Zuccotto Toscano – Florentine Chocolate Hazelnut Dome

I decided to make this Italian zuccotto for Christmas Eve.  I hadn’t made this fabulo cake in eight years and always knew I’d revisit it.  So, here goes.

For the Pan di Spagna Sponge Cake:

4 eggs – separated

3.4 cup granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

½ cup all purpose flour

½ cup cornstarch

For the filling and garnish:

½ cup hazelnuts

10 ounces semisweet chocolate finely chopped

2 cups heavy cream

¼ cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons rum, plus more for brushing

2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Make the sponge cake:  Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter a 10 x 2 inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, lightly beat the egg yolks. Beat in 6 tablespoons of the sugar in a stream. Beat the mixture at high speed until it has tripled in volume and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted.

In a medium  bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until very light soft peaks form.  Beat in remaining 6 tablespoons sugar in a stream and beat on HIGH speed until firm peaks form. Using a spatula fold the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture.  SIFT the flour and cornstarch together  into a bowl and fold into egg mixture in 3 or 4 additions. Fold the flour gently until blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes or less, until sponge cake has risen well and is firm in the center. Test with wooden toothpick size stick.

Explanation:  I like making the sponge cake a day in advance so everything does not have to be done on the same day. I do that a lot with layer cakes. I like baking the layers and finishing the cake with frosting or buttercream  the day of the event or the day I want to serve it.  You can tightly wrap the finished sponge cake in Saran Wrap and it will work out fine for you.  I like using my two separate Kitchen Aid mixers.  So, I’ve got one bowl for the batter and the other bowl for the egg whites.  Since this is a common method for baking a scratch cake I prefer to do it this way instead of fooling around and washing beaters and then getting back to the mixtures.   I like the sound of two mixers going at one time.  It’s like music to my ears.

 

Make the filling:  Spread the hazel nuts on a baking sheet and toast in a preheated 350F oven for 15 minutes or so or until the skins blister. Careful you don’t want to burn them.  Transfer the hazelnuts to a kitchen towel and let cool slightly and then rub them together with the towel to loosen the skins.  Coarsely chop the nuts and place in a bowl to cool. Coarsely chop the semi sweet chocolate.  You need two ounces for the nuts and eight ounces for the filling.  I used Baker semi sweet chocolate that comes in one ounce wrapped squares. You can use their measurement here.  So, MIX two ounces chocolate with the nuts and use the rest for the filling.

In a heavy medium saucepan, bring 1 ¼ cups of the heavy cream to a light boil over medium heat.  Remove from the burner and add the remaining 8 ounces of chopped chocolate . Let it stand for 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth.  Pour the mixture into a medium bowl and let cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate until cold and set.

In a bowl, combine the remaining  ¾ cup heavy cream with the granulated sugar and beat until stiff.  Cover and refrigerate.

Butter a 1 ½ – 2 qt glass or stainless steel bowl (NOT PLASTIC) and line with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap smoothly against the inside of the bowl.  

Now, take the reserved sponge cake and carefully slide a ¼ inch slice off the top. You want to end up with a 10” wide round disc that’s in the shape of a pizza.  Set to the side.  It should be moist so put it on saran or plastic wrap.  I used a long serrated knife to do this.  That’s also how I slice two layers if making a layer cake to end up with four layers.  OK, take the remaining sponge cake and cut ten even vertical slices – see picture.  Position these ten long vertical slices evenly inside the plastic wrap lined bowl.  .

Sprinkle or brush the vertical slices with 2 tablespoons of rum.  Don’t drench the cake, take it easy.  Remove the chilled chocolate whip cream from the fridge and beat the mixture until light and smooth. Watch it, it might splatter.  Spread the filling over the sponge cake in the bowl in an even layer.

Remove the white whipped cream from fridge and re-whip until firm then beat in remaining 1 tablespoon rum.  FOLD in the chopped hazelnuts and chocolate mixture into the white whipped cream.  Spoon the mixture onto the chocolate cream and even it using a spatula.

