Proud Italian Cook

Cranberry Amaretto Clafoutis

November 3, 2016 by Marie 13 Comments

The holidays are upon us and I have just the dessert to impress your guests, a Cranberry Amaretto Clafoutis.

A clafoutis has all the makings of a very elegant dessert yet it can be very rustic also. What’s a clafoutis? It’s a French dessert that’s custard and flan like, it can be filled with a variety of different fresh fruit and when baked the sweet batter gets nice and puffy all around the fruit tasting very light and pudding like.

It may look decadent but it’s a fooler because it’s neither heavy or overly sweet and that’s what I love about it, and to top it off, it’s super easy to make!

Slivered almonds embed themselves into the sweet and puffy batter that’s flavored with sweet almond liqueur that pairs so well with the slightly tart cranberries, this is screaming put on the coffee guests are stopping by!

Scoop some out and serve it alongside fresh whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or as is, either way you’re going to love it, holiday cooking has officially begun!

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5.0 from 2 reviews

Cranberry Amaretto Clafoutis

Author: Marie

Ingredients

2 cups fresh whole cranberries
½ cup all purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1½ cups, whole milk
2 tablespoons, melted butter and a little extra for buttering pan
½ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons of amaretto or 1 teaspoon of almond extract, or 1 Tablespoon amaretto and ½ teaspoon of almond extract combined.
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup slivered almonds
confectioners sugar for dusting

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 F. then butter your baking dish or ovenproof skillet.
In a bowl combine flour, eggs, melted butter, baking powder, salt, milk, vanilla, amaretto or almond extract and half a cup of the sugar. Beat on high speed with a hand mixer until well combined. Set aside and let it rest.
Take remaining quarter cup of sugar and coat it all over the cranberries, toss it into the buttered skillet and bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Give the batter one more whirl on high with the hand mixer after its been resting then pour it onto the cooked cranberries.
Sprinkle with almonds then return to oven and bake another 35 minutes.
It will be puffy when taken out of the oven but in a few minutes it will settle down then dust it with the powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream on the side.

13 Comments Filed Under: Cakes, Desserts Tagged: amaretto, clafoutis, cranberries, french dessert, holiday dessert

Butternut Squash Pizza with Sage Walnut Pesto

October 27, 2016 by Marie 3 Comments

As promised I would like to announce the winner of the beautiful Lagostina Hammered Copper Pastaiola, and the winner is… DIANE KANTOR! Congratulations Diane, I will be contacting you by email to get your address so the company can ship it directly to you.

Can I just tell you something? I adore this pizza! It highlights roasted butternut squash on a bed of garlicky ricotta with touches of sage and walnut pesto floating around, the simple flavors of fall on top of crispy and crunchy pizza dough.

When making this pizza you’ll want to seek out a squash that has a long neck because that’s what you’ll be using to make those nice round slices which I think it adds so much to the presentation, don’t you?

I was immediately drawn to the looks of this pizza when I saw a photo posted on none other than Pinterest but I wanted to add my own little twist with the sage and walnut pesto, I thought it would be extra delicious with little dollops all over the warm pizza, and guess what? I was right.

I have so much sage still growing in my garden and this was another way to enjoy it, and as all fresh pesto’s it takes no time to whip it up. I also like using the sage pesto with other things like fish, chicken, pasta, root vegetables, swirled into mashed potatoes and risotto, the possibilities are endless and a little goes a long way and it just screams fall to me!

If you make your own pizza dough, I applaud you, I’m not that fond of working with yeast so I always buy my pizza dough, but fortunately for me I have an excellent source with excellent quality dough, so it makes my life easier.

Serve this with a nice green salad and you’ll have a fantastic fall dinner!

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5.0 from 1 reviews

Butternut Squash Pizza with Sage Walnut Pesto

This recipe is adapted from Alexandra's Kitchen

Author: Marie

Ingredients

SAGE AND WALNUT PESTO
1 cup sage leaves
¾ cup parsley
1 small garlic clove
¾ cup toasted walnuts
½ cup of grated Parmesan
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
and a squeeze of lemon for brightness
PIZZA
1 dough ball, homemade or store bought, enough for 1 pizza
1 butternut squash, look for a long neck so you can cut it into round slices, reserve the bulb part for something else.
ricotta
1 smashed garlic clove
shredded dry mozzarella
parmesan cheese

Instructions

FOR THE PESTO
Place everything into a food processor, except for the olive oil, I used my mini processor.
Pulse it, chopping the nuts and combining everything then start drizzling the oil down the tube until it has a loose consistency characteristic of pesto. Season with salt and pepper.
FOR THE PIZZA AND EARLIER IN THE DAY
Cut the long neck off of a butternut squash, peel it with a vegetable peeler, then cut quarter inch round slices..
Roast the slices in a hot 400 degree oven drizzled with olive oil, single layer until tender, set aside.
I like to let my dough sit out for a couple of hours so it becomes nice and pliable.
When ready to cook, heat oven to a hot 500 degrees, oil your pizza pan then sprinkle some corn meal or polenta on the bottom.
Dust your fingers with a little flour then work your dough into the pan stretching it with your finger tips until it reaches the edges, then place it into the oven for 5 minutes, no longer! Then remove it.
Dough might rise up but just punch it down.
Quickly mix up some ricotta with the smashed garlic and a little salt and pepper, enough to swipe and cover the whole bottom of the dough with just a thin layer.
Sprinkle a little mozzarella on top then add the butternut squash rounds filling the top.
Add some grated parmesan on top of the squash, then brush olive oil onto the edges of the crust then do a quick drizzle on top.
Place pizza into the oven until it reaches a deep golden brown on the crust edges and bottom.
While still warm add dollops of the sage and walnut pesto.

3 Comments Filed Under: Pizza, Sauces, Uncategorized, Vegetables Tagged: butternut squash, pizza, sage, sage pesto

Shrimp, Pasta and Broccolini in Tomato Cream

October 17, 2016 by Marie 254 Comments

Happy National Pasta Day! Who doesn’t love pasta? It delicious, comforting, it comes in endless shapes and sizes and can be made countless ways with a variety of different sauces. It’s also crowd pleasing, a great party food, present at many family dinners and dinner for one. Many fond memories have been etched in our minds recalling favorite pasta dishes made by our dear loved ones hands.

So in honor of the day I made you a luxurious pasta dish that includes shrimp and broccolini in tomato cream sauce, and you won’t believe how quick you’ll get it to the table!

First thing I did was make a big pot of marinara, I normally keep a stash in my freezer and I was running low. I usually use a big pot because I’m able to fit two gigantic cans of tomatoes both over five pounds each into the pot with no problem, something nice and deep, deep enough for making future stocks and seafood boils.

This pasta dish comes together quickly once you have all your ingredients ready so when you begin to make the sauce get your water boiling!

Add some garlic and olive oil to a pan then toss in shrimp, (I had eight large) and steamed broccolini, when the shrimp is cooked remove and set aside.

Deglaze the pan with three cups of marinara, preferably homemade or a good quality store bought brand then splash in about a quarter cup of heavy cream, stir and combine then it’s time to bring back the shrimp and broccolini.

Did you know there are over 600 known shapes of pasta? I love seeking out different and unique shapes, for this dish I used Festoni, it’s like a pappardelle with ruffled edges.

Looks done to me, nice and a dente, now It’s time to drain it and toss it into the creamy tomato sauce making sure everything gets coated well. ( I used 8 oz. here)