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’.

copyright, 2009, Maria Liberati, The Basic Art of Italian Cooking 

Living in Italy has taught me so much about appreciating some of the simpler pleasures in life. Things that are truly beautiful but yet so simple.. For instance …one of my  favorite things in the mornings here in Italy is the smell  of espresso brewing…  …I can’t seem to start my day unless I have a cappuccino and a cornetto (the Italian version of the croissant)…one of life’s simpler pleasures..  It is  like my motor isn’t running correctly or something is just is not right, but alas comes my cappuccino and cornetto…. and all seems right with the world my day can begin!! What is that about ‘carpe diem’??? at that very moment that my cappuccino and cornetto arrive I want to just stop time-if only for a few minutes…

The cold weather and the coffee bars have inspired us to also work on some recipes for coffee drinks here and there are so many that even that famous coffee place in the US (you know who I mean) would be stumped.

Here is a recipe for a dessert coffee drink done at the coffee bars here…enjoy and keep warm….

 Caffe Mocha

1/2 cup honey

1 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 cups of hot espresso coffee

1/4 cup hot milk

1/4 cup whipping cream (unsweetened)

2 tbslsps powdered sugar

Place whipping cream and powdered sugar in a  chilled bowl, whip till peaks form. Place in refrigerator.

In another bowl. mix the honey with powdered cocoa and cinnamon and let sit for 5 minutes. Divide  and place mixture into 4 cups. Mix hot coffee with hot milk and distribute in cups. Stir and top with whipped cream mix.

For more great recipes get your copy of the best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking at http://www.marialiberati.com

Go to http://mariaandco.blogspot.com

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Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene

Maria

copyright., 2008. Maria Liberati

The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm

http://www.marialiberati.com

Editor: Michela Pompeo

Cappuccino at Home

I have to admit that one of my favorite things about waking up in Italy is having cappuccino for breakfast. Oh, they sell it at that great big coffee company in the US-but it is not the same taste or the same experience. Not always having the time to go to the coffee bar in the morning ..we have learned how to  imitate  at home that great taste you get at the coffee bar.  With a little practice ,no matter  where in the world you are ..as long as you have a few things-especially  great coffee and fresh milk. and a moka pot..you should be able to wake up to the same experience I have every morning here. But be forewarned.. a great cappuccino in the morning can be come an addiction. If you read my blog about the explanation of the Italian word ‘voglio’ you will understand why a cappuccino in the morning has become my ‘voglio’  http://www.marialiberati.com/blog2/?p=286    in the morning. And if you really want to be mesmerized..add an Italian ‘cornetto’ (Italian version of a croissant) with that cappuccino..and you will have love at first sight…. now that’s amore..

What’s the difference between ‘white coffee’ and cappuccino (double ‘p’ and double ‘c’ in Italian)?

Well, basically, it is the foam. Cappuccino is widespread in all Western Europe and, I dare say, in America (North and South), too. Some nice variations have been made, (‘frapuccino’ for example…), but essentially it is made of milk and coffee in variable proportions, with FOAM.

If you want to make yourself a nice cappuccino at home, without any big or small electric machine (leave it to professionals..) you’ll have to get a simple ‘foam maker’ and a moka machine (see pictures below).

The latter is not really essential, it is only to make nice Italian coffee, but you can make ‘long/American’ coffee as well. The most important thing, in my opinion, is foam, and good, creamy foam, not a series of empty air bubbles.

Starting from coffee, assuming you’re making Italian coffee, what you need is a good coffee blend such as LAVAZZA (both types: gold and Silver), ILLY, GOPPION, BRISTOT, and the moka machine. This last comes in different sizes: 1cup, 3 cups, 6 cups, 12 cups. You can see in the picture above both the 1cup and the 3 cup machines. Each one of them is composed of 4 main parts: the upper part, where you’ll get the liquid from, the first round flat filter + rubber lining fixed to it, the actual filter and the bottom part. To make the coffee, then, you’ll have to fill the bottom part with water, insert the filter (make sure a little bit of water comes out of it); fill the filter with ground coffee, screw the upper part to the bottom one, put it on the stove. Coffee is ready when you hear a ‘gurgling’ sound.

Now take the ‘foam maker’: It is made of two parts: a pot and a piston, which is also its lid. Pour a little milk into the pot, not too much because there must be enough room for the milk to ‘swell’ (if you need more, for many cups, you’ll have to repeat the procedure). Warm the milk, take it out from the heat, insert the ‘piston-lid’, thus closing the pot. Then, manually, you’ll have to work the piston up and down very quickly for a couple of minutes and it will be ready.

Pour coffee first into the cup and then, very slowly, hot creamy milk. With a teaspoon you can help foam ‘slide’ into the cup. Add sugar to taste and/or a sprinkle of cocoa on top of it and enjoy your home-made cappuccino.

A variation: top your cappuccino with a spoonful of freshly whipped cream!

For more recipes get your copy of the best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking at http://www.marialiberati.com