Is there a fruit in the world imbued with more significance than the apple? Whether it’s Eve offering a shiny red one to Adam or your mom telling you to eat one a day, apples are more than just a simple fruit.

While Piemonte is well-known for its production of rice and wine, did you know that it is also a major producer of apples? In fact, Italy is one of the top five apple-producing nations in the world. Apples are grown in Piemonte, as well as Emilia Romagna, the Veneto, Campagna and Trentino Alto Adige.

In Piemonte, apples are grown in areas such as Cavour, Bibiana and Pinerolo. Approximately 70 per cent of the apples grown in Piemonte are of the Golden Delicious type. Another 15 per cent are of the Red Delicious cultivar. The remaining 15 per cent is comprised of a variety of apples including Gala.

The Piemontesi also turn out varieties that are designated as "Ancient Piemonte Apples". This designation has been trademarked by the Paniere of the Provincia di Torino, which recognizes the production of local products that are tied to the region’s history. There are eight antique varieties of apple that claim this designation and they have names like Buras, Calvilla bianca, Grigia di Torriana and Magnana.

As our Olympic meal slowly winds down, I decided that an apple dish would be a fitting way to begin our farewell to this region of Italy. While researching the cuisine of Piemonte, I came across a cookbook called A Passion for Piedmont by Matt Kramer. While I generally do not buy cookbooks sight unseen, I did so with this one. Call it cook’s intuition,but I just felt that this would be a treasure of Piemontesi recipes … I’m glad to say that I was right.

One of the recipes that instantly caught my eye was the Apple and Bread Crumb Cake. This is exactly the type of sweet that I would expect to see on a Piemontese table. A simple cake, it shines because of the quality of the individual ingredients, in this case, the juiciest apples and the crumbs of a rustic loaf of country bread.

The subtitle of Kramer’s book is:  Italy’s Most Glorious Regional Table. My "travels" across Piemonte during these Olympics have shown me that this title is most fitting!

Ciao!

Apple and Bread Crumb Cake

Adapted from A Passion for Piedmont by Matt Kramer.

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 3 pounds, Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (the original recipe indicates that you can also use McIntosh)
• 2-1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs (I used a typical Italian country bread. I sliced off the crust and processed the interior of the bread in the food processor to make the fresh bread crumbs.)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons apricot jam
• juice of 1 lemon

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a loaf pan (8 x 4-inches). Line the bottom of the pan with waxed paper or parchment paper. Butter the paper and set the pan aside.
2. In a large skillet, melt a 1/4 of the butter. Add the apples and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the apples have softened. This should take between 15 and 20 minutes. Once the apples are cooked transfer them to a bowl.
3. In the same skillet, melt the remaining 1/2 cup of butter. Add the bread crumbs, the sugar and the cinnamon. Combine and cook over medium heat until the bread crumbs have absorbed the butter and turned golden. This should take 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Once this is done you are now ready to begin assembling the cake.
5. Sprinkle 1/3 of the bread crumbs in the bottom of the loaf pan and pat them down firmly with a spoon.
6. Spread 1/2 of the apricot jam over this layer as smoothly as possible.
7. Place half the apples over the jam, smoothing the apples out and pressing them down firmly. Sprinkle half of the lemon juice over the apples.
8. Repeat with 1/3 of the bread crumbs. Spread the remaining apricot jam over the bread crumb layer and top with the remaining apples. Press down firmly to ensure that the entire loaf pan is filled and that there are no air pockets. Sprinkle the remaining lemon juice over the apples.
9. Top with the final 1/3 of the bread crumbs. Press them down as evenly as possible.
10. Bake the cake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until it is nicely golden and bubbling at the sides.
11. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely. I advise keeping it in the loaf pan for at least eight hours before inverting it onto a plate. I left my cake in the pan for about 12 hours.
12. When you’re ready to remove the cake, run a thin knife all around the sides of the pan. Carefully invert the cake onto a dish. Peel the parchment paper off.
13. Serve the cake with ice cream or whipped cream.
14. Enjoy!

Note:  This cake serves 6 to 8 people. My research into apple production in Piemonte led me to www.italianfood.about.com and www.piemonte.magazine.it. You can visit those sites for more information.

Let me tell you a bit about Le Alpi … the Alps.

They are one of the great mountain ranges of Europe, present in Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany and France. It is believed that their name originates from a Celtic word meaning height. Their highest peak is Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc), which reaches 4810 metres into the sky.

Piemonte is surrounded by the Alps to the South, West and North. The squeezing together of the earth’s plates, ice ages and time have all shaped these Alps and made them what they are today. And in that shaping and carving, the Alps surrounding Piemonte were blessed with a multitude of mountain streams and lakes that teem with fish.

While the Piemontesi are meat and game lovers, they have the luxury of an abundance of fish at their disposal, including trout, perch, whitefish and pike. And while Piemontese cuisine is heavy with meat and game dishes that can be quite complex, their preparation of fish reflects the simple and uncomplicated qualities of mountain life. Most fish dishes are simple in preparation:  a few herbs, some butter and maybe a few drops of wine.

As I "travel" through Piemonte, I have been thinking about what to make for a main course. It would be so easy to fall back on a truffle dish, as this is the land of the white truffle. And of course there’s the ubiquitous meat with Barolo, or perhaps a dish or two featuring rabbit or pheasant, which are very popular in Piemonte. But I wanted something different; something that would capture the essence of what it’s like to live in a place where fresh fish is so readily available.

In Micol Negrin’s Rustico, I found that dish:  Trote all’Astigiana (Baked Trout in Wine-Butter Sauce). Along with fresh trout, sage and rosemary are placed in a baking pan surrounded by onion, lemon and my own addition of fennel. Drizzled with olive oil and some dry white wine, and then topped with a few knobs of butter, the fish is cooked at high heat for a short time. A little bit of butter is added to the pan juices to thicken them and the resulting sauce is poured over the trout. Delicate and moist, this fish represents the essence of Piemonte.

This is what it’s like to live in a land where each morning, the sun touches the mountains around you first.

Ciao!

Trote all’Astigiana (Baked Trout in Wine-Butter Sauce)

Adapted from Rustico by Micol Negrin.

• 3 lbs. rainbow trout, either 4 small trout that have been scaled, slit and gutted, or 2 trout fillets
• salt and pepper
• 4 sage leaves
• 4 rosemary sprigs
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 lemon, cut into quarters
• 1 onion, roughly chopped (optional)
• 3 or 4 green onions, cleaned and white parts only (optional)
• 1/2 a fennel bulb, roughly chopped (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Wash and dry the trout. Drizzle some olive oil in a baking pan. If you’re using the onion, green onion and fennel, toss the vegetables in a baking pan with olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper.
3. Lay the trout in the pan. Squeeze two of the lemon quarters over the fish and add the lemon quarters, along with the other two quarters to the pan to roast with the fish.
4. Scatter the sage leaves and rosemary sprigs over the fish.
5. Pour the white wine over the fish.
6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Take 4 tablespoons of the butter, and scatter pieces of the butter over the trout.
8. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the trout are cooked.
9. Carefully transfer the trout (and vegetables if you’ve used them) to a platter. Place the baking pan on the stove and heat the remaining juices over medium-high heat until they have reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes.
10. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Pour the thickened sauce over the trout and serve immediately.
11. Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe serves 4. The original recipe also calls for fresh bay leaves (4) to be scattered over the trout, but here in Toronto it’s tough to find fresh bay leaves and I didn’t want to use dried.

