Is it good?

Is it good? The question is purely subjective. In America we have culturally appropriated a cuisine based on what WE think it should be. But is it good? If you asked a native Italian to go to the Olive Garden to try "Italian foods" I can almost guarantee you that they would be offended. It's like being in a bad relationship. You go through the motions but there is no heart or soul in it. When I spent 4 years living in Italy, more specifically Sicily, I can tell you this, we have screwed up their food. I've walked through endless markets of produce and fish pondering the potential that the foods hold.

Growing up American when you hear Italian food you automatically go to spaghetti and meatballs. This is not something that you would EVER see on a SICILIAN menu. Even something so simple as pizza is without a shadow of a doubt, substantially better when you char the bottom in a stone oven, paired with a glass of local white wine and over look the Mediterranean Ocean in the bay of Aci Trezza. I've done this. Its fantastic. It's good, very good. But we have bastardized the pizza. It's greasy, chewy, overloaded with toppings and stuffed with cheese in the crust. No. We, as Americans, have ruined the pizza. While there are grassroots movements to improve our methods of pizza making, its safe to say that the American pizza still misses the mark.

Ever tried horse meat? I have. While it wasn't pleasant to my palette, its a delicacy in Sicily. Swordfish. Rich, meaty, buttery. Prawns plucked fresh from the sea daily. Lets not forget the simple cannoli, the creamy gelato, the flakey cornetto (croissant) filled with pistachio cream or nutella.

Sicily. Why did I ever leave?

Taking a stroll through Powells book emporium in downtown Portland is always eventful. I had the opportunity to do so this afternoon on a class trip. It's incredible how many books are packed into this store. Of course my favorite section is going to be the cooking and baking books. Are you really surprised?

Latley I've been really into following the works of Dominique Ansel. I wrote a previous post about his incredible edible creations. Today I stumbled upon a book titled "Dominique Ansel The Secret Recipes". It was a lovely book, simple in design and there was a forward written by award winning chef Daniel Boulud.

As I thumbed through the book drooling over its photography, I stopped on the macaron section. While the photos had me mesmerized. It was the words that caught my heart. "That first bite was always an experience: a gossamer-thin shell that crunched slightly with the gentle pressure of your teeth, which then sank into a moist, tender center with a vibrant burst of flavor." Perfectly describes how it should be when biting into one of these cookies.

One excerpt that had me at the heart strings.. "In a sense, a macaron must live a little and come into its full character with time.." This hit home. Not just in regards to a cookie, but in regards to my life. I've gone through a lot of rough times in the last 2 years. And it's taken me time to rebuild and reinvent myself. I've become a late bloomer because of it. It's interesting to me that it can be said about the macaron. That it takes time to rest, absorb from its surroundings, enrich its flavor before it can be enjoyed by its consumer. Perfect metaphor.

Did someone say creme brûlée french toast?

Quality restaurants in Salem, Oregon are few and far between. But there is one that stands out among the rest. Word of Mouth Bistro on 17th street shines like a beacon of hope in a sad town full of chain restaurants. A typical day for W.O.M starts with a line out the door. In the few years that they've been open, there has been a steady stream of customers that line up and wait for hours. Personally I've waited a few times but the creme brûlée french toast is worth waiting for! They even have turned down an appearance on Food Network's television show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives because they were already at an over abundance of customers. If this diner ever closed down I know that I would definitely be upset as well as those that flock to them for their Steak and Eggs Benedict, house cured bacon, and the before mentioned creme brûlée french toast. They may be a little cafe but their flavors are big, bold and exciting!

More than a Cronut

America seems to have a fascination with food trends. I find that sometimes we overlook the classic delicacies just to have what is new and hot so that we can claim that "we saw it first". Not that its entirely a bad thing, it does create a burning competition inside Chefs to have the next "in" food and has brought us some incredible and inedible treats. America had its first taste of one of the biggest trends in breakfast sweets, the Cronut, in 2014. Its inventor, NYC pastry chef, Dominique Ansel had unknowingly created a monster.

