On Day 3 of my holiday baking I present to you “Oatmeal Lace Cookies. My day 2 cookies, Chocolate Chunk Caramel, would qualify for the heavyweight division. Loaded with shards of dark chocolate and melting pools of caramel, these are a hefty cookie, not for the faint of heart. Oatmeal Lace Cookies, on the other hand, fall into the lightweight division. Gossamer thin, crispy, delicate, and dare I say, a little fragile, these are a beautiful cookie. They may look a little anorexic next to the chocolate chunk caramel, but rest assured, they are no lightweight in the taste department.
These cookies are the creation of Nick Malgieri. They come from his book, “Cookies Unlimited” (Harper Collins 2000). I have been known to have my celebrity chef crushes. A few years ago it was Jamie Oliver, lately I have been lusting after Chuck Hughes. But these are mere dalliances, compared to my feelings for Nick!
Oh dear, just read that last paragraph back to myself, and even to my ears it sounds a little creepy and stalkerish. Nick, if you’re reading this, please don’t be concerned. My admiration for you is purely professional. I have been a longtime student and admirer of Nick. His book, “How to Bake” was really my baking bible. His recipes are clear and methodical, leading to outstanding results every time. In 2008 he published The Modern Baker. A Challenge to bake the entire book was set up by a blogging friend of mine. Modern Baker is filled with creative contemporary recipes that offer great time-saving techniques. However, I think that, of all of Nick’s books, Cookies Unlimited is my favourite.
The cookie batter is simple to put together. No mixmaster required. One bowl and a wooden spoon and you’re ready to go. Start with large flake or quick cooking (not instant) oats. They will need to be ground up a bit in the food processor or blender. They should be finely chopped but not ground to a powder. They should look like the second photo here.
Add some melted butter, sugar, eggs, orange juice and
Forming the cookies is not difficult, but it does take a little time. Here is a video showing you the best technique and tools for the job.
Oatmeal Lace Cookies
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Leave lots of room between cookies on the baking sheet, as they will spread.
This year I sandwiched 2 cookies together with chocolate ganache to make a sandwich cookie. Plain melted chocolate will also be a perfect filling. They freeze beautifully, carefully layered between sheets of waxed paper, in an airtight container.
When it comes to chocolate chip cookies, people are very particular. Some like them thin and crispy; others love them thick and chewy. There are those who love them all warm and gooey from the oven. Then there are those who prefer them once they have totally cooled, and the chocolate has a snap when you bite into them. Finally, there are those who love them best straight from the freezer once they have cured for a few days. Granted, that camp is quite small (by the way, I am firmly in this camp) but they have their followers. Here is a tale about one chocolate chip cookie that is far superior to any other I have ever tried.
A few months ago, while surfing various food blogs I came across the following sentence, “I have found the last chocolate chip cookie recipe I will ever need.” Wow, I thought, that is a very bold statement and one not to be uttered lightly. However, being a food blogger myself, I know how we, as a group, are prone to exaggeration. These cookies were originally created buy Ashley at notwithoutsalt.com.
As I read through her recipe I became intrigued. All of the chocolate chip cookie recipes I have made over the years use both white and brown sugar. The white sugar makes the cookies crisp and the brown sugar, because of its hygroscopic (i.e.: it absorbs moisture from the air) properties, makes the cookies chewy. This is the first recipe I have ever seen that uses a third sugar – Turbinado sugar. Turbinado sugar is a golden coloured natural brown sugar is produced by extracting the juice from sugar cane, heating it to evaporate water and crystallize the sugar, then spinning in a centrifuge to remove some impurities and further dry the sugar. It can commonly be found at bulk food stores.
I must say a few words about the chocolate you choose for these cookies. Ashley says you must use the best quality chocolate you can afford. I made them with Valrhona Manjari 64% Chocolate from Madagascar. I know, I sound like such a chocolate snob, but I really believe that this chocolate took my cookies from good to outstanding. The Manjari chocolate is often sold in what they call “Les Feves” or “pistoles”. Essentially these are discs of chocolate that are reminiscent of chocolate chips on steroids. But they have none of the chalky, waxy quality of chocolate chips. I cannot emphasize too strongly, do not use chocolate chips for these cookies. Chocolate chips contain an emulsifier in them to help them hold their shape during baking. You want the chocolate to completely melt in baking and then harden once again after cooling. There is some kind of physical change that takes place during the melting and cooling, that gives chocolate chunk cookies a special snap or bite to them that you just do not get with chocolate chips. Buy a few bars of good quality chocolate (at least 60-70% cocoa content). If you can’t find Valrhona Manjari 64% Chocolate, try some chopped Callebaut or even Lindt dark chocolate.
With a small sprinkling of fleur de sel, just before baking, these cookies are pretty close to perfection. But, not one to leave well enough alone, I added chopped caramel candies to mine. These are a hefty cookie, crammed full of large shards of chocolate and little tunnels of caramel.
This recipe makes about 32 cookies, or less if you are they type to nibble on raw cookie dough. You know who you are, so adjust your yield expectations accordingly!
I used a 2 inch ice cream scoop and put 9 cookies on a 18 x 31 inch cookie sheet.
Warm from the oven or cold from the freezer, these cookies are pretty fantastic.
