Semifreddo with amaretti and tonka beans' syrup

Hi, I haven’t been writing for so long: 2013 has been a very special year for us. We relocated in a new house and worked so hard to make it suitable for the Cookery School,  after that I had a very busy summer season as a private chef (I feel so lucky to cook for such lovely people as all of my clients are). So at Fall I felt like emptied but now  here I am and I wish you all a very belated Happy New Year.

What I'm going to propose you a very easy yet delicious dessert: technically this isn’t a Semifreddo as the real one contains eggs but on my Birthday I invited some friends for lunch and I woke up late in the morning so I had just a little time to make a dessert. Happily I had some Tonka Beans’ Syrup already made and Candied Orange Peels which are things you can prepare in advance and stock in your pantry: they are always useful.

This Semifreddo is composed of cream at 30% of fat and mascarpone but you can make it also with a double cream ( 40 % of fat) . Then I added some Torrone, the hard  kind not the smooth one and Amaretti . But you can change completely the recipe by putting in chocolate chips and candied ginger for example or dates etc…..and you can use a ginger syrup instead of Tonka: just change the Tonka with a spoon of  chopped ginger and proceed the same way.

A frozen whipped cream like this is even better than an ice-cream, it keeps smooth and creamy and you just need to take it off the freezer 15 minutes before serving.

Ingredients for 8/10 servings, fills a mould of 18cm of diameter and 10 cm high  ( aprox a 2 liters mould that can be also a rectangular one, I just measured with some water)

600 ml of cream 30% fat

500 gr of mascarpone ( or 1,1 liter  of double cream)

150 ml of Tonka syrup

A pinch of salt ( very little one, I used fleur de sel only a few grains)

100 gr of Torrone

1 tbs od candied orange peels

1 tbs of candied ginger

200 gr of Amaretti ( you can find them in an Italian grocery)

1 cup of coffe

 ¼ a cup of rhum

To make the Syrup

6 Tonka Beans

500 gr of crystal sugar

400 gr of water 

Proceeding

First of all it’s better to start with the syrup: I rather tend to make a quantity because it’s easier and it keeps long stored in the fridge: you can use it on yoghurt or even add it in a cup of coffee. Tonka Beans have a fabulous, scrumptious flavour between vanilla and bitter almonds. I’m sure you’ll fall in love with it if you don't already know!

Put the water and sugar in a pan with the beans, stir to dissolve the sugar and let simmering as long as it makes equal bubbles on the surface and has the texture of liquid honey ( it will take between 30/45 minutes but if you leave on a very low heat you won’t have to bother about it) then let it cool.

Once the syrup cooled you can start with the Semifreddo: to whip such a quantity of cream you’ll need a Kenwood or a Kitchen-Aid otherwise you can make the half  of it and you'll have 4 /5 servings. Prepare a cup of coffee for the Amaretti, then fold the mould with a film so that you can unmould easily ( I didn’t and I regretted)

Make sure your cream, mascarpone and the bowl are really cold and then pour in the bowl the cream, the pinch of salt, the syrup and whisk till it makes soft peaks and it’s rather thick but not too much. Then add the Torrone ( I put a link but it's not a sponsor ), the orange peels and ginger chopped and the amaretti crushed (they crush very easily I used a mortar) mix very gently with a spatula and pour half of the cream in the mould, even it with a spatula then soak the amaretti into coffee-rhum and make a layer, then fill the mould with the rest and put in the freezer till it’s frozen (approx. 3 / 4 hours for this size) The good thing is that you can prepare it the day before or even two. Take it off 15 mn before serving, unmould on a plate, soak the Amaretti into coffee-rhum and use for decoration. I made the recipe with a small amount of sugar so that you can pour some additional syrup on the top for a very decadent look.

Wild Fennel Panna Cotta

It’s a very long time I don’t write a post: I’ve been very busy with preparing my Cookery School and Supper Club. But a blogger-friend asked me if I could make a recipe for a contest on wild herbs, knowing how passionate I am about this. So here I am, with a dessert made with wild fennel which I adore. I thought about making a very simple Panna Cotta flavoured with this extraordinary herb. Wild fennel gets amazing just cooked in a syrup. I chose raspberries but you can serve it also with strawberries: the acidity and freshness of fruits balances the velvety  sweetness of panna cotta. It is a  light dessert to serve after an elegant dinner.

