Whisk It Good

This "Puddings and Creams" section of the "Everyday Dolci" chapter is my weakness. Two recipes in, and I'm in love. Chocolate Zabaglione was the final straw.

May I first point out that a pudding or cream with such a complex name seems like a daunting task. But fear not, we have Giada on our side. And her recipes are "everyday" meaning they are simple and that anyone can do them. Myself included.

I started by simmering some fat-free evaporated milk (in place of whipping cream as usual) and learned, again, that fat-free foods do not function the same as whole fat ones. Though not as big a failure as attempting to brown light butter, the evaporated milk separated a little bit and I had to whisk it to get it back together.

After removing the milk from the heat, I stirred in some chocolate chips until the mixture was completely smooth. Next, I filled a pot with about two inches of water and brought it to a simmer. As it heated, I put four egg yolks, sugar, cooking wine, and a pinch of salt into a glass bowl that I placed over the water. Next, I whisked.

I whisked for approximately four minutes. Or at least I think it was about that amount of time. When I started whisking, I realized that the clock on the microwave had not been set, and my cell phone was in my bedroom, so there was no other way to keep track of time. I could have stopped once the mixture came to 160 degrees, but yes, I do not have a thermometer. So i counted to 240-Mississippi. Like I true college kid, I always find a way to make due.

The mixture became thicker which was promising. This was the step that could really make or break it all. I removed this from the heat then folded in the chocolate mixture. It became what you see drizzled over my frozen strawberries above.

The final product was probably not as thick as it typically would be considering I used fat-free milk in place of full-fat cream, but it was still to die for. The salt in the cream gave it a sweet and salty contrast (which I LOVE!) and the tart strawberries added another dimension of taste.

Gina Neeley says that "cute girls don't lick the bowl." Well then call me a brute, because I certainly did without any hesitation. I was in the comfort of my own room though, so I didn't look like a total animal.

And there you have it, cycle EIGHT through the book! I now have an announcement to make. I will be cooking again tomorrow night starting from the first chapter, but then instead of moving on to another sauce, on Friday, I will be making the next dessert. It requires Chocolate Zabaglione so I made enough today for that recipe and don't think I should keep it refrigerated until I come around to the last chapter again. I know, I'm going against my own self-imposed rules, but I still feel weird going out of the order that I set out to accomplish this project.

Anyhow, I will see you again tomorrow night when I start cycle nine!!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays!

It is now technically Christmas day, and like the child I am at heart, I'm too excited to sleep (feel free to imagine that being said like the kid on the Disney commercials). I apologize for again not having a picture of my this post's dish, but by the time I realized I hadn't taken a picture, it was too late. I did have the opportunity to share this dish with others which is one of the main reasons I cook. Not only do I love eating food, I love being able to share it with others and see people enjoy something that I created. Cooking also makes me feel productive. But enough about my love for cooking. It's now time for me to explain the easiest dish of my project so far.

I made another dessert on Wednesday called Marinated Strawberries over Pound Cake. I used a store-bought pound cake seeing as Giada did not include a recipe for one. If there isn't a recipe for it, I do not feel obligated to make it. All I had to do was take two cups of strawberries and have them sit at room temperature in 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar for 20 minutes, then add some sugar to sweeten it up. Then you spoon it over a slice of pound cake and top it with some whipped cream (there were instructions for whipped cream, but I will admit to taking a shortcut here and just using Cool Whip, sorry!).

I thought this was a pretty unconventional combinations and wasn't sure what to expect from it. It turns out that marinating strawberries in vinegar makes them quite tart on their own, but on top of pound cake with some whipped topping, it's delicious and balanced. It was incredibly easy and painless as well so I highly recommend it if you're in need of something simple.

Surprisingly, I didn't do much cooking today for Christmas Eve. My mom took on most of the duties today. I did make some ricotta cheese cookies though the other day and used a REAL vanilla bean for the first time ever. I felt like a real chef splitting the bean and scraping all the vanilla guts out. I even got fancy and created a glaze for the cookies but heating some powdered sugar, milk, Karo syrup, and the "shells" of the vanilla beans (I don't know if they're actually considered shells, but I'm not too sure what else to call them).

That's all I have for right now. I start the next cycle through the book sometime next week unless I get super ambitious on Saturday, but odds are I will be maxed out on everything foo-related by then. Check back soon for more though!

P.S. I got a juicer for Christmas so adding FRESH lemon to recipes will be exponentially easier now. I also received another GINORMOUS cookbook so once I'm through with my Everyday Italian project, this blog shall live on!! Feel free to thank Caitlin for all this good news :)