Post by Silly Yak on Feb 28, 2011 9:22:33 GMT
From The Guardian Weekend magazine
Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray
Saturday December 6, 2003
www.guardian.co.uk
(Put 'Easy Italian Christmas' in Search box)
Chestnut sorbet
Serves 4
300g fresh chestnuts (or 250g frozen or tinned)
1 vanilla pod
150g caster sugar
400ml milk
If using fresh chestnuts, cut a slit in the flat side. Put in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, cook for 20 minutes, or until soft, then drain and peel when cool enough to handle.
Put the chestnuts in a small saucepan with the vanilla pod and sugar. Add 100ml water and simmer gently until the liquid becomes syrupy.
Srubbishe out the seeds from the vanilla pod into the syrup and chestnuts. Purée in a blender to a fine paste, then slowly add the milk.
Freeze in a shallow container, stirring every half-hour or so, or churn in an ice-cream machine.
· Tinned French unsweetened whole chestnuts work well in this recipe, if you do not have time to cook fresh ones.
Bitter chocolate and prosecco truffles
Serves 4
400g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
150ml double cream
1 vanilla pod, split
75ml prosecco
50g unsalted butter, softened
Cocoa powder, unsweetened
Chop the chocolate into very small pieces. Put the cream in a saucepan with the vanilla pod, and boil gently until it reduces by half. Add the chocolate and fold together gently until the chocolate melts, then add the prosecco and soft butter, and stir. Pour on to a large, flat plate and place in the fridge until completely set.
Sift a generous amount of cocoa powder on to a board or plate. Remove the chocolate from the fridge. Using a teaspoon, srubbishe the chocolate across the plate into curls. Roll these gently on to the cocoa powder, place on a plate and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
· The truffles should have only a very light dusting of bitter cocoa powder, as their flavour is so delicate.
Panforte
Serves 4
100g shelled hazelnuts
100g shelled almonds
1 cinnamon stick (5cm)
3 cloves
1/2 nutmeg
60g glacé cherries
140g mixed peel
60g ground almonds
100g raisins
2 tsp brandy
120g dark brown sugar
120g honey
Unsalted butter for tin
GF flour, for dusting
1 sheet rice paper
Icing sugar, for the top
Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2. Toast the hazelnuts and almonds in the oven on a flat tray until lightly brown. Roughly chop.
Grind the cinnamon and cloves to a powder, and grate the nutmeg. Cut the cherries in half. Chop the mixed peel. Mix together the nuts, ground almonds, cherries, mixed peel and spices in a bowl. Soak the raisins in the brandy.
Put the caster sugar and honey in a saucepan, and heat gently until the mixture forms a soft ball. Remove from the heat and add to the nut mixture, working quickly. Mix well. Finally stir in the brandied raisins.
Butter and flour a 25cm cake tin and line with rice paper. Using a large spoon, spoon in the mixture and smooth it out flat, dipping the spoon in a jug of hot water to heat it. Bake for 30 minutes, then cool on a wire rack. Turn out of the tin and shake over icing sugar. Refrigerate for an hour before serving. Cut into small wedges.
· This Sienese cake keeps for a long time - just wrap tightly in foil.
Pear and polenta cake
Serves 4
3 pears
225g unsalted butter
225g caster sugar
225g ground almonds
1 tsp good vanilla essence
3 eggs
1 lemon, zested
1 lemon, juiced
110g polenta flour
1 tsp baking powder
Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/gas mark 3. Butter and flour a 25cm cake tin. Peel and core the pears, and cut them in half. Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and light. Stir in the almonds and vanilla. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Fold in the lemon zest and lemon juice, the polenta, baking powder and salt.
Place the pears in the prepared tin, pour over the polenta mix and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until set. The cake will not rise and should be lightly browned on top.
Italian fruit cake
Serves 4
100g crystallised fruit
200g raisins
50g glacé cherries
100g dried figs
2 lemons
250ml Vecchia Romagna brandy
50g blanched whole almonds
100g shelled hazelnuts
80g unsalted butter
100g caster sugar
150g ground almonds
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 large free-range eggs
For the marzipan and topping:
200g ground almonds
100g caster sugar
75ml Vecchia Romagna brandy
Icing sugar, to dust
Whole candied fruit, to decorate
Preheat the oven to 175C/350F/gas mark 4. Using extra butter, grease a 25cm cake tin and line with parchment paper, then butter the paper.
Roughly chop the fruit and place in a bowl. Warm the brandy, then add to the bowl of chopped fruit. Marinate for at least an hour. Drain and reserve the liquid. Toast the whole almonds and hazelnuts in the oven until golden brown. Roughly chop. Finely grate the zest of the lemons.
Cream the soft butter with the sugar until pale. Fold in the chopped nuts, ground almonds, drained chopped fruit, lemon zest, baking powder and half the fruit liquid. Finally, stir in the eggs one by one, then pour into the tin and bake for 45-60 minutes until set. Cool on a cake tray, then remove from the tin.
For the marzipan, combine the ground almonds, sugar and enough brandy to make a thick paste. Spoon on to the top of the cake about 1cm thick. Mark the surface with a fork and place under a hot grill to brown. Sprinkle with icing sugar.