So we have come to the end of Day 10 of the 2006 Winter Olympics. How wondrous this journey has been! Piemonte, unfolding before our very eyes. Revealing her food to us in such a magnificent way!

As I look back at the last ten Olympic days, I am struck by the sheer beauty of these Games. The drama, the victory, the defeat … the food. And I know, deep down, that very soon I will be coming to the end of this Olympic menu. Already I see the main course on the horizon. What will it be? Meat? Game? Fish?

But before I get there … before we get there … I wanted to watch the sun set over the Alps in the company of what is considered comfort food in Piemonte:  Gnocchi alla Bava.

In a place where fresh pasta and rice are royalty, gnocchi are loyal servants. Reliable to a fault, gnocchi will never let you down. Like so many other dishes, the Piemontesi like to dress their gnocchi simply, usually with butter and cheese. And what bounty of cheese in this land! We have already tasted the Robiola … but there is also the Fontina.

Made of cow’s milk, Fontina is a semi-hard cheese that is aged in caves for up to seven months. Do not confuse Italian Fontina with what you will often find in the supermarket. While Fontina is produced in other countries including Denmark, Italian Fontina is unparalleled.

Like all great food, Fontina is best at its very simplest. And no dish in Piemontese cooking can be simpler than Gnocchi alla Bava. In Italian, bava means drool or dribble … not exactly the most appetizing of images! But in fact the gnocchi are called "alla bava" to describe how the they look after they have been tossed with the Fontina. With each forkful the luscious cheese pulls away from the gnocchi in long strands, the sight of which would make anyone drool!

There are several ways of preparing this dish. I am sure that every Piemontese cook has his or her favourite version. The method that I chose is perhaps the simplest:  potato gnocchi are removed from their cooking water and immediately tossed with diced butter and Fontina. As the ingredients are mixed the butter and Fontina melt into an incredibly creamy sauce.

Another popular method is to layer the cooked gnocchi in a greased baking dish with butter and Fontina. The dish is then popped into the oven for a few minutes to allow the butter and Fontina to melt. The dish emerges from the oven and what you end up with is a bubbling mass of golden gnocchi crusted with butter and cheese. Whichever method you choose, the Piemontesi have ensured that you cannot go wrong.

So with my bowl of Gnocchi alla Bava, I sit in my alpine perch and watch the sun as it sets on Day 10. In the distance I can hear the cheers of Canadians as they … as I … celebrate the gold medal won by the women’s hockey team. While I am blessed with Italian heritage, I am proudly Canadian.

With the sound of my national anthem around me, I dine on the simple food of the land that has embraced all the world.

Ciao!

Gnocchi alla Bava

Recipe adapted from The Silver Spoon and The Essentials of Italian Cooking.

For the gnocchi:

• 2-1/4 pounds potatoes
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour (preferably unbleached), plus more for your work surface
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. With a sharp knife, make a cross in each potato, but do not cut through to the bottom. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until tender (about 1 hour).
3. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool until you are able to handle them.
4. Peel the potatoes and put them through a potato ricer. Alternatively, you can mash the potatoes with a fork or a potato masher.
5. Add the salt, flour and egg to the potato mixture.
6. With your hands, incorporate the ingredients until you can gather the mixture into a ball.
7. Transfer the gnocchi dough to a well-floured work surface.
8. Knead until you have a soft dough that is not sticky. Be careful with how much flour you add as you do not want the dough to be hard. Add only enough flour so that your dough is not sticky.
9. Once you have the dough at the right consistency, break off pieces of dough that are roughly the size of a tennis ball.
10. Flour your hands and begin rolling the balls of dough until you have long ropes that are roughly an inch in width.
11. With a sharp knife, cut the ropes of dough into gnocchi that are one inch in size.
12. Take a fork and hold it at a 45-degree angle against a work surface. Take each gnocco (the singular form of gnocchi is gnocco) and roll it down the back of the fork. As you do this you will see that the gnocchi take on the ridged impression of the fork.
13. As you roll the gnocchi, place them on a tray that has been covered with a dish cloth and sprinkled with flour. Once all your gnocchi have been cut and rolled, place the tray in the refrigerator.
14. Put a large pot of water to boil. Once it comes to the boil, salt the water generously. Remove the gnocchi from the refrigerator and cook them all at once or in batches, depending on the size of your pot.
15. The gnocchi are cooked when they rise to the top of the water.
16. Serve the gnocchi with the sauce of your choosing.

Note:  This recipe serves 4.

Many Italians will protest that authentic potato gnocchi should never be made with egg. They should only be made with potato, flour and salt. The fact is that many people in Italy use egg or egg yolk in their gnocchi dough. While I usually make gnocchi without egg, I decided to publish the recipe that includes egg for those that have not made gnocchi before. The egg helps bind the dough.

If you want to make gnocchi without the egg, omit the egg and for every 1-1/2 pounds of potato, use 1-1/2 cups of flour. 

For the Gnocchi alla Bava:

• one recipe of potato gnocchi
• 6 tablespoons butter, diced
• 4 ounces Fontina cheese, diced
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano cheese (more if you really like parmigiano!)
• salt to taste

1. Place the butter and Fontina cheese in a pan large enough to accommodate the gnocchi.
2. As soon as the gnocchi are cooked, drain them and put them in the pan with the butter and Fontina. Sprinkle on the parmigiano.
3. Carefully toss the the gnocchi until the butter, Fontina and parmigiano have melted and the gnocchi are coated. Taste the gnocchi, add salt if necessary.
4. Serve immediately and sprinkle with more parmigiano if desired.
5. Enjoy!

It is beautiful to start a meal with a little tidbit, something to awaken the palate and prepare the mouth and stomach for what is to come. But if you’re like me, you always want the meal to start in earnest. The bagna caôda was delicious and I don’t think I would turn down a bit of bread with robiola, but I was ready for a first course. And in the little menu in my mind, I knew that there was only one option:  pasta.

Italy is a pasta nation. This is no surprise. Also not surprising is that every Italian takes the subject of pasta most seriously. For every house you come upon and for every family you meet, you will find a favourite type of pasta, a secret ingredient for the best pasta dough, a little trick to ensure that your pasta is cooked al dente … everyone’s an expert!

