Summertime Snacks

Hello friends, for today's installment of "True Life: I'm a Tuscan Pastry Nerd" I'll be featuring a recent inspiration of mine;

Italian Summertime Snacks

For my first experiment, i decided to give the ol' Chocolate Sausage a go. No no, i'm not talking about trying any weird Tuscan sexual exploits... I'm talking about a confection, made of ganache, nuts, and sometimes dried fruit, enjoyed by Italian children everywhere. For my first iteration of a Chocolate Sausage recipe, I tried Gina DePalma (pastry chef of Babbo)'s recipe. She seemed to have a pretty obvious grasp of Italian food (combined with an American palate) that logically leads me to believe her recipe'd be pretty good. Well, take it from me, the recipe IS good, however it really needs one small alteration: Make a Sabayone with the Egg Yolks & Sugar. Don't leave 'em raw!! Unfortunately if you do, the sugar is quite percieveable and provides (for me) an unusual texture. Obviously this is a personal beef, but hey, you're here readin about me, so tough!


(Choc. Sausage....mmmm)

Ok, now that we've crossed that bridge, lets get onto the next experiement:

In Italy, especially Tuscany, it's quite common for kids to grow up snacking on Orange Segments, drizzled in Olive Oil and served with a tiny PINCH of salt. Now, to an American, this is an odd combination, but (of course) once you put it together it's pretty damn good!

Well, once I heard about this, the wheels starting turning and soon enough, I had a plated dessert. So, without further adue, i present to you, a Blood Orange Cake (iced with an Orange Zest Glaze), Orange Paste Frolla (brushed with Olive Oil), a White Chocolate Olive Oil Ganache, and Mascarpone Cream. Garnished with Blood Orange Segments and (fancy) Olive Oil.



deeeeeeeelicious.

The plate came out great, and of course, I love the way they all look together.

Buon Appetito!

You guessed it.....

HAPPY B-DAY MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love ya! =)

Ciao Fancy!

Oh me oh my....

Well friends, it's been a week since I last wrote to you, and I must say it's been an interesting week. The last class group was exceptionally fun, and I'm really happy to have spent time with such a stimulating group. Honestly, I've gotta say that the experience here, from their side, pretty much depends entirely on their desire to learn. I think more than ever I understand what it's like to be at the front of the class, gauging student questions and responses and trying to cater to an entertaining environment from them to learn. Also, it's become apparent to me that all a class really needs is the right personality to lead the charge and the rest will follow. Even the most quiet and reserved of people seem to come out of their shells when a certain type of enthusiasm is in the kitchen. It's definately an intruiging idea and i'll definately be trying to keep an eye on what that exactly is defined by in the future.
Anywho, long story short, i had fun and hopefully so did they.

On a related note, we also had a visitor last week. Her name is Fancy Fabreeze and she is FA-BU-LOUS. (2 snaps, and a twist)

To say it bluntly, "Fancy" is quite the "lady" as she is actually one of my roommates HILARIOUS cross-dressing personality. (Yes, you read that correctly. I must say, Tuscany sure has a way of opening people up.) "Fancy" is a character he's developed over the last few years in his vacation town of Provincetown, RI, which (as you may or may not know) is a prodominatly gay community. She has appeared many times there and is certainly the life of the party. Much to our surprise, this group just seemed to have the right chemistry to evoke her presence. And so, without further adue, i present to you, FANCY FABREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZE:




Wow wee wee wow!

Yeah, well, after that I can certainly say we ended the week on a high note. I think everyone in the school was dying of laughter and couldn't stop taking pictures. "She" definatley was the hit of the week, and very possibly, the most memorable woman i've met in Italy.

Until nex time... CIAO!

Absolutely beat....

Ok friends, usually I have the stamina to endure a full day's work and type a bit to you to regarding my time here in Italy BUT this week I've taken on a new job in addition to my own. Now, instead of working solely in the kitchen, i was enticed (financially =P) to drive some of the students 'round the area as their tourguide during our off hours. Fortunately, the students are a blast, and I actually really like exploring the area in Sandra's fully-loaded and nearly-brand-new Toyota Land Cruiser. However, at the end of every day i basically do a face-plant into bed and wake up dazed, half dressed, and completely disoriented. (HAH! just like home right??)