My youngest sister once told me that the sight of 24 pounds of unsalted butter in her freezer makes her very happy. I have to admit, the same is true for me. Although in my case, the butter would all be neatly stacked in orderly rows. In my sister’s freezer, more like haphazardly thrown in wherever they would fit. Now, that’s not a dig at my sister. It’s just part of her unique charm.
Why, you may be asking, would these sisters need 24 pounds of unsalted butter in their freezer at any given time? Do we operate a bootleg bakery out of our homes? No. Were we children who came from poverty? No, as a matter of fact, we grew up in a middle-class suburb of Toronto. I guess you could say we come by our hording honestly. Our mother stockpiled our freezer with Swanson’s T.V. dinners and chicken pot pies, Sara Lee Banana Cakes and Highliner fish sticks. We hoard butter because you never know when the urge to bake will hit, and you must never be caught unprepared. We both love to bake. We both find baking an extremely creative outlet and a way of showing our love to those around us.
Rather than shop for gifts for all the people in my life for whom I am grateful, I decided many years ago to bake. And somehow, over the years my gratitude has grown to include a circle of about 40 people! I usually bake about 7 or 8 different kinds of treats and package them all up in a beautiful unique container. There are a core 4 items I bake that must be included each year. If I leave any of them out, there may be a mutiny. These treats include Peanut Butter Bark, Chocolate Peppermint Cookies, Lemon Coconut Cookies and Gingerbread Snowflakes.
This year I added a few new items to the mix. The first are Biscotti Slabs. These are a creation of Montreal baker Marcy Goldman. Essentially, you take a typical biscotti batter, bake it in a loaf pan, chill, slice, re-bake and voilà: a new product. Slabs of crisp cookie-like biscotti with a delicious middle layer of chocolate and pecans and a glittering topping of cinnamon sugar. These are serious biscotti. Perfect for breakfast with a cafe latte. Anyone I have ever offered them to looks at them and says, “Oh, these are huge, I’ll just have a small piece.” They break off about a third, nibble on it quietly and then come back and finish the rest off. Sweet, but not too sweet, crunchy and quite addictive.
These biscotti begin with melted rather than softened butter. Marcy uses melted butter in many of her recipes. Not quite sure why this is. If you are melting the butter in the microwave, save yourself a lot of grief and a huge butter explosion and cover butter with a sheet of waxed paper first!
Butter and sugar are creamed together. Be sure to take the time to do this properly. It takes at least 4-5 minutes of creaming. It should look like this when it is done.
Eggs, vanilla, flour, baking powder and salt are added to complete the batter.
Here is my foolproof technique for lining the baking pan. No greasing required and the biscotti slab will lift out very easily without any sticking.
Lining Biscotti loaf pan
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Toasted pecans and bittersweet chocolate are chopped up to make the biscotti middle layer.
Mix together some cinnamon and sugar.
Then it’s time for assembly. Spread half the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Use wet fingers to spread it evenly. Spread the chocolate and pecan topping evenly over the batter. Sprinkle on half the cinnamon sugar mixture. Top with remaining batter and finish with a dusting of remaining sugar-cinnamon mixture.
Bake for about 50 minutes. Let cool completely and remove loaf from pan. Wrap well in foil and freeze for about an hour. Then slice into slabs and bake a second time.
Slicing the Biscotti Slabs
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Arrange slabs on baking sheet and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until crisp and slightly browned. They will continue to firm up as they cool.
You think you know a person. You sleep together in the same bed, glare stareacross the dinner table at each other, floss together every night, for almost 26 years, and you think you know this person inside and out. But then, suddenly you discover something about them that shocks you to your very core. Or in this instance, leaves you scratching your head saying, “huh??”
I’m speaking here, of course, about my husband of a quarter of a century. For the past 6 months, at least once a week, I have been making this pasta dish. And every week, he eats it, cleaning his plate, without comment. All of the sudden, this week, he looks at me and says, “Next time, can you leave the weeds out?”
Weeds?? Upon further discussion, I discovered he was referring to the wilted arugula and spinach that I add to this pasta dish. He finds the texture of sautéed green off-putting. I love them! So much so, that I plan to continue making this dish every week, but, as a compromise, as every good marriage requires some give and take to make it thrive, I will add the green vegetables that he does love, like broccoli, peas and asparagus and serve the weeds on the side. Heck, I love this guy so much, I may even give him a real thrill and add some brussels sprouts one week. Now that’s how you spice up a marriage!
The inspiration for this dish came from a Cook’s Illustrated recipe for pasta with Italian sausage and broccoli rabe. At home I keep kosher and could not make this with traditional pork Italian sausage, so I used ground turkey and just added the seasonings found in spicy Italian sausage; fennel seed, red pepper flakes and garlic.
The red pepper flakes and fennel seed, along with some salt, get ground up in a spice grinder. Actually, it’s just an inexpensive coffee grinder, that I use only for grinding spices. Here’s a great tip for cleaning the spice grinder and getting rid of any odours so they do not transfer to the next thing you grind. Take about a halt a cup of raw white rice and grind it up. Any last remnants of whatever you last ground up, that may be lurking beneath the blades, will cling to the rice and will be discarded with the ground rice.
