Chocolate Mousse

Yeah, chocolate mousse is a classic desert in France, but hey, Italy has it too! Yep, we toasted our waiter and clinked glasses when we heard it was on the menu - then we ate cake. This recipe was given to us from a friend who just happens to have a friend whose wife is a chef. It is our friend’s recipe, not the chef’s. Buon Desserto!

When shopping for the ingredients, be sure to choose a fine-quality bittersweet chocolate containing at least 50 to 60 percent cocoa solids. The higher the percent of cocoa solids, the denser your mousse will be.

2 cups chilled heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
3 Tbs sugar
1 tsp vanilla or 3 Tbs Grand Marnier
8 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
You’ll also need an instant-read thermometer

Heat 3/4 cup cream in a 1-quart heavy saucepan until hot.

Whisk together the yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a metal bowl until combined well, then add in the hot cream in a slow stream, whisking until combined.

Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until it registers 160°F on the instant-read thermometer. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and stir in the vanilla or Grand Marnier.

Melt the bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water (or in a glass bowl in a microwave at 50 percent power 3 to 5 minutes), stirring frequently. Whisk the custard into the melted chocolate until smooth. Let the mixture cool.

Beat the remaining 1 1/4 cups cream in a bowl with an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Whisk one fourth of the whipped cream into the chocolate custard to lighten, then fold in the remaining cream gently but thoroughly.

Spoon the mousse into 8 individual serving dishes and chill, covered, at least 6 hours and no more than 24 hours. Let stand at room temperature about 20 minutes before serving.

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The Moka, aka Kramer’s Secret

In Italy they have this cool gadget that creates coffee that’s kinda strong. This special brew will sling you out of bed, slap you up straight and roundhouse kick you into tomorrow. And that’s just the first sip! Didn’t hurt. Truly, this is some awesome stuff. The Italian word for this coffee guru is “moka.” Some call it a “stove top espresso pot”, but I just call it “whack”.

If you would like your own morning wake-me-up shot of thunder power-drive whack, the moka is available at these fine stores: Nordstrom, Macy’s, Williams-Sonoma, and select Goodwill locations. Be sure to get an aluminum pot; they are way better than the ones in stainless steel.            

Once you have purchased (and cleaned) your moka, follow these steps to make the best coffee jolt, beam-me-up-Scotty sensation of your life. Oh, yeah, it tastes really good too!

Use a spoon to stir the coffee, then pour about 2 ounces into an espresso cup. Serve immediately if you want to drink espresso. If you prefer American-style coffee, pour about 2 ounces of the espresso into an 8-ounce cup and fill the rest of the cup with boiling water. Stir before serving.

The number of cups you can make per pot depends on the size of the moka pot you use. We like our coffee strong though, so we use the 6-cup pot to make 4 cups of American-style coffee.

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Maryann’s Pasta Adventure

There is nothing better than a good home cooked meal, unless it is a good home cooked meal in Italy. Maryann (Mom) unleashed her culinary wizardry when she created this special dish we like to call Maryann’s Pasta Adventure. Every day, mild-mannered Mom would go to the local market, bring home regular food, then somehow it would turn into this incredible creation that tasted like truth, justice and the Italian-American way! Truly, this is a meal that could stop a steaming locomotive…if it was hungry.

1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 cup broccoli florets
1 carrot, slivered
1 medium fresh tomato, diced
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 to 3/4 pound of fettucine, prepared per package instructions
2 tsp basil, dried
Dash of sea salt
Dash of freshly ground black pepper

In a large skillet, brown the chopped onion and minced garlic in olive oil over medium heat until the onions are carmelized. Mix the slivered carrots in with the onions and saute for 3 minutes. Add the broccoli florets and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until the broccoli is al dente. Gently stir in the diced tomato and cook for one minute, just enough to heat the tomatoes. Serve over hot fettucini.

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5-Cheese Lasagna

Two jars of Spaghetti sauce and a whole lot of cheese makes this traditional Italian dish a plate-o-heaven – a slight variation of the play-doh® heaven. One taste and you will want thirds. So, tighten up your apron, slap some flour on your face and call yourself Maestro! Buon Apetito!

8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
3/4 pound of mozarrella, sliced
1 cup freshly grated parmesan
2/3 cup freshly grated romano
16 oz. ricotta
1 egg
1 tbs. Olive oil
1 lb box of lasagna noodles
2 jars of Classico Spaghetti Sauce (easier and yummier than homemade!)

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil to the water before it boils to keep the noodles from sticking together. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water according to the package instructions. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water.

In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spread 1/3 of the cream cheese over the mozzarella layer. Spoon 1 1/2 cups sauce over cream cheese, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan and 1/3 cup romano. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

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Chicken Marsala

Yes sir, this is the best stuff in the world…ever!

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp basil, dried
3 Tbs butter or margarine
3 Tbs olive oil
4 to 8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced (1/2 to 1 cup sliced)
1/2 cup Marsala wine

Pound chicken to 1/4" thickness between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Combine flour, salt, pepper, and basil; mix well. Heat oil and butter in a heavy non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Dredge chicken in seasoned flour mixture. Cook chicken until lightly browned on first side (about 2 to 3 minutes). Turn chicken and add mushrooms around the chicken pieces. Cook about 2 minutes longer, until lightly browned; stir the mushrooms. Add Marsala wine to pan. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 10 minutes. Serve with hot cooked pasta, mashed potatoes, or rice.

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Pasta Pomodoro

If simplicity is the greatest form of flattery, this dish will make you blush. Um…Joy says that it is actually imitation that is the greatest form of flattery. So I guess if you follow this recipe, we’ll be the ones blushing.

