A Tuscan Dessert As Light As Spring!

 Even though I'd say that 90 percent of what comes out of my kitchen is Indian food, I am Italian and there are times when I just can't keep my inner Tuscan under control. One of those times is spring time in Sonoma, which is right now.
 Sonoma looks a lot like northern Italy. That's what my parents say, and that's what attracted them here. The same sort of produce is grown and a lot of the same dishes are cooked.
 Of course I'm feeling all Tuscan right now because the sun is out and the breeze has softened and there are tons of Fava beans and interesting greens to be had on the cheap in my local markets.
  One of my favorite dessert recipes for this time of year is a simple Tuscan cornmeal or polenta cake basted with a rosemary infusion, and garnished with a bit of unsweetened whipped cream and some fresh blackberries.
 We were out to dinner the other night at The Fig Cafe in Glen Ellen with some of our colleagues from the recent film festival. I suggested that everyone come back to our place for a bit of dessert afterwards. Not because the desserts at The Fig Cafe aren't great ( they are) but because I was jonesing to make this cake. Also, fresh blackberries were on sale at our local Whole Foods at 2 baskets for 4 bucks. It was in the stars that I had to make this cake like Now!
 The big problem I always face with this recipe is locating good fresh inexpensive blackberries that don't cost an arm and a leg. The irony here is that we live in a virtual blackberry jungle. Our property is filled with blackberries.

Our driveway is lined with blackberry bushes.

The downside is they're not ready yet. The other downside is I'm battling the deer for them every year.
 I must add here that when fresh figs are in season, they work great too..but we're a long way from fig season.
  The cake is simple, easy to make and not a super sweet concoction. In fact, it might even be great on a brunch table. It whips up fast, bakes for 40 minutes and serves up to 10 people depending on the size of the pieces one cuts. Here's how to do it.
  In a large mixing bowl add:
 1 stick of unsalted butter
1 cup of sugar
Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric beater. When it's nice and fluffy add in:
1 cup of fine cornmeal flour
3/4 cup of all purpose flour
3/4 tsp of salt
 1 tsp of baking powder
2 large eggs
1 egg yolk
2/3 cup of whole milk
 Beat the cake batter with an electric beater on the high setting for about 3 minutes. It will turn a pale shade of yellow.
 Pour the batter into a greased and floured 8x2 (I use 8x3) inch cake pan.

 When the batter is in the pan, tap it against your kitchen counter a few times to get rid of air bubbles.

 Place the pan in the middle rack of a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. You'll know it's done when a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean.

  Let the cake pan sit on a wire rack for about 10 minutes to rest, then unmold the cake flipping it onto your hand bottom side up, and place it on a plate.

The bottom has become the top and this is the side that gets the rosemary infusion.
   The Rosemary Infusion
While the cake is baking away in the oven make a simple rosemary syrup.
In a small pan add:
3/4 cup of water
3/4 cup of sugar
 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
 1/3 cup of finely chopped fresh rosemary

Whisk it all together on a medium high heat until it comes to a simmer.
Let it simmer for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat add in:
1 tsp of vanilla and let the mixture sit for 30 minutes.

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and pour it into a 2 cup glass measure.
 Using about 1/3 cup of this syrup, paint the top of the cake with it. Always let the syrup sink in before you add more.

There should be about 2/3 cup of syrup left. Pour it into a small pitcher and refrigerate it until serving.
Putting It All Together

Cut a slice of cake, pour a bit of the refrigerated syrup over it in a little pool.

 Add a few blackberries and a dab of unsweetened whipped cream on top. Perhaps drizzle a bit more syrup and stud the whipped cream with a final blackberry.

 We served it up and everyone enjoyed it.

 This cake is a traditional recipe. There are a million varieties of this recipe out there. I also make one that contains lemon zest and rosemary in the batter. All I can say is that this cake has never failed me when I want a dessert that's beautifully easy, not too sweet, and a total crowd pleaser.