A paste of garlic, anchovy, lemon and olive oil is prepared to add flavour and finish the dish off.
I like to use ground dark meat turkey as it is higher in fat, more flavourful and does not dry out as quickly. The ground turkey gets sautéed with the ground spices.
When the turkey is almost cooked through, remove it from the pan and cook your vegetables. I used baby spinach and baby arugula, as well as some diced tomatoes. Feel free to improvise and use whatever makes you happy. We also love it with fresh peas or asparagus in the spring, or frozen peas, all year round. Sometimes I will make it with broccolini.
If you have never wilted greens before, you will be shocked at how they will wilt down to almost nothing.
Remember to keep some of the pasta cooking water before draining the pot. The starch in the water will help to thicken the sauce.
I know it’s a little too early to start thinking about potato latkes, since the first night of Chanukah is not until December 20 this year. But I have a good reason for posting about them now. You see, ever since I saw Chuck Hughes make these on his show, “Chuck’s Day Off”, it’s all I could think about.
Now, before you continue reading any further, I must warn you that I am about to gush big time. So, if public displays of affection make you at all uncomfortable, perhaps you should stop reading this post right now. To be perfectly honest, Chuck’s been on my mind quite a bit lately. You may recall that I posted about Chuck in April, and then again at the beginning of this month. I guess you could say that I’m a bit smitten with him. For the record, I am happily married (not to Chuck!), but celebrity crushes are permitted. I think it’s actually healthy for our marriage.
For those not familiar with Chuck, check out this short video of him on YouTube, and you’ll see what I mean.
Chuck cooks on his day off for friends, family and his suppliers as a way of saying thanks. In one episode he made adobo pork shanks, fried rice and pineapple coconut pie for Edgardo and Burt, the father and son team that cleans his restaurant. How could you not love this guy?
He made these latkes for his pots and pans suppliers. He topped them off with a dollop of ricotta cheese and a fried egg. And on the side, he served roasted grape tomatoes and sautéed zucchini. The first time I tried the recipe, I made it exactly as Chuck did, but to be honest, the ricotta and the sautéed zucchini really muddied the flavours of the potato and egg. The roasted tomatoes, however, really brightened up the whole dish. Their acidity balanced the richness of the fried potato and egg.
Chuck’s latke method is more like the Swiss dish “röesti potatoes”, than traditional potato latkes. He parboils the potatoes first, then shreds them and mixed them with onion, chives, eggs, cayenne, salt and pepper. I gave his method a whirl but must admit, I like using grated raw potatoes. I find you get a crispier latke that way.
Grape tomatoes get a drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper and some thyme.
After 45 minutes in the oven they come out all wrinkled and sweet. They can be made in advance and sit at room temperature while you make the latkes and fry the eggs.
Before I get down to the business of reporting on Day 10 I am excited to share with you the debut post of a brand new young food blogger. (O.K, full disclosure here, it’s my daughter, and I couldn’t be prouder). Check out her first post at http://bostonbakesforbreastcancer.org/tales-of-a-chocoholic/
O.K. back to Day 10 in Umbria.
My original plan, when I embarked on my trip to Umbria, was to blog at the end of each day, about the single best thing I had eaten. Boy was that a naive plan! First of all, trying to narrow down the best thing you ate all day, while travelling through Italy, is no easy task. Almost every morsel I put in my mouth had me declaring, “Could be the best thing I”ve eaten today!” Secondly, after attempting to blog on my first night, full with both food and wine and exhausted from touring all day, I quickly realized I would not be able to write a very coherent post. So I decided to take lots of photos and notes and do it all when I got home. I arrived home on Sept 25! It has taken me over 7 weeks to post about all 10 days, but here we are, finally at the end.
We decided to just hang out at our incredible villa for our last day before the magic was over, and we all turned back into pumpkins to return to our real lives. Although, the body shapes of some of us was beginning to resemble pumpkins, after 10 days of eating our way through the Umbrian countryside. Over breakfast we just feasted our eyes on the incredible views from our terrace.
Liria, our wonderful host, volunteered to give us a cooking class this morning. She offered to teach us whatever we wanted to learn. Without even hesitating, I told Liria I needed to know how to make pappa al pomodoro, the Tuscan tomato bread soup I’d eaten at Cibreo in Florence. Without a doubt, this was the best thing I ate on our trip. I was smitten with this soup.
We gathered in the kitchen and Liria outfitted us with out aprons, chef”s hats and gloves. Gloves??? Wow, I was impressed. When I remarked to Liria how blown away I was with her attention to hygiene, she laughed and said, that she only wears the gloves to protect her manicure and figured that we were like-minded women. Boy, had she pegged us right!
The kitchen here at the villa is a sight to behold. I coveted it all, but most especially, the induction cooktop. I had always thought that a gas cooktop was the best, but the temperature control you get with this cooktop is incredible. The marble back splash was nothing to sneeze at either!
We began with fresh plum tomatoes, basil, spring onions and salt. They were simmered for about 15 minutes and then transferred to a food mill for processing. The food mill is an extremely handy kitchen tool. The skins and seeds of the tomato are separated from the flesh and no peeling is required on your part! It also makes incredible applesauce (no peeling required) and wonderful, fluffy mashed potatoes. We all got a chance to have a spin.
