (more on these below), I used 500 F as baking temperature and kept the baking dish covered throughout. The result was excellent and disappeared rather fast, so I immediately made another batch. It wasn't until I got to batch #3 that I saw the link to the recipe, read it and realized my mistake in the baking process. So, that batch was prepared according to the recipe. However, in a blind test, a sample of batch #2 scored higher than batch #3, so batch #4 was prepared again according to my misreading. You are welcome to make your experiments.

Finally, I made one Savory Apple Charlotte according to the recipe that comes together with that for applesauce and it was a big success. For it, I used some whey bread with butter and honey (recipe from Dan Lepard's The Handmade Loaf) that would have otherwise been used to make French toast (sorry, no photo of the charlotte).

DSC_0032aw
Ingredients:

  • 3 lbs. apples (see Note below)
  • a generous pinch of sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ultra-fine sugar (zucchero)

Note: When I make preserves with apples, I never peel them, and I followed the same procedure for this applesauce (which makes the preparation time even shorter). Since they are left unpeeled, organic or pesticide-free apples are strongly recommended. In terms of apple varieties, combine what you have available to get a balanced flavor. For example, the apples I received as a gift were a bit tart, so I added a few sweeter ones to each batch.

Preheat the oven to 500 F. Wash well, quarter and core the apples. If an apple is large, cut each quarter in half lengthwise. Distribute in a 3 qt. (9 x 13 inch) pyrex baking dish or similar baking vessel , sprinkle salt and sugar, and stir briefly. Cover with aluminum foil and seal around the edges. Bake until the apples are soft. (I baked them for 30 minutes.)

DSC_0004w

Transfer the apples into a bowl and purée with an immersion blender. At the beginning, pulse and move the blender to start breaking the apples, then reduce them to a fairly smooth purée. Store applesauce in sterilized jars in the fridge. Consume within a few days.

I tried adding a few drops of cider vinegar (aceto di mele) to a sample of the applesauce, as suggested in the original recipe, but did not like the result.

DSC_0018bw
What this recipe gives you is as healthy an applesauce as you can get. It is naturally sweet, creamy, with an intense apple flavor. It can be used in many different ways. A jar of this applesauce has been on our table at pretty much every meal ever since batch #1 was completed, and we have tried applesauce on anything from simple bread (the one in the photo is pumpkin bread) to bean burgers, to French toast to Rodgers' gnocchi di ricotta.

After tasting the first batch of applesauce, I got a copy of "The Zuni Café Cookbook." I believe that a cookbook with even a single excellent recipe is worth having on the bookshelf. I have so far tried three recipes from this cookbook and they all have been a success, so the book now has its place on my bookshelf.

Whb313This is my contribution to edition #313 of Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Marta of Mangiare è un po' come viaggiare.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

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

salsa di mele arrosto

 or launch the salsa di mele arrosto 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.]

[jump to Comments]

apple, sauce

Newrule

salsa di mele arrosto

roasted applesauce
Qualche tempo fa, una mia amica mi ha regalato una cassetta di mele raccolte dal suo giardino. Avevo intenzione di usarle, insieme ad altra frutta (per esempio, mango), per fare delle conserve, ma da un angolo della mia memoria è salito in superficie il nome di una ricetta e siccome mi sono ricordata dove l'avevo vista, ho potuto ritrovarla.

La ricetta in questione è salsa di mele arrosto di Judy Rodgers. I due elementi che hanno attirato la mia attenzione sono: l'autore e l'aggettivo "arrosto." Recentemente ho parlato una ricetta tratta da The Zuni Café Cookbook di Judy Rodgers e diverse volte negli ultimi mesi ho parlato dei miei esperimenti con la frutta al forno (per esempio, fragole e pesche).

Quello che è successo dopo è un po' strano da spiegare: ho dato uno sguardo rapido al post che presentava la ricetta e non ho visto il link alla ricetta vera e propria. Così ho usato una temperatura di 260 C e ho mantenuto la teglia coperta per tutta la durata della cottura in forno. Il risultato eccellente è stato consumato rapidamente, quindi ne ho fatta un'altra teglia. Quando mi sono accinta a preparare la terza mandata mi sono finalmente accorta del link, ho letto la ricetta e mi sono resa conto di non averla seguita bene. Quindi la terza teglia è stata sottoposta a cottura come da ricetta. Però alla prova assaggio, la salsa di mele #2 è stata giudicata migliore della #3, quindi la mandata successiva l'ho preparata seguendo il mio "errore" iniziale. A voi raccomando di fare le vostre prove e decidere in base ai vostri gusti, anche per quanto riguarda le altre cose che ho fatto diversamente dalla ricetta originale (per esempio, non ho usato burro).

Per finire, ho preparato una charlotte di mele salata seguendo la ricetta che segue quella della salsa di mele ed è stato un successo (purtroppo non ho una foto della charlotte).

DSC_0032aw
Ingredienti:

  • 1350-1400 g mele (vedi Nota sotto)
  • un pizzico abbondante di sale
  • mezzo cucchiaino (2,5 ml) di zucchero fine

Nota: quando faccio le conserve con le mele, non le sbuccio mai. Ho seguito la stessa procedura per fare questa salsa di mele (il che rende ancora più rapida la preparazione). Dal momento che non vengono sbucciate, è bene usare mele bio o non trattate con pesticidi. Per quanto riguarda le varietà di mele, cercate una combinazione che vi dia un sapore bilanciato. Per esempio, le mele che ho ricevuto in regalo erano un po' aspre e perciò ho aggiunto delle mele più dolci.

Scaldare il forno a 260 C. Lavare bene le mele, tagliarle in quarti, e togliere il torsolo. Se una mela è molto grossa, tagliare ogni quarto a metà per lunghezza. Distribuire le mele in una teglia di pyrex da 3 litri (23 x 33 cm) o simile, spargere sale e zucchero e mescolare brevemente. Coprire con un foglio di alluminio e sigillare tutto intorno, poi cuocere in forno fino a quando le mele sono soffici. Io ho cotto le mie mele per 30 minuti.

DSC_0004w

Trasferire le mele in una ciotola e frullare col frullatore ad immersione. All'inizio pulsare e muovere il frullatore per rompere le mele, poi farlo andare per ridurle ad un purè piuttosto omogeneo. Conservare la salsa di mele in frigorifero in vasetti sterilizzati. Consumare entro qualche giorno. (Io ne ho messa anche un po' in freezer in un contenitore adeguato.)

Ho provato ad aggiungere alcune gocce di aceto di mele ad un po' della salsa di mele, come suggerisce la ricetta originale, ma il risultato non mi è piaciuto.

DSC_0018bw
Questa ricetta produce una salsa di mele naturalmente dolce, cremosa e dall'intenso sapore di mela che può essere usata in modi diversi. Abbiamo provato ad accompagnare molti cibi con la salsa di mele, dal pane (quello della foto è pane alla zucca), ad hamburger di fagioli agli gnocchi di ricotta.

Dopo aver assaggiato questa salsa di mele, ho comprato "The Zuni Café Cookbook." Con ricette come questa, quella per gli gnocchi di ricotta e quella per la charlotte di mele, è decisamente un libro da tenere a portata di mano. E se visitate San Francisco, potete mangiare da Zuni su Market street.

Whb313Questo post è il mio contributo all'edizione numero 313 di Weekend Herb Blogging, un evento creato da Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen, organizzato ora da Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once, la cui versione italiana è organizzata da Brii di briggishome, e ospitata questa settimana da Marta di Mangiare è un po' come viaggiare.

Questo post contiene il raccolto dell'evento.