copyright 2012 Art of Living, PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati

Recipe for Giving

Always add in a little of yourself in everything you give:

*pinch of  what’s on your mind

*a beat of your heart

*a vibration from your soul

(photo credit: www.atelierdeschefs.net)

Zaletti (Cornmeal Cookies)

excerpted from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style

1 cup+ 1 tablespoon(250 gr) cornflour

1 cup + 1 tablespoon (250 gr) flour

4 eggs

1 cup (200 gr) butter

½ cup (100 gr) raisins (soaked in warm water for 10 minutes,then drained)

zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsps baking powder

pinch of salt

powdered sugar for dusting on top

Beat eggs with sugar till creamy, add in eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, then add in vanilla. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, cornmeal,salt, baking powder. Mix ,a little at a time, dry ingredients into egg mixture until blended well. Add in raisins.

Form dough into large square and cover in plastic,refrigerate until easy to handle (about 2 hours).

Remove from refrigerator, cur dough into two and form each piece into a long cylinder. By rolling on a floured surface. Wrap in plastic and freeze till ready to bake,

Cut cookies into ¼ inch slices (.75 cm),

Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place cookies on sheet and leave space between each., Bake in preheated oven of 325F (170C). for 10-12 minutes till lightly golden on top. Remove from oven and let cookies cool before serving.

For more recipes get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style here or in ebook exclusively at Kindle. Specially selected to be a featured book at this year’s Virginia Festival of the Book, on March 24th.For more info email:events@marialiberati.com

copyright 2012 Art of Living, PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati

Three things tell a man, his eyes, his friends and his favorite quotes..here is one of mine  “Muffins were created so that Americans don’t have to feel guilty about eating cake for breakfast”

but here in Italy, enjoying a little sweet something for breakfast is  a requirement.

George Clooney isn’t the only American gaining notoriety in Italy..the muffin seems to be the newest American star. While it is no secret that Italians are passionate about their food, the muffin craze seems to have truly caught on.

The word muffin comes from either the French word mouffet-meaning a soft bread or the German word ‘muffe’ which means little cake but in Italy they call them muffins and think of them as an especially American breakfast food.

( Photo credit:www.tortealcioccolato.com)

While today, here, life  seems to  be filled with  uncertainties, waking up to the smell  of a cappuccino and freshly baking  cornetti was always  a certainty..something you knew  could always count on….But not so anymore.

My mornings have been starting with not my usual cappuccino and cornetti (an Italian version of a croissant) but cappuccino and a muffin. While I insist on making my own, there is no shortage of the sweet little import here, in coffee bars and supermarkets and bakeries,,the muffin,has gained its’ own piece of notoriety here

(photo credit: http://ricette.pourfemme.it)

Most  muffins here are petite and truly a sweet little piece of heaven and not ‘supersized’  American style. Try this Italian version of a muffin, it’s healthy too, approximately 150 calories each

Breakfast Fruit Muffins

1/2 cup fresh fruit in season (cranberries, or blueberries, or strawberries)

1- 8 ounce container of plain low fat or fat free yogurt

1 1/4 cups flour

3 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup olive oil

Place 1/4 cup of fresh fruit  fresh fruit and yogurt in blender for one minute. In a bowl, beat eggs with sugar till well blended and foamy. Add in olive oil, pinch of salt, blend well. Add in blended yogurt/fruit mixture. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda into this mixture a little bit a time, blending well after each addition. At end ,add in remaining whole fruit, Stir in. Place into muffin cups or muffin pan and bake for 30 minutes in oven preheated to 375 degrees

For more recipes get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style here or in ebook version exclusively at Kindle.com

copyright 2011  art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati

“Non si puo non mangiare, non si puo non amare”

One cannot live without food or love…

Ohh the necessities of life…food and love…

Torta Sbrisolana di Mantua (Crumbly Cake from Mantova)

excerpted from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking:DaVinci Style

excerpted from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style

1 ½ cups(300)gr cornmeal flour

½ cup(100 gr) white flour

1 cup (200 gr) chopped almonds

¾ cup (150 gr) butter

2 egg yolks

½ cup (100 gr) sugar

grated zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp (95 gr) pure vanilla

Confectioner’s Sugar for topping

In a bowl place flours, egg yolks, lemon zest,softened butter. Vanilla. Blend the dough till it is well blended but crumbly. Crumble or sprinkle the crumbly batter into a buttered cake pan and bake in oven preheated to 350F (180C) for 1 hour. Remove from oven and cool before removing from pan. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

**Join me on May 3 2012 in Venice Italy for an all inclusive luxury cruise to Italy and the Mediterranean, it is a trip of a lifetime, truly a luxury cruise but an all inclusive one too. A few places left, call Julie at Rosenbluth Vacations at 1-800-257-8279

I understand what DaVinci saw in the quiet, tranquility of Tuscany. Any time I need a break from my hectic life, I sit down and watch a  snippet of a drive through the mountains of Chianti, and I can relax for a few brief seconds. Better than any drug,it is Tuscany. Try this:

Driving through Chianti

The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style is officially being released at the Utah Humanities Festival this weekend and Suburban Home Show in Phladelphia on October 21-23 and Philly Gourmet Food Show on October 23.