Butter a 1 ½ – 2 qt glass or stainless steel bowl (NOT PLASTIC) and line with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap smoothly against the inside of the bowl.

Now, take the reserved sponge cake and carefully slide a ¼ inch slice off the top. You want to end up with a 10” wide round disc that’s in the shape of a pizza.  Set to the side.  It should be moist so put it on saran or plastic wrap.  I used a long serrated knife to do this.  That’s also how I slice two layers if making a layer cake to end up with four layers.  OK, take the remaining sponge cake and cut ten even vertical slices – see picture.  Position these ten long vertical slices evenly inside the plastic wrap lined bowl.

Sprinkle or brush the vertical slices with 2 tablespoons of rum.  Don’t drench the cake, take it easy.  Remove the chilled chocolate whip cream from the fridge and beat the mixture until light and smooth. Watch it, it might splatter.  Spread the filling over the sponge cake in the bowl in an even layer.

Remove the white shipped cream from fridge and re-whip until firm then beat in remaining 1 tablespoon rum.  FOLD in the chopped hazelnuts and chocolate mixture into the white whipped cream.  Spoon the mixture onto the chocolate cream and even it using a spatula.

Place the pizza shaped sponge cake disc on top of it all.  Your dome is upside down at this point. Pull the plastic wrap over the cake and add more plastic if you need it. Wrap it snuggly and freeze the zuccotto for 4 or 5 hours in the freezer.  Then remove and place in fridge until serving time.

To unmold invert the bowl onto a platter and lift the bowl off the dome. It should lift off easily if not use a hot cloth from water and wring it out.  Wipe the outside of the bowl and it should come off. Peel off the plastic wrap.  If the outside of the zuccotto is dry you can brush a little more rum on it.  That’s what I did.  I then dusted the top using a tea strainer with confectioners’ sugar and then a little cocoa powder.

To serve cut into wedges with a sharp long knife.  I like using chef knives.

For Fabulo Imported Italian Olive Oil and Balsamic vinegar:

www.saporedellavita.com

Mai Lee Vietnamese and Chinese Restaurant

This lively restaurant has my favorite Pho Ga and spring rolls in the city of Brentwood, MO a suburb of St. Louis.

My good friend Willow Bob enjoying his Pho Ga

I had met the owner of Mai Lee, a nice lady named Lee Tran the previous Friday at the fabulous Seafood City market in St. Louis.  I had asked the check out clerk at the market about a different Pho restaurant and the lady behind me in line told me that she too owned a Vietnamese restaurant and wrote down her address on the back of my Seafood City receipt.

I had picked up my friend Kenney from Florida at the St. Louis airport on a Friday and later we met Lee and then chose to go to a Pho restaurant on south Grand Blvd.  That was the first of my pho comparisons in what ended up being a visit to three different restaurants.  I ordered the exact same pho at all three restaurants within a five day period. 

Mai Lee dining room

Mai Lee is located in the upscale city of Brentwood, a St. Louis suburb.  This restaurant is near the Galleria on Brentwood Blvd and is behind the Metro Link bus station there.  I was able to park inside a multi-story parking garage on the first floor and discovered that there was no fee to park there.  Originally being from Chicago, a city of high parking prices, this was a nice surprise to be sure.

I went to Mai Lee with my good friend Willow Bob from St. Louis.  We entered this comfortable restaurant and got a warm reception. Very nice!  We sat and we both ordered their Pho Ga and the spring rolls too.  I ordered a Saigon Beer too.

The spring rolls came and wow, they were twice the size of the ones I experienced at the other two Vietnamese restaurants.  The dipping sauce was delicious, tangy and nutty too. Great.

Then the Pho Ga was brought to the table by our very pleasant waitress, Lan. 

I really appreciated her smiling and accommodating manner.  She was terrific.  I had just learned how to add condiments to the Pho and so I added some Sriracha HOT chili sauce and also plum sauce to the Pho.  The soup had abundant sliced pieces of chicken and also noodles.   Lan brought us the vegetable plate with fresh Vietnamese basil, bean sprouts, fresh cilantro leaves with stems, and sliced jalapeno along with lime wedges.   My friend Willow Bob and I put all of the garnishes into our soup too.