1 jar Classico Spaghetti Sauce
8 oz. dried spaghetti noodles
Freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Pour the jar of spaghetti sauce into a medium saucepan and heat over medium-low. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil to the water before it boils to keep the spaghetti noodles from sticking together. Cook noodles in boiling water according to the package instructions. Drain noodles, and rinse with hot water.

Serve the spaghetti sauce over the noodles. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, if desired.

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Squash Medley

Don’t let the name fool you, this squished medley of veggies is probably one of my second favorite dishes in the world. Veggies never tasted so good and looked so soggy, but that’s how we like it! That’s right…soggy, and yet so firm. It’s a delicious contradictory culinary masterpiece.

3 Tbs olive oil
1 small yellow onion, sliced
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 zucchinis, sliced
2 summer squash, sliced
1 medium tomato, peeled and diced
1/2 Tbs Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic; cook until tender. Mix in zucchini and summer squash. Season with Italian seasoning and salt. Cook and occasionally stir until the squash is almost tender. Add diced tomato and cook for 1 minute or so, just until the tomatoes are hot. Adjust seasonings to taste.

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Panini, aka Smashed Sandwiches

In Italy, the panini (sandwiches) are awesome, and they don’t succumb to the unexpected moisture of spring rains – especially if you eat them under an umbrella. These sturdy beasts of meat, veggies and cheese are enveloped in bread specially delivered from heaven…C.O.D.

1/4 lb very, very  thinly sliced prosciutto
4 slices mozarrella cheese
1 small tomato, sliced
4 thin onion slices
2 large cibatta rolls, or other dense rolls

Slice the cibatta rolls in half lengthwise. Layer the other ingredients on the bottom halves of the rolls in the order listed. Place the top halves of the rolls on top. If you have a panini grill, use it! If not, grill the sandwiches in a skillet with a small amount of butter or margarine, turning when the rolls brown on the bottom. Press the sandwiches down with a slotted spatula while they are grilling. When both sides are browned and the cheese is melted, serve and enjoy!

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Pizza Margherita

I know what you’re thinking: They have pizza in Italy? I know - I was surprised too! But they have these little trattorias and neighborhood pizzerias. Great stuff! Funny thing is, I never once saw a PizzaHut™.

1 pkg frozen pizza dough (Okay, so that’s not authentically Italian. But have you ever tried to make homemade pizza dough? Yes? Well, you are braver soul than I!)
One 7-ounce can peeled whole tomatoes, drained
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 Tbs. olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Corn meal
1/2 pounds mozzarella, thinly sliced
8 to 10 large basil fresh leaves, torn into pieces

For the best results, you’ll want to use a pizza stone. If you don’t have one, and don’t want to purchase one, you can use a baking sheet. With a baking sheet, you will skip the pre-heating and some of the transferring directions below.

Place the pizza stone on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F for at least 45 minutes.

Prepare the pizza dough according to the package instructions.

Coarsely chop the tomatoes and stir in the oregano, minced garlic, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season with sea salt and black pepper.

Brush the prepared and shaped pizza dough with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Lightly sprinkle a flat baking sheet with corn meal and transfer the shaped pizza dough to the sheet.

Spread the tomato mixture over the dough to within 1 inch of the edge. Spread the cheese over the pizza and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil. Season with sea salt and black pepper.

Carefully slide the pizza off of the baking sheet and on to the baking stone in the oven. Bake until the bottom is charred and the cheese is melted, about 8 -10 minutes. Scatter the basil on top and let stand for 3 minutes before serving.

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Chocolate Gelato

What honey is to a bee, gelato is to me…or something like that. My first taste of gelato made me second-guess everything I knew about ice cream. The texture, the density, the flavor…the price! A big “WOW” out to all four of these. For a special discount on the price though, I suggest creating your own gelato from scratch - same great stuff, in your mouth…and your wallet.

Fun fact: Italian gelato has less fat than ice cream. No wonder there are so many svelte Italians!

1 cup sugar
2 cups milk
1 cup cocoa powder, sifted
3 1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4  egg yolks, beaten lightly

In a heavy saucepan cook 1/4 cup sugar, undisturbed, over moderate heat until it begins to melt. Cook, stirring with fork, until melted completely and deep golden brown. Remove pan from heat and dip pan briefly into a bowl of ice water to stop cooking (caramel will harden). Cool pan about 5 minutes and return to heat. Add milk and cook over moderate heat, whisking until caramel is melted. Whisk in cocoa until combined well and keep mixture warm.

In a double boiler, or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring, and remove from heat. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat egg yolks with remaining 3/4 cup sugar until thick and pale. Whisk in caramel mixture and chocolate in streams, whisking until combined. Pour custard into another 3 quart heavy saucepan and cook over moderately low heat until a candy thermometer registers 140 F. Cook custard, stirring (do not let it boil), 4 minutes more and remove from heat. Cool custard completely. Transfer mixture to ice cream machine and proceed according to machine's directions.

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Caffe Gelato

2/3 cup sugar
4  egg yolks
1 cup milk; at room temperature
1/8 tsp salt
4 tsp instant coffee
1 cup heavy cream

Beat the sugar and egg yolks together until pale yellow and very thick. Slowly add the milk, beating gently to avoid a build-up of foam. Stir in the salt.  Transfer mixture to the top of a double boiler with an inch of boiling water in the bottom half, or into a or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely boiling water. Regulate heat so the water remains at a low boil, and stir continuously for 8 minutes. The custard will thicken enough to coat the spoon, and surface foam will disappear. Immediately remove top of double boiler and set it in a large bowl of cold water. Stir 2 minutes to cool custard somewhat. Then transfer it to a non-metallic bowl and add the coffee, stirring to dissolve it thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate to chill thoroughly. Also chill heavy cream. When ready to proceed, whip cream into soft peaks and stir it into coffee custard. Transfer mixture to ice cream machine and proceed according to machine's directions.

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