SO, despite itemizing my current schedule to you all (which was my original idea) I've decided to simply post a few entertaining pics of recent history and a fantastic recipe for a Dark Chocolate Mousse that I used to compose the dessert below.

I certainly hope you all are well, and will definately get back on the literary horse as soon as my brain has time to catch up to my body.



(Left: Blood Orange Curd, Italian Meringue Tart, Right: Agatha, Kitchen Terror!)


"Chocolate Almond Tower"
(Concept and Design courtesy of me, Joshua Rosen)

Dark Chocolate Mousse
Yeild: 1 - 9” x 3” round cake

Amaretto Liquor (ie: Disaronno) 0.5 oz
Eggs 4.8 oz
Sugar 3 oz
Dark Chocolate, Bittersweet ( ≥ 60 %) 8 oz
Butter, soft 1.6 oz
Heavy Cream, whipped to soft peaks 8.25 oz

Method
1) Whip cream to soft peaks and reserve in refrigerator
2) Melt chocolate to 110 F. Add butter off heat and stir to melt butter.
Reserve chocolate mixture @ 110 F.
3) Combine eggs, sugar and liquor in a kitchen aid bowl and set on top of a double boiler. Whisk CONSTANTLY until the mixture reaches 145 degrees.
4) Remove the bowl from the pot of boiling water and whip (with the mixer) on high speed until thick and cool.
5) In a separate bowl, fold 1/2 of the egg mixture into the chocolate using a whisk
Once homogenous, fold in the remaining egg mixture followed by the cream
6) Pipe or pour into desired containers and refrigerate as necessary.

Enjoy!!

Wow Wee Wee Wow!

Lets face it.... I'm a nerd. Some may say my obsessions with food / sweets borders on lunacy. Well my friends, today I have officially surpassed all nerd-dom.

A few weeks ago I arrived in Italy and began discovering many amazing products. From SCREAMING orange eggs to cream as thick as creme anglaise before it's even cooked. I've picked sun-kissed lemons right outside my door for sauces made a-la-minute. However, I must say, none of those products has wow-ed me like Amedei chocolate.
Some say, "when you love to cook, it shows." Well, i can say without any doubt that the people that make this chocolate have nothing but love for it. How do you know you say? Well my friends...

TODAY I MET THEM!!

hahahaha, yeah. I know. It's sad. I was so excited i was like a little schoolgirl! Well, to explain, the brother and sister (Alessio and Cecilia) who own and operate the company just HAPPEN to be good friends of my boss. How convinient right??? I mean honestly, this is like just HAPPENING to win the lottery. Dear lord! Anywho, because they just HAPPEN to be so buddy buddy, when i mentioned that i really loved working with the Amedei, Sandra was like, "oh, you should meet their head chocolatier." HELL YEAH i should! So today, I dressed up a bit, hopped in the car and we were off to the factory.

The place:
Willy Wonka meets an IBM cleanroom. From a chocolatier's point of view this place was incredible. It was as beautiful as it was sanitary, and the care put into each and every product was incredibly obvious.

The people:
SO incredibly humble. You'd think you were just chatting with a neighbor instead of sitting down with the two owners (and head chocolatier) of the world's PREMIER chocolate company. (Yep, they've won the #1 chocolate in the world award three years running now by an international pannel of SERIOUS chocolate judges)

The products:
Ok, so part of the experience today was sitting down with Cecilia in a room lined with every product they make and being told to try any and everything you want. Ummmm, can you say RIDICULOUS!??!! Yeah, lets just say after picking her brain for a bit about the manufacturing processes they use I DOVE IN. We tasted about 10 different pralines and truffles, 5 or 6 bars, a new bean variety they're workin on now, and the best hot chocolate i've ever tasted by far! I can honestly say I was blown away.

The aftermath:
Wow, I dont think i could thank sandra enough for this opportunity! This experience went so well I think Sandra and I are going to formally invite Alessio and Cecilia to the school for dinner so that I can prepare a few treats for them.... I just hope I do their chocolate justice!

