Italy from the Inside

How I won the “Crostata alla Nutella” contest

Ok, ok, I admit it, the only participant to the contest was actually me, but since this was a big personal challenge, I really felt like a winner when my Nutella tart turned out to be not only delicious (it didn’t survive 12 hours, including night time since I baked it after dinner…) but also, and especially, perfectly baked (a.k.a. not burnt).

As you may probably already know, Nutella cannot withstand high temperatures, as opposed to jam, but before explaining you the trick, here’s the ingredients I used to make it:

  • 300gr flour
  • 100gr butter
  • 100 gr sugar
  • 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • Vanilla flavor

How to make it

Throw everything into the Kitchen Aid and forget about it until the dough has formed. Cut off 1/3 of the dough and set is aside. Spread the rest into a baking pan, possibly non-stick.

Bake at 350F until almost done. In the meantime, cut many stripes with the dough that you put aside. Quite easy so far, right?

Ok, here’s coming the tricky part:

  • Spread the Nutella over the warm tart. Easy.
  • Create a web on top of it with the dough stripes. Easy.
  • Lower the oven rack to the lowest level. Easy.
  • Switch the setting to low broil. Easy as well.
  • Put the tart back in to the oven and “stay alert”. Hard, maledettamente hard, and here’s why….

The first time, that “stay alert” statement translated into: “Oh well, it took 20 minutes to bake the base, the top will be at least 10”. Result: badly burnt.

The second time, that “stay alert” translated into: “I have only a few minutes to check my email, let’s go, quickly”. Result: quite burnt.

The third time that “stay alert” translated into: “Questa volta non mi freghi“, meaning “This time you are not going to trick me”, and I stayed by the oven, opening it every 30 seconds (fortunately you can do this when you bake a tart since it is not going to collapse). And… I did it! I won the contest!

Now look at the photo and tell me if I didn’t deserve the first prize…

Francesca
(Author of the eBook Italy From The Inside)

Italians eat flowers! Zucchini Blossoms recipe

One of the pleasures of visiting Italy is to be delighted by its food and…flowers. This time I was lucky enough to find the fiori di zucca at the grocery store, so I bought them with the intent to make one of the easiest and yet most delicious recipes of the Italian cuisine.

Ingredients:
-about 15 zucchine blossoms (note: the correct word is zucchine not zucchini!)
-4 tbsp flour
-About 1/2 cup water or milk
-1 egg (optional)
-frying oil
-salt

Remove the pistils and gently wash the flowers inside and outside. Pat them dry. Prepare the batter by mixing the water (or milk), the flour, a little salt and the egg, if you decide to include it in your recipe. Make sure the batter is smooth and creamy. Dip the fiori di zucca into the batter and then fry them in very hot oil. Drain them on absorbent paper and lightly salt them. Serve them hot.

If you want to combine some language and cooking practice, we recommend Francesca Valerio’s blog on Italian recipes.
Buon Appetito!

Nonna Grazia’s Tiramisu recipe

Every time Nonna Grazia (my mother in law) visits us from Italy, I gain a few pounds. Among her specialties is the Tiramisu. I documented the steps she took to make this magic, yet simple dessert (recipe is for 4 people – total time ~15 mins).

Ingredients
– 4 yolks
– 8 oz. Mascarpone cheese
– Sugar
– 1 cup of coffee
– 10-12 Savoiardi cookies
– Milk
– Powder cocoa (optional)

Start by making the coffee. She usually uses a traditional Italian Espresso coffee machine, which makes the coffee in about 4 minutes. You can even use some ready coffee, since there are many brands and kinds available at the superstore.

Meanwhile, beat the yolks with 4 tbs of sugar until creamy (1-2 minutes). Use an electrical handmixer which makes the job faster and the cream smoother. Add the mascarpone cheese and beat for an additional minute until the cream becomes very smooth.

Pour the coffee in a bowl and add some milk and sugar (or nothing at all if you like the coffee strong). Dip the Savoirdi cookies quickly on both sides to avoid that they become too moistured and eventually break.

Lay them on the bottom of a flat serving dish (a Pyrex is ideal), cover them with the cream and, right before serving, spread the top with some powder cocoa. Cover and chill for a couple of hours.

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