Every region, every city, every mountain town is known for its special pasta dishes. If you had to pick the pasta that Piemonte is best known for, there would be only one choice: tajarin (tah-jah-REEN).

Tajarin are long, flat noodles made of flour, eggs and water. The best pasta makers in Piemonte will often make their tajarin with egg yolks only, and sometimes even add a bit of parmigiano to the dough. While tajarin is the Piemontese word for these noodles, they are also often referred to as tagliatelle.

The Piemontesi have many opinions as to the appearance of tajarin, but they do agree on one vital detail:  tajarin must be cut by hand! How wide you cut them is up to each individual family. Some Piemontesi like their tajarin finely cut, but most will cut them between a quarter of an inch and half an inch wide. The tajarin are usually served in one of two ways:  with a butter sauce flavoured with truffles or herbs or with a sauce made of roasted or stewed meat or game.

But if I wanted to eat tajarin, I would have to make them myself. Now some of you may already know that I have never made fresh pasta dough. This is due mainly to the fact that I have a mother who, at the risk of sounding arrogant and vain, makes the best fresh pasta I have ever tasted. I simply have never had the need to make it.

This time around, however, I was going to have to make the pasta dough on my own. While my mother would be there to guide me, I realized it was time to take that first baby step towards learning how to make fresh pasta.

For the dough, I used the recipe that the women in my family have been using for years. With my mother’s guidance, I piled the flour onto the counter, made the requisite valley and dropped in my eggs, one at a time. With much trepidation I began incorporating the eggs into the dough.

This was followed by kneading. Now being a modern girl, I have come to rely on kitchen equipment doing all the hard work. Sure I’ll knead my pie dough and pizza dough a few times. But kneading something a few times and kneading something for ten minutes are two very different things. While I managed to do it, I discovered that my upper body strength is virtually non-existent! (Note to self: hit the gym!)

So after the spilling of much flour on the floor, I ended up with a ball of pasta dough that, as my mother said, looked pretty good. Now it was time to roll it out. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as complicated as I thought. While the pasta became more delicate the thinner it got, it was quite easy to work with. And before I knew it, I had sheets of smooth, silky pasta dough waiting to be cut into tajarin.

For instructions on how to cut the tajarin, I turned to a book that I have owned for awhile, but have not used nearly enough:  The Essentials of Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan. In her precise way, Hazan described how to cut the sheets of thinned pasta properly. They were to be folded lengthwise so that they were three inches wide at the base. Then, with a sharp knife, they were to be cut into strips that were a quarter of an inch wide.

Because I was overly-cautious at the beginning, some of my cuts were not smooth. This resulted in some of the tajarin looking a bit ragged. But as I became more confident, the tajarin began to look smoother. Towards the end of the cutting I became a bit impatient so the tajarin were a bit wider than a quarter of an inch. But hey … who’s measuring? Incredibly, I ended up with a tray full of beautiful tajarin. I had made pasta on my own for the first time!

While I considered more complicated sauces for this pasta, I decided on a version from Patricia Wells’ Trattoria:  Tajarin al Burro Aromatizzato (Tajarin with Rosemary-Infused Butter). Patricia explained that she had eaten this pasta at a little trattoria near Torino.

So here you go my friends! As Day 7 of the 2006 Winter Olympics fades away, we find ourselves enjoying tajarin at a little trattoria outside of Torino.

Who knows where our Olympic travels will take us tomorrow?

Ciao!

Tajarin al Burro Aromatizzato

Adapted from The Essentials of Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan and Patricia Wells’ Trattoria by Patricia Wells.

For the tajarin:

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour (use unbleached if you can find it), plus more for rolling out the pasta
• 4 large eggs

1. Place the flour on a work surface. Pile the flour into a hill, and then make a valley in the centre, wide enough to hold the 4 eggs.
2. Carefully put the eggs into the valley you’ve created in the flour.
3. With a fork, begin beating the eggs (gently) and slowly incorporating the flour.
4. Once you have incorporated as much flour as you can with the fork, begin working the flour/egg mixture with your hands.
5. If the mixture feels too wet, add a bit more flour keeping in mind that it’s easier to add flour than it is to deal with dough that has too much flour in it.
6. Once the mixture comes together in a ball, and no longer sticks to the counter, you are ready to begin kneading.
7. Flour your work surface and begin kneading by pushing forward on the dough with the heel of your hand. Fold the dough in half and then repeat the pushing forward motion. Fold the dough in half again. Keep repeating this step. Every time you fold the dough in half, turn your dough slightly either to the right or left. Keep pushing forward, folding and turning.
8. Knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes, or until it has become smooth and soft. If at any time your dough becomes sticky, sprinkle some more flour on your work surface.
9. Once you have completed kneading your dough, you are ready to put it through the pasta machine.
10. Cut the ball of dough into small portions, 6 or 8 equal parts.
11. Spread towels on a nearby surface so that you can lay the pasta sheets down as you complete them.
12. Beginning on the lowest setting for the thinning rollers, flatten out your portion of dough slightly, brush on some flour, and put it through the thinners. Fold the dough in half and put it through the thinner again. Repeat this step two or three times until you have a fairly smooth, flattened piece of dough.
13. Move the setting for the thinning rollers up a notch. Pass the dough through the thinners. Fold the dough and pass it through again. Repeat this step two or three times.
14. Repeating the basic rolling steps, continue to thin the pasta by working your way up to the thinnest setting. Once this is done, lay the pasta sheet on the cloth. If your pasta sheet gets too long, cut it in half.
15. Once you have prepared all the pasta sheets, let the pasta dry for about 10 minutes.
16. Once the pasta has dried for about 10 minutes, fold each pasta sheet lengthwise so that it is three inches wide at the base. With a sharp knife, cut the pasta sheets into 1/4-inch strips. Unfold the strips and lay the pasta on a sheet or tray.
17. If you’re not going to use the tajarin right away, cover with a cloth and set aside.

For the Burro Aromatizzato:

• 6 tablespoons (2-1/2 ounces or 75 g) unsalted butter
• 3 to 4 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves (you can also use sage)
• salt
• 1 pound (500 g) fresh tajarin (you can also use fettuccine)
• freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

1. In a skillet, melt the butter with the rosemary.
2. Once the butter is melted, turn the heat off, cover and let infuse.
3. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Salt the water and stir.
4. Add the tajarin and cook until tender. The pasta will cook very quickly, it should take no more than 5 minutes. But keep an eye on the pasta to ensure that it does no overcook.
5. Once the tajarin are cooked, drain them and add them to the butter/rosemary sauce. Turn the heat back on and slowly combine the tajarin and the sauce. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano, to taste, and continue combining until the tajarin are coated in butter and cheese.
6. Serve immediately with additional Parmigiano-Reggiano.
7. Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe serves 4 to 6.