While the tomatoes were being milled, Liria gently simmered some garlic, basil and, her secret ingredient, whole cloves, in a generous glug of olive oil. I was shocked that she used cloves. They are one of the few spices I can not stomach the aroma of. I find them extremely cloying and leave them out of every recipe that calls for them. Liria said that she only uses 4 of them for a huge pot of soup and you can’t really taste them. They just add a background note that enhances all the flavours. She stressed that low heat is key at this stage, as you do not want to brown the garlic, as it would become bitter. After a 10 minute low simmer, the tomato puree is added and that cooks for an additional 10 minutes.
The final addition is breadcrumbs to thicken the soup.
After an additional 10 minutes of simmering, the soup is ladled into bowls and finished off with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some fresh julienned basil.
After lunch we had a chance to tour the gardens and see all the fresh produce that grows here at Casali di Monticchio. Grapes, eggplant, olives and figs are just a few of the things we observed, in addition to chickens in a coop for farm fresh scrambled eggs every morning.
For our farewell aperitivo, Liria pulled out all the stops and fed us a feast. Even the villa dog, Parcetta, perked up when the prosciutto came out!
I feel so grateful to have such wonderful and loving friends to have shared this incredible journey with. What a ride it’s been! Thanks to all who have followed along to read about our adventure.
Just realized I completely forgot to tell you all about the best thing I ate each and every morning for breakfast at our villa, Casali di Monticchio. Each morning Liria and her daughter Johanna, set out a buffet for us. Before we arrived, an e-mail went out to all the guests asking us about our food preferences. Apparently 12 out of 18 of us requested non-fat greek yogurt and berries with granola for breakfast. I know… we are such an exciting bunch! I will not divulge what the other 6 asked for.
Each morning, I started my day with had a bowl of yogurt with fresh berries, sometimes ripe peaches and bananas and always a small handful of this incredible granola sprinkled on top. It was sweet, but not too sweet, had lots of nuts and seeds and some coconut and just a few dried fruits. But the best part was that this granola had huge clumps. Everyone always eats the big clumps of the granola first and leaves the little crumbs in the box for the end. This granola had very few little crumbs and lots of huge clumps which maximized the yummy crunch factor! I needed to get Liria’s secret granola recipe. When I finally remembered to ask her this morning, she went into the kitchen and came out, sheepishly holding a huge bag of Kellogg’s fruit and nut granola. I have been searching for it ever since I came home but can’t find it. I think it is something developed for the European market. It will haunt me for a very long time.
Fortified by this excellent breakfast, about 8 of us headed off on the mini-bus, with Claudio, our ever-faithful driver, to the outlet malls. When we were first planning the trip, my travel agent, Linda, looked over the itinerary and noticed that we had not scheduled any official shopping time. WHAT?? How could I have forgotten to do that? When I asked her what she would recommend, she quickly responded that we must visit the outlet malls, situated just outside of Florence. When some people hear the words, “outlet mall”, the adrenaline starts pumping through their veins and their pulse starts to race just a bit faster. I’m just not one of those people. Don’t get me wrong, I get just as giddy as the next Canadian woman when I come within a 1 mile radius of a Target store, but outlet shopping always ends up disappointing me.
The clothes are usually just heaped on shelves and racks and I find that so aesthetically unappealing. I just don’t have the vision or the patience to sort through it all. The changing rooms are usually scuzzy and they have a limit on the number of items you can take in. Sometimes the change rooms do not even have mirrors and you have to come out to look in the mirror in a general changing area. I hate that! And finally, most of the stuff in outlet stores is the kind of stuff you would have felt quite “fashion forward” in last year but left you asking, this year, “What was I thinking?”
After I explained this all to Linda, she started to laugh at me. She explained that Italian outlet Malls are nothing like North American ones. They are very high-end and while the items may be last season, most of the designs are so classic, they will become wardrobe staples for a very long time. My girlfriend Marla is an excellent shopper. She has incredible patience and stamina, both of which you need in abundance to shop sales and outlet malls. She has a knack of combing through the sales racks and finding that one gem. That one flexible classic piece that can be dressed up to go black tie or can be worn with jeans to go for coffee. I love to shop with her, follow her into the change room and try on all her rejects. All the glory and none of the hard work. Luckily, she would be joining us on the outlet shopping trip in Italy.
The build-up to our shopping day was kind of intense. We decided to visit “The Mall” (it’s actually called that!) and “Space”. The Mall is a beautiful high-end outdoor outlet shopping centre located in the town of Leccio, about a 30 minute drive from Florence. Shops at The Mall included a veritable who’s who of big name designers. Alexander McQueen, Armani, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Burberry, Dior, Fendi, Gucci, Hogan, Loro Piana, Marni, Pucci, Roberto Cavalli, Salvatore Ferragamo, Sergio Rossi, Stella McCartney, Tod’s , Valentino, YSL, Zegna. “Space” is the Prada Outlet store. There was quite a discussion about which to visit first, “The Mall” or “Space.” We had heard that there were huge lineups at Space and they only let 100 people in at a time. In developing our strategy, we consulted Liria, the owner of our villa. She advised us to visit The Mall first and then Space. She said that lineups on a weekday in September would not be an issue.