His cross between a donut and croissant was so popular that people were lining up around the block, wrapped twice, just to get a taste. But if you can look beyond the golden, brown, flakey pastry you will see that Chef Ansel is no one trick pony. He has also pumped out creative desserts such as the frozen S'more, chocolate chip cookie shots, a magic souffle, and burrata soft serve in a hand rolled tuille cone. It is my personal opinion that we should definitely be honoring the innovative mind behind these trends more than the trend itself. Chef Ansel is a pastry king.

un cioccolata calda, per favore

Its been a pretty chilly winter here in Oregon. I can't say its been white or freezing but its a nice change up from the dry summer that we had. In the spirit of winter themed recipes, my mind is reminiscing on a delicious Italian hot chocolate that I had when I was living overseas. I want to share that recipe with you.

Picture it, Sicily December 2010. In the small town of Monterosso Almo, my friends and I venture off from our tour group to poke around the village. It was the night of the living nativity and the town was bustling with people. Walking through the labyrinth that was the streets where locals lived, we stumbled upon an empty piazza away from the busy city center. The air was calm and quiet, a beautiful cathedral adorned with statues and lit up for the holidays stood tall in front of us. It was a pretty cold evening and we were in the need for something to take the chill off. Across the piazza was a small cafe that was calling our name. We decided to check it out.

Inside was dimly lit but quaint and inviting. In my elementary italian, I ordered the only thing on the menu that I could understand, “un cioccolata calda, per favore.”  We found a corner booth and sat down for a bit. It was nice to get away from the crowds and just enjoy each other’s company. A few minutes later, the man returned with a cup, a spoon and with what looked like chocolate pudding. Being an American I was expecting a mug of watered down chocolate cocoa mix. But this, this was something special and I am forever ruined.

Italian style hot chocolate is rich, thick and velvety. It can be found, mainly around the holidays and colder months, in cafes and restaurants all over Europe and in different variations. While it’s pudding-like, it is in fact not a pudding as it is made without eggs as a thickening agent. In America, we commonly associate hot chocolate with a powdered mix that you add to hot milk or water. Traditionally speaking, hot chocolate would be made with hot cream or milk and chocolate. While there is really no wrong way to make a cup, the European method may be the most decadent version you will ever put in your mouth.

This recipe for Cioccolata Calda will make enough for 4 servings. You will need to gather a few common ingredients:

• 2 cups of half & half
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ½ of a vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 6 ounces of dark chocolate, at least 70% bittersweet shaved into shards
• and a pinch of salt.

First things first, shave chocolate into shards or roughly chop if you have chips just small enough to aid in melting. The smaller the chocolate, the quicker the gratification. At this point you can also split the vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds out with the back of your knife, set this aside. Next, add the sugar and cornstarch into a medium bowl and whisk together thoroughly.  Slowly pour in half of the half & half and whisk together vigorously. This will help prevent clumping later when the cream is hot. Pour remaining half & half into the sauce pan, add vanilla seeds, and place over medium heat. Keep an eye on this, cream burns and boils over quickly. Once steam is appearing from the cream, pour over the cornstarch mixture. Carefully cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes just up to a boil and thickens, this should take about 2-3 minutes. Once you’ve come to a boil, remove immediately from the heat. Add your chocolate, and a pinch of salt. The salt brings out the chocolate flavor and balances the sweetness.  Stir gently with a spoon to melt the chocolate and incorporate the flavors.

If you’d like to warm your cups before serving, pour hot water into serving cups. This will keep the cups warm while you’re preparing the beverage. Dump the water out just before serving and dry with a clean towel, then pour about ½ cup of hot chocolate into each cup. Feel free to top this with freshly whipped cream and shaved chocolate. I hope that I’ve been able to share a bit of an Italian Christmas treat with you. Salud! Cin Cin! Buon appetito e Buon Natale!

Update: Life Changes and a new look at Macaron

Alright.. big apologies are owed for neglecting this blog. I am so sorry.. life has gotten away from me. Personal life, Mommy life and Professional life.

Over the past few months I have

-moved states
-started school
-started a new job
-left that job for one that lets me bake!

Doesn't look like much but I swear to you.. it is!

