8th March : Women's Day ! Let's celebrate with "Torta Mimosa"

Torta Mimosa

Ingredients :
200g Flour
4 Eggs and 8 Yolks
40g Potato Starch
220g Sugar
For the "Crema Pasticcera" :
55g Flour
300ml Milk
300ml Cream
8 Yolks
Hallf a stick of vanilla
200g Sugar
For the Whipped Cream :
200ml of fresh cream
20g Icing Sugar

Lets start preparing "Pan di Spagna" with the first set of Ingredients :
Mix together the the whole eggs and the sugar,whisk them for at least 10-15 mins (i suggest using a robot if avaliable). Add the yolks and keep mixing for another 5-6 minutes then add to the mixture the flour and the starch previously sieved.
Butter two baking pan (22-24 cm of diameter)  and flour them,put the mixture inside and cook at 180°-190° for 30 minutes; once ready turn them upside down on a sheet of baking paper and let them cool.
In the meanwhile let's prepare "Crema Pasticcera" :
Put the milk and the cream together in a pan and just before they boil stop the fire.
In another pan mix the sugar and the yolks with a wooden spoon then add the flour and the seeds of the vanilla stick that you have already cut.
Add to the mixture the hot milk & cream then whisk all together on the fire,let it thicken up,and when it starts boiling gently take it away from the fire and pour it in a large basin and cover with film,then put in the fridge to cool down.
Let's prepare a liqueour : put 50g of sugar with 50g of Cointreau and 100ml of water to boil then put aside to chill.
Whisk the cream (must be very cold) with a mixer,when it thickens up add the icing sugar and stop whisking,putting the cream in the fridge.
When both the "Crema Pasticcera" and the Whipped Cream are cold,mix them together gently,but save a couple of spoons of whipped cream that we will need later.
Now let's get back to the "Pan di Spagna" : remove the dark cover from both of them,cut horizontaly and split in three parts while with the other one use one half for the same thing and the other  half to make little cubes of about 1cm.
It's now time to put all together :
Let's start putting the first disk and wet it with the liqueour prepared,then add first one of the saved spoon of whipped cream and after the crema pasticcera mixed with the cream. repeat the same procedure over and over until you've used all the disks,then cover with the remaining crema pasticcera and use the little cubes you've prepared first to cover it all using the crema as "glue".

Befanini

Among the traditional Tuscan dishes that we prepare, Befanini is one that stands out from the rest due to the story it represents. In Italy, the Epiphany, also known as the Feast of the Three Kings, is celebrated on January 6th. Italian legend says that during the journey of the Three Kings to find Baby Jesus, they encountered an old woman named Befana. Although Befana did not join the Three Kings, she departed later with baked goods and her broom in search of the Baby Jesus. In her quest to find the Baby Jesus, Befana visits the homes of all children on the eve of January 6th to leave treats and gifts. Many families here still prepares Befanini to celebrate the Epiphany.

Buccellato di Lucca

Buccellato is to Lucca what Panforte is to Siena and Panettone is to the Veneto region—a local tradition, especially for the holidays.
The first and most famous manufacturer of the "Buccellato Taddeucci" was founded way back in 1881 by Jacopo Taddeucci, who confectioned a sweet that was then to enter into the rich gastronomic culture of the province of Lucca. Even today, when talking about "buccellato" this is implicitly identified with the name Taddeucci. The Taddeucci family has since kept up this long and great tradition, continuing in the footsteps of the founder, and their commitment has brought the name of the buccellato to be known around the world.
Fashion the recipe into three smaller loaves for giving. Freezing the Buccellato works well for up to three months.
Makes 1 large loaf, serving 8 to 10
Anise and currants flavor this legendary bread of Lucca. Shaped in the form of a ring, this golden bread isn't quite like Italy's other yeasted sweet breads. Instead of being rich and cake-like, Buccellato is lightly sweetened and spiced—an appealing chewy white bread with a dense, lean crumb. I like Buccellato's simplicity. It tastes like homemade farmhouse bread spiffed up for company with currants and sugar. It's superb with any sweet wine.
In Lucca, no celebration happens without Buccellato and glasses of the sweet Vin Santo. When family comes from far away, Buccellato is served. At a christening for a new baby, Buccellato is served. Youngsters plead with parents, "Aunt Amelia is here (from across town), can't we have Buccellato?" But it's never just any Buccellato.
Serve Buccellato sliced thin with glasses of Vin Santo. Toast leftovers for breakfast, or an after-dinner treat with fruit.