When our bus pulled up at The Mall, Marla had her shopping strategy well mapped out and made a beeline to the Marni store. We all followed her like baby chicks after their mother hen! The mall was everything Linda had promised. The grounds were beautifully manicured, the stores well-lit and appointed and all the wares were beautifully displayed. You would never guess you were in an outlet mall. The staff all spoke English, and were very helpful. No attitude at all. The changing rooms were large and well-lit with mirrors. Best of all, there was no limit on the number of items you could take in at once. We were very successful at The Mall, and most of us found at least one or two treasures. My brother-in-law, (first photo in this post) was happy to be our bag mule as long as we fed and watered him.
I was so busy trying on clothes and attempting to keep up with Marla’s speedy pace, that I only managed to take a few photos. Most of these are from The Mall’s own website.
After The Mall, it was off to Space, the Prada Outlet. Located in an industrial area, just outside the town of Montevarchi, there were no identifying signs to let you know you had arrived. I guess Prada does not want to advertise that they have an outlet store. Try as they may to hide this outlet store, Claudio, our trusty driver, managed to ferret it out!
There was no line-up at all when we arrived, so we sailed right in. When you first enter the store, a very handsome Prada model hands you a ticket with a number on it. This is your PIN number for the day. You are not allowed to take items you wish to purchase from one department to another. Once you try the item on and decide you want to purchase it, you hand the items over to a sales associate and they set it aside with your PIN number. When you are all done shopping, you proceed to the checkout and all your items magically appear. Luckily, you are still able to change your mind at the cash and they don’t even get snarky about it!
Prada knows a thing or two about merchandising. Upon entering, straight ahead, front and center, is the shoe department. Like moths to a flame we were drawn right in! Purses, accessories and collection pieces are on the right hand side of the store and skin care, sunglasses and sportswear flank the left side of the store. Menswear, as usual, is buried at the back. I’m always surprised that men don’t have a complex about this.
Although this was an outlet store, the displays were quite beautiful and there was a large selection of items and sizes. I managed to find a beautiful black cashmere sweater for 70% off and a cute little evening bag to bring home to my daughter, as a consolation prize for daring to go to the Holy Grail (Prada Outlet) without her! Prices were really good. One friend bought two purses, one for herself and one for her sister. (Lucky sister!) My sister-in-law got some gorgeous shoes that we all coveted. All in all, a successful trip!
Stay tuned for Day 10 (our last day before going home – sob!) when we get a cooking lesson from Liria, in her fabulous kitchen!
There is a cerulean blue file folder, sitting on my desk, to the left of my printer. It contains recipes and cooking ideas that I hope to try out one day. Some of these recipes I have printed off the internet from food blogs, Food Network shows and other food related sites. Others are torn from the pages of various newspapers and magazines. It is an unweildly bulging mess. Every so often, I go through the folder, and toss out things that no longer appeal to me in my current state of mind. For example, last week I tossed out a recipe for Poached Tongue with Tangy Tomato, Olive and Caper Sauce. The week before, I threw out a recipe for Malabi (a Middle Eastern milk pudding). What was I thinking?
And then there are the recipes that never get a chance to make it into the “to try one day” folder. You read about something or see a chef prepare it on TV and you are immediately mobilized into action. You must make it NOW! It’s all you can think about. That happened to me last week. I had several other pressing matters (like making dinner) to take care of, but I just ignored them and began rummaging in my kitchen cupboards to make sure I had everything I needed to make Molten Caramel Cake.
When I watched Chuck Hughes prepare these little cakes on his Food Network show last week, I was transfixed. First of all, molten caramel! Who even know you could do molten caramel cakes? Of course I had heard of molten chocolate cakes, but caramel…I just never imagined such a glorious thing. I am not a huge fan of the chocolate variety. Warm gooey chocolate just doesn’t do it for me. I like my chocolate like I like my men… solid! Caramel is a completely different story. Caramel is meant to be warm and runny and sticky. These little cakes are amazing. They take about 10 minutes to put together and 15 minutes to bake. Almost an instant dessert. You will not be sorry you ignored everything on your TO DO list to make these. Trust me, they’re worth it.
White chocolate and butter are melted, then whisked together. While I was waiting for the white chocolate to melt, I took a picture of my newly organized pantry shelves.
I just have to share with you these new storage containers I am currently obsessing over. They are made by OXO Good Grips. They’re amazing for a few reasons. First, the seal is extremely airtight. Second, they are square so you can fit more containers in your space than round containers. Third, the tops are flat, so they stack very well, also maximizing space. And finally, they are so much fun to open. Watch my demo video!
OXO Good Grips Containers
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Once the white chocolate and butter are melted, whisk in some ready-made dulce de leche. The Presidents Choice brand is quite good. And Williams Sonoma makes a delicious one as well, according to my sister-in-law.
It is important to take the time to whisk the eggs and sugar together properly. It takes about 5 minutes to get the mixture to double in volume.
After 15 minutes they were done. We waited about 45 minutes before we ate them, but they would be wonderful hot from the oven too. The magic happens when you stick the spoon into the middle of the cake and warm caramel comes oozing out. What could be better? They were still delicious the next morning for breakfast with a latte.