Slice some of the whole candied fruit to decorate the cake ...........we used candied pears, clementines, figs and oranges.
Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray
Saturday December 6, 2003
www.guardian.co.uk
(Put 'Easy Italian Christmas' in Search box)
Chestnut sorbet
Serves 4
300g fresh chestnuts (or 250g frozen or tinned)
1 vanilla pod
150g caster sugar
400ml milk
If using fresh chestnuts, cut a slit in the flat side. Put in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, cook for 20 minutes, or until soft, then drain and peel when cool enough to handle.
Put the chestnuts in a small saucepan with the vanilla pod and sugar. Add 100ml water and simmer gently until the liquid becomes syrupy.
Srubbishe out the seeds from the vanilla pod into the syrup and chestnuts. Purée in a blender to a fine paste, then slowly add the milk.
Freeze in a shallow container, stirring every half-hour or so, or churn in an ice-cream machine.
· Tinned French unsweetened whole chestnuts work well in this recipe, if you do not have time to cook fresh ones.
Bitter chocolate and prosecco truffles
Serves 4
400g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
150ml double cream
1 vanilla pod, split
75ml prosecco
50g unsalted butter, softened
Cocoa powder, unsweetened
Chop the chocolate into very small pieces. Put the cream in a saucepan with the vanilla pod, and boil gently until it reduces by half. Add the chocolate and fold together gently until the chocolate melts, then add the prosecco and soft butter, and stir. Pour on to a large, flat plate and place in the fridge until completely set.
Sift a generous amount of cocoa powder on to a board or plate. Remove the chocolate from the fridge. Using a teaspoon, srubbishe the chocolate across the plate into curls. Roll these gently on to the cocoa powder, place on a plate and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
· The truffles should have only a very light dusting of bitter cocoa powder, as their flavour is so delicate.
Panforte
Serves 4
100g shelled hazelnuts
100g shelled almonds
1 cinnamon stick (5cm)
3 cloves
1/2 nutmeg
60g glacé cherries
140g mixed peel
60g ground almonds
100g raisins
2 tsp brandy
120g dark brown sugar
120g honey
Unsalted butter for tin
GF flour, for dusting
1 sheet rice paper
Icing sugar, for the top
Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2. Toast the hazelnuts and almonds in the oven on a flat tray until lightly brown. Roughly chop.
Grind the cinnamon and cloves to a powder, and grate the nutmeg. Cut the cherries in half. Chop the mixed peel. Mix together the nuts, ground almonds, cherries, mixed peel and spices in a bowl. Soak the raisins in the brandy.
Put the caster sugar and honey in a saucepan, and heat gently until the mixture forms a soft ball. Remove from the heat and add to the nut mixture, working quickly. Mix well. Finally stir in the brandied raisins.
Butter and flour a 25cm cake tin and line with rice paper. Using a large spoon, spoon in the mixture and smooth it out flat, dipping the spoon in a jug of hot water to heat it. Bake for 30 minutes, then cool on a wire rack. Turn out of the tin and shake over icing sugar. Refrigerate for an hour before serving. Cut into small wedges.
· This Sienese cake keeps for a long time - just wrap tightly in foil.
Pear and polenta cake
Serves 4
3 pears
225g unsalted butter
225g caster sugar
225g ground almonds
1 tsp good vanilla essence
3 eggs
1 lemon, zested
1 lemon, juiced
110g polenta flour
1 tsp baking powder
Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/gas mark 3. Butter and flour a 25cm cake tin. Peel and core the pears, and cut them in half. Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and light. Stir in the almonds and vanilla. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Fold in the lemon zest and lemon juice, the polenta, baking powder and salt.
Place the pears in the prepared tin, pour over the polenta mix and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until set. The cake will not rise and should be lightly browned on top.
Italian fruit cake
Serves 4
100g crystallised fruit
200g raisins
50g glacé cherries
100g dried figs
2 lemons
250ml Vecchia Romagna brandy
50g blanched whole almonds
100g shelled hazelnuts
80g unsalted butter
100g caster sugar
150g ground almonds
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 large free-range eggs
For the marzipan and topping:
200g ground almonds
100g caster sugar
75ml Vecchia Romagna brandy
Icing sugar, to dust
Whole candied fruit, to decorate
Preheat the oven to 175C/350F/gas mark 4. Using extra butter, grease a 25cm cake tin and line with parchment paper, then butter the paper.
Roughly chop the fruit and place in a bowl. Warm the brandy, then add to the bowl of chopped fruit. Marinate for at least an hour. Drain and reserve the liquid. Toast the whole almonds and hazelnuts in the oven until golden brown. Roughly chop. Finely grate the zest of the lemons.
Cream the soft butter with the sugar until pale. Fold in the chopped nuts, ground almonds, drained chopped fruit, lemon zest, baking powder and half the fruit liquid. Finally, stir in the eggs one by one, then pour into the tin and bake for 45-60 minutes until set. Cool on a cake tray, then remove from the tin.
For the marzipan, combine the ground almonds, sugar and enough brandy to make a thick paste. Spoon on to the top of the cake about 1cm thick. Mark the surface with a fork and place under a hot grill to brown. Sprinkle with icing sugar.
Slice some of the whole candied fruit to decorate the cake ...........we used candied pears, clementines, figs and oranges.