Cook to Cook:
A heavy-duty electric mixer is handy here, as the dough is a dense one. Its beating bruises the currants, slightly darkening the dough but spreading their flavor through the bread. Certainly a wooden spoon will accomplish the same thing, but it takes much more elbow grease. Use an organic bread or high-protein flour if at all possible. Anticipate about 7-1/2 hours to make the bread. If more convenient, the first rise of 4 hours can be stretched to overnight in a cool place.

* 2-1/4 teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast
* 2/3 cup warm water (90 F)
* About 5 cups (25 ounces unbleached white bread flour (preferably organic)
* 1-1/4 cups milk, at room temperature
* 1 tablespoon anise seeds, bruised with the side of a knife
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 3/4 cup (5.25 ounces) sugar
* 1 cup (about 1/4 pound) currants, soaked in hot water 15 minutes and drained

Glaze:

* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1 tablespoon water
* 1 large egg

1. In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer or another large bowl, dissolve the yeast in half the water, with a pinch of the flour. Let proof 10 minutes, or until bubbly. With the paddle attachment at low speed, or by hand, beat in the rest of the water, the milk, anise seeds, salt, sugar, and currants. Slowly beat in 4 cups of the flour until a soft dough has formed.

2. Replace the paddle with the dough hook and knead at medium-low speed 15 minutes, adding an additional cup of flour a tablespoon at a time, for a soft, sticky dough. Remove the dough to a floured work surface. Knead by hand 2 minutes to form a soft, very elastic dough that is barely sticky. Or, if working by hand, stir in flour until the dough is too heavy to handle. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead in the remaining flour until the dough is soft, extremely elastic, and barely sticky. Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature 4 hours, or until almost tripled in bulk.

3. Oil a large cookie sheet or pizza pan. Knead down the dough. It will be sticky. Shape the dough into a 24-inch-long log. Bring the ends together, forming a ring, pinch ends to seal, and set it on the pan. Place an oiled upside-down custard cup or ramekin (about 3 inches in diameter) in the center to maintain the shape of the ring as the dough rises. Cover and let rise at room temperature 1-1/2 to 2 hours, until barely doubled.

4. Preheat the oven to 375 F. In a small bowl, beat together the glaze ingredients. Brush generously over the dough. Bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until the bread is a deep mahogany brown and sounds hollow when its bottom is thumped. Cool on a rack. Buccellato keeps several days at room temperature, if well wrapped.

Thanks to The Baker's Chronicle

Budino di Farro (Spelt Pudding)

Ingredients for 6 persons:

250 grams of spelt,
1 hectogram of raisin,
3 eggs,
1 Litre and half of milk,
15 grams of butter,
80 grams of sugar,
20 grams of grated bread,
60 ml liquor (50% Rhum - 50 % Sassolino)


Preparation

Cook the spelt in the milk. When is half cooked, add raisin previously soaked in the water with the sugar and butter
When the spelt is cooked (about 25 min.) cool all.
Add eggs and wine "Vinsanto" and mix with care and until forming a creamy compound
Meanwhile put butter and grated bread into the pudding moulds or pastry pan. Bake for 40 minutes to 150 at least
Let it going cool and serve

Puccini's Choccolates

The restaurants in the Province of Lucca rediscover the beloved dishes of the Maestro and create new ones.
«God created several beauties and different wines. I want to taste God’s work as much as I can». Scarpia [Tosca]
“Dio creò diverse beltà e vini diversi. Io vo’ gustare quanto più posso dell’opra divina”, sang Scarpia in “Tosca” (God created several beauties and different wines. I want to taste God’s work as much as I can). In the Italian framework of librettos, food is often regarded as paradigm for measuring the social value of characters. And this happens with Puccini’s operas, too, in which the acts of eating and food do not just play a narrative role but often assume metaphoric values and express the life philosophy of protagonists. The recipes named after the composer from Lucca were a lot, maybe because he also willingly abandoned himself to the pleasures of banquets. On the occasion of the 150th Anniversary of the composer’s birth, the restaurants in the Province of Lucca rediscover the beloved dishes of the Maestro and create new ones, inspired by early twentieth century atmospheres, but above all, by the most typical tastes of the products of his land.