As we say goodbye to Day 5 of the 2006 Torino Olympics, it’s time to continue our journey in Piemonte. Having enjoyed our bagna caôda, there’s still room for another antipasto before we settle down for the first course.

People often say that Piemonte is a region that demonstrates significant French influence both in the language and in the cooking tradition. This is likely due to the fact that Piedmont was once part of the French province of Savoy, when, in 1046, it was taken over by the House of Savoy. But the Piemontesi will surely say that they have a language and cooking tradition that is all their own.

Located in Northern Italy, Piemonte has a population of approximately 4.3 million people.  Its capital is Turin (Torino, in Italian). The region produces a significant amount of corn, barley, wheat, rye, oats and rice. In fact, sixty per cent of Italy’s rice is produced in Novara and Vercelli.

Piemonte is also well known for its white truffles, wild mushrooms, game and wines, most notably Barolo and Barbaresco. And while Piemonte is famous for these treasures, and rightly so, the region is also home to some of Italy’s most renowned cheeses, Robiola being one of them.

Robiola (pronounced roh-bee-OH-lah) is a soft cheese, usually made of cow’s milk, goat’s milk or a combination of the two. Some producers of Robiola will also add sheep’s milk to the mix. Robiolas are generally eaten fresh, and are rarely aged for longer than three months. They are often served simply, with a sprinkling of fresh herbs, and pair very nicely with wine.

While many famous cheeses are produced in large quantities, Robiola is very much an artisanal cheese. There are countless variations of Robiola including cheeses that are wrapped and aged in chestnut or cabbage leaves.

Generally-speaking, Robiola is mild in taste, although aged versions can take on a more distinct, sharp flavour. Still, Robiola is not an overpowering cheese. Served at room temperature, Robiola is soft and creamy and perfect for spreading on freshly-toasted country bread.

While Robiolas can vary in shape, most versions from Piemonte (Robiola is also produced in Lombardia), will be round and have ridges on the top and bottom.

I was fortunate enough to find Robiola at an incredible cheese purveyor in Toronto called The Cheese Boutique. While I ate some of the robiola with a bit of bread dipped in olive oil, I used most of the robiola to try a recipe for a cheese spread. The Piemontesi are fond of antipasti that make use of their locally-produced cheeses.

With this delicious spread, a freshly-baked focaccia and a glass of red wine, I happily settled down to watch the highlights of Day 5 at the Olympics.

I had no need for dessert … my dreams of Piemonte were sweet enough! 

Ciao!

Cipollata Rossa con Robiola (Robiola and Scallion Spread)

Adapted from Rustico by Micol Negrin.

• 1 red bell pepper, roasted, skin removed and coarsely chopped
• 2 scallions or green onions, white parts only, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1/2 a lemon)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for brushing on bread)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 pound fresh Robiola
• loaf of your favourite bread

1. If you can’t find roasted peppers, buy a fresh red bell pepper and roast it yourself. Cut it in half, remove the seeds and place it cut side down on a baking sheet under the broiler. Broil for about 15 minutes, or until the skin is blackened. Cover the pepper with foil wrap and let sit for 15 minutes. Once it’s cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and coarsely chop the red pepper. Place it in a food processor.
2. Add the scallion or green onion, the paprika, the lemon juice and the olive oil. Process until smooth.
3. Add the robiola and the salt. Process until smooth. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
4. Turn mixture into a serving bowl.
5. Slice your loaf of bread into 1/2-inch thick slices. Toast in the oven or in a toaster. Once toasted, brush with olive oil and arrange on a serving platter. Serve with the robiola spread.
6. Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe serves 6.

I love you.

Je t’aime.

Ti amo. 

我爱你

Ich liebe dich.

Aloha wau i’a oe.

Eu te amo.

Innibig kita.

Ya tebe kokhayu.

Jeg elsker dig.

Konoronhkwa.

Te quiero.

Ja tebe volim (This one is for Jenny of de Arte Coquinaria!)

However you say it. In whatever language you say it. Today is the day to say, "I Love You!"

So I’m putting on my little cupid outfit, I’m pulling out my little love arrow and I’m aiming it at all of you.

A shot of chocolate love.

Straight to the heart.

Blanc et Noir

Adapted from Pure Chocolate by Fran Bigelow.

Note:  Because I love you, I will not lie to you. This is a difficult dessert to make. The sponge portion of the cake is extremely delicate and must be handled with care.

This dessert also requires time as there are many steps to follow. My advice is to begin making the cake 36 to 48 hours before you plan to serve it. This will give you plenty of time to chill the dessert.

This post is also my entry for the Valentine’s Day MEME that I was tagged for by Cannella of La Zuccheriera. Mille grazie, Cannella, e Buon San Valentino!

For the White Chocolate Ganache Filling:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces (1/2 pound) white chocolate, finely chopped

1. Place the white chocolate in a heat-proof bowl.
2. In a saucepan, heat the cream until simmering.
3. Pour the cream over the white chocolate; stir until melted and smooth.
4. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ganache to prevent a skin from forming.
5. Let sit at room temperature overnight; but not longer than 12 hours.

For the chocolate cake:

• 8 ounces (1/2 pound) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 5 large eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Chocolate Ganache Glaze (recipe follows)

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven; preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking sheet or quarter-sheet pan; line with parchment paper and butter parchment paper; set aside.
3. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler over low heat. Stir until the mixture is completely melted and smooth. Set aside to cool while you begin the batter. (If the chocolate and butter harden a bit, return briefly to the double boiler.)
4. In a mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the egg yolks and half the sugar for 5 to 6 minutes, or until they have tripled in volume and become pale yellow.
5. With a rubber spatula, fold the chocolate/butter mixture into the egg yolks.
6. Clean the whisk and in another bowl, whip the egg whites on medium-high speed until frothy. Once the egg whites are frothy, increase speed to high and slowly add the remaining sugar. Continue to whip until the egg whites form stiff peaks.
7. Add 1/4 of the egg whites to the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Working quickly, fold the remaining egg whites into the chocolate mixture in three parts. Do not overmix.
8. Spread the batter in the pan.
9. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The cake may rise above the edges of the pan and form a light crust on top. The cake is done when you insert a toothpick or cake tester into the centre of the cake and only a few moist crumbs cling to the tester.
10. Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes.
11. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

For the Chocolate Ganache Glaze:

• 8 ounces (1/2 pound) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream

1. Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl.
2. Bring the cream to a simmer and then pour over the chocolate.
3. With a rubber spatula, stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
4. Place 1/4 of the mixture in a bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Allow the remainder of the ganache to sit at room temperature; stir the mixture occasionally.

For the decorating chocolate:

• 2 ounces white chocolate, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1. In a small heat-proof bowl over simmering water, melt the chocolate.
2. Once the chocolate is melted, remove from heat and add the vegetable oil; stir until smooth.
3. Place the chocolate in a small plastic bag and seal the bag.
4. When you’re ready to decorate the Blanc et Noir, snip off one corner of the bag.