You can find the book on Amazon.com and Kindle but here’s a recipe to go with that Tuscan snippet

Cantucci Biscotti

(excerpted from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style; copyright 2011 Art of Living, PrimaMedia,Inc)

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1 cup whole almonds

4 whole eggs beaten

1 tsp of grated orange peel

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking powder

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place whole, unpeeled almonds on cookie sheet, place in oven and toast for 3 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and chop in large pieces.

Sift flour into a bowl. Place inside sugar, eggs, baking powder, orange peel, pinch of salt. Blend well till dough is smooth, but not too soft., then add in  almonds and blend in.

Cover cookie sheet with baking paper. Form dough into a long roll, the form of a long finger. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and cut diagonally to form biscotti. Cover cookie sheet with baking paper, place single biscotti on baking paper and bake for approx 25 minutes or until crispy and golden. Remove.

*May 3, 2012 Join me in Italy for an all inclusive luxury cruise. Call Julie at Rosenbluth Travel at 1-800-257-8270

When leaving Rome, Italy, in the airport there is always a holdup with tourists trying to smuggle jars of Nutella in their carry on luggage to take home. Not sure why they just don’t wrap the stuff well and put it in their checked in bags. Americans seem to have grown fond of this Italian staple.  My last memory of Rome, as I left last week was a half hour hold up in line because someone in front of me had 10 jars of  Nutella in their carry on luggage..10 jars!!!

I can understand bringing the stuff back from Italy since, the Nutella they sell in the USA is different and not as good as the one sold in Italy..but check in your bags..please…all 10 jars were taken away from them!!not because it is contraband simply because you can not bring that type of creamy substance on the plane…

However, it is one of the few things Italians are famous for that is processed and contains a lot of unhealthy for you fats..read the label and you will discover..however if you really love the stuff..there is a healthier way to get your Nutella fix by making it yourself.. Joy Johnson , a Canadian nutritionist came up with this healthy recipe..and I agree it is yummy just like Nutella, slightly less creamy, but healthy for you.. And if you don’t have an addiction yet to this creamy, heavenly mixture..try it on toast instead of jam..this is a real wake me up..have a cup of coffee with that toast and you are in for an ultra wake me up to get your day going..the caffeine in the cocoa plus the coffee make for the perfect morning ‘cocktail’.

Let’s hear from you if you try this..we worked up a batch in my test kitchen this morning and it went in a few hours…. Besides it is easier to whip up a batch at home than try to get the stuff past customs at the airport and carry the stuff all over the Eternal City..

Homemade  Chocolate/Hazelnut Spread

Ingredients

1/4 cup hazelnut meal*
1 tbsp raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
2.5 tbsp real maple syrup
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1-2 tbsp of organic coconut oil

Method

*Take about 1/2 cup hazelnuts and food process them until they form a fine ground meal. This makes about 1/4 cup. If you can find hazelnuts already ground, more power to you!

Combine the ground hazelnut and cacao powder in your food processor until blended completely. Add the remaining ingredients, process until combined, and enjoy!

You won’t get a smooth finish like you get with processed hazelnut spread, but it will be free of refined sugar and additives.

Spread this dish on toast, add to a smoothie, slather it on a crepe or a pancake. Just be sure to use in moderation — this is meant to be a sweet treat!

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/09/27/hazelnut-spread-recipe_n_927201.html

* October 2, 2PM  The Basic Art of Italian CookingaVinci Style will be released on Oct 2nd at a presentation  for the Utah Humanities Festival at the Salt Lake City Library, downtown, 2PM> For further info go to www.utahhumanities.org- Hope to see you there

*Join me in Italy, May 3 ,2012 for an all inclusive luxury cruise to the Mediterranean leaving from Venice and stopping at many Italian landmarks. I will be doing culinary demos and dinners onboard and will  be hosting a tour of a vineyard in Sicily while cruising. Even your flight to Venice from wherever you are is included (from a key city). For more info call Julie at Rosenbluth Travel at 1-800-257-8279

*Oct 21-23rd see you at the Suburban Home Show at Greater Philadelphia Convention Center in Oaks, Pa..Culinary demos and book singings from my latest book on Friday at 1:30, Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 and 4:30 PM.

