Aged and Gilded (Palazzo-Interiors & Gardens)

A Taste of Brown Sugar...Shortbread

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Mine was perfectly lovely and I enjoyed every minute of it. But now my favorite holiday is approaching--Christmas!! Every season, I bake shortbread. I love the smell of baked goods wafting through the kitchen and filling the house (among other things--but we won't talk about that) with good cheer! My children love shortbread and it makes a really great gift. Bake a few on the weekend and package in cellophane bags with tartan ribbon. Here is my easy recipe and you probably have the short list of ingredients already:

Brown Sugar Shortbread

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups sifted all purpose flour

In a bowl, beat butter, brown sugar and vanilla until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add flour in 4 batches and combine well after each addition. Scrape dough into a buttered 9 inch round cake pan and spread into an even layer. Prick the surface with the tines of a fork to make the traditional shortbread pattern. With a knife, score the top into 8 wedges (do not cut all the way through the dough). Bake in the upper third of preheated 325 degree (F) oven for 30 minutes, or until the top is puffy and lightly browned. Cool slightly. Cut through the scored lines while still warm.

Enjoy!!

French Connection

That sound so sexy...so Catherine Deneuveish. But it's a coffee drink to warm those cold winter nights. Light a fire and pour yourself a cup.

French Connection

1 1/2 oz cognac
1/2 oz amaretto
black coffee

Pour cognac and amaretto into irish coffee cup and fill with black coffee. (Add whip cream if you desire.)

Enjoy!

Bella "Fig"ura

Fall is here and with it, the bounty of the season arrives. One of the most sensual of offerings is the fig--sweet, luscious, rounded and chewy. Some scholars even believe the fig was indeed, the forbidden fruit, rather than the apple. Long a staple in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern diets, Turkey is the world's largest producer. This divine fruit is heavenly with just a bit of cheese and a drizzle of honey.

Prosciutto Wrapped Figs

Serves 6
6 slices of prosciutto
18 fresh black mission figs
18 bocconcini (bite size version of buffalo mozzarella)

Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut prosciutto lengthwise into 3 strips. Slit each fig and stuff with a bocconcini. Wrap with prosciutto strip and secure on skewer (3 figs each). Place in oven on baking pan for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. And there you are....la dolce vita.

Slow Like Honey

Cinnamon toast with honey to be exact. Torrija is one of Spain's best loved treats and this recipe makes me want to flamenco right to the kitchen.

Serves 4-8

Ingredients:
2/3 cup of milk
1 vanilla bean split lengthwise
freshly grated peel of 1 lemon
3 large eggs, beaten
1 long baguette style loaf, cut into 8 slices
1/4 cup moscatel wine
olive oil for frying

To Serve:
1/3 cup clear honey
ground cinnamon, for dusting
5 sugar cubes, coarsely crushed
 or 3 tablespoons regular sugar

Put milk in saucepan with vanilla bean and lemon peel and heat to just below boiling point. Remove from heat and let cool. When cool, beat in the eggs.

Strain mixture into flat dish large enough to take 2 slices of bread at a time. Put slices of bread on tray and sprinkle with wine to slightly moisten.

Dip 2 slices of bread into egg mixture and let soak for a few minutes. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat, add soaked bread, and fry until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Repeat until all are done.

Transfer to large serving dish and spoon over the honey, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and either let soak for a few hours or eat while hot. (Who can wait a few hours?)

If eating cold, add the sugar just before serving.

From Easy Mediterranean - Simple Recipes from Sunny Shores

Reduced!  Books and other selected goodies from the Summer Holiday Collection are now on sale at Palazzo.

Line Forms in the Rear

Supposedly, there's a "hip" new spot to hang out in Paris. Described as a bar, restaurant and private club the whereabouts of this trendy lair is strictly for those in the know. Derriere is discreetly located behind two other nightclubs with a cult following and founded by Algerian Mourad Mazouz, the successful entrepreneur with hot spots in London. The well-worn, eclectic interior of each room is designed to feel as if you have dropped in on a friend. I guess it just depends on what crowd you are keeping company with.

Australia Vogue Living

Rolling in Dough

Pizza is one of my favorite foods. It's perfect and in my mind it fulfills the food chart requirement for veggies, bread and cheese. At least that's what I'm telling myself in order to justify eating it because it just tastes so good. But I am a purist...sort of. Pesto--yes; pineapple--no. And the twenty pounds of cheese and meat of popular American pizza--an absolute aberration!  And I don't participate in coastal feuds about which crust is better. I like it all--thin, thick, Chicago-style, New York, etc. When I was living in Italy, I noticed they had the curious habit of folding their pizza to eat it and I find myself doing the same. And the pizza of choice? Margherita, of course.

Pizza Margherita

1 round basic pizza dough
3 tb extra virgin olive oil
1 28 oz can peeled plum tomatoes (drained, seeded)
2 finely chopped cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1 tb cornmeal
6 oz fresh thinly sliced mozzarella cheese
8 fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 c fresh shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit with pizza stone. Cut tomatoes in chunks. Place in mixing bowl with 2 tb olive oil, garlic and salt. Roll out dough. Dust pizza peel with cornmeal and place dough on top.Top with tomatoes and cheese and drizzle with remaining 1 tb of olive oil. Transfer dough to stone and bake for 8-10 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven with peel and sprinkle with Parmesan and basil.

I like to cheat a bit and pick up the ready made dough from Trader Joe's. I'm not lucky enough to have a wood-burning stove so I have to make do with my pizza stone. I didn't make margherita but instead used pesto, artichokes and calamata olives.

Sorry, no after pictures--just too good!