In February I was accepted to Le Cordon Bleu in the Patisserie and Baking program and I love it so incredibly much! I have met Chefs from all over the world. My favorite Chef Instructor graduated from LCB in Paris, I admire her so much. She had the opportunity to even work for the great Pierre Herme! I know she may never read this blog but if she does, I want her to know that I look up to her and respect her for everything that she has done, and continues to do for me as a student. She has a large heart and incredible knowledge. Thank you Chef!

I also started working for Elizabeth Arden at Macy's ... it didn't last long. While I loved all the ladies in the cosmetic department, and lets be honest here-- all the makeup, it just didn't work out. Plus, I was offered a lead position at a bakery! So I left Macy's and started working in the kitchen. I am so thankful to my new boss for putting her faith and trust in me. I was hired to head up the new off site kitchen. I will be baking macaron, cupcakes, cakes and there was talk of mini tarts or hand pies in the future as well.

Sadly, due to some unplanned reasons, I had to take a term off from school. This is heartbreaking to me.. I miss all my fellow students and Chefs so much. But I will be back Aug 17th! This break allowed me to regroup, get acquainted with the new bakery and spend some much needed time with my little man. I miss him during the times I'm in class. He seems to be doing really well in daycare. He has been broken of the pacifier and his speech is developing. He has even pee-peed in the potty twice now! I can't believe he will be 3 this fall. Time is seriously escaping me.

I have decided to make an effort to keep this blog updated. Forgive me if time gets away from me but I will work on getting more things posted. Especially as I get into more production classes in school.


--MINDY-- 

this is for you...


So its been awhile since I wrote about macarons. Nearly 3 years ago. Yikes. I have had many ups and downs when it comes to producing the perfect macaron. Looking back at my original post.. I HAD A LOT TO LEARN.

You NEED to sift your dry ingredients!

What do you do if the egg whites don't whip?

To double pan or not to double pan?

Parchment or silicone?

Measure by weight or by volume?

Gel or liquid food coloring?

There are so many methods that can be executed to make macaron. There are SO many things that can go wrong. While the traditional french method is what I used originally.. I recently attempted an Italian meringue method. I have to say, I like it better. Je suis desole!

Please forgive my photos as I used my iPhone to take them during the initial baking process.

What you will need:

200g of Almond flour

200g of Powdered sugar

75g of Egg whites x2

Food coloring

50g Water

200g Sugar

Tools:

stand mixer

piping bag

round tip

parchment paper

candy thermometer

sauce pan

2 spatulas

food processor
sheet pans
stencil *optional*

Since taking classes and being traditionally trained, I have to say that I have moved to the dark side and started using weight measurements. SO.. go pick up a kitchen scale. You can find one, I did, at Wal-Mart or Target for less than $20. Just make sure that it can measure in grams.

Put your almond flour (meal) and powdered sugar in a food processor and pulse a few times. Then sift into a large bowl.

If you look at the recipe, you will see that I said that you need 75g of egg whites x2.. this is because you will be coloring one of the portions of egg whites and whipping the other. Yes. Just go with me here. I, like a dummy, didn't label my food coloring once I took them out of their boxes. So I grabbed pastel when I wanted regular color. My, what should have been, orange colored macarons are pastel yellow. Learn from me, label your boxes!

So, add your food coloring into your egg whites and then mix that into the dry ingredients. You will end up with a weird kind of paste. Set this to the side and put the other 75g of egg whites into the bowl of your mixer. Now if you find that your egg whites are not whipping.. your bowl may be dirty or have some fat (maybe butter from buttercream) residue on the inside. You can remedy this by wiping the inside of the bowl down with a little bit of white vinegar. Fat prevents the whites from whipping up. If you're really nervous, a pinch of cream of tartar will help too. A question that gets asked a lot is, "do my egg whites need to be aged?" NO. Now.. traditionally speaking, eggs in Europe come directly from the farmer and they are FRESH. In America, the eggs you get from the grocery store are already a few weeks old. If you are buying them or getting them directly from the chicken-- then yes.. please age your whites. Otherwise, just bring them to room temperature. An easy way to do this is to fill a bowl with warm water and place your uncracked eggs in there for 5-10 min.