Mai Lee Pho Ga

This Mai Lee Pho Ga was the winner.  This soup had cheerful abundance to it and I felt very happy to be experiencing it on a Tuesday for lunch.  Lee’s son Qui came over and introduced himself.  He made me feel very welcome.  My friend Willow Bob and I agreed after we left that we just had a wonderful meal and an experience that will bring both of us back there soon.

Mai Lee:  Thumbs up. I love the restaurant.

Mai Lee:  8396 Musick Memorial Dr., Brentwood, MO.  314.645.2835

www.maileerestaurant.com

For delicious and fabulo olive oil imported from Italy:

www.saporedellavita.com

St Louis Vietnamese restaurants for Pho Ga (Chicken soup)

My long time friend Kenney was flying into St. Louis from Florida recently for a long weekend.  In September of 2011 we vacationed in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and other cities as well.  Both of us are fans of Vietnamese food and most certainly we love pho (rhymes with duh not with dough).

Pho Ga from Pho Grand in St. Louis.

I’ve eaten pho all over Vietnam and several locations around the USA too.  It’s a staple in Vietnam kind of like how hamburgers are a first choice in the states.  After picking up Kenney at Lambert International Airport in St. Louis we decided to have lunch at the pho restaurant that was recommended to me by a clerk at Seafood City market a few weeks earlier.

After the airport we stopped at Seafood City Market again for supplies and I again asked the checkout clerk again about the restaurant I had heard about.  It was a place she said the local Chinese and Vietnamese people like to go.  A lady behind me in the aisle introduces herself and explains she too has a Vietnamese restaurant and has been in business in St. Louis for 28 years.  She wrote her name and address on the back of my Seafood City receipt.  It was called Mai Lee specializing in Vietnamese and Chinese food.  The lady named Lee was very friendly and I figured I’d go there one of these days just not today – Friday.

So,  Kenney and I drove to a place called St. Louis Pho on south Grand. It’s located in a former Burger King restaurant building.  I’m not easily disappointed but this was one of those times.  We both ordered Vietnamese spring rolls and Pho Ga.  I asked about Vietnamese beer and they didn’t have any. They had Heineken and that’s what I ordered.

It was early, right after they opened at 11 AM and well, our waiter seemed very indifferent to us.  It didn’t seem as if he cared that we were there at all.  He brought the spring rolls with a bland dipping sauce.  Then he brought the Pho Ga with the plate of vegetables including Vietnamese basil, cilantro leaves, bean sprouts and sliced jalapeno.  We poked around in the soup and wow, it hardly had any chicken in it.  As I said, I’ve had pho all over the world and this bowl had the least amount of chicken of any restaurant I’ve ever dined at.  Kenney felt that the broth wasn’t even chicken broth either by the color and yes it was certainly darker than it should have been.

We were not happy with the restaurant  and I told him that on the way back to the Interstate for our drive to southern Illinois we can stop at Pho Grand and I’ll show him their restaurant.  I had eaten there one time and I was very happy that time.  The restaurant also has a nice ambiance and has several  intimate rooms in it. We stopped, looked around and got their menu and off we went.  We would stop there after our fun Makanda Vulture Fest weekend on the following Monday for lunch before I drop him off at the airport.

Pho Grand at 3195 south Grand Blvd.  We arrived there on that Monday at about 11:30 very similar to our timing at the other restaurant a few days earlier.  Instead of being indifferent we had a nice young woman for a waitress and she efficiently and knowledgeably took our order.  Once again we ordered exactly the same thing.  It was spring rolls and I ordered the same Pho Ga while Kenney ordered Mi Vit Tiem pho, a soup with egg noodles and roasted duck leg, shitake mushrooms and vegetables.  And, this meal was noticeably better than a few days earlier. Pho Grand has a comfortable ambiance and I got a Saigon beer.  I like ordering the appropriate beer depending on the food style of the restaurant.  This time it was Vietnam and I got a Saigon beer.