“You ought to have seen what I saw on my way
To the village, through Mortenson’s pasture to-day:
Blueberries as big as the end of your thumb,
Real sky-blue, and heavy, and ready to drum
In the cavernous pail of the first one to come!
And all ripe together, not some of them green
And some of them ripe! You ought to have seen!”

Blueberries by Robert Frost

One of my favorite things about summer are fresh blueberries..all over the place..you can pick your own or find them at your farmer’s market or supermarket..almost everywhere there sits that box with a beautiful purple blue hue peaking out with  berries overflowing on top. My not so favorite part of  summer is traveling  to places that do not have local blueberries available. ( I so miss the little guys). You can only get the best, juiciest fresh blueberries in the summer..an experience not to be missed…and as the days of summer dwindle down so do the number of days that these bursts of flavor will be available at their best…. As summer goes on I find myself creating more ways to use them from simple salads to ice cream desserts and of course cakes and muffins. Popping a juicy berry into my mouth produces a burst of momentary euphoria..and they sometimes never make it into the recipe..

and wouldn’t you know it…. I had an inspiration yesterday ..combine blueberries with another one of my addictions…coffee..a great ending to an alfresco meal or a cooling, rejuvenating afternoon pause!

Blueberry Cream Frost

*1 tsp (3 gr) cinnamon

1 tablespoon (15 gr) honey

6 shots of espresso (measure with small espresso cups)

1/2 cup whipped cream

1 cup of frozen blueberries  (Place fresh blueberries in freezer for approx 40 minutes before making this)

1 cinnamon stick for garnish

unsweetened dark chocolate (minimum 65% cocoa) for garnish

Place cinnamon, honey in a shaker. Make the espresso and pour into shaker. With a small wire whisk, whisk all ingredients together.  Divide whipped cream into 4 ice  cream glasses (3 ozs each) filling each glass about halfway.

Place frozen blueberries in shaker with coffee mixture, cover and shake 8 times. Pour into ice cream glasses top with whipped cream,divide evenly between all 4 glasses. Garnish with cinnamon stick and shave dark chocolate.

copyright 2011 Art of Living, PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati

July 21-24- See you at Festa Italiana, the USA’s largest Italian Festival . The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm will be hosting many on stage cooking demos throughout the event, Nick Stellino will be onstage as well.

July 29-31 Gourmet Food and Wine Show-Bally’s Casino, Atlantic City, NJ. The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm will be onstage throughout the weekend.

For info, sponsorship or advertising info  on any of these events, email events@marialiberati.com

For more recipes get your copy of the Gourmand World Cookbook Award Winning Cookbook at http:// www.marialiberati.com

**Free BOOK Offer..If you were not able to get to Book Expo America for the pre release book signing/event of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style, email: info@marialiberati.com and put free book in the subject and request the pre release mini version of the book. We will send a pdf  for download.

“When one is painting one does not think”
Raffaelo

April 6th  was the birthday of the Renaissance artist and architect –known by one name only Raffaello. …..he  so intensely  concentrated on creating his masterpieces that he didn’t think… but created..a sort of a ‘zone’ that he put himself in.. Cooking, like painting, can be done almost in that way..create your own masterpiece..

In honor of Raffaelo and his birthplace- Urbino-in the province of Le Marche. This is a very easy ,yummy coffee flavored cake that is  one of their  traditonal desserts. And in Raffaelle’s style..when making this  don’t  think, just create!

Lattarol Al Caffe  ( Coffee Cake)

4  cups (1 liter) milk

8 eggs

3 short cups espresso

8 tablespoons (120 gr) sugar

Crème Caramel

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons sugar

Whip eggs with sugar till creamy yellow. In separate pan,  warm milk till boiling. Remove from heat, add in hot coffee and stir. When cool, add in egg mixture, stir well.

Place 4 tablespoons of sugar in 2 tablespoons of water, add more water if needed. Stir over low heat till sugar caramelizes.Place crème  caramel in 8” cake pan that has been buttered. Pour in batter. Bake for 15 minutes in oven preheated to 360 degrees (180C). or when cake is firm. Remove from oven, cool. remove from pan. Top with leftover crème caramel.

For more great recipes, get your copy of the award winning book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions

copyright 2011 art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati

My eyes open, awakened by that inspiring aroma of freshly ground coffee beans..my night stand full of books, 2 notebooks-one for dreams and one for thoughts.. From my antique window filter in a bit of the sun’s rays.

