Irish Coffee

Pomeriggio pigro come tanti!
Malessere generale e voglio di sperimentare :) potrà essere questo il mio toccasana?


Ingredienti:
1 tazzina di caffè lungo zuccherato
1 tazzina di Baileys Irish Coffee
1 cucchiaio colmo di panna montata
+ panna montata q.b.
+cacao amaro q.b.

Preparare il caffè, nel frattempo montare 1 bicchierino di panna.
Versare il caffè in un lungo bicchiere da servizio, aggiungere il Baileys amalgamato con la panna. 
Completare tutto con panna montata e spolverare con il cacao. Volendo potete aggiungere chicchi di caffè al cioccolato =)

Frittelle di mais e pancetta

Le ho preparate qualche settimana fa per una cena di compleanno. Non dovevo essere neanche io a farle, ma le cose improvvisate... sono le migliori *_* e così si è rivelato. Sono state un successo!!!


Ingredienti:
1 uovo
300 gr. mais in scatola
150 gr. farina (se occorre aggiungere di più)
500 ml. latte
200 gr. pancetta a dadini
100 gr. parmigiano grattugiato
olio per friggere q.b.
sale q.b.


Sbattere l'uovo e unire il latte, salare e unire lentamente la farina, per non far formare grumi.
Sgocciolare il mais e unirlo al composto di latte, aggiungere poi la pancetta e parmigiano.
Nel frattempo far riscaldare l'olio in una padella antiaderente e, una volta caldo, portateci all'interno il composto a medie cucchiaiate. Friggete a fiamma non troppo alta finchè saranno brune. Trasferirle su carta assorbente e servire calde =)

Banana & Kiwi Fritters

Maruya ("Banana & Kiwi Fritters") is one of my favourite merienda when I was in the Philippines. They sometimes place it in a bamboo stick and sometimes they shape it like a hand fans. I miss that moment especially after siesta that when we woke up, my mom cooks us merienda delicacies like this maruya during hot summer day.


Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 ripe saba (banana plantain), peeled and sliced lengthwise
3 kiwis
2 cups vegetable oil
flour, for dredging · sugar

In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add milk and egg, beat until smooth.
Heat oil in a frying pan (or a large saucepan) over medium heat.
In batches, roll banana and kiwi slices in flour and then dip in batter. Fry in hot oil until golden brown.
Drain on paper towels. Roll in sugar. Place in a serving dish and serve.

Gingerbread Cake

Gingerbread is said to have been invented by the Greeks around 2800 B.C. At one time gingerbread was made with breadcrumbs and sweetened with honey, but as it made its way throughout the world it was adapted to meet the tastes of different cultures. That is why if you sample gingerbread in a country other than your own it may not look or taste as you expected. It can be a bread, a spicy sweet cake or a molded/shaped cookie that can range from light colored with just a touch of spice to dark colored and very spicy.   


Ingredients:
260 gr. all purpose flour
5 gr. baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
113 gr. unsalted butter, room temperature
105 gr. light brown sugar
2 large eggs
Zest of 1 lemon (outer yellow skin of lemon)
90 ml. honey
240 ml milk


Preheat oven to 180° and place rack in center of oven.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
In bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the lemon zest and honey and beat to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the dry ingredients and milk, alternately, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Beat just until incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula.  Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing cake from pan.  Let cool completely.

Meringhe

Meringue Cookies are so light and airy, sweet and crisp that seem to just melt in your mouth. I love how the outsides of the meringues are nice and crisp, yet the insides remain wonderfully soft and puffy, almost like mini-Pavlovas. While I often eat these just as they are, they also make a very nice plated dessert that you can top with whipped cream, ice cream, sorbet, and/or fresh fruit. 


Ingredients:
3 large egg whites
3/4 cup of sugar
100 gr. icing sugar

Preheat the oven at 180°.
Whisk egg whites and in two or three times add sugar. Whisk until pale and snowy.
Once finished add icing sugar (2 or 3 times) and stir slowly. Mix until incorporated.
Bake for 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 hour. The meringues are done when they are pale in color and fairly crisp. (The meringues will release easily from the parchment paper.) Turn off the oven, open the door a crack, and leave the meringues in the oven to finish drying several hours or overnight. The meringues can be covered and stored at room temperature for several days.
Note: you can also sprinkle meringues with cocoa powder and cinnamon before bake =D