To assemble the cake:

1. With a hand mixer or electric mixer, whip the white chocolate ganache filling for 2 minutes on high speed. The filling will fluff up and lighten in colour.
2. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and run a sharp knife around all the edges. Using the back of a sheet pan, place the sheet pan over the cake. Flip the cake over, so that it releases onto the back of the sheet pan. Be careful with this step as you may experience some difficulty with releasing the cake. If you do, try to maneouvre a spatula under the parchment and slowly lift up the cake, being careful not to break it.
3. Once the cake has been released, you can cut it into three equal strips or two equal strips. The original recipe calls for three strips, but I chose two.
4. Place one strip on a plate.
5. Spread the white ganache filling over the strip and top with another strip (if you’re using three strips for three layers, then spread half the ganache over the first strip, place the second strip on top and then top with the third strip).
6. Refrigerate the cake for one hour.
7. While the cake is setting in the refrigerator, make the Chocolate Ganache Glaze.
8. Once the glaze is ready, remove the cake from the refrigerator and carefully transfer it to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper.
9. Using the 1/4 of the glaze that was refrigerated and an offset spatula, spread the glaze in a thin layer over the top of the cake.
10. Return to the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
11. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and using the remaining glaze and an offset spatula, carefully pour the glaze around the edges of the cake using the spatula to cover the sides. Leave a bit of the glaze to pour over the top. With the spatula, make sure the top and sides of the cake are as smooth as possible.
12. Take the plastic bag with the decorating chocolate and snip off the corner. Pipe three lines of white chocolate from one side of the cake (lengthwise) to the other side of the cake. With a toothpick, quickly make figure eights with the white chocolate so that you create a design over the top of the cake.
13. Once you’re done, carefully transfer the cake to a serving platter. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
14. When slicing the cake, use a sharp knife. Dip the knife in hot water in between each cut and be sure to wipe the water off the knife before you slice.
15. Enjoy!

Note:  For this recipe, I used Lindt chocolate.

Imagine, for just a moment, that you are a vegetable, washed and trimmed and waiting for what comes next.

Imagine that you are a piece of the heart of a cardoon. Or the leaf of an artichoke, perfumed with lemon after having it rubbed across your skin. Or a ruby red strip of bell pepper, painted with olive oil. Or a stalk of fennel, crisp and white and ready to impart your anise flavour.

Imagine that you are an asparagus spear, tender and green. Or a Belgian endive leaf, white with hints of gold around your edges. Imagine that you are whatever vegetable that you choose to be.

And now imagine, that waiting for you, is a bath … a hot, luxurious bath of garlic cooked until its creamy; of anchovies cooked until they have melted away and lost their pungency in favour of mellowness; and of olive oil and butter, married over the slowest heat until they have become one.

Imagine that each day, you push your way up through the soil of a place called Piemonte, which in Italian means a pie dei monti or at the foot of the mountains. And imagine that this land is called Piemonte because it lies in the embrace of the Alps and the Apennines, and that everyday you are kissed by the mountain sun.

Imagine that around you, surrounding you, are mountain plains where cattle graze; fertile valleys and hills where fruits, nuts and grapes grow; and mountain waters where the fish are still plentiful. And all of this is tended to by the people of this land, known as the Piemontesi. These people are proud and devoted to their land. They follow the same rhythms that their descendants did. They know who they are. They know where they come from.

Imagine that these people, with their traditions and history, take pleasure in what the land gives them. And in so doing, they maintain the culinary treasures they are blessed with:  meat, butter and cheese from the mountain plains; apples, pears and walnuts from the valleys; grapes from the vineyards; and trout and perch from the mountain waters. Not to mention the rice, corn, and barley.

But imagine also, that these people remember to celebrate life’s moments with their food. So that for every holiday, and every festival, there is a special dish or two that is prepared in the time-honoured way. Slowly, never rushing. Properly, never cutting corners.

And imagine that one of these dishes is bagna caôda, bagna meaning bath and caôda meaning hot. This dish is prepared by putting olive oil and butter into a pan, and allowing the butter to melt over a low heat. Once the butter is melted, the garlic is added and cooked briefly, so as not to take on any colour. And once this is done, the anchovies are added and the mixture is cooked slowly until the anchovies have melted away. And this hot bath is transferred to a pot and brought to the table and placed over a flame.

Imagine that while all the world watched Piemonte’s capital city of Torino, miles to the South, as it celebrated the opening of Olympic games with much light; fanfare; and fire, the Piemontesi gathered around their own tables and watched their own flame as it warmed the bagna caôda.

And now imagine again, that you are that vegetable, and that you are finally dipped into that liquid gold, creamy and rich with garlic and anchovies. Imagine what bliss.

Imagine.

Ciao!

Bagna Caôda

This recipe is adapted from three versions which I found in the following cookbooks:  Italian Farmhouse Cooking by Susan Hermann Loomis, Rustico by Micol Negrin and The Essentials of Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan.

• 12 anchovies (packed in oil), drained and finely chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• your choice of any assortment of raw vegetables (fennel, Belgian endive, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, artichokes, cardoons — for this recipe I used fennel and Belgian endive)
• 2 to 3 red bell peppers, roasted (if you do not use fresh bell pepper, you can roast them and use the roasted bell peppers instead)

1. Clean, wash and dry all of your vegetables; arrange in a serving platter and set aside.
2. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter until the butter is melted. You should do this over a low flame as you do not want the butter to burn.
3. Once the butter is melted, add the garlic and cook for about  5 minutes. Be careful that the oil and butter do not get too hot as to cause the garlic to fry. Stir often.
4. After five minutes, add the chopped anchovies and continue to cook over low heat, stirring often. Cook for 15 minutes. You’ll notice that the anchovies will begin to dissolve and melt down.
5. After the 15 minutes, stir the the bagna caoda and taste it. Be careful as it will be very hot. If you feel it needs salt and a bit of pepper, season to taste.
6. If you have a pot and flame device that will keep the bagna caôda hot, or a fondue pot, pour the bagna caôda into the pot and light the flame. Serve the vegetables with the bagna caôda for dipping.
7. If, like the Cream Puffs in Venice household you do not have one of these contraptions, the best way to serve the bagna caôda is to pour it over your platter of vegetables. Be sure to serve lots of crusty bread as well.
8. Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe serves 6. For the information about Piemonte in this post, I am indebted to Micol Negrin’s Rustico and Claudia Roden’s The Food of Italy.

"Aperti i XX Giochi olimpici invernali!"

With the these words, Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi declared the Games of the XX Olympiad open. For the next two weeks, the world’s attention will be focused on Turin, Italy, and the drama that will unfold.  Medals will be awarded, medals will be stripped away, dreams will be realized, dreams will be crushed … I love the Olympics!