PUCCINI’S CHOCOLATES
Aurelio Barattini, owner of the “Antica Locanda” of Sesto, proposes rum chocolates. But for the time being, the recipe is secret.

By Apt Lucca

Grandma's Cake (Torta della Nonna)

Hello everyone !
First of all i'm sorry for this long inactivity but in the last few months i was dedicating all of myself to my most important recipe ever......my child to come Filippo, he will join my team in november ! I want to thank you my love Fabiana for this surprise. I love you !!!!!
I cannot post the ingredients and the method for this recipe though...but i assume that most of you will know :-)

Anyway, for you to forgive me here's a cake that my grandmother usually do and i assure you that's delicious !

Ingredients for the dough :

100g Butter
100g Sugar
2 Eggs
250g 00 Flour

Ingredients for the custard :

1 Whole egg and 6 yolks
120g Sugar
250g Flour
Half a litre of milk
Skin of a lemon


Method :

Mix the egg and the softened butter until you get a cream,then add the sugar and the flour,form a sphere,wrap in film and put it to rest into the fridge for at least half an hour.
While we wait let's prepare the custard : whisk well the eggs with the sugar then add the flour and at last the lukewarm milk and the lemon skin. Put everything on the fire at low flame and as soon as you see that the custard  is starting to boil take it out of the fire and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
Prepare the baking pan (it shoud be about 30cm of diameter) by putting some oven paper on it then take the dough out of the fridge and roll it to fit into the the pan,then finish it by putting the custard on it and some pinenuts for decoration on the top.

Bake for about 30 minutes at 180 °

When you take it out let it rest and sprinkle some icing sugar on the top.


Buon Appetito !

Have you ever eat an Italian Flag?

Today it's the 150° Anniversary since the Unity of Italy.
To celebrate the occasion my mother prepared a cake for the event resembling italian flag !

Ingredients for the dough :

250g. Butter
500g. Flour
5 Egg yolks
200g. Icing Sugar
a pinch of salt

For the custard :

6 Egg yolks
500ml Milk
50g Flour
150g Sugar
1 stick of vanilla

Fruit :
about 2 kiwis
about  2 bananas
about 200g of strawberries

Preparations :

Cut the fruits in little slices and then put it to rest into a bowl full of lemon juice (so it wont get dark)
For the dough,whisk together the butter,flour and salt until it's well mixed up then add the icing sugar and the yolks,keep whisking and form a sphere,then wrap it using a plastic film and put it to rest into the fridge while we prepare the custard : put the milk and the vanilla stick (cut the stick and open it to let it spread into the milk) on the fire and as soon as it starts boiling take it away. Whisker the eggs and the sugar,then add the flour,remove the vanilla stick from the milk and then pour it into the mixture of eggs and sugar,then put the whole thing back on the fire to heat gently until it's gently boiling and take it away to cool down.

Take the dough out of the fridge,into a rectangular baking pan  put some waxed paper on it then knead the dough forming a rectangle that you will put into the pan  cook into the oven at 180° until it's golden (about 20 min).
Spread the custard on the cooked dough and then put the fruit on it starting from the left with kiwis,middle bananas and right strawberries.

Enjoy !

Torta di Rose (The Cake of the Roses)

Ingredients :

500gr Flour
1 Sachet (about 7g) Dry Baking Powder
1 Sachet (about 7g) Vanilline
100gr Sugar
2 Eggs
1 small spoon of salt
80gr Butter
125-150 ml Milk

For the stuffing :

5 Apples
Cinnamon ( i used about 3 spoons but you can add the desired quantity)
Sugar (i used 4 spoons but again,as your taste)
lemon juice
100gr Butter
100gr Icing Sugar

Procedure :

First of all,put all the ingredients (except the ones for the stuffing of course) together in the Kitchen Aid until you get a dough,then put apart to raise until it's doubled.
Meanwhile let's do the stuffing; peel the apples and chop them,sprinkle with cinnamon,sugar and lemon juice and then cook them in a pan with some butter until they are golden - then mash them into a purea and let them chill.
With the icing sugar and the butter  make a cream.