Pho Grand on south Grand Blvd,  St. Louis.

The Goi Cuon spring rolls, steamed rice paper filled with veggies, vermicelli noodles, shrimp and pork were tasty and the peanut plum sauce had a sweet tang.  When my Pho Ga arrived a man connected to the restaurant came over and said, “Let me show you how to eat Pho Ga.”

He took two different squeeze bottles from a condiment rack on the table and squeezed a little of the red bottle called called Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce on the soup and then squeezed a little plum sauce in it too. He mixed it into the soup with chop sticks.

Pho Grand Mi Vit Tiem.

Well, he wasn’t kidding. The soup was kicked up and delicious.  I really liked it and I also liked having a lesson about the soup like this.  Kenney had ordered  a pho with a roasted duck leg.   He also said that his pho was delicious and pulled the duck leg out and pulled some of the meat off it and slid it back into the pho.

Well, he wasn’t kidding. The soup was kicked up and delicious.  I really liked it and I also liked having a lesson about the soup like this.  Kenney had ordered  a pho with a roasted duck leg.   He also said that his pho was delicious and pulled the duck leg out and pulled some of the meat off it and slid it back into the pho.

We had lunch, a Vietnamese lunch, a few days apart on south Grand Blvd.  I give the first restaurant thumbs down and I give Pho Grand a strong thumbs up.  I like the place and the food I’ve had there.

And, what about the lady I met at Seafood City that said she also owns a Vietnamese restaurant in the area?  My experience for her restaurant will be my next post.  Hint.  Her restaurant Mai Lee, was my favorite.

St. Louis Pho – thumbs down.

Pho Grand – thumbs up.  www.phogrand.com

For fabulo imported olive oil and balsamic vinegar:

www.saporedellavita.com

Do not go to NW Portland Hostel and Flophouse for any reason!

I recently traveled to Portland, Oregon.  A friend suggested that I get a room at NW Portland Hostel and Guesthouse because I planned to take the Amtrak to Seattle the next day.  The station is very close to this flophouse. Unfortunately, I was treated poorly and actually had my money taken without staying there. Did I cancel the private room at this flophouse from afar?  No, I was in their lobby and I discovered I had made a mistake in booking dates.  Instead of offering me a private room for the same price that had already been charged to my credit card the clerk showed me a room for $20 higher and, wow, it didn’t even have a private bath. 

Swell, so I’ve walked up way too many stairs to see a room I don’t want for the higher price. I might have said OK for the same price. It was not like I was in a luxury hotel here. In fact what I saw was an unkempt flophouse they call a hostel and guesthouse.  The couple of people I saw were not to my liking either.

I don’t have a problem with Portland’s nice attitude to be kind to homeless or panhandlers or druggies but I sure don’t want to spend the night in the same place for $84 plus tax.  I’ve tried to be communicative with them like the letter below to one of the people on their management team.  They avoid real contact since the clientele they apparently have most of the time just may walk out on a bill. 

Anyway, below is my attempt at talking to somebody via email. I’ve tried the telephone but to no avail. 

Their address is: 425 NW 18^th Avenue, Portland OR 97209.

So, as The Gourmet Critic I absolutely recommend that none of you go this flophouse.  Go find a Best Western for $64 that has a private bath instead of this place for the lost and the desperate.

The letter below says it all.

Dear Tracy Larson,

A little time has passed and perhaps hospitality can prevail.

My problem is this.  On 19 August I walked into your lobby and discovered that my reservation for a private room at your Guesthouse was for 20 August.  I had booked it on the wrong day.  The lady I was with had recommended your Guesthouse because I wanted to be near Amtrak.  I had a reservation to take the train to Seattle on the 20^th.

I stood in the lobby and the young lady/clerk told me that the private room I had booked wasn’t available on this day, the 19^th.  I told her I that I had to leave Portland the following day.  She told me that I would be billed because the Guesthouse policy for a private room was 48 hour cancellation policy.  She then suggested I might consider a different private room for the higher price of $84.  The room I apparently had reserved was for $64. 