Unless dough-kneading becomes an official Olympic event in my lifetime, I will never be participating in Olympic games. While I may not be a gifted athlete, I have always admired those individuals who can perform athletic feats. For me, the Olympics are the equivalent of a never-ending table laden with all the glorious dishes that I yearn for.

For this reason, come Olympics-time, I always check my schedule and mark down the dates of events I do not want to miss. This time, as I looked at my calendar, I was struck by the idea that the Olympics could be a wonderful opportunity to learn about food.

Turin (Torino in Italian) is the capital city of one of Italy’s most beautiful regions:  Piedmont. Located in northwestern Italy, Piedmont is surrounded by the Alps on three sides. It shares a border with France and Switzerland, and the Italian regions of Lombardy, Liguria, Emilia Romagna and Valle d’Aosta. Home to a rich culinary tradition that is breathtaking in scope, Piedmont is famous for being the birthplace of the Slow Food Moment and for wines such as Barolo and Barbaresco. It is a region whose inhabitants maintain their link to the land.

Why not take this opportunity to learn about the food of Piedmont, in all its glory? To help in this quest, I’ve added a list to my blog called the 2006 Winter Olympics. This list features links, which I hope you will find useful in navigating your way through the next two weeks. This list includes links to the official site of the 2006 Torino Olympics and the official site of the Region of Piedmont.

While I have not forgotten my commitment to chocolate this month, I hope that you will join me over the next few weeks as we spend some time "traveling" through Piedmont in search of food!

So pack your bags and ready your palates, the journey to Piedmont begins tomorrow …

Ciao!

During the month of February, we celebrate the ideal of romantic love. But for me, all love should be celebrated, including the love of food and the love of words. So when Patricia of P.A. Moed invited me to participate in a literary feast … well … how could I say no?

Patricia’s idea was for bloggers everywhere to share their favourite literary passage involving food. And it just so happened that I had recently embarked on a reading of Joanne Harris’ Chocolat. (What else would I be reading in the month that I’ve dedicated to chocolate?) Chocolat is the story of Vianne Rocher and her six-year-old daughter, Anouk. Adventurous of spirit, Vianne finally decides to settle down in a seemingly quaint and perfect French town where she opens a chocolate shop. But Vianne soon discovers that underneath the politeness and propriety, lies a swirling, boiling mess of tension, passion and desire. And of course, at the centre of it all, is the chocolate shop …

What was an ordinary, rather drab old house like all the others around it has become a red-and-gold confection on a dazzling white ground. Red geraniums in the window boxes. Crêpe-paper garlands twisted around the railings. And above the door a hand-lettered sign in black on oak:

La Céleste Praline/Chocolaterie Artisinale

Of course it’s ridiculous. Such a shop might well be popular in Marseille or Bordeaux — even in Agen where the tourist trade grows every year. But in the Lansquenet-sous-Tannes? And at the beginning of Lent, the traditional season of self-denial? It seems perverse, perhaps deliberately so. I looked into the display window this morning. On a white marble shelf are aligned innumerable boxes, packages, cornets of silver and gold paper, rosettes, bells, flowers, hearts and long curls of multicoloured ribbon. In glass bells and dishes lie the chocolates, the pralines, Venus’s nipples, truffles, mendiants, candied fruits, hazelnut clusters, chocolate seashells, candied rose-petals, sugared violets … Protected from the sun by the half-blind which shields them, they gleam darkly, like sunken treasure, Aladdin’s cave of sweet clichés.

From Chocolat by Joanne Harris.

A few days ago, while riding the subway to work, I read the above passage. What a description! After reading that, I needed chocolate. Had to have it! But my desire had to wait until the end of the workday. What torture! Once home from work, I rushed to my copy of Pure Chocolate, which is the Flavour of the Month for February, and flipped through the book searching for something … anything … that would give me that jolt of chocolate that I so desperately needed.

And what did the Big Cream Puff find? Princess Pudding.

A delightful concoction of cream, sugar, vanilla, eggs and chocolate. In all, it took me twenty minutes to make this pudding. As Fran Bigelow recommends in her recipe, I let it cool to room temperature. And then I grabbed my spoon and quenched my chocolate thirst. While so many of the recipes in the cookbook are somewhat complicated, this one was … well … easy as pudding.

The most difficult part was waiting for the pudding to cool down. I kept walking into the kitchen and looking at the little cups of chocolatey goodness. I winked at them. I fanned them (in an effort to speed up the cooling process). I even talked to them, whispering sweet nothings into their ears, "That’s right my little pets … cool down nicely."

Poor little things … I wonder if they had any idea at all that the Big Cream Puff would soon make them hers.

Ah … the glory of love!

Ciao!

Princess Pudding

Adapted from Pure Chocolate by Fran Bigelow.

• 1-1/4 cups heavy cream (whipping cream)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 5 large egg yolks
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 ounce milk chocolate, finely chopped

1. In a saucepan, combine the cream and sugar. With a paring knife, scrape the vanilla seeds from the pod. Add them to the cream mixture and then add the pod as well.
2. Heat gently, over medium heat, until the cream is barely simmering. Remove from heat.
3. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks for a minute. Slowly and carefully add 1/3 of the cream, whisking constantly to prevent the egg from cooking.
4. Add the egg and cream mixture back into the saucepan and stir to combine.
5. Return the mixture to medium heat and cook until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. If you have a thermometer, the mixture should reach approximately 160 degrees F. This should take anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Remove the mixture from the heat. Remove the vanilla pod and then add the chopped chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
7. Pour into ramekins, cups or the container of your choice. This is best served at room temperature, but who’s to stop you from eating it right out of the pan???!!!
8. Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe serves 8, or one big Cream Puff. Patricia invites everyone to participate. If you’re interested, e-mail your post to her by February 14th!

"Is it February 4th already?"

That was my first thought when I glanced at my calendar on Saturday morning. My second thought was, "What happened to January?"

And my third thought was the realization that I was experiencing my very first episode of a little syndrome I like to call Food Blogitis, which I define as "anxiety brought upon by the complete failure to be organized and prepared in the making of food and writing of posts for a blog". And that would be me. Completely anxious because up to that point I had failed to not only bake anything from February’s Flavour of the Month, Pure Chocolate by Fran Bigelow, but failed also to even organize myself so that I could consider baking something from the book!

But as I learned from my university days, nothing motivates as much as fear and panic. As I leafed through Fran’s book, I quickly decided that I wanted to start off with something that would whet my desire for chocolate, but not necessarily overwhelm me right away. I mean I still have the  whole month to get through …

What I was looking for was a chocolate appetizer of sorts and I found it with a recipe for White Chocolate Coconut Cream Bars. I must be perfectly honest, though, the picture is what sold me. I didn’t even look at the recipe.  The photo in Fran’s book should be hanging in an art gallery somewhere. Spectacular! You’ll have to excuse my amateurish attempt above, which doesn’t do the finished product nearly enough justice.