The Buona Pasqua Lunch and The Secret of No Stir Polenta!

Easter around our house is like the Tri-fecta of family holidays. Not only is there the big celebration of Easter, a huge deal in Italian households. But at Casa Gori, we also add in my parents anniversary and this year, my fathers' 91st birthday. Last year for his 90th, he got an iPod. Probably he was the oldest iPod owner out there at the time.
  My parents examine one of this years' anniversary presents, a deck of trivia cards based on events from the year they were married.

  My mother who is an insane practical joker brought over what she clams was my "first Easter  dress".

Seeing as it came on a tiny dolls' hanger, I have my doubts. My father however,  backs her up. But then again he always does. That's how they roll.

    Feeding my Italian family is no easy task. They are the pickiest of picky eaters and I have now taken on the mantle of "The One Who Feeds The Family At All Festivities". This is in part because we have the biggest dining room table and also it's my turn. Besides, my mother keeps telling everyone that she wishes she had a house without a kitchen. Just so we all know where she's coming from.
  Every holiday at our house we go back to my Tuscan roots and spread out all the family faves. This usually includes polenta, the delicious cornmeal concoction dear to the heart of every Northern Italian.
  There are two things I don't like about polenta. The standing and the stirring. The way I was taught to make it years ago involved standing and stirring for what seemed like forever with a big wooden spoon. This may have been great hanging around the kitchen back in Fiano but when there are a bunch of other dishes on the fire and no passel of sister-in-laws, cousins, et al to help, it can get old fast.
  I dreamed of the no stir polenta. Then I found it. All because of my Clay Coyote Pot.
Paula Wolfert turned me on to these clay pots and I have a large cazuela that makes perfect polenta every time. Only one quick stir is all that's needed. Pretty nifty.
  The other great thing about this recipe is that it cooks at the same temperature as the pork loin with herbs and whole grain mustard which was my main course. It can't get simpler than that.
The whole dish cooks up in about 1 hour, and will serve 6 to 8 people as a side dish.
     This is how it goes:
  Preheat the oven up to 350 degrees.
In a clay casserole of any oven proof baking dish mix:

1 quart of water
1 cup of finely ground polenta cornmeal
1 Tbs of salt
2 tbs of unsalted butter cut into little pieces
freshly ground pepper to taste
  Stir it all together and put it into the oven in the middle of  the top rack.

Then leave it to cook for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes take it out and stir it well, mix in anything you wish to put into the polenta, butter, cheese, you name it. My favorite is butter and a mix of grated parmesan and pecorino cheese.
  Mix in the fixings you choose, then pop it back in for another 10 minutes. After that, take it out to rest for about 10 minutes and serve.

This is my polenta in its Clay Coyote casserolle. My picky family loves this dish . I love this dish because it's so dang easy. I'm actually thinking of trying to make risotto in this same clay pot in the same way just to see what happens as I hate standing around stirring risotto.

My mother actually asked me for the recipe last year and now she makes it all the time. It's probably the first time in Gori family history that a recipe traveled in the opposite generational direction.

Running Dog Dessert!

Last night my husband chased an elusive Patsy though the fields around the dog park. He had me on the cell phone listening all the way. I was shouting, he was shouting, Patsy was running. Monitoring this whole dog rodeo via my iphone reminded me of watching Avatar last week. I felt as though I was back at the base station trying to get Sully to please respond. He meanwhile was wrestling a saddle onto one of those flying lizard type deals.