Now, I am a couple of weeks shy of 65 and I followed her up a lot of steps and she showed me a room that I didn’t like.  I discovered a room without a private bathroom.  It just wouldn’t work for me. Somehow I didn’t grasp that your Guesthouse was really a hostel when I booked from my home state of Illinois.  I told the clerk I didn’t want the room and that I also didn’t want the room on Monday since I was leaving Portland on that day.

I realize that I made the mistake of reserving a private room for the 20^th and was ready to stay at your place.  Once I discovered I wouldn’t have a private bathroom I also realized your Guesthouse was not the right place for me.  Now, I am asking you to refund the $72 you charged my card because of my mistake.  Do you really think this whole situation is the same as cancelling?  I could understand if I tried to cancel a day in advance from some other location like my home state of Illinois.  But, I was at your Guesthouse in your lobby.  Do you really think I should be charged for a mistake?  Is this really how your idea of hospitality works?

I can accept that at a youth hostel or international hostel that people come and go and having an inflexible cancellation policy may over come people from simply not showing up and from keeping you hanging in the wind. And, so I’ve decided to try again to see if what your idea of fairness is and to ask for a refund.

During this last year I’ve been fortunate to have traveled a lot of it.  After leaving Portland the motel I stayed at in Seattle, Days Inn asked me to fill out a survey explaining how I felt about their place.  I hadn’t counted the days but last year I was in a motel or hotel 61 days.  I spent a month in Vietnam, visited Thailand, Mexico, Belize, Sarasota, Florida, Seattle and also Chicago. Your guesthouse is the only place that treated me the way I’ve described in this email.

I didn’t cancel from afar.  I stood in your lobby and discovered I made a mistake with the dates.  I don’t think I should have to pay $72 for a mistake.  Not in the “hospitality” business. 

 I look forward to a reply.

 Regards,

 Mario K.

Cafe Borgia in Munster, Indiana

I had the extreme pleasure of having lunch at Café Borgia last week.  I don’t live in the same area as the restaurant any more but I sure like going there when possible.  I’ve been friends with the owners Mike Jesso and Karen Jesso for a long time and have been a happy dining customer of theirs since 1986 at their earlier location in Lansing, IL.  Their new restaurant is a nice looking building inside and out. They have a main dining room and also a couple of private dining rooms to choose from. When the weather is kind there is their outdoor garden patio.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My friend Earl and I decided to drive to Munster, Indiana from the Beverly area inChicago.  I was happy to see owner Mike at a table and was able to talk a little. I also was able to say hello to Keith, the terrific chef, while he prepped and did his thing in the kitchen area.  I was extremely happy with the meal that I chose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I decided to try the chicken breast stuffed with 4 cheeses. It came with a fabulo brandy cream sauce, steamed green beans and large granule couscous as sides. Wowee Zowee.  I loved it. I’m not kidding. It was the best restaurant meal I’ve had in a while.  I chose Brooklyn Lager as a beverage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My friend Earl ordered his favorite chicken vesuvio and to kick it up a little he had the waiter top it with some parmesan cheese.  He chose Peroni Italian beer for his beverage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.cafeborgia.com

For terrific imported Italian Olive Oil and Balsamic vinegar:

www.saporedellavita.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salmon Patties

I am a fan of scratch fish patties and have tried different recipes and styles over the years. I decided to make some last night using fresh salmon.  It turned out terrific and it’s really not very hard to make.  I hadn’t tried this fresh salmon recipe before and I admit that the next time I make it I will use a 1/3 measuring cup to make uniform size patties.  Still once the fish is processed and you mix the flavors into it and coat the patties with the panko all that’s left is to fry them and get happy.

If you are comfortable using a food processor then this dish is for you. I bought two salmon fillets weighing 1 ¼ lbs. I removed the skin from the fillet using a fillet knife and cut the fillets into approximately 1 inch wide pieces.  Since I had two fillets I decided to process each fillet separately.  I put the one inch pieces into the food processor and pulsed 4 times leaving small pieces about ¼ inch size. I removed the salmon, put it in a bowl and repeated the same process with the second piece. Do not over process the salmon. 

