REMEMBERING PARADISE

Last week, I returned from a week on the island of Moorea in French Polynesia- celebrating my 25th anniversary with my husband in a place that is truly paradise...it has been on my "bucket list" for a while, and now I can say it is in a place where wonderful memories live forever...

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A WORTHY CAUSE

The more you blog the more you know....recently in checking out some local food blogs I came upon a post for a great idea.....a San Diego Food Bloggers Bake Sale....to take place at Great News Discount Cookware and Cooking School in Pacific Beach (great-news.com) on Saturday April 28th from 10AM-2PM...all proceeds go to the Share Our Strength Foundation to stop childhood hunger..

There will be an amazing array of baked goods, all locally made, and Cucina Cara Mia is happy to participate...with our delicious nutella brownies and other Italian treats...come down and get your sweets and help stop childhood hunger!

Great News is located at 1788 Garnet Avenue.

Finally.....a gluten free recipe!!

I have been fighting the whole "gluten-free" bandwagon since I started my business 2 years ago. I thought, how could you make a really good dessert without flour, eggs, or butter? There were many times when customers asked if I could make a gluten free cheesecake or did I have any vegan items on the menu...the answer was always, sorry, no I don't.

We were invited to a wine tasting dinner party tonight, and I volunteered to make a dessert. Looking for something decadent and chocolate I found this recipe on seriouseats.com...no flour, a little sugar, but eggs and dairy.

Still it is "Gluten-Free"...and hopefully with a little Gelato, delicious!

Flourless Nutella Chocolate Torte:

3/4 cup skinned hazelnuts, lightly toasted
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
9 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pan
1 1/4 cups Nutella
6 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup heavy cream, cold

1.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350° F. Coat bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan with butter. Place bottom of pan over large sheet of foil and fold foil up sides to create a waterproof seal.

2.

Place hazelnuts in food processor and process until finely ground, 15 to 30 seconds; set aside. Place bittersweet chocolate, milk chocolate, and butter in heatproof bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is melted. Remove from heat and stir in Nutella and chopped hazelnuts until combined.

3.

In bowl of standing mixer fitted with whip attachment, Beat eggs with sugar and salt on medium-high speed until doubled in volume, 3 to 4 minutes. Fold 1/3 eggs into chocolate mixture to lighten. Gently fold in remaining eggs until no streaks remain.

4.

In the unwashed mixer bowl, whip cream on medium-high speed to soft peak, about 30 seconds. Fold into chocolate mixture just until no streaks remain. Pour into prepared pan.

5.

Place pan in roasting pan and fill pan with 1-inch hot water. Bake until center is just set and torte doesn't jiggle when shaken, 60 to 70 minutes. Remove springform pan from roasting pan and place on cooling rack to cool about 30 minutes. Chill until completely set, 2 to 3 hours.

WORLD NUTELLA DAY 2012

My love affair with Nutella continues...and in honor of World Nutella Day I found this recipe on the Food and Wine website... Hazelnut Nutella Sandwich Cookies 2/3 cup roasted hazelnuts 2-1/2 c. all purpose flour 1/2 t. baking soda1/2 t. salt 2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter, softened 1-1/4 c. sugar 1 large egg yolk 1 t. vanilla extract Nutella Directions: 1. In a food processor, finely grind hazelnuts. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the ground nuts, baking soda and salt. In a standard electric mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk, and vanilla, scraping the side and bottom of the bowl. Beat in the dry ingredients at medium low speed. Divide the dough in half. Pat each half into a round, wrap them in plastic and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. 2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of dough, 1/8 inch thick. Using a 2 inch biscuit cutter, stamp out rounds as close together as possible. Arrange the rounds on large baking sheets, about 1 inch apart, Gather the scraps and reroll, cutting out more cookies. 3. Bake cookies in batches for about 10 minutes, until golden, shift the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, and then transfer to racks to cool completely. 4. Sandwich the cooled cookies with Nutella..

They are super crunchy, light and heavenly!

IT PAYS TO HAVE A WINEMAKER IN THE FAMILY

I was in the mood for a one pot meal tonight, and started thumbing through some of the Barefoot Contessa's cookbooks and came upon her Coq au Vin. I am not usually one to make a french recipe, but her Beef Bourguignon recipe came out amazing, so I decided to go for it - got all the ingredients, came home and started slicing carrots...and realized I forgot to buy a bottle of wine, ie: Burgundy...some Zinfandel in the house and a few bottles that are just too good for a stew...but there in the wine rack was a bottle of MY HUSBAND'S WINE....DUH!! Steve took a wine making class last spring and made 36 bottles of Cabernet Franc--some he gave out as Christmas gifts, and some are sitting in our wine rack.. Thanks Steve for saving the day!! Here is Ina's Recipe: 4 ounces good bacon or pancetta, diced 1 (3 to 4-pound) chicken, cut in 8ths Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 pound carrots, cut diagonally in 1-inch pieces 1 yellow onion, sliced 1 teaspoon chopped garlic 1/4 cup Cognac or good brandy 1/2 bottle (375 ml) good dry red wine such as Burgundy 1 cup good chicken stock, preferably homemade 10 fresh thyme sprigs 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 pound frozen small whole onions 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, stems removed and thickly sliced Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove the bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon. Meanwhile, lay the chicken out on paper towels and pat dry. Liberally sprinkle the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. When the bacon is removed, brown the chicken pieces in batches in a single layer for about 5 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Remove the chicken to the plate with the bacon and continue to brown until all the chicken is done. Set aside. Add the carrots, onions, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper to the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac and put the bacon, chicken, and any juices that collected on the plate into the pot. Add the wine, chicken stock, and thyme and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just not pink. Remove from the oven and place on top of the stove. Mash 1 tablespoon of butter and the flour together and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. In a medium saute pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and cook the mushrooms over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until browned. Add to the stew. Bring the stew to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes. Season to taste. Serve hot.

A FESTIVE HOLIDAY DESSERT

I am part of a Bunco group that has been together for almost 16 years and we always have a Christmas Bunco party-sometimes its at a restaurant, and some years one of the Bunco Babes offers to host. This year, my friend Ruth hosted, and it was catered by a local Italian restaurant. I was asked to make the dessert...well, everyone has already had my limoncello cheesecake, so I decided to make Tiramisu in martini glasses....the recipe I used follows...

Triple Chocolate Tiramisu - Serves 12


Ingredients

2 3 ounce package ladyfingers, split
1/4 cup brewed espresso or strong coffee
1 8 ounce carton mascarpone cheese
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup chocolate liqueur
1 ounce white chocolate baking squares or white baking bars, grated
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, grated
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Chopped chocolate-covered coffee beans (optional)

Directions

1. Line the bottom of an 8x8x2-inch baking pan with some of the ladyfingers, cutting to fit as necessary. Drizzle half of the espresso over ladyfingers; set aside.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat together the mascarpone cheese, whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer just until stiff peaks form. Beat in the chocolate liqueur until just combined. Spoon half of the mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers, spreading evenly. Sprinkle white chocolate and bittersweet chocolate over the mascarpone mixture. Top with another layer of ladyfingers (reserve any remaining ladyfingers for another use). Layer with remaining espresso and mascarpone cheese mixture.

3. Cover and chill for 6 to 24 hours. Sift cocoa powder over top of dessert. If desired, garnish with cocoa beans.

I did break up the lady fingers to fit them into the martini glasses, other than that
it is the same, and I substituted Kahlua for the chocolate liqueur.

Hope you have a sweet and festival Holiday!

BERNARDO WINERY FARMERS MARKET

There is an expression - timing is everything, and I think that applies to my experience at the Bernardo Winery Farmers Market. I have been selling at this new location for 3 weeks and it has been very positive so far. If you are not familiar with the Bernardo Winery - it is the oldest winery in Southern California, established in 1889. It is not just a winery, but a lovely and charming destination, with shops, a restaurant, Cafe Merlot, a picnic area, a venue for weddings, and a tasting room. With 5 wine tastings for only $8.00, it would be a great place to spend a weekend afternoon. The farmers market takes place on Fridays from 9am-noon, Stop by and sample some of our locally crafted Italian fare --including rosemary focaccia, polenta vegetable lasagna, nutella brownies, orange ricotta poundcake and Limoncello cheesecake.

A big thanks to my friend Katie who has been helping me out at the new market. AND she also is passing the word around to her friends who live in the area.

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