This morning, after breakfast, we headed out in the mini-bus and were dropped off about an hour’s hike away from the town of Pitigliano. This little hillside town, south of Florence, on the Tuscan border, has a fascinating Jewish history. Our guide for the day was a young woman named Elisabetta. She grew up in Pitigliano is a history and archaeology scholar. She also runs the local library in Pitigliano. As we hiked into town, she gave us a brief history of Pitigliano.
Jews began settling in Pitigliano in the 15th Century. The Jewish population continued to grow as more Jews were forced out of Rome because of Pope Paul IV’s segregation policies, requiring Jews to live in ghettos. Pitigliano was an attractive place to settle for many Jews because it was not part of the papal state and was an independent province, ruled at the time by the Orsini family. The Orsini’s social policy was quite laissez-faire and the Jews were permitted to live a freer lifestyle. A synagogue was built in 1598, followed by the construction of a school. Jews were permitted to set up their own businesses as carpenters, tailors, weavers, shoemakers and moneylenders. The city soon became known as La Piccola Gerusalemme or “Little Jerusalem.”
Over the next several hundred years, depending on who was in power, the fortunes of the Jews of Pitigliano either waxed or waned. However, despite restrictions during various periods, the Jewish community continued to grow and prosper. In the mid 1800’s the Jewish population of Pitigliano reached almost 400 people, which represented over 10% of the total population.
After the unification of Italy in 1861, the Jewish population of Pitigliano began to decline. Many Jews moved to larger cities nearby for economic reasons. By 1931, there were only 70 Jews left living there. Anti-Semitism was rampant by 1936 and then in 1938 racial laws were instituted. During the Holocaust, the brave Christian people of Pitigliano risked their lives to hide and save Jews that were escaping from the Nazi terror.They hid them on farms in the valleys and in caves up in the hills.
After the war, only 30 Jews returned to Pitigliano. The synagogue had been damaged during the war. Today despite the fact that there are only 3 Jews left in Pitigliano, the Jewish cultural heritage has been preserved. The synagogue was rebuilt in 1995. One of those Jews is Elena Servi. She is president of Associazione La Piccola Gerusalemme (The Association of Little Jerusalem), an organization made up of both Catholics and Jews. Elena and her nephew have made it their life’s mission to tell the story of the history of Pitigliano so that future generations can learn from it.
It is a beautiful story of cultural and religious co-existence, tolerance, compassion, respect, friendship and affection between Christians and Jews. The association has raised funds to restore and preserve all the Jewish monuments in the town, including the Synagogue, the “Forno di Asimo” (the Kosher oven) and the Jewish Cemetery. The citizens of this town honour the memory of the Jewish citizens that once thrived in this place. They feel strongly that it is important to remember and preserve the history and maintain these sites so that it will never be forgotten. It is a very moving tribute.
A beautiful web site, devoted to Pitigliano has been created by one very special man. Click HERE to check it out!
We went to see the Kosher oven where matzoh for Passover was baked so many years ago.
We had the privilege of meeting Signora Servi and she spoke to us about her experiences during the Holocaust. She and several members of her family left the town in November 1943 and were hidden away by farmers and peasants, outside of town, moving from one small farm to another, until June 1944. The last 3 months of hiding were spent in a cave under the protection and support of a local Christian farmer.
After meeting with Elena, Elisabetta took us over to an old wine cellar (Cantina Sociale) where we were served an incredible lunch.
Platters of food kept arriving at the table. Of course the requisite Pecorino cheese made an appearance. We had a 2-month old one which tasted very fresh and nutty and a 1-year-old one which was drier and had some straw undertones. Then they brought Stracchino, a mild soft white cow’s milk cheese to the table with 3 sauces (cactus, acacia honey and pear and pepper) to accompany it. The name of the cheese derives from the Italian word “stracca”, meaning “tired. It is said that the milk from tired cows coming down from the alpine pastures in the fall, is richer in fats and more acidic. These qualities were discovered, according to legend, in the milk of cows who were moved seasonally, up and down the Alps to different pastures. The milk of such cows gives the cheese its characteristic flavors. It has a mild milky flavour, similar to cream cheese but a bit more acidic, with just a hint of tartness. It just melts in your mouth. When paired with the sauces it became something different all together. I loved it best with the pear and pepper sauce.
The crostini with olive oil was unbelievable. I have never had an olive oil this fruity. The olive oil soaked into the toasted bread and softened it ever so slightly. There were two kinds of farro salads, both with chickpeas. The first had thinly sliced purple onion and was dressed simply with olive oil and sea salt. The second had tomatoes and basil and was also dressed with olive oil and sea salt. I could not get enough of these farro salads. My favourite eat of the day! The chewy nutty farro contrasting with the creamy chickpeas was an unbeatable combination. When I came home I created my own version of this, adding pickled shallots.
Of course we were served kosher wine, produced by The Pitigliano Cooperative Cellars. It is sold in a winery just outside of town.
We finished with a wild cherry and sheep’s milk ricotta cheese pie.
After lunch we had a chance to tour the wine cellar.
Then it was time to visit the Synagogue.