Ingredients:

1 – 1 ¼ lb fresh salmon

3 tablespoons plus ¾ cup panko bread crumbs

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

2 tablespoons mayo

4 teaspoons lemon juice, in my case I used one lemon

1 scallion, sliced think

1 small shallot, minced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ cup olive oil or more as needed when frying.

Technique:

You need two bowls. One for the flavor ingredients and one for panko crumbs

Combine 3 tablespoons panko, parsley, mayo, lemon juice, scallion, shallot, mustard, salt, pepper, cayenne in a bowl.

Combine salmon with this flavored panko mixture.

Make uniform size patties about 2 inches wide and 1 inch or less high and carefully place into panko crumbs bowl. Carefully coat each side and set on a plate. Repeat until all salmon and mixture are gone. Don’t place patties on top of each other.

Heat 12 inch skillet and add olive oil. Make sure oil is hot and shimmering and carefully add the patties. I used two separate rubber spatulas, one for balance the other to set it down into the oil. Cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip cakes and cook the other side until golden brown. Transfer patties to a plate that has paper towels and let drain for 1 minute. Serve.

I made rice and steam broccoli for sides.  I put some Louisiana Fish Fry Products Remoulade dressing on the plate for dipping the patties and topped the broccoli with blue cheese dressing.

For fabulo Italian Oil and Balsamic Vinegar:

www.saporedellavita.com

 

 

Shallow Deep Fried Chicken

The purpose of this chicken recipe is to use less oil than if you made deep fried chicken.  I wanted a nice crispy crust but also moist chicken without over doing the oil.

Now, I know that everyone has a family recipe handed down and well, it’s not a competition.  My recipe has not been handed down from Mount Olympus or even my grandmother it’s simply a different recipe and technique that if you try it I think you’ll agree that it’s delicious and tasty fried chicken. And, you know what?  This might just be the best fried chicken I’ve ever made or had. 

You need two large bowls.  I like using large bowls because I don’t like spilling over the edge when the bowl is small.  One of the bowls will be for the liquid and the other will be for the flower.

Ingredients:

3 lb chicken cut up, Buttermilk, Salt, black pepper, paprika, flour, baking powder and a Cajun spice mix (any brand). Vegetable oil.

Ingredients for the wet bowl (brine):

1 ¼ C buttermilk, 1 tblsp salt, 1/4 tsp paprika, pinch cayenne, ¼ tsp garlic powder, dash hot sauce.

Ingredients for dry bowl:

1 ½ C flour, 2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp salt, ¾ tsp paprika, ¾ tsp paprika, pinch cayenne, 2 tsp baking powder.

Technique:

Preheat oven to 450F.  Whisk together wet ingredients and add chicken pieces. Mix well, cover and put in fridge for one hour.  This time will make the salt work in the buttermilk brine and marinate the chicken well.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in other bowl.  Take chicken from fridge and take about ¼ cup of the buttermilk from the bowl and pour it onto the dry ingredients.  Mix with your hand. This will make what’s called shaggy bitgs. Then individually take the chicken pieces using your hands and carefully coat each piece with the flour mixture and set on a plate or two. Don’t put the pieces on top of each other. Now sprinkle Cajun spice mixture lightly over all the pieces.

Take a large fry pan, I used a 12” diameter pan and put 1 ¾ cups vegetable oil in it. Heat the oil to 375F. Use a deep fry/candy thermometer to make sure the oil comes to 375F.  Once the temperature is right add all the pieces carefully 5 minutes on one side and turn over carefully for another 2 – 4 minutes. You want it browned not blackened.

Take a baking sheet and place a rack on it. Coat or spray the rack, the oil goes through the rack to the baking sheet and carefully remove the chicken from the fry pan and place it all of the chicken on the rack.  Now, put inside preheated oven for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes remove chicken and let it set for 5 minutes and place the pieces on a paper towel lined platter. Serve.