 

Ingredients for 4 servings

400 ml of fresh liquid cream ( 30% of fat)

10 gr of jelly in sheets

150 gr of caster sugar

300 ml of water

A pinch of salt

250 gr of raspberries

Two branches of wild fennel washed and finely chopped

First of all prepare the syrup: put the water and sugar to boil, let cook slowly for about 15 mn or till the syrup begins to thicken and makes bubbles, add the fennel and switch off the fire. Let cool  and in the meantime prepare the panna cotta: pour the cream in a saucepan, add the pinch of salt and bring to boil, turn off the fire. Soak the gelatine in cold water till it gets soft, then drain it and add to the warm cream, mix very well and add 100 ml of the syrup you’ve prepared before. Stir to combine and pour in silicone moulds, refrigerate for at least 4 hours but you can keep it 1 or two days well covered with a film. Wash quickly the raspberries, put them in a bowl, add the syrup and  mix very gently. To serve: unmould the panna cotta, place in the middle of a dessert plate, garnish with the raspberries and syrup and serve.

E qui sotto in Italiano!

How to make a light dessert :Chocolate Jelly

I love chocolate. Dark Chocolate.And I love to make light desserts: after a nice meal dessert should be like an evanescent cloud just passing by, leaving a sweet memory .Some years ago I bought a book on agar-agar : I won't mention the author ,as I soon realised that she did not tested the recipes .But I found a new ingredient ,very interesting for its healthy properties so I searched for a milligram scale and began to test. Almost all the recipes containing agar-agar will tell you :a coffee spoon etc....but if you want be sure of results better to use a scale . One day I found here the recipe of a chocolate jelly and I immediately tried it . This was 3 years ago and this dessert has become one of my best-seller has a personal chef . Yes, I re-made the recipe to suit my taste , I tried differents proportions of agar-agar and this is the final result of all my experimentations . With a dessert like this you can indulge !And you can keep it some days in the fridge ,covered . Very useful when you have guests !

 

Ingredients for 6 big servings or 12 small ones 

200 gr of dark chocolate 70%

500 ml of  fresh milk

A  pinch of  fleur de sel

A  pinch of grounded ginger

2  gr  of agar-agar

200 gr of sugar ,200 ml of water  and 8 tonka beans a for the syrup or a spoon of  chopped fresh ginger

Cut the chocolate in small pieces, put all the other ingredients in a sauce pan  and bring to boil  , pay attention when milkc omes to boil you’ll have to stir for a minute . Then  turn off the fire and  pour the chocolate into the mixture .Wait  3/4   minutes and then you can mix it well till all the chocolate is dissolved . Pour in the silicon moulds  ( or in cups )and then in the fridge to cool . For the syrup : bring to boil water,sugar and the tonka beans ( or the ginger )and let cook slowly till the syrup thickens  and begin to make  bubbles You can taste it  for consistence , it should not be too liquid . Use the syrup to garnish the jelly . 

If you’d like  to make  also the white chocolate jelly you can use the same recipe but  instead than 2 gr of agar-agar you’ll use  2,2 gr (seems like nothing but it makes a difference) though if you want make both it’s better to divide the dose  in two  so  200 ml of milk ,50 ml of cream, 1 gr of agar-agar and 100 gr of dark chocolate . For the white one  1,1 gr of agar-agar.

How to make risotto with truffles

Last Friday I gave the first cooking-class of the year , and the very first one as “Venise en Provence ” the Cookery School I’m going to open next springtime on the top of the hill in Goult .
As my house isn’t ready yet I went to the one my students rented for their holidays :the Bastide at the “Mas de Rosemarie” (here the kitchen) a very beatiful hamlet near Joucas and Gordes.


My clients , a lovely young couple of Americans asked me a lesson about truffles : January is a good month for this so I proposed a menu with truffles from the beginning to the end . They have three children so we cooked for five and even if the youngest boy did not appreciated so much the taste of truffles he loved the dessert , a truffled chocolate jelly .


















The menu was :
Risotto with truffles  
Tenderloin cooked in claryfied butter with Truffles on the top
Radicchio di Treviso Salad (here you can know everything about this vegetable)
Roasted Potatoes
White chocolate Jelly with Truffles
So…. the Risotto and some photos of the market of truffles in Menerbes .