When I finally stopped drooling over the photo in the book, I read through the recipe and quickly realized that these bars were not going to be as simple as they looked. The bars consist of a layer of shortbread studded with chocolate, a layer of white chocolate and coconut cream and finally a layer of chocolate ganache. While I wouldn’t describe each step as difficult, especially if you have experience baking, they did require time and attention.

But remembering my commitment to exercise more patience in the kitchen, I took a deep breath and started. As the recipe recommended, I made the white chocolate and coconut filling first. I have nothing but good things to say about this filling. While the flavour of white chocolate was distinct, it wasn’t overly sweet and the addition of the coconut was a nice touch. If I ever make these bars again, however, I would consider adding a drop or two of pure coconut extract to the filling, simply to boost the coconut flavour. (Something you need to know about me … I’m a coconut fiend!)

Having prepared the filling, I set about making the shortbread layer. While this step wasn’t difficult, I did find it somewhat challenging to finely chop the chocolate. I’m not used to working with chocolate and finely chopping it is a bit of a chore! It’s made me question my knife skills, or lack thereof as my wrist was considerably sore after I was done. (Note to self:  look into improving knife skills!)

Finally, the ganache, and here’s the only blip that I encountered. I’ve made ganache (the mixing of cream and chocolate) many times without ever encountering any significant problems. While the ganache tasted delicious, I found that it was a bit too liquidy. I followed the recipe instructions to allow the chocolate to set for an hour, but that hour was not nearly enough. As you can tell from the photo at the top of the post, the ganache was still a bit runny. I finally had to put the pan in the refrigerator for an hour for the chocolate to set properly.

At last, the taste test. Eagerly I bit into one of the bars and was pleased. The base was buttery as shortbread should be, but also chocolaty thanks to the addition of the chopped semisweet chocolate. The filling was heaven, but not overwhelming. The ganache layer was firm and provided a wonderful dark chocolate contrast to the white chocolate in the filling.

Overall, I was happy with my very first attempt at a recipe from Fran Bigelow’s book. While I can’t say I was blown away by these bars, they were enjoyed by all and I would definitely try them again.

But more importantly, I overcame my first experience with Food Blogitis. I am now ready to face the chocolate challenges that lie ahead!

Ciao!

White Chocolate Coconut Cream Bars

Adapted from Pure Chocolate by Fran Bigelow.

Coconut Cream Filling:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
• 1-1/4 ounces unsweetened finely shredded dried coconut

1. In a saucepan, heat the cream until it is barely simmering. Remove the cream from the heat and immediately add the finely chopped white chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the coconut and mix well.
2. Pour the mixture into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, making sure that the plastic wrap is touching the surface of the cream. This will prevent a sking from forming.
3. Let the mixture sit for at least 3 hours so that the flavours can develop. Do not let it sit at room temperature for more than 24 hours.

For the shortbread layer:

• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used Lindt chocolate)
• 6 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped (I used Lindt chocolate)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups cake flour, sifted and then measured

1. Butter a sheet pan that is 9 x 13 inches.
2. In a food processor, pulse the semisweet chocolate for a minute until it is very fine.
3. In a double boiler, melt the white chocolate. Remove it from the heat as soon as it’s melted and stir to ensure that it’s smooth. If the chocolate sets then return it to the double boiler until it’s loose again.
4. In an electric mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the melted white chocolate and mix well. Add the sifted cake flour and the semisweet chocolate. Mix on low-speed until incorporated.
5. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it a few times. Using your hands, press the dough onto the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer.
6. Put the pan in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to firm up the dough.
7. While the pan is in the refrigerator, heat your oven to 325 degrees F.
8. After 20 minutes, remove the pan from the refrigerator and bake for 25 minutes. The shortbread will be lightly golden and may be puffed in places as well.
9. Let cool completely.

To assemble the bars:

1. Once the shortbread layer has cooled completely, take the white chocolate and coconut filling and place in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat at high speed for a minute.
2. Remove the mixture from the bowl and spread onto the shortbread base.
3. Refrigerate while you make the ganache.

For the ganache:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3-1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1. In a pot heat the cream until it comes to a simmer. Take the cream off the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Let it sit for a few minutes to thicken.
2. Once the ganache has thickened slightly, spread over the white chocolate and coconut filling. While the ganache should set in about an hour, you may have to put it in the refrigerator to fully set.
3. Slice into squares with a sharp knife.
4. Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe yields 24 bars. Many thanks to my friend Stephany who helped clean up the pictures that I took. Thank you, Stephany!!!

Of all the different types of nuts available to us, my very favourite are walnuts. The fruit of the walnut tree, walnuts are widely available and relatively inexpensive when compared to other nuts such as macadamia nuts. They’re good for you too. Walnuts are among the nuts that are highest in monounsaturated fat … that’s the "good fat" in case you’re into labelling fat as "good" or "bad".

While I appreciate the health benefits that walnuts may offer, for me, it’s all about the taste. I love the buttery quality of walnuts. I love the texture of a walnut half both in my hand and in my mouth. One of my favourite ways to end a meal is with fresh walnuts in the shell and dried figs. In fact many Italian tables, at the end of a heavy meal, will feature this combination alongside a bowl of fruit and a tray of cheese. But I would have to say that my very favourite way of enjoying walnuts is with pasta.

That’s right … pasta with walnuts!

If you’ve never heard of or tried this combination, I highly recommend it. Popular throughout Italy where walnuts are cultivated (i.e., Liguria, Campania), walnut sauce is luscious and rich. While there are many variations of this sauce, my favourite version involves butter and olive oil to start, followed by the addition of cream and finely chopped walnuts, and is finished off with parmigiano. Some cooks will use herbs such as sage or basil in their sauce, but I prefer mine with a sprinkling of parsley.

Easy-to-make, this sauce leaves you with the satisfied feeling in the belly that you want from a pasta dish in winter. It may pack a few extra calories because of the cream, but it’s worth it. The cream, in this case half-and-half cream, compliments the walnuts so well. Half-and-half cream is usually 10 to 12 per cent milk fat. It’s a mixture of equal parts milk and cream.

As for the pasta, I like to use conchiglie when I make this dish, partly because the recipe it’s based on uses conchiglie and partly because the conchiglie are the perfect little receptacles for the sauce. Conchiglie (which means shells in Italian), is a type of pasta shaped like a shell or conch. It is the perfect type of pasta to use with a creamy sauce because it holds the sauce very well. If you cannot find conchiglie, use a short, tubular pasta like penne or rigatoni, which will also trap the sauce.

There’s not much more that I can write about walnut sauce. With every bite your mouth receives a little gift of cream and nuts and parsley. It’s a combination that I cannot resist.

I hope that you will find it just as irresistible.

Ciao!

Conchiglie con Salsa di Noci (Pasta Shells with Walnut Sauce)

Adapted from Truly Madly Pasta by Ursula Ferrigno.