When the dough it's ready (it must double up in size),lay it down and stuff it first with the butter cream and then with the apple purea,then roll in the dough to obtain a little log - and then cut it in thick slices (about 4cm each) .

 

Put the "roses" you got all into an oven dish that it's able to fit them all but at the same time not too loose - they have to stay very very close with no empty spaces. (this is to give them the rose effect when the cake is cooked)

Cook at 180° for about 30 Mins.

Black Figs Tart

Hello everyone !

After my 2 months break (i spent my Honeymoon in French Polinesia and California) i'm back again in the "old world".

Sorry about this long absence,but now i'm all freshened up and ready to bring you new recipes...
This morning  my father came back from his farm (Maolina) with a basket full of figs and so i got the inspiration to make this...

Figs are the only fruit to fully ripen and semi-dry on the tree.
Wrapped in a thin, deep-purple to black skin, the juicy, red-pink pulp of this fig is packed with small, edible seeds. The flavor is sweet and floral, reminiscent of honey. A slight shriveling or cracking near the stem end is caused by the sun and is a common characteristic.
High in fiber, figs are a good source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, calcium, iron, magnesium, thiamine, potassium and protein. Figs are considered to be an antibacterial and anti-ulcer food, as well as a natural laxative.

Ingredients for 8
2 ½ cups flour, 1 ½ cups sugar, 2 ½ sticks softened unsalted
butter, a
heavy 1/2 cup figs preserves, 2 egg yolks, 5 crisp sweet
apples, 1 heavy cup wallnuts.
Preparation
Soften butter and combine with eggs, sugar and flour. Work
the dough until the consistency is soft and delicate. Prepare
a mold on a shallow-edged baking sheet with parchment
paper. Smooth dough onto the full surface of the mold.
Spread with figs preserves. Slice figs and layer on top
of the preserves. Sprinkle the figs lightly with sugar and
scatter the wallnuts.
Bake 30 minutes at 350F. Dust with confectioner's sugar,
cut into squares and serve.

Pear and Chocolate Cake

 

Ingredients:
Macaroons 100 g
Butter 170 g
Dark Chocolate 200 g
Flour 200 g
Baking powder 1/2 Tea Spoon
Pears 7
Eggs 4
White Wine
Rum 350 ml
Sugar 100 g

Direction:
First peel the pears , cut into quarters, remove seeds and hard part central  and let marinate in the
wine white for at least 20 minutes, or lay them off in a pan without overlapping, pour the rum  and cook over medium heat until the complete evaporation of fun cooking liquid .
Meanwhile, chop the chocolate fondant  and dissolve in a water bath, add 100 gr. of butter into small
pieces , stir to dissolve everything and let cool.
In a mixer beat the remaining butter with the sugar and egg yolks until you get a nice creamy smooth and clear , which add to the mixture of chocolate melted warm now . Pour the mixture into a large bowl and add the finely crushed amaretti biscuits, the flour and baking powder sifted .
Beat the egg whites until stiff and when ready, add the rest of the sugar beating for a few seconds more.
Gently add the egg whites until stiff Monat to the mixture of chocolate and macaroons , stirring from
the bottom up, not to incorporate air and remove the amalgam.
Divide the dough in half and paid the first half in a buttered and floured  23 cm diameter, then
cover with the pear , which in turn cover the rest of preparation .
Put your cake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for at least 40 minutes. Once ready, leave for about 10 minutes in the cake pan to cool, so that no collapses, then the mold  and sprinkle with the sugar icing;serve warm or, better still, cold.