Risotto with Truffles

Ingredients for 4 servings as a main dish , as a starter you can make half the dose
400 gr of Carnaroli Rice
2 liters of vegetable broth
40 gr of black truffle
50 ml of Prosecco or a good white wine
30 gr of good quality fresh butter
1 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
2 grains of freshly  grounded  pepper : a white Sarawak for example or a Kappad ( some peppers have an “animal” smell , here we prefer something more herby and fresh just to give a spicy note without overwhelming the truffle)

Making the broth is very simple : pour 2 liters of water in a stock pot, add 2 coffee spoons of sea salt, 1 leek, a rib of celery without the green leaves, a carrot ,a parsnip ( that gives a very good taste) . You can add other vegetables ,herbs or spices  though this is just a basic broth with a light taste that you can use for so many things .Let simmer gently for about 45 minutes and that’s all . Done! To make risotto keep your broth warm .
Now : pour the oil in a pan ( I recommend something heavy ,the best is copper or a very good quality  non-stick one ) and when it’s warm throw the rice and stir gently till the grains become translucent ,then add the Prosecco ,mix and begin to add the broth . This is important : add one laddle at a time and stir ,when the broth is absorbed add another one . Cooking the rice will take about 18 minutes so after 15 mn it’s better to taste it . In the meantime you’ll have grated half of the truffles and cut very finely the rest . When your rice is almost cooked ( I mean it should be “al dente” ) add the grated truffled and mix well.Now you are ready to  give the final touch : this is very important . Follow me : you’ll have the butter, the Parmigiano, and the pepper ready at your side,  your risotto is “al dente", good ! If you like it creamy and not dry add one ladle of broth , it should be a little bit more liquid than the way you like it. Stir. Turn off the fire. Now  add  the butter, the pepper and the Parmigiano ,mix well : this is the way to get that ‘creamyness’ people like in Risotto. Cover and wait  2 minutes before serving with the rest of sliced truffles on top . Bon Appetit ! Hey...wait a minute : and the chocolate jelly ? Coming soon !

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Glorious food at Pimlico Farmers' Market

Wonderful cauliflowers

Coloured Swiss Chard
 

After visiting Bloomsbury Farmers' Market next Saturday we went to Pimlico Market ,you can find all informations here . It isn't a big one but it is great : you can find anything you need ,from fruits and vegetables to really fresh fish ,poultry ,eggs ,cheese , bread, flowers . Some people says that markets are expensive : yes , it seems so . But you don't need to buy enormous quantities of food :just buy what you need and when you have best quality you'll need less . As the food is so fresh it will last longer , so if you planify your weekly menus maybe you'll spare some money at the end.Surely you'll feel better. When we go shopping in a supermarket we normally buy much more than what we may need , and a lot of "trash food" sometimes .Last but not least : buying directly from producers is a " political" act , doing so we'll help all these people who works very hard for a sustainable agricolture .I won't talk further about quality : photos I shot are much worthier than words.

Fresh mushrooms

 

Smoked poultry

 

 

London Farmers' Markets: Bloomsbury

Wondering where to find good, fresh, organic food in London? No more.....get a look on this : London Farmers' Markets . You'll find a complete list of all the markets in town . I visited two: the first one I went  was in Bloomsbury.It's near the University of London and as there are so many students coming out for lunch is a market mostly based on street food ,though you can choose some  amazing vegetables coming from Wild Country Organics  , meats and poultry ,eggs. I bought some pigeon's breats that I cooked just few minutes with olive oil and a nut of butter , they were so tender and juicy .

                                    

The small white breads you see in the middle are "English Muffins" . I love them !

Students are coming for lunch

Hamburghers on the grill ,then there are different sauces on a small table and you cans dress it as you like.

 

 

 

 

 

Food Blogger Connect : a great meeting in London

At last I'm back ,sipping a cup of smoked tea while the Guinness Cake is cooling on the rack and Fall is advancing here in Provence . I was  ten days in London , three of which for the Food Blogger Connect , the annual meeting for food-bloggers in Europe ( but with people coming from all-over the world) .
It was my first time at the FBC and I must say it is very very well organised : all the time you had some interesting lesson to attend or workshops , all the day long you had a cup of coffee or tea and amazing food for breakfast , lunch , afternoon tea and supper . I attended two workshops : the first was held by Dianne Jacobs , a fantastic food-writer  and a wonderful ,caring person also . The  second ,about  food photograpy, was with Ellen Silverman who had the patience to have a look at all of our blogs to give us her advice and suggestions ( for me was : keep it simple and use something to filter the light ).
I met people....that's the purpose . I can't remenber all ,but I finally met Sandra , which I knew only by the net , it was magical to see her even if only for a short time . And Giulia , Regula,Rossella,Rossella ( yes I know, same name but two different persons , I love them ) Carla,Sally,Sarka , Marika, and Bethany who's the mind behind all this .

Why did I go there ? Why did I began to write this blog ? I suppose that's all about finding my voice .
Something has been lost along the way . Life hasn't been much kind . But today I can write a new chapter . So long . Have a good night ,you all . And a better day .