Go ahead and start whipping the whites to soft peaks in your mixer. While that is going, pour your water and sugar into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. You can stir gently or swirl the pan but you want to get to 118F.  Once you've hit the right temp, take the sugar off of the heat and slowly drizzle the hot syrup into the egg whites. Try to not hit the whisk as its rotating otherwise you will end up with hardened sugar on the sides of your bowl. You really want a slow stream of syrup to run down the side of the bowl as it hits the egg whites. Bring your whites to stiff peaks. This can take some time, be patient.

When you have reached glossy, stiff peaks, go ahead and mix one third of it into the almond flour paste that you have set aside. Don't be scared to deflate it. This will lighten the paste up quite a bit. Then add half of the egg whites, keep folding.. add the remaining. Keep folding. You want to stop when you have reached a slow, lava like ribbon. Where the batter will not hold ripples but is also firm and not free flowing. Dump this into your piping bag and get your sheet pans. If you want to use a stencil, just google "macaron stencils".  I don't personally have one created but I printed one from there. I like to use parchment over silicone for that reason, you can put a stencil under the parchment and pull it out before baking. Silicone is ok and I did use it for this batch because I was out of parchment.

LET THESE REST! They need to form a skin. If you don't let them form their skin.. you risk this:

THE HORROR!!

 I let mine rest for 30-45 min. Humidity will take its toll on these if its hot and humid out. Just leave them alone and once you can touch it without any batter coming off on your finger, they are ready to be baked. 300 for 16-20 min. You don't need to rotate. just let them do their thing. (Don't mind the dirty window)

Now... if you notice that my "foot" is a little small. This is because I failed to bring my eggs to a stiff peak. I got scared and pulled them too early. They were almost there!! But because they weren't, the batter was more runny and that lead them to spread too much once piped out. So the larger that macaron is in diameter, the smaller the foot. 

Also.. I did not double pan, but I will try it the next time I bake them!

Now these were Thai Tea macaron. The filling was something I winged. So I'm going to do my best to remember exactly what it was that I did. 

What you will need: 

Thai Tea Mix

8 oz (2 bars ghirardelli) white chocolate, chopped

 1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp karo

2 tsp sweetened condensed milk

I happen to have this bag of Thai Tea mix in the pantry so this is what I used. If you have something different you're welcome to give it a go. Heat your cream in the microwave for a few seconds and then steep 3 tbsp of the tea mix into the cream. While its still slightly hot, add the karo and the condensed milk. Strain. Please be careful because this tea WILL STAIN YOUR CLOTHING. Use this hot cream over your white chocolate and stir. Let this cool, put plastic wrap directly on it to prevent any sort of weird drying and put in the fridge. Once it has firmed, you can then use this to pipe into your shells.

 

Bon Appetit!

Junkin' in Catania!

Finally sitting down to chat about the Junk Antique market here in Catania. I've now been a few times and its just the coolest thing I've ever seen. There is so much stuff, a lot of junk but there are some really neat decorative items and rare finds.

I love taking Richie out to the markets. It does make it a little more difficult to carry things but we manage. Plus the Italians love him! How can you not love that face!? I hope to go again this weekend and I'm thinking that I will take my camera. There are some things I would love to photograph, i.e. this lovely record player. It's just beautiful. It makes me wonder why on earth people would get rid of such treasures! Oh well, one man's trash is this woman's treasure!

I have stumbled across a few things that I, sadly, regret not snagging the minute they were discovered. Like an old ornate post box. I was sad to not bring it home with me. I did, however, find this cute wicker chair for €3. We've used it in a few photos for family or holidays so far. He's just so wiggly that its the only way I can get him still.


I've got my eye out for a few things. I suppose I could make a list. Pinterest has been where I've been storing ideas. I will just cross it off as I go!

MARKET LIST

• Demijohns
• Olive basket
• Suitcases
• Globe
• Pottery
• Typewriter
• Keys
• Baskets
• Enamelware
• Bread boards ( I found 2 so far)
• Pizza peel
• Grain Sifter

I'm sure this will not be the end of my list! 

The glass Demijohns were featured in my last post of fall decorations. I have 3 and I will be collecting more. I can't believe how inexpensive they are here. But it IS wine country! Suck on that Pottery Barn! 

I scored some bread boards awhile back and they are gracing my kitchen countertops in all their rustic charms. Wouldn't mind starting a collection of those!