Mix it Up: The Perfect Bar Part 2

Cote Sud

A Place for Everything/Peri Wolfman and Charles Gold

You've gathered all the tools of the trade and now it's time to mix. Well, it all depends on what you and your guests like to drink and how often. You'll have to decide on the liquor, liqueurs, mixers and garnishes.

My personal idea of a well-stocked bar consists of the following:

Liquors: Vodka (various flavored), Rum (light white; aged), Tequila (blanco;anejo), Cognac, Armagnac

Keeping vodka in the freezer will assure a perfectly chilled martini. I did not list gin, bourbon, or whisky because I generally do not drink them, but if you do they should be included.

Liqueurs:  Amaretto, Anisette, Triple Sec, Coffee, Creme de Cassis, Framboise, Cointreau, Campari, Schnapps, Vermouth (French; Italian), Sambuca

The list of available liqueurs is much more extensive than mine and this is where creative preferences, cocktail knowledge and skills apply.

Mixers: Club Soda, Tonic Water, Cola, Cream, Juice (orange; cranberry, tomato), Ginger Ale

Buy these in smaller serving sizes to maintain freshness and carbonation.

Garnishes:  Cocktail olives, cocktail onions, limes, lemons, fresh fruit if appropriate, coarse salt, sugar, angostura bitters, orange bitters

Your home bar should also be stocked with a small range of white and red wines. And it's hard to go wrong with a bottle of champagne in the fridge--my favorite is Veuve Cliquot. I also think it's important to have the appropriate glass for the drink you'll be serving. I like to keep a supply of nuts, olives, tapenades and a selection of cheeses on hand for quick and easy entertaining.

Just to get you started...let's drink to summer!

Honey Deuce Delight

Add 1 1/4 parts Grey Goose Vodka to highball glass filled with crushed ice. Top with lemonade below the rim and add 1/2 part Chambord raspberry liqueur. Garnish with honeydew melon balls.

A la votre!

In the Spirit: The Perfect Bar Part 1

Whether we like it shaken or stirred, cocktail culture is here to stay. In fact, so passionate is the dedication to the art of the mix that the bartender has now been elevated to "mixologist." Not only does he tend the bar, but at his best, he creates memorable concoctions with equally enthralling names. There is a cocktail for almost every occasion and deciding what spirits to stock in your home bar without breaking the bank can be overwhelming.

But before you can mix the perfect drink, there are also some basic tools and supplies that are necessary for serving spirits with ease.

1. Cocktail shaker - I like the traditional Cobbler 3-piece stainless steel shaker because the larger cap eliminates the need for a separate strainer and the smaller cap prevents spills and doubles as a jigger. The metal keeps your drinks cooler. (Depending on the drinks you most often prefer, you might also need to purchase a separate strain.)

2. Ice bucket and tongs - The bucket should be double insulated with a lid to keep your ice frozen and clean accompanied with a nice set of tongs. (This looks so much better than popping cubes out of a freezer tray when serving drinks.)

3.  Jigger - Critical for making cocktails with exactly the right measurements.

4. Zester/Reamer - This tool enables you to finish the drink with a flourish adding the twists and garnishes that make it look professional.

5. Corkscrew/bottle opener - It is important to choose a good one--one that does not require a lot of force and does not break the cork. As a matter of personal taste there are many to choose from. The screwpull with a foil cutter is nice but I still rely on the Italian style double lever corkscrew.

Additionally, you'll want to have on hand lint-free bar towels, cocktail napkins and picks. You most likely already have a blender and it's necessary if you like mixing larger quantities of frozen ice mixes like margaritas. An ice crusher is handy for the convenience of crushed ice at any time. Having the essential bar accessories will make entertaining much easier.

Cool It! Sicilian Granita Recipe

Almond Milk Granita Laced with Amaretto (Serves 8)

2/3 cup blanched almonds
1/2 cup sugar
1 quart ice water
3 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur
shallow freezer tray 1 inch deep

Put almonds and sugar in food processor and grind finely. Add 2 cups of ice water and process for 2-3 minutes til milky.

Pour this mixture into blender with remaining 2 cups ice water. Blend on high for 2-3 minutes to grind almonds as finely as possible. Pour into a bowl or pitcher, cover, transfer to refrigerator for several hours or overnight.  Strain the settled almond milk from the sediment through a fine strainer or cheesecloth into the freezer tray. Stir in Amaretto.

Cover and freeze for about 30 minutes, until edges start to freeze. Scrape the frozen edges into center with a fork and mash mixture evenly. Repeat every 30 minutes until it forms a mound of shimmering ice crystals. Serve in chilled glasses with your prettiest silver spoons.

A recipe excerpt from Easy Mediterranean: Simple Recipes from Sunny Shores

 

Food and Friends

When I buy for my store, I usually start with what I would like. If it's not visually pleasing (very high on the list) or highly functional--I'm just not interested. When I make an endorsement, it isn't empty rhetoric. I truly believe in what I'm presenting. I have to say I am just so excited about this last book order of mine. A great book just makes me happy. In the cookbooks we stock for Summer Holiday, the latest collection at Palazzo, the recipes are luscious and the photographs are absolutely beautiful. I'll be adding at least three books to my own private library.

One of the greatest joys is sharing food with friends and family. What I like about Food for Friends is that it addresses every occasion; gives suggestions for the style, tone and mood you might like to convey; gives you a complete menu for a set number of people; tells you what drink to pair with the food and gives you a work plan--what to do the day before, on the day, and just before serving. Can it get any easier than that?

 

 

 

Lazy Days and Beach Blankets is all about summer eating. It is full of recipes that you would actually like to try. (Because a cookbook is only worth it if it has recipes you'll use.)

Eat, Drink Live