White Chocolate Pudding

Dessert for Valentine's dinner *_* I had to choose a taste that could be desirable for Stefano. White Chocolate is the way <3


Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups milk, divided
Pinch salt
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 oz (1/2 cup) white chocolate chips or chopped

Heat 2 cups of milk, but do not boil. In a bowl, whisk the sugar and the egg yolks together until pale. In a separate dish, dissolve the cornstarch with the remaining 1/2 cup milk. Add to the egg yolks mixture and mix well. When the milk is hot,slowly pour it over the eggs,a little it at a time so the eggs don't start curdling on you. Return the whole thing over the stove and cook on medium low heat until it starts to thicken up. Add the white chocolate and stir until it is completely smooth. Strain if necessary. Pour the mixture into a clean bowl and let cool to room temperature, covered with plastic wrap punctured with small holes so the pudding does not form a skin while cooling. Pour into dishes and decorate =)

Red Velvet Cupakes

Everyone seems to enjoy Red Velvet Cupcakes covered with lovely swirls of Cream Cheese Frosting. While a year round favorite, their red and white color scheme make them particularly well suited for Christmas, Valentine's Day, and Canada Day. Top each cupcake with a fresh blueberry and you have a festive red, white, and blue dessert for July 4th.
Have a nice St. Valentine's Day =D


Ingredients:
125 gr. sifted cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 gr. regular cocoa powder
57 gr. unsalted butter, at room temperature
150 gr. granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
120 ml. buttermilk or less milk
1 tablespoon liquid red food coloring
1/2 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
For Cream Cheese Frosting:
227 gr. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
60 gr. confectioners' (icing or powdered) sugar, sifted
160 ml. cold heavy whipping cream (double cream)


Preheat oven to 175° and line 12 muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.
In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.
In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter. 
Working quickly, divide the batter evenly among the 12  muffin cups and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 18 - 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes and them remove from pan. Let cool completely before frosting. Either spread the frosting with a knife or offset spatula, or use a large 1M Wilton open star decorating tip to pipe the frosting.

For Cream Cheese Frosting: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth. Using the whisk attachment, gradually add the heavy cream and whip until the frosting is thick enough to pipe. Add more sugar or cream as needed to get the right consistency.

Makes 12 cupcakes =D

Peanut Butter Cups

Peanut Butter Cups are one of my favorite candies. The commercial peanut butter cup was introduced in the 1920s and has been going strong ever since. I never thought of making my own until I found this recipe which is amazingly easy. All that is required is to melt some chocolate, place a little in a candy cup, top with a little peanut butter mixture, and then drop a little more chocolate on top. That is it. What you end up with is a shell of chocolate with a smooth and creamy peanut butter filling inside. Delicious =D


Ingredients:
60 gr. creamy peanut butter
14 gr. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/8 teaspoon salt
20 gr. confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar
For Chocolate Coating:
100 gr. semi sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
150 gr. milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon shortening

Place the peanut butter, unsalted butter, and salt in a microwaveable bowl, and heat in the microwave for about one minute or just until soft, but not melted (check and stir the ingredients every 20 seconds). Stir in the confectioners sugar.
Melt the chocolates and shortening in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water.
Drop a teaspoon of the melted chocolate into each of the paper lined miniature muffin cups. Top with a scant teaspoon of peanut butter mixture. Then top with another teaspoon of melted chocolate. Refrigerate until set. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Makes about 18-20 peanut butter cups =D

Nutella Cookies

Dinner for Antonio's birthday, and i cannot go there with anything in my hands. So i'm making some cookies..not much not a little =D

Ingredients:
90 gr. flour
60 gr. hazelnuts or other nuts
50 gr. butter
1/2 cup of Pocket Coffee candies
10 gr. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 egg
70 gr. white sugar
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of whipping cream
1 full tablespoon of Nutella
+ Nutella


Melt butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and stir in Pocket Coffees and chocolate. Stir until melted; remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Beat the egg, sugar and salt in a medium bowl for about 2 minutes using high speed of an electric hand-held mixer. Beat in the melted chocolate mixture.
Thoroughly stir together the flour and baking powder, then stir flour mixture into chocolate mixture, then cream and nuts. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for an hour or more.
Preheat oven to 180°. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Working one at a time, scoop up generous heaping tablespoons of dough and shape into a mounds a little larger than a golf ball. Press a hole into the mound and stuff it with a teaspoon of chilled Nutella. Seal the whole with some more dough.
Place dough balls about 3 inches apart on lined baking sheet. Bake cookies one sheet at a time for exactly 12 minutes. Cool 3 to 5 minutes =D