It is 8 AM..the breakfast table is ready fruit, cornetti (Italian croissant), cappuccino, juice..and a welcoming sight of   a ‘dolce al cucchaio’ ( a spoon dessert)..a delicious morning treat or dessert Bianco Da Mangiare (white pudding)…I prepared yesterday and

Bianco da Mangiare (White Pudding)

 excerpted from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

2 ounces( ½ dl) almond milk

4 ounces (1 dl) milk

1 tsp (5 gr) pure vanilla

2 tablespoons + 1 tsp (50 gr) sugar

1 cinnamon stick

peel of one half lemon-(in one or a few large pieces)

1tsp (5 gr) agar-agar powder or flakes or other gelatine substitute

Place almond milk, milk, sugar, cinnamon stick, vanilla and lemon zest in saucepan and heat on low heat for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat. Place in agar-agar powder and dissolve. Return to heat and keep stirring till becoming a dense cream. Take out lemon peel and cinnamon stick. Place pudding in a large mold or small molds. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve with slivered almonds and strawberries or raspberries and a sprinkle of cinnamon,

A  morning exercise in concentration..taste the first spoonful with your eyes closed and let the gentle kiss of the lemon and cinnamon flavors caress your taste buds..

For more great recipes get your copy of the award winning book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-second edition

 Look for my new release at Book Expo America in NYC at the Javits Convention Center on Tuesday May 24th, from 3:30-4:30 PM I will be signing pre publication copies of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style.  recipes and an eating style that was influenced by Leonardo DaVinci, with 100+ recipes and DaVinci’s poems about food from his personal notebook..DaVinci was also a ‘foodie’.

What is it about coffee and chocolate together that make such an inebriating, hypnotic blend of flavors..the two flavors make the perfect match ( better than Napooleon & Josephine or Cleopatra & MarcAntony).

A true Barista is a coffee chef, professionally trained in the Art of Coffee. Here is a drink I put together with my favorite Barista at my favorite cioccolateria in Italy. A ‘Cioccolateria’  is a chocolate version of a coffee bar-everything chocolate! This drink makes  a luscious substitute for a hot chocolate and makes a great morning drink to give you a positive outlook on the day ahead or an evening drink to take away the evening chill in the winter or fall.

Caffe al Coccolato

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon chocolate syrup

1 espresso

shaved dark chocolate

whipped cream

Froth the milk with a frother, or heat till just before boiling, set aside. Place the chocolate syrup in a tall glass. Prepare one shot of espresso or one short  cup of espresso, place in glass with  chocolate syrup. Mix well till chocolate syrup melts. Fill glass with frothed milk still hot, stir and top with whipped cream. Sprinkle shaved chocolate on top.

For more recipes get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd ed. winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards

copyright 2011 art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati

Romantic, inviting, inebriating, coffee is the beverage of choice of millions of people around the world. Come to think about it, coffee plays an important role in the lives of millions of people around the world..from those who produce it to those who consume it.

Besides many trips to (what I consider) some of the world’s best and most beautiful coffee bars in the world here in Rome, Italy..I have been studying coffee with some of the world’s coffee experts/tasters here…and here  some of the terms used to describe coffee when coffee tasting, when it comes to the olfactory terms:

*Fragrance- sweet/floral or sweet/spicy

*aroma-fruity or herbal

*olfactory-caramel,nutty,malty

*after taste-chocolatey, carbony,chemicaly,spicy

So instead of gulping the next cup down quickly, as most of us do….sip and attempt to discern all the wonderful (or maybe not so wonderful) different tastes in your cup..but isn’t, that how life is..we never stop to smell the roses or sip the coffee…and never realize all the wonderful things that are right there in front of us to savor…

Here is one of my favorite coffee drinks,especially in the winter

Caffe Principessa (Princess Coffee)

*1/2 cup hot espresso

*1 tblsp rum

*2 tblsps water

*1 tblsp brown sugar

*pinch of powdered sugar

*1 dried orange peel

*pinch of powdered cinnamon

*whipped cream

In a small sauce pan, pour in water,orange peel, sugar, rum. Heat and stir, Remove from heat, filter or pour through cheesecloth into a tempered glass. Add in coffee and powdered sugar,stir. Top with whipped cream and pinch of powdered sugar on top.

Serve hot.

Read about some of  my  coffee bar  visits   here in Rome, Italy or about the interesting past of cappuccino

For more great recipes get your copy of the award winning The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition