Wait. What?! 2009 … already … but where did 2008 go???

Okay … well … while I try to figure that question out I hope you’re all enjoying yourselves with much good food and drink.

I had a heck of a time trying to figure out what the official goodbye to 2008 dessert would be so I settled on something old-fashioned, yummy and comforting: butterscotch! It’s what all the cream puffs are eating this New Year’s Eve!

Pictured above are some awesome Butterscotch Tarts from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito.

I’m not sure what to say about 2008. It whizzed by. As always, the year brought some highs and lows but we made it through. My family is safe and healthy and with me and I have another year of good memories with friends.

Wherever you are for the New Year, please be safe. Take care and please know that the Cream Puff wishes all of you many blessings, much good health and lots of laughter in 2009.

Buona fine e buon principio!

Ciao!

If I had to pick one thing to say to sum up the December 2008 Daring Bakers’ challenge, not to mention all the other challenges that we faced this year, it would be go big or go home!

Our lovely hostesses Hilda of Saffron & Blueberry and Marion of Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux threw down the gauntlet big time by challenging Daring Bakers everywhere to make a French Yule Log. Their inspiration for the challenge comes from Flore of the site Florilege Gourmand.

Not to be confused with the Yule Log that the Daring Bakers tried last December, a French Yule Log is very reminiscent of an ice cream cake. For this particular challenge, our log had to have six distinct components: a dacquoise layer, a mousse layer, a creme brulee layer, a praline crisp layer, a ganache layer and an icing layer. The layers are assembled and then the entire creation is frozen. Hilda and Marion very kindly provided us with numerous variations for each element and also gave us the freedom to create whatever shape we liked.

As you can imagine, trying to juggle the preparation of such a dessert in the midst of all the preparations for the holidays was challenging to say the least. While I did find the time to make the French Yule Log, I’ll be honest, I rushed it and didn’t put the amount of effort into it that I would have liked.

As a result, I chose the very basic versions of each of the component recipes. My dacquoise was the original almond version. I made the chocolate mousse and the dark chocolate ganache insert. I went with the basic creme brulee layer and I used Rice Krispies to make my praline crisp layer. For the icing, I used a mixture of chocolates that I had left over from other baking endeavours this month which means there were bits of dark chocolate and bits of milk chocolate in there.

One day I’d love to own a proper French Yule Log mold but I used an 8 x 4-inch loaf mold instead. Because I rushed everything, my layers (while they’re all there) were not nearly as defined as the layers that you’ll see in some of the other amazing logs out there.

Also, my icing layer just wouldn’t set for me. I ended up having to soften more gelatin, which I added to the icing to help it along. To further complicate the icing, my chocolate pieces didn’t melt very well so you can see some chocolate lumps in the finished product.

It’s a shame and certainly a poor reflection on me as far as this month goes because in the end, the log was truly delicious. Everyone loved it and when you slice into it, you can’t help but be impressed by the look of the layers. I walked away thinking that I really would like to try this one again when I have the time to take each step slowly and seriously.

Hilda and Marion are featuring the recipe on their respective blogs. I’d like to extend my thanks to both of these wonderful women who really came up with an exclamation mark for 2008 for the Daring Bakers.

I’d also like to extend my thanks to a few other members who are invaluable. First of all, Helene of Tartelette is a constant source of patience and knowledge. Whenever we’re stumped with a baking question, we know we can turn to her.

Without Natalie of Gluten a Go Go, I don’t know what our alternative bakers would do. Lis and I would probably end up in a corner somewhere crying. With infinite patience, Natalie just keeps coming through for us.

And then there’s Mary of Beans and Caviar (and her son) who have dramatically changed the way that this group operates with the blog-checking program. Mary has also been invaluable in sorting through any discrepancies.

I’d like to give a shout out to Courtney of Coco Cooks who is our “events coordinator”. She very generously posts any events that Daring Bakers’ might be interested in and keeps us all up-to-date.

And then there’s Lis. Where would I be without my co-founder and partner in this crazy and wondrous thing we call The Daring Bakers?! Thanks, Lis!

To all our DBers out there, we love you! We would be nothing without you! Keep up the daring spirit and let’s make 2009 our best year yet.

And finally, a thank you to all of you! Without the thousands of readers who show their appreciation each month for the bravery shown by Daring Bakers everywhere, it just wouldn’t be the same.

Here’s to a great year for the DB in 2009 (something tells me it’s going to be incredible … )!

Ciao!

Cookie-baking, for me, is the quintessential Christmas activity.

This year, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to bake for a lot of people.

Today, I’d like to thank all of you that honoured me by letting me bake for you.

Without question, this was a tremendous learning experience. I learned how crucial it is to be organized and prepared if you want to be a successful baker. I learned that lists work. I learned that as much as I love delivering cookies, next time, I’ll probably hire a delivery service. But most importantly, I learned that I love doing this more than I even imagined.

So thank you so much for helping me to realize this little dream.

Stay tuned … Easter cookies and treats are being dreamed up as we speak …

Ciao!

The cookies pictured above are from Food & Wine courtesy of Fabio Trabocchi. They’re Almond Cookies with a Caramel Dipping Sauce.

I wish you every joy and happiness on this special day!

Wherever you are, I hope there is light and warmth and much good food and company.

Buone feste! Happy Holidays!

Ciao!

For one of the desserts that I prepared this Christmas, I tried Fabio Trabocchi’s Italian Trifle from Food & Wine. I did not use marsala for the syrup, but rather I used Alchermes as explained in the recipes’s head note. Enjoy!

As with other roads, I often find that the road to Christmas is paved with good intentions.

This year, I will make my own Christmas wreath. This year I will make a Gingerbread House from scratch. This year, I will have all my christmas cards written and mailed by the first week of December. This year I will make the perfect standing rib roast. This year … blah blah blah blah …

In the end, it always seems to be a race against the Christmas clock. How in the world will we get it all done in time?

Somehow, though, it all comes together. It’s not perfect, mind you, but Christmas does arrive and the family is always gathered and much food is consumed and we all walk away happy.

In the great rush to Christmas, though, there are a few things that I insist on. One is the playing of Christmas carols. I don’t care how sick you may be of them, if you are within three feet of me anytime between December 1st to December 25th, you will be hearing Christmas carols.

Get used to it.

The second thing that I insist on are my mother’s beloved Ravioli di Castagna. I should qualify that by saying that while my mother makes them (brilliantly), these are a traditional sweet from my father’s side of the family (my father was born and raised in Le Marche, Italy).

I insist on these first and foremost because they are delicious. A mixture of pureed chestnut, cocoa and liquor is enrobed in pasta dough, shaped and cut into ravioli, fried and then sprinkled with sugar. Believe me, they’re hard to resist.

But I also insist on them because they are such a unique sweet and they represent the culinary legacy that my parents have given me. Christmas cannot be Christmas without Ravioli di Castagne.

As with many old family recipes, there really isn’t a recipe. I know. That’s very frustrating. But it’s true. There are general guidelines that every family adapts to suit their own tastes. While I wish that I could have taken the time to set down a recipe, I just haven’t had the opportunity. Of all the whirlwind Christmases, this has been the whirlwindiest.

Instead, I give you a photo essay (of sorts) to guide you through the process. If you have questions, please e-mail me and I’ll be happy to help as much as I can. I apologize in advance for some of the photos as they’re not the greatest.

The Chestnuts

These ravioli must begin with the very best chestnuts you can find. We’re lucky that in Toronto we’re able to buy chestnuts imported from Italy. While it’s expensive, it’s worth it.

The chestnuts are peeled prior to be being cooked. I never said that this was an easy recipe to make. There’s effort required, to be certain. The picture above is of my mother peeling the chestnuts. She didn’t want me to show the picture because she said her hands look awful but I actually thought that it was important to demonstrate that the good things in life do require effort!

Once peeled, the chestnuts are immersed in water and simmered until the skins loosen. The chestnuts are drained and once they’ve cooled down a bit, the skins are peeled off.

At one time, the chestnuts would then be put through a food mill or grinder but nowadays we rely on our food processor.

The Filling

Once the chestnuts have been pureed, it’s time to build the filling. What you add to the filling can vary from family to family but we add coffee, sugar, sweetened and unsweetened cocoa and liquor, usually rum or brandy. Again, how much you add is up to the flavour you’re after but in our family we prefer a filling that has a strong chestnut flavour so we try not to overdue it with the other elements. Once combined, we let the mixture cool completely before using.

The Pasta

As with all ravioli, you need a pasta dough. Again there are many variations but my mother uses a mixture of flour, water, olive oil and white wine to form her dough.

The Ravioli

From this point on, you follow the basic steps of ravioli-making. The pasta is rolled into thin sheets and ravioli are formed with the prepared chestnut filling.

Once the ravioli are formed, we heat vegetable oil in a large pan and fry the ravioli in batches. As soon as they are golden on all sides, we drain them on paper towels and sprinkle them with sugar.

It cannot be Christmas without these treats. And whatever other obstacles we may encounter on the road to Christmas, these help along the way to be sure.

Ciao!

Wow.

Things have been stressful lately.

There’s a lot going on and with the holidays just days away, it’s been feeling particularly heated around these parts.

I’m in cookie baking heaven/hell, depending on how you look at it. I’m baking feverishly to complete my orders and while I’m having a fabulous time, it’s also opened my eyes to the challenges of baking for other people.

In the midst of it all, I have had very little time to bake for myself. This is one of the reasons why our annual workplace cookie swap was such a welcome break. I actually got to try a recipe for myself!

While I have my yearly standbys when it comes to Christmas cookies, I always like to try some new recipes and I’ve had this particular recipe for Kahlúa Truffle Triangles bookmarked for awhile. It comes from the Fine Cooking site.

I have to be honest, when I made these and tasted them, I wasn’t terribly impressed. All I could taste was chocolate (not that chocolate is a bad thing). Initially, the shortbread and Kahlúa flavours were not very prominent. But these are the type of cookies that taste much better a day or even two days after you’ve made them. The flavours settle and meld together. If you’re a fan of dark chocolate, then you will love these. They are intense and not very sweet so for those of you with a sweet tooth, these may not be up your alley.

To be honest, it was nice to bake something just for me. Break is over … back to baking …

Ciao!

Click here for the recipe for Kahlúa Truffle Triangles.

Is there anything my coworkers can’t do???!!!

I don’t think so. I’m sorry to have to do this but it appears as though I’m going to have to make you jealous … again!

This past week we held our fourth annual office cookie swap in celebration of the holidays.

Prepare to be dazzled!

The quality of the baking was excellent and almost all of the cookies were taken by the time the event was over.

Best of all we got to spend some time together chatting and having fun while consuming vast (and I mean vast) quantities of sugar.

Many thanks to our one coworker who took into consideration our health and brought in this lovely fruit platter.

Happy Holidays to all the amazing people that I work with!

Ciao!

If you’re like me and haven’t started your Christmas shopping yet … yes … it’s true … and I’m not ashamed of it either … then here’s the post that might help you figure out how to begin.

In past years, many bloggers have summarized their favourite cookbooks of the year and last year I vowed I would do the same thing.

This is by no means to say that there aren’t more cookbooks out there that are worthy beyond the ones you see listed here. This is simply a list of my five favourites for 2008.

In no particular order, here we go:

(1) A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes by David Tanis

What could I possibly add to the countless articles and posts about this incredible cookbook? Really. Suffice it to say that as far as I’m concerned, this book is a love letter to food. This is one of those books that just makes you feel happy to be in the kitchen.

(2) Ottolenghi: The Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.

I am a frequent visitor at Toronto’s Cookbook Store and when I walked in a few months ago, one of the salespeople very quietly handed me this book and said, “Buy it.” I’m nothing if not obedient. Needless to say I have not regretted it once. Gorgeous. Gorgeous. Gorgeous. This cookbook is about the beauty of flavour and the joy of sharing large amounts of food. As was said to me, buy it! (The Salted Caramel Macarons pictured above are from this cookbook.)

(3) Field Guide to Cookies: How to Identify and Bake Virtually Every Cookie Imagineable by Anita Chu.

I did a post about this lovely gem of a cookbook and you can read it here. The book is the baby of my dearest Anita and not only is it a fabulous cookie book, it’s one of the highlights of my year in that it proves that good things do happen to good people!

(4) Nigella Christmas: Food, Family, Friends, Festivities by Nigella Lawson.

Oh, Nigella! When I grow up I want to be you. This book is basically a testament to the glory that is Nigella and the glory that is Christmas in her house. Please … adopt me!