Torta Cò Becchi alle Erbe "My mom's recipe"

The Torta Cò Becchi alle Erbe is a typical of Lucca. It is a cake made of chard, cheese,pinoli,bread and currants. In Lucca this cake is prepared throughout the year but especially for the feast of Santa Croce (Holy Cross,the patron of Lucca) or during the Easter.

The ingredients for the pastry are:
500 gr. of flour, 5 eggs (4 yolks and 1 white), 100 gr. of butter, a drop of milk, a pinch of salt, 2 small glasses of liqueur, 250 gr. of sugar.


The ingredients for the filling are:
a bunch of  chard cooked in butter, a pinch of parsley, 200 gr. of bread soaked in milk, cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, liqueur, parmesan and pecorino cheese, 3 eggs, a bit of sugar, pinenuts and raisins.

Prepare the pastry by making a "fountain" with the flour, working it well with the other ingredients.
After working the dough, leave it to rest. After it has been well rested, roll it out and drape it over a well-buttered baking tin, being sure a good amount hangs over the edges of the tin.
Mix all the ingredients to prepare the filling that we will lay down on the baking tin. With the dough that hangs over the edges, fold them towards the center, giving them the shape of cones - the famous "becchi".
Cook at moderate heat for approximately 40 minutes

Bomboloni (Italian doughnuts)

Bomboloni are Italian doughnuts, popular in Florence. These are more doughnut holes than doughnuts, filled with vanilla pastry cream, raspberry jam, or other fillings. The Italian “bomboloni” has been compared to the French “beignet” and the German “bismark” or “bismarck.”

Viareggio Carnival & "Cenci Fritti"

 The Viareggio Carnival was established in 1873 when some of the local "signori" decided to organize a Sunday a little different from the rest, by inventing a procession of decorated floats which travelled up and down the main street of the city. On that occasion a masked protest was also organized by a number of citizens, as they were forced to pay too many taxes and as a result the chief tax collector was certainly made fun of!!

Semolina Cake Revised

This is the revised version of famous "Artusi" cook book recipe. I added the shortcrust pastry to give texture to the plate.

 

Sacher Torte

Well...i know this is not a proper Tuscan Farm recipe but....a client asked me to prepare this delicious cake for a birthday and i really couldn't say no !

Ingredients :

Apple Pinenut Tart

Ingredients for 8
2 ½ cups flour, 1 ½ cups sugar, 2 ½ sticks softened unsalted
butter, a
heavy 1/2 cup apricot preserves, 2 egg yolks, 5 crisp sweet
apples, 1 heavy cup pine nuts, cinnamon,
Preparation
Soften butter and combine with eggs, sugar and flour. Work
the dough until the consistency is soft and delicate. Prepare
a mold on a shallow-edged baking sheet with parchment
paper. Smooth dough onto the full surface of the mold.
Spread with apricot preserves. Peel, core and slice apples.
Layer the apples on top of the preserves. Sprinkle the apples
lightly with sugar and cinnamon. Scatter the pine nuts.
Bake 30 minutes at 350F. Dust with confectioner's sugar,
cut into squares and serve.

Spelt & Honey Biscuits

Ingredients for 4
1 ¼ cups butter at ambient temperature, 1 cup honey, 1 egg, 2
cups spelt flour, 1 cup baking flour, 1 tsp baking powder, pinch
of cinnamon, pinch of salt
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350F. Whip butter. Sift baking powder,
cinnamon and salt. Slowly add honey, eggs, spelt flour, baking
flour and baking powder mixture to the whipped butter.
Work the dough into a firm ball and refrigerate for a few
minutes. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin and cut with
cookie cutter into shapes. Bake for 20 minutes.

Yougurt & Apple Cake

Ingredients for 6
3 eggs, 1 ¼ cup nonfat yogurt, 2 ¾ cup sugar, 2 ½ tbsp
baking powder, 2 cups flour, 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil, 3 apples
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 22x6.6 pie pan with butter
and flour lightly. Combine sugar and eggs in a bowl and
beat for about 3 minutes. Mix baking powder and flour. Add
the yogurt, oil, and flour mixture. Thinly slice apples and add
to the mixture. Mix well and pour the mixture into the pie
pan. Bake for 40 minutes. Cool and serve.