• 12 ounces (three-quarters of a pound) dried conchiglie pasta
• 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped (do not use a food processor as it may overprocess the nuts causing them to become oily and pasty)
• 1 cup light cream
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (use less if you’re not a garlic lover)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated parmigiano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

1. Put a large pot of water to boil.
2. As you wait for the water to come to a boil, in a bowl, stir together the walnuts, cream and garlic.
3. Once the water is boiling, add salt and then add the conchiglie. Cook according to package directions.
4. In a pan large enough to accommodate the pasta, heat the olive oil gently over a low flame. Add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the walnut/cream mixture.
5. Raise the heat to medium-high and let the mixture come to a boil. Boil, stirring often, until the mixture thickens (about 3 to 4 minutes).
6. Once the mixture has thickened, adjust the heat to low and then add half the parmesan and half the parsley and mix well. Keep stirring the sauce, on low heat, until the pasta is done cooking.
7. As soon as the pasta is ready, drain it (reserving some of the cooking liquid) and add the conchiglie to the sauce. Add the remaining parmesan and stir well. If the pasta sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved cooking liquid. If the pasta sauce is too liquidy, add some more parmesan and keep stirring until you have a sauce of creamy consistency.
8. Turn the heat off and and plate the pasta, sprinkling the remainder of the parsley on each serving.
9. Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe serves 4. The facts on walnuts for this post are from The New Food Lover’s Companion.

More so than even December, for me, February is the month of chocolate. Maybe it’s because there’s chocolate everywhere. Or because hearts and chocolate seem to go so well together. Or maybe it’s because February just happens to be one of the most stressful months of the year for me at work. Whatever the reason, February is the month I indulge in my chocolate dreams.

I snap up all of the major food magazines simply to view those two or three pages that they devote to chocolate desserts. I go out of my way (and I mean REALLY out of my way) to walk by every chocolate shop I know of in downtown Toronto just to see their displays. But my favourite indulgence of all is the time I spend with my chocolate cookbooks.

For one month out of the year, the Overburdened Bookshelf actually becomes structurally stable again after I remove those five or six cookbooks dedicated to chocolate. Of course once March rolls around and I put them back I once again live in fear that the Bookshelf will one day come crashing down on me resulting in a massive concussion. But I’ll worry about that in March!

In the meantime, let’s talk more about February and chocolate …

Having bid The Good Cookie adieu (it served me well in January), I knew that there was really only one book that I could choose for the Flavour of the Month for February 2006:  Fran Bigelow’s Pure Chocolate.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Fran Bigelow, she is a chocolate maker extraordinaire from Seattle. She is the owner of Fran’s Chocolates, one of the most famous chocolate shops in the United States. In the chocolate world, she is a Queen, and rightly so. Her creations drip with the sophistication and artistry that she has gained over her years as a chocolate maker. She is what I would call, a chocolate artist. Happily, her creations are available to all on-line. Visit Fran’s Chocolates to buy chocolate, or if you’re like me, to stare at during the day whilst drooling at your desk.

So over the next 26 days, I plan on delving into Fran’s book, for the first time I might add. To be honest, I’ve been slightly intimidated to do so until now. While not difficult, the recipes are not easy either. They require time and patience, which I often lack at this time of year. So here’s hoping that with the help of Pure Chocolate, I’ll discover chocolate Zen and learn to appreciate this time of year just a bit more.

But February isn’t going to be all about chocolate. Even though it’s the shortest month, Ivonne cannot live by chocolate alone. There will be lots of other treats to read about.

In the meantime, I thought I’d get the chocolate ball rolling with this little gem from a book I have come to love. The book is called Caprial’s Desserts and it has never let me down. I chose to start off with this recipe, as opposed to something from Fran’s book, because it gave me the opportunity to use the tiny bit of buttermilk that I had left in the refrigerator, as well as the Medaglia D’Oro espresso that I’ve had for awhile, but never used.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you:  Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Chocolate Espresso Buttercream.

Ciao!

Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Chocolate Espresso Buttercream

Adapted from Caprial’s Desserts by Caprial Pence and Melissa Carey.

For the cake:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2-1/2 cups sugar
• 1-1/2 tablespoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1-1/3 cups vegetable oil
• 1-1/2 cups buttermilk
• 3 large eggs
• 1-1/2 cups freshly brewed hot coffee
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch round baking pans. Line the bottoms of the pan with parchment paper.
2. Place all of the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa) in the bowl of an electric mixer. Either with a whisk or with the paddle attachment, gently mix together the dry ingredients until combined.
3. Add the oil and buttermilk and mix on medium speed until combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, with the mixer on low. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
5. Add the coffee and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until smooth. The batter will be very liquidy so be careful not to splash yourself!
6. Divide the batter between the two pans and bake in the oven until the cake springs back when lightly touched. The recipe indicates that this should take 30 to 35 minutes, however, in my oven it took closer to 45 minutes!
7. Once done, remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and let cool completely on a wire rack.

For the Chocolate Espresso Buttercream:

• 2 cups half-and-half cream (10% to 12% milk fat)
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder (I use the Medaglia D’Oro brand)
• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup of finely grated chocolate (I used Lindt 70% Dark Chocolate)

1. In a saucepan, mix together the half-and-half cream, the egg yolk, the cornstarch and the espresso powder. Once mixed, turn the heat on medium-high.
2. Stir the mixture constantly until it comes to a boil and is very thick (this should take about 5 minutes; you will know that it is ready when you can see the bottom of the pan as you stir the mixture).
3. Strain the mixture into a bowl; place plastic wrap directly on the surface (to prevent the formation of a skin) and refrigerate until cool (about 45 minutes).
4. Place the butter in the bowl of a mixer and add the sugar. Mix on high speed with the paddle attachment for 10 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. The butter should be light, fluffy and almost white in colour.
5. Add the salt and mix.
6. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cooled half-and-half/espresso custard. Mix well.
7. Add the vanilla extract and mix well.
8. Remove the bowl from the mixer and gently fold in the grated chocolate.

To assemble the cake:

1. If the tops of the chocolate buttermilk cake are not even, use a knife to thinly slice off the uneven bits from the top of the cake.
2. Set one cake half, bottom-side down on a cake plate or platter.
3. Spoon about 1/3 of the Chocolate Espresso Buttercream on top of the cake half and spread to within an inch of the cake border.
4. Place the the second half of the cake on the first half, top-side down. Gently press the top of the cake to ensure that it is even and that the two halves stay firmly together.
5. With the remaining 2/3 Chocolate Espresso Buttercream, frost the entire cake. You can either frost just the top or the entire cake. If you frost the entire cake, you will have just enough frosting.
6. If you have any chocolate left over, use a vegetable peeler to shave the chocolate and garnish the cake with the chocolate shavings.
7. Enjoy!

Note:  This cake serves 12 to 14 people.