(5) Urban Italian: Simple Recipes and True Stores from a Life in Food by Andrew Carmellini.

One of the very best Italian-themed cookbooks that I have ever seen. This is modern Italian food to the very core.

Honourable Mentions: Baking for All Occasions by the legend Flo Braker, The Ski Country Cookbook by Barbara Scott-Goodman and Rita Maas, Dish Entertains by Trish Magwood, Luscious Creamy Desserts by Lori Longbotham, Wine Bar Food by Cathy and Tony Mantuano.

Happy Shopping!

Ciao!

I have a serious thing for olives.

In fact, I don’t know very many people who do not, on some level, appreciate the olive.

Wait a minute.

Let me think.

Yes. It’s true. I can say that I am not (knowingly) aware of anyone in my life who does not like olives.

How can you NOT love the olive?

The fruit of the olive tree (did you know the olive was a fruit?) is a snack unto itself but then consider that you can use it to make sauces and spreads, not to mention the fact that you can add it to any dish imagineable (pasta, fish, meat … ).

And don’t even get me started on olive oil!

Okay. Before I commence a love poem to the olive, let me just say that this is the time of year that I most appreciate the olive and that’s for two reasons.

The first is Olive Ascolane (post to follow one day soon).

And the second is marinated olives.

I don’t think I can even count how many pounds of marinated olives we make at this time of year. We serve them if guests pop in to pass along Christmas wishes, we serve them during every holiday meal, we snack on them and we generally just eat them constantly.

You can’t go wrong with marinated olives for a party and there are about a million different ways to prepare them. Essentially you’re taking the olives of your choice, mixing in the flavourings of your choice and then heating them in the oven to allow the flavours to meld and be absorbed.

This particular version is an orange/oregano one that I picked up from Trish Magwood’s Dish Entertains.

I see myself making many batches.

Hope you make one, too!

Ciao!

Orange and Oregano Olives
From Trish Magwood’s Dish Entertains: Everyday Simple to Special Occasions.

3 cups mixed olives (you can use any varieties that you like, just make sure that they’re not already marinated)
1 orange, halved and sliced
1 tbsp. orange juice (preferably freshly squeezed)
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (more if you like it spicy)
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and then spread onto a baking sheet.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until the olives are heated through and the orange slices begin to caramelize slightly.

Let cool and enjoy!

Just a quick note to update you on a few things. I can’t believe it’s already December 9th! Time to go into Christmas prep overdrive.

But first, I wanted you to head over to the lovely Tina’s blog called Knitting Contessa. Tina has a wonderful feature this Christmas where each day she spotlights a blogger and today she’s honoured me with that priviledge. Please check it out! Thanks Tina!

I’d also like to take a moment to thank Bron and Ilva again for organizing a truly wondrous event that occurred this past weekend. They arranged for bloggers everywhere to take part in a special hug for Barbara of winosandfoodies.com. It was an amazing weekend for an amazing person. Barbara, we’re all with you!

Okay … back to panicking for Christmas …

Ciao!

Dear Barbara,

I hug you.

I hug you and I hug you and I hug you.

I hug you across the land and the water that separate us.

I hug you over the mountains and through the valleys in between us.

I hug you over the earth and through the clouds.

I hug you by the sun and by the moon.

I hug you in the winter and the spring and the summer and the fall.

I hug you Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday and Sunday.

I hug you January to December.

I hug you in the rain and in the snow and especially in the sunlight.

I hug you in my kitchen in front of my oven.

I hug when my mixer is running and my hands are covered in butter and flour.

I hug you in the day and in the night.

I hug you when I’m eating panettone.

I hug you with all my heart and all my strength.

I hug you I hug you I hug you.

Love,

Ivonne

Bron of bron marshall and Ilva of Lucullian Delights are angels. They organized a Virtual Hug event for everyone that knows and loves Barbara of winosandfoodies.com so that we could all send her the biggest hug imagineable, because she needs it right now. Barbara is one of those people that you just feel so blessed to know. Bron and Ilva suggested some ideas of dishes we could try that Barbara is craving at the moment. They also offered a list of foods and flavours that Barbara loves. On that list was champagne. (You’ve got great taste, Barbara!) I decided to make my Orange and Lemon Fish with Prosecco for Barbara.