Once inside the synagogue, one of our friends asked Elisabetta if it would be okay if he could lead our group in the mincha (afternoon prayer) service. To hear Hebrew being sung in this place was very emotional for all of us. This town of mostly Christians wish to honour the memory of the Jewish citizens that once thrived in this place. They feel strongly that it is important to remember and preserve the history and maintain these sites so that it will never be forgotten. It is a very moving tribute that left me feeling very hopeful about a future when all religions can peacefully co-exist.
Pitigliano
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After we left the synagogue, we felt kind of drained of all our energy, but in a good way. We just wandered around the town, taking it all in. The buildings in this walled city are constructed out of the soft yellow volcanic rock, “tuff.” The cobblestone streets are narrow and the pride the residents take in their homes was beautiful to see.
We discovered that Italian cats like to dine on pasta, elderly men in Pitigliano like to hang out in a group, outside on benches, just like elderly gentlemen all over the world and my friend Philip discovered that the women of Pitigliano are incredible flirts.
Stay tuned for Day 9 when we become totally shallow, abandon all interest in culture and history and visit the Italian outlet malls!
Today, thankfully, we had an opportunity to air out our hiking and biking clothes and give our tired aging muscles and bones a bit of a rest, as we were headed off to Florence, by bus, to go sightseeing. We started off in our minibus with Claudio. Once we got off the strada bianca (dirt road) and close to the autostrada (highway), we pulled into a parking lot and switched to a big bus. Claudio was rather excited to be driving the big bus. Now he could really show us his stuff and take it up, over 100 km per hour on the autostrada without the bus getting the shakes.
Our day in Florence included lots of options for everyone to choose from. As you can well imagine, with a group of 18, there are varying interests. The morning options included a Segway tour of Florence (include a link) or a walking tour with local guide, Simone, starting at the Arno River and ending up at the Jewish Synagogue. Afternoon options included a visit to the Uffizi gallery, a tour of the Duomo or sightseeing on your own. Late afternoon, there was an optional visit to an artisanal chocolate master, for a chocolate making demonstration (and tasting, of course).
I remarked to Cameron and Leif, our B&R guides, that organizing the day in Florence must have been a bit of a challenge. They just looked at each other and laughed. Apparently a spread sheet was involved in order to keep straight where everyone was going and at what times. They were more than a little nervous about losing someone. He said that the swan was a perfect avatar for a B&R guide…all calm and serene on the surface, but paddling like mad below the surface to stay afloat.
This was my second visit to Florence. My first was in 1984, with my sister, after I graduated from University. What I remember most vividly about the city was not the typical sites (the Duomo and The David) but laughing with my sister, eating amazing gelato and buying a beautiful leather purse. Shockingly, I can still remember the name of the ice cream shop, Vivoli Gelato.
Truthfully, this visit was not much different. Switch a sister for a sister-in-law and our day was pretty similar. My sister-in-law, Marion, and I are great friends, but because we live in different cities, we don’t get to spend as much time together as we wish. We decided to just wander on our own and opted out of the afternoon tours. My husband questioned the wisdom of doing this. He said, “You’re here in Florence, don’t you want to visit the famous sites?” When I stopped to think about it, the answer to his question became obvious to me. I said, “Many years from now, when I’m on my deathbed, I doubt that I’ll regret not visiting more of the tourist sites in Florence. But I do know that I will regret not spending more time laughing, eating gelato, shopping, and just hanging out with Marion.”
We ate some incredible coconut gelato (could this be the best thing I ate all day?), bought matching silver woven evening bags, tried on dozens of hats and scarves, took pictures of some really beautiful old doors and flowers and got quite lost looking for the leather market. I have never been known for my sense of direction but I always thought Marion was skilled with a map. Clearly I was mistaken! I think we circled the same several blocks 4 times before we actually realized it. We did, however, make it back in time for the chocolate class.
Our lesson was in the lab of Andrea Bianchini at La Bottega del Cioccolato. Andrea is an award-winning pastry chef and one of Italy’s leading chocolatiers. He greeted us dressed in pristine chef’s whites. He had a ready smile and a little twinkle in his eye. I suspect that he regularly gets himself in just a little bit of trouble with the ladies.
Chocolate lab
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I let out a little yelp when I saw the chocolate tempering machines in the pastry kitchen. He had one for milk chocolate and one for dark chocolate.
In the chocolate tempering process, the cocoa butter molecules within the chocolate are stabilized through a process of heating and cooling that allows the chocolate to harden properly and ensures a shiny finish. Untempered or incorrectly tempered chocolate can be brittle and may appear lackluster, spotted, or blotchy with a whitish film on the surface because the cocoa butter separates from the chocolate and some cocoa butter crystals are visible to the eye. Tempered chocolate will have a nice shine and a “snap” when you bite into it.
The tempering process involves melting the chocolate to about 113° F, then adding some unmelted chocolate and stirring, so that it cools down to 81° F, and then heat it up gently to about 88° F. Then you must maintain this temperature while working.
When I make truffles at home, I do this entire tempering process by hand, using a heating pad to regulate and maintain the temperature of the chocolate. (Click here to see how I do it at home.) I was quite jealous of these tempering machines. The entire tempering process is done by machine. These machines are not inexpensive. A small home model could start at about $500. I can only imagine the cost of these beauties.