Yellow butter Cake

Antonio's birthday tonight =) The task of preparing the cake, as usual, it's up to me *_*
Yellow butter cake is a wonderful old fashioned American classic, the same cake your mother and grandmother made. It’s the cake that fits any occasion and is the ideal birthday cake. Fill and frost the Layers with a rich and creamy fudge frosting, chocolate butter frosting or any frosting of your choice. This version makes a two-layer frosted cake, or make into cupcakes for a fun and easy dessert.

Ingredients:
2 cups cake flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk, room temperature (preferably whole milk)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of yellow coloring
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large egg yolks
Fudge Frosting:
300 gr. semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
½ cup unsalted butter
2 cups whipping (heavy) cream
½ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


Preheat oven at 180°.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; sift or whisk together to mix.  Set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, stir the milk, yellow colour and vanilla together. Set aside.
In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add egg yolks one at a time, beating until thoroughly mixed.
 With the mixer on low speed, add about one third of the flour mixture, mix just until the flour is almost completely blended.  Scrape the bowl down, and add about one half of the milk mixture, blending just until mixed. Scrape the bowl down again and continue alternating with the flour mixture and milk mixture, ending with the last portion of the flour, and stirring just until blended. 
Spoon the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the surface with the back of a large spoon. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a long toothpick, wooden skewer, or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and place pans on a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes then remove cake from the pans and place the cake on the wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

For frosting: place the chopped chocolate in a large heatproof mixing bowl.

In a heavy, medium-size saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, whipping cream, and sugar. Heat until the butter is melted and sugar dissolves, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon so mixture does not burn. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat.

Immediately pour the hot sugar mixture over the chocolate. Let stand for about 2 minutes, and then stir until smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Set aside to cool for about 30 minutes.

Set the bowl of frosting in a larger bowl of ice water. Using an electric hand mixer beat the frosting on medium speed until it thickens and turns lighter in color. This may take from 15 to 20 minutes. The frosting is ready when it no longer drips of the beaters when they are lifted; don’t over-beat or the frosting will turn grainy. 

Using an offset spatula, spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake *_*

Put in the refrigerator until serving =D

Enjoy!!!

Nutella Espresso

Cosa può essere meglio di una colazione piccola ma deliziosa *_* e giuro lo è stata...Più veloce che mai!

Ingredienti:
1 espresso
1 cucchiaio di Nutella
spumetta di latte (opzionale)

Ponete nella tazzina un colmo cucchiaio di nutella, preparare l'espresso e versarvelo sopra caldo. Girare velocemente e ricoprire il tutto con la schiuma del latte (se volete).
Enjoy!

Strudel salato di pere e formaggio

Cucina con Ale è sempre accesa a casa mia, ad ogni orario in cui va in onda. Di solito ammiro a bocca aperta senza prendere nota, ma quando l'altro giorno ha preparato questo...non ho potuto resistere a prendere carta e penna, come dice sempre lui *_*
Ha un pò a che fare con la pasticceria insomma..basta solo guardare che si parte dalla pasta sfoglia =D

Ingredienti:
230 gr. pasta sfoglia
1-2 pere non troppo mature
130 gr. salumi misti (prosciutto crudo, salame e speck)
60 gr. gherigli di noce, in granella
parmigiano grattugiato q.b.

Preriscaldare il forno a 200°.
Stendere la pasta sfoglia in uno spessore sottile e abbastanza ampio. Adagiare le fette di salumi lasciando ad ogni lato un bordo di 3 cm. Sopra i salumi stendere la pera in fettine o cubetti, sbriciolare poi con le noci e ricoprire il tutto con la grattugia del parmigiano.
Fare due risvolti di pasta, andando prima dal bordo verso il centro e dal centro verso il bordo opposto. Sigillare i lati, premendo bene e praticare delle linee (3 o 4) sulla superficie con la lama di un coltello. 
In una ciotolina sbattere un piccolo uovo con un pò di parmigiano e spennellarlo sulla superficie per far si che si crei una crosticina al formaggio a fine cottura.
Infornare per circa 35-40 minuti =D