For fabulo Italian imported olive oil and balsamic vinegar’

www.saporedellavita.com

 

Strawberry Pie for the 4th of July

This recipe and technique are to explain how to make a strawberry pie using whole strawberries and a strawberry puree that won’t moisten the pie crust. This recipe and technique is the absolute best tasting strawberry pie that I’ve ever had. A keeper.

There are various methods that people use in order to avoid a moist crust.  People use cornstarch, tapioca, or jello among their choices.  If you make a jello pie with pieces of strawberry what do you have?  You’ve got a truck stop pie with the flavor of jello. I wanted a strawberry pie not a jello pie and my goal was to have a pie that didn’t make the pie crust wet. I found that a mixture of corn starch AND pectin (Sure Jell) did this well.

What I’ve done is mix some cornstarch with pectin the brand name being Sure-Jell. There are two types of Sure-Jell. There is low sugar and high sugar pectin. The pink box has the low sugar and that’s what I’m using in this recipe.

I’m trying to also make my life a little easier and so I’ve decided to use a frozen store bought pie shell.  Unless you want to make your own flaky crust with lots of Crisco I think the store bought pie shell that 12” deep is fine.

Ingredients:

Pie crust – 9″ and 2″ deep

2 quarts whole fresh strawberries, looked over and rinsed.

¾ cup sugar

2 tblsp Sure Jell – low sugar pectin (If I can buy it at the IGA in my little town you can buy it anywhere)

1 ½ tsp cornstarch

1 tblsp lemon

Technique:

Preheat oven to 425F.  Take pie crust and place wax paper into the 2” shell and put pie weights on it. You can use two cups of rice or black beans for the weight.  Place in oven for 15 minutes, remove from oven and remove the wax paper with weights carefully. Return to oven for 5 or 6 minutes. Careful that it’s not too long. You want to brown the crust not burn it.  Once browned remove from oven and put on a rack to cool.

Take 6 ounces of the worst looking strawberries in the group (yes, slice off the green tops of all the strawberries evenly). Take the worst looking strawberries, slice them in half and drop them into a food processor. Puree them.

Place the sugar in a sauté pan along with the Sure Jell and cornstarch and whisk them. Using a spatula remove the pureed strawberries and add to the sugar mixture. Mix and bring to a boil letting it boil for 2 minutes or until the cornstarch thickens. Use your whisk to make sure sugar mixture is blended well.  Stir in lemon juice.  Then remove from heat and set aside to cool a little.

Place the nice looking strawberries in a bowl and add the sugar strawberry puree and carefully stir it all together.  Pour the mixture into the cooled and browned pie crust using the spatula to remove as much of the puree from the bowl as possible.

 Put in the refrigerator for two hours uncovered.  Serve.

 

For fabulo Imported Olive Oil and Balsmic Vinegar:

www.saporedellavita.com

 

New Event, Different cheesecake

Happy Memorial Day everyone. The Red, White and Blue theme continues. This cake has the basic NY cheesecake recipe that was posted recently.

The garnish changed a little. This time there are the huge strawberries and raspberries and blackberries. They might be black berries but they look blue to me.  So, red fruit, white cream cheese and blue berries.

I wish you were here.

For delicious Italian olive oil and balsamic vinegar:

www.saporedellavita.com

Whole Red Snapper for dinner

I bought this red beauty in St. Louis last Tuesday. I got it fresh but I froze it.

I’ve got the large roasting pan with water heating up. I’m going to poach it. The water has some sliced fresh ginger in it. Bring it to a boil and turn the boil off. Slide the fish in for 15 minutes.

Then remove it, drain it and plate it next to fresh long grain rice.  I’ll pour soy sauce all over the fish and drizzle freshly cut scallions over it.  I’ll drop a bunch of fresh baby spinach into the water. Then from the stove top I’ll take vegetable oil that has sliced fresh ginger and chopped garlic that’s been heated for 1 minute and pour the oil over the fish. The spinach takes two minutes or so to wilt. With a slotted spoon I’ll arrange it around the plate.

Done. Yeah, I make this dish a lot. Always good. Easily a long time favorite.

For fabulo Italian imported olive oil and balsamic vinegar:

www.saporedellavita.com