Wow. Well, as you can tell i'm hopped up on sugar, chocolate, and adrenaline.

I think i'll be on cloud 9 for a week...

CIAO!!


(P.S. these are the treats they gave us on our way out)

yep, it's Pisa time

Ahh Italy.... If you're a tourist you pretty much associate five basic things with Italy: Pizza, the mafia, the Pope, funny-sounding (smoking) Vespa-riding men with steriotypical names like Mario, and the leaning tower of Pisa. That being said, I must say, Pisa gets a bad rap.

Pisa is a fantastic place. Unbenounced to many, Pisa is a college town. It's full of markets, shopping, college kids, and is set on a beautiful river. Unfortunately however, the most anyone in the US typically thinks about when Pisa is mentioned is a Times Square-esq nightmare of a million tourists and the countless north africans peddling cheap crap to them. Now, please don't misconstrue what i'm trying to say. Much like Times Square, the place is truly overwhelming at first. The plaza itself houses a beautiful church, a huge domed structure, several smaller buildings, and of course, the tower. Oh, and did i mention, the whole damn place is sinking!!! The tower is definately NOT the only building built there with the engineering knowhow of a 2 year old. The church was slapped together with collumns and stone from all over, built on an angle, and then obviously shored-up so that (hopefully) no one would notice. Well, italian man who designed this structure, i've got some news for you..... YEESH!

Anywho, despite the touristy mahem, it was actually a really beautiful site. The architecture was actually quite amazing and I honestly doubt I've seen such ornate structures in a LONG time.



Anywho, after our fill of that we headed into the city. Into the REAL city. By this time, we were immersed in college kids (FINALLY!!!), beautiful produce markets, and shopping! (I know, isn't it sad that i even get excited to see good shopping???.. I think living in Campo Romano's startin to get to me =P) There were some great bakeries, fashionable clothing, and most importantly, YOUNG people. I mean honestly, I feel like if you're not over 40 you don't leave the house around me sometimes! It's ridiculous! I crave youth, excitement, inspiration, and frankly, i've gotta have it!!

::sigh::

ok, so back to the story: SO there we were walkin around Pisa gettin the real story, and honestly, it felt pretty good. I felt like finally i could see what it was like to be a twenty-something in Italy. This is the life i want to explore and believe you me, i'll be back there soon.


(Pizza and Pasta vending machines)

(just cuz i think it's funny)

For now, enjoy the pics and stay tuned for the next post.
I've covered day trips for a while now...It's time for us to talk food!

CIAO!

Three weeks...

Since i've arrived it's been three whole weeks. I've taught had two weeks of students, (the first with 12 and the second with 4) all of which have already had a big impact on my desire to stay, to teach, and to learn.

I must say, this experience has definately shaped up to be quite different than i expected. I think originally I viewed this as an opportunity to be a cook in a different country. Well (obviously!) this is a little different than what i got. Honestly, i have a lot more freedom than anticipated, and it's fantastic! My boss has got to be one of the most easy-going people in the world, and i couldn't be more thankful for that. For the most part, dessert is based on a subject matter taught in the school BUT, every week there are approximately 6 meals in which dessert is essentially my choice. These meals are a chance for me to play, to experiment, and to run for cover so my presence doesn't influence the opinion of my poor victims. =)

I must say though, in my free time, I read a lot to spark my creativity. Actually, lemme say that again. I read A LOT. Countless chefs have decided to start publishing their work in both the physical, and metaphysical (via internet) form of the printed word. Chefs who, in their own right, are fantastic. These people have published recipes and presentations that have reshaped the pastry world as we know it. Then, all of a sudden, I see myself; some post-culinary school yahoo yapping (in the same medium as these chefs) about his sophmoric creations. Well, being informed is one thing, but there are times when it takes a sizeable amount of effort to keep my inherant impatience for greatness from getting the best of me. These are the times when i hope with a good bit of my being that someone i greatly respect will take me under their wing and mentor my transition to the next level. Well, as i once heard, "all things come to those who wait." In the meantime however, i'll continue creating the (newly-tuscan) distillations of my ideas, and absorb the atmosphere as much as i can.

This season's going to be something great... I can't wait to get back in the kitchen!