Peanut butter Cupcakes

Ingredients:
130 gr. butter
280 gr. sugar
3 eggs
250 gr. peanut butter
180 ml. milk
2 tsp baking powder (optional)
210 gr. flour
Peanut butter frosting:
450 gr. icing sugar
120 gr. soft butter
125 gr. peanut butter
3-4 TBS of milk

Beat the lard and sugar until creamy.
Add eggs and beat well.
Add the peanut butter and beat well .... =)
Sift together the flour and baking powder.
Alternately add the milk, flour and baking powder.
Fill cups with mixture.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes or until they are golden and toothpick in center comes out clean.
Whisk the sugar with the butter.
Add the peanut butter.
Add milk as needed to create a spreadable cream (do not let too soft ... you want it strong enough)
Decorate cooled cupcake =)

Crepes

La crepe, è un’ antichissima preparazione di origine francese, che, secondo la leggenda, pare risalire addirittura al V secolo , quando Papa Gelasio, molto caritatevolmente, volle sfamare dei pellegrini francesi stanchi ed affamati, giunti a Roma per la festa della Candelora, e perciò ordinò che dalle cucine vaticane si portassero ingenti quantitativi di uova e farina, con i quali sarebbero state create le prime rudimentali crepes, che divennero poi di uso molto comune in Francia. Preparate fondamentalmente con pochi e semplici ingredienti, come uova, farina, latte e burro, le crepes sono una pietanza alquanto versatile, poiché, partendo dalla preparazione base, possono essere trasformate e farcite in mille modi e impiegate in una miriade di preparazioni, dolci o salate, rustiche o raffinate =D

Ingredienti:
1/2 litro latte
250 gr. farina
3 uova
1 pizzico di sale
40 gr. burro
2 cucchiai di zucchero a velo
1 pizzico di cannella

Ponete in una ciotola dai bordi alti la farina preventivamente setacciata, lo zucchero, e la cannella se preparerete delle crepes dolci, 1 pizzico di sale e ½ litro di latte. Lavorate il composto (potete usare anche uno sbattitore o il minipimer) fino a che sarà liscio, vellutato e senza alcun grumo. 
In una terrina a parte sbattete con una forchetta le uova affinché si amalgamino, poi aggiungetele alla pastella e continuate a mescolare e lasciatela riposare per almeno mezz’ora in frigo. Aggiungete il burro fuso e mescolare velocemente.
Ponete a scaldare sul fuoco una padella antiaderente per crepes, fatevi fondere una piccola noce di burro, e quando sarà ben calda versatevi un mestolino di pastella necessaria a coprire il fondo così facendo: ponete la pastella al centro della padella e poi inclinandola e ruotandola, cercate di distribuirla su tutta la superficie.
Lasciate cuocere per un minuto  scuotendo la padella di tanto in tanto per fare staccare la crepe dal fondo: non appena sarà dorata, giratela dall’altra parte e attendete che a sua volta assuma lo stesso colore.
Appena pronta, toglietela dalla padella facendola scivolare su di un piatto, e continuate così anche per le rastanti crepes, adagiandole una sull’altra a mano a mano che saranno pronte =)

Rocky Road brownies

Rocky Road started as a flavor of ice cream, that hard-to-resist combination of chocolate ice cream laced with chunks of nuts and marshmallows. William Dreyer came up with this cleverly named ice cream flavor back in 1929, and it was, and still is, a best seller. Its popularity is probably why the chocolate-nut-marshmallow combination is now found in so many desserts. I, too, am a fan and I regularly have a batch of Rocky Road Candy sitting in my refrigerator, and I love making these Rocky Road Brownies. These brownies are amazing, with their deep chocolate flavor and dense fudge-like texture topped with gooey melted marshmallows all jumbled together with chocolate chips and nuts.

Ingredients:
120 gr. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
113 gr, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
200 gr. granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
95 gr. all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Topping:
85 gr. semi sweet or milk chocolate chips
1 cup miniature marshmallows (store bought or home made)
50 g. chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, and/or pistachios)


Preheat oven to 165° and butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, an 8 inch (20 cm) square baking pan. 
Melt the chocolate and butter in a large stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Next, whisk in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Finally, stir in the flour and salt.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle the brownies with the chocolate chips, miniature marshmallows and chopped nuts. Return the brownies to the oven and bake for about 5 minutes, or just until the marshmallows start to melt. Remove from oven and let cool =D