We got to try a selection of different chocolates, as well as his version of tiramisu, made with his secret recipe for mascarpone cheese. My favourite was the salted caramel truffle. (Could this be the best thing I ate all day?). He sprinkled a secret ingredient on one of the chocolate bars he made for us. We all licked the chocolates trying to guess what it was he had coated them with. Finally it came to us…Parmesan cheese! I had never thought of that combination before. Unusual, for sure but I’m fairly certain this year’s holiday basket will not contain Parmesan truffles.
The plan was for everyone to meet at the bus at 6:30 and then we would all go on to dinner together from there. When we arrived at the bus, about 10 minutes late, almost everyone was there. Leif had beads of sweat on his upper lip and he and Claudio were exchanging worried, anxious glances. Suddenly Leif’s carefully crafted calm veneer cracked, and he yelled, “OK, everyone on the bus. Now!” We were shocked, but we quickly clambered back onto the bus and took off at top speed. Those already on the bus were in various states of undress, as most of us had brought a change of clothes to wear for dinner. Clothes went flying, lipsticks and earrings went rolling up the aisle of the bus and perhaps someone lost her balance and landed in the lap of the wrong husband. It was chaos.
We later discovered that large tour buses are not permitted inside the old city walls of Florence. Claudio snuck in and was parked illegally. With each passing minute he risked the chance of being caught and getting a huge fine.
Dinner that night was at Cibreo. I had spent quite a bit of time researching where to eat dinner in Florence. Cibreo was very highly recommended by Liria, the owner of the villa we were staying at. What you need to know about Cibreo is that this is not your typical Italian restaurant. There is no pasta on the menu. Actually, there is no menu, but more about that later.
I knew we had made the right choice, when our friends, who live in Milan, joined our group for dinner and told me they were so excited we had chosen this restaurant. They said it is their favourite in Florence and come here for dinner every time they are in town. We began with Prosecco and a small plate of amuse bouche. Now, you have to understand that I have been tasting Prosecco on this trip, like it’s my job. Tough job, I know, but I am doing it for the sake of research so you can benefit from my hard work! I have come to adore Prosecco very late in life. I always thought I didn’t like sparkling wine because all I had ever tasted was Champagne. But Prosecco is so much lighter, fresher and less yeasty than Champagne. I am on a mission to sample as many brands as I can, to come up with a favourite. It seems like I may have found it!I Definitely my favourite of the trip so far.
On the chef’s amuse bouche plate were an egg custard with herbs, smooth delicate and airy, chicken liver crostini that was rich, hearty and oh so silky, and a sun-dried tomato crostini.
Next we were served, what looked like someone had taken a can of Campbell’s tomato soup and emptied it onto a plate. Sort of like a small tomato jelly mould. Made me recall my cooking school days when we had to make aspic! I took a little nibble to be polite and then another and another. Pretty soon we were all licking our plates clean. It was a sort of tomato aspic but nothing like I have ever eaten before. Brilliantly red and kissed with just a touch of red pepper flakes this custard was silky like velvet in texture but tasted like the freshest vine ripened, just picked tomato you have ever tasted.
Then one of the waiters came in with his arms full of long baguettes. Upon closer examination, each baguette had knots tied in both ends so it resembled the femur bone. Bread shaped like bones! Somebody here had an incredible sense of humour. I loved it!
When it came time to order our primi and secondi, a woman entered our private room and pulled up a chair to join us at the table. When she got our attention, she explained that at Cibreo, they don’t have menus. She will recite and explain all the choices for that evening. There were about 7 choices for primi and of course we forgot them all as soon as she finished explaining each in loving detail. We had to get her to recite them about 3 times before everyone was able to decide. She was very good-natured about it. She took our orders and got quite excited when it became obvious that at least one person was going to try each item. Apparently, it upsets her when everyone at the table all order the same thing. I can sort of understand that. I get really annoyed if my husband orders the same thing as I do, because then I can’t taste something different off his plate.
Cibreo
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Although I didn’t get to taste everything, I was able to snap a few shots before everyone grew very impatient with me. The first picture is Cibreo’s yellow pepper soup, for which the restaurant is well-known. I managed to find a recipe for it on-line.
Everything I tasted was delicious. The flavours were somehow dense and compact yet light at the same time. Chef Fabio Picchi lets the simplicity of in-season, top quality ingredients speak for themselves.
Award for the best thing I ate all day has to go to the soup I ordered, Pappa al Pomodoro. This is a tomato soup, thickened with bread. They actually served it with a fork! I had to laugh as it made me think of that commercial for Campbell’s Chunky soups…”Thick enough to eat with a fork but use a spoon. You’ll want to get every last drop.” I used some bread to sop up every last bit.
Desserts,which, in my opinion, are usually besides the point at Italian restaurants, really surprised me. Everyone who ordered the orange marmalade cheesecake raved about it. Those who ordered the panna cotta with caramel sauce had no trouble finishing and the few bites of raspberry tart I managed to swipe from my husband’s plate were incredible.
I am trying to figure out how I can get back to Florence as soon as possible to visit this wonderful restaurant.
Stay tuned for Day 8 when we visit Pitigliano, and learn a wonderful lesson about cultural co-existence.