Either way we finally got her back and last night got to enjoy the dessert. Alan got plenty of exercise so the side benefit was no guilt over what I'd fixed.
  So, in short here is the dessert. Rather anti climactic perhaps.
 In the fall and late summer when blackberries are plentiful here in Sonoma (our property is filled with them) I make a Tuscan corn meal flour cake from a recipe I got from Bon Appetite years ago. It's a very simple and not too sweet cake which as it cools I baste with a rosemary syrup  infusion. The cake is then served with a dash of the rosemary sauce and topped with fresh blackberries and unsweetened whipped cream. Simple fresh delicious.
  Ok, so there aren't any fresh blackberries to be had now. The rosemary is ok but I was thinking of trying something different.
  Blood oranges are all over our local markets so I thought..hmmm . What  would happen if I made a blood orange infusion? What goes with oranges and looks like blackberries? Olives of course! It's olive season here in Sonoma. What would happen if I candied some olives?? I had to try it. So I did.
  The cake is a simple recipe.
   Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 inch cake pan..or you may try what I did which is, grease and flour small ceramic ramekins for individual cakes.
Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter and flour an 8- by 2-inch round cake pan.
1.) In a bowl with an electric mixer cream 1 stick of  butter and 1 cup of sugar.
Mix it until it's all light and fluffy.
  Then add in :
2.) 1 cup yellow cornmeal
3.) 3/4 cup  flour
4.) 1 tsp baking powder
5.) 3/4 tsp salt
6.) 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk
7.) 2/3 cup of milk

  Blend it all togther with your electric beater set on low. Beat it for about 3 minutes. It will turn a nice pale yellow color.

8.) Pour the batter into whichever pans you decide to use for about  40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
While your cake is in the oven make your blood orange infusion.
  Blood Orange Infusion:
1.) juice 4 blood oranges
2.) Add about 1 Tbs of sugar, taste and check you don't want it too sweet.
  Boil this mixture down till it is halved.
  Let it cool.
  When the cake(s) are done put them on a rack to cool in their pans  or little cups for about 10 minutes.

After  10 minutes. Unmold your cake (s)  and set it bottom side up on the rack.
  Now here's where I have to make a **Special Comment**
  When I've baked this in a cake pan I've had no trouble unmolding my cake. With the ramekins I did. They didn't unmold cleanly and here I am confessing it. I would have loved perfectly smooth sided even little cakes. It's not what I got. So, I have to look for better molds for these, do a better job greasing, whatever . Let me say taste wise they were perfect, eye wise..not so much.
  We return you to your recipe already in progress.
    While your cake or cakes are cooling you take your Blood Orange syrup and baste the bottom (now the top side) of your cake. Let the syrup sink in, then keep basting. Use about 1/3 of your Blood Orange syrup for this. Save the rest and chill it.
   Now for the Candied Olives!
    I'd been reading up on doing this to olives. Candied Olives have all ones basic food requirement. Sweet, Salty and Fat!!! MMMMMMMMmmmmmm.
   But I digress...
   To have your way with an olive start with some Niscoise Olives..Kalamata will also do just fine. I bought tiny little Niscoise olives which in the pitting and dicing department reminded me of every lab class I ever took. I might recommend larger olives for speeds sake.
   Either way get some olives, eyeball the amount that seems right to you. Pit them and mince them. Place them in a small pan with 1 tsp of sugar and 1 tsp of blood orange juice...you may needc to add more juice and more sugar if you're doing a larger number of olives. As I said I eyeballed it and it turned out just fine.
  Bring the olive, juice and sugar mixture to a boil and then turn it all out onto a baking pan and place it in a 200 degree  pre-heated oven to bake for 1 hour or more. Mine took close to 2 hours. You want your olives dried and slightly crispy.
   Set the olives aside.
 Now, for the presentation. 
   Take the basted cakes, drizzle them with a spoonful or so of your blood orange infusion, scatter with the candied olives and topp with unsweeted whipped cream. Toss a couple of those candied olives on top of that too.

Next time, ( of course there is going to be a next time do you think I'm crazy?) I will take these little cakes and halve them horizontally so they will not be as tall. So maybe different molds, shorter cakes  who knows, who cares?  It was after all, delicious.
  Of course we were being observed by The Wolf feigning indifference, hoping for a tab of whipped cream on her nose as a welcome home present.

Did she get it?? To be continued.