amaretto Archives - Proud Italian Cook

Classic Dutch Baby with Cherries and Amaretto

July 1, 2019 by Marie 6 Comments

Cherry season is upon us and I can’t get enough, I’ve been buying bags of them weekly, mainly just for eating but cherries can be used both in sweet and savory dishes as well and cherries just scream summer to me!

Recently I made this delicious Dutch baby pancake filled with plump fresh cherries, the batter flavored with Amaretto and topped off with toasted almonds.

A Dutch baby pancake is excellent to serve for a special breakfast or even a dessert, and it’s quite simple to put together, it uses basic ingredients and the result is a showstopper presentation. I’m thinking this might be nice to serve for a casual breakfast on the 4th of July.

I have to admit I never owned a cherry pitter before, I thought it was too time consuming and messy to use.

Yes, it could get a little messy, but I found pitting them into a bowl with deep sides minimized the juice from squirting everywhere. It was a little trial and error before I figured that out, but once I did the process went really fast.

Pull the stem out, place the cherry in the little cup holder, plunge the handle down and out pops the pit it’s that easy, and by the way the cherries stay fairly intact.

Take a day, pit the cherries then refrigerate them so they’re ready to go, I even tossed them into a salad the other evening but for something on the sweet side you have to make this dutch baby!

The cherries get swirled around with melted butter spiked with Amaretto liqueur, the smell is intoxicating!

Then the prepared batter gets poured in all around the cherries and then into the oven the pan goes, as it cooks the pancake will puff up really high and then when taken out it settles down and leaves you with this bejeweled looking pancake.

Sprinkle with toasted almonds and powdered sugar.

You can drizzle syrup or honey on top, add whipped cream or even a scoop of ice cream.

Either way it’s all amazing!

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5.0 from 2 reviews

Classic Dutch Baby with Cherries and Amaretto

Recipe adapted from Sunset Magazine

Author: Marie

Ingredients

2 cups, pitted fresh bing cherries
¼ cup of butter
1 Tablespoon Amaretto liqueur, or (1/4 to ½ teaspoon of almond extract)
½ cup of toasted, sliced almonds
¾ cup of flour
¾ cup of whole milk
3 large eggs
2 Tablespoons, sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or vanilla
powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

Heat oven to 425F.
For The Batter:
Whisk together, eggs, flour, milk, salt, sugar and vanilla bean paste until nice and smooth, or you can whizz it in a blender.
In a heavy, 10 to 12 inch oven proof pan like a cast iron, melt the butter on stove top.
When butter is melted add the cherries and the Amaretto liqueur. (or almond extract).
Saute the cherries in the butter and Amaretto for around 2 minutes, stirring them gently.
Pour the batter into the pan with the cherries, then place the pan into the preheated oven.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and puffy.
Remove pan from oven and sprinkle with the toasted almonds, the pancake will sink down and settle into the pan.
Slice and serve with syrup, honey, whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.

6 Comments Filed Under: Fruit Tagged: amaretto, bing cherries, dutch baby, puff pancake

Chocolate Dipped Polenta Biscotti with Amaretto and Anise

December 2, 2018 by Marie 7 Comments

The holiday season is upon us and it’s time to start making some cookies! Each year I love to bake a few different kinds of biscotti, this year these polenta biscotti will make an appearance.

Biscotti are so nice to have around when people stop by to visit, they store very well when baked early on during the holidays and hardly ever lose their crunch factor.

Speaking of crunch factor, these particular biscotti have the addition of fine granules of polenta incorporated into the dough which results in a rustic and crunchy texture.

Almost eleven years ago on this blog I did a post on polenta biscotti but since then I have upgraded both my photos and added a little twist to the original along with more detail for you, so this is my revised version.

As well as the polenta, anise seeds are crucial to this recipe along with a light touch of amaretto liquor which can easily be replaced with almond extract if need be. You can adorn them with dark chocolate or not, but for the holidays and any special occasion or for gifting the dip of chocolate on one end makes for a prettier presentation, and it sure tastes good!

When the logs are finished baking it’s important to let them cool down completely before you slice them for the second baking.

I like slicing them on the diagonal and always use a serrated knife to make clean cuts. Often times I use an old fashioned electric knife that I have and it works wonders for slicing biscotti.

After you’ve baked the individual slices again make sure they are completely cooled before you start to dunk them into the pool of melted chocolate. After dipping just the one end and while the chocolate is still warm, immediately scatter some sliced almonds over the top so they can stick as the chocolate starts to cool.

Leave them on parchment then stick them into the fridge for maybe fifteen minutes so the chocolate can set.

I like to store mine in pretty boxes or tins, preferably rectangle shaped so that they fit nicely, with layers of wax paper in between, just keep them in a cool place and they’ll be fine.

Whether you gift this to someone you love or keep the stash for yourself these polenta biscotti are so worth making!

Get the coffee going, grab a biscotti and enjoy the season!

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5.0 from 1 reviews

Chocolate Dipped Polenta Biscotti with Amaretto and Anise

Author: Marie

Ingredients

4 cups un-bleached all purpose flour
¾ cup of instant polenta granules
1½ cups sugar
1½ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons of anise seeds
3 large eggs
½ cup of sliced almonds plus extra for garnishing chocolate
10 tablespoons of melted butter
2 or 3 teaspoons of amaretto liquor or ½ teaspoon of almond extract
dark chocolate chips for melting
¼ teaspoon of vegetable shortening to smooth out the chocolate when melting

Instructions

Melt butter, set aside. Heat oven to 350F
In a large bowl add the flour, polenta, baking powder, anise seed and almonds. Whisk by hand to incorporate.
In a smaller bowl with a hand mixer, beat the sugar with the melted butter and get it throughly mixed, then add in one egg at a time still mixing until light and fluffy, then add the amaretto and combine.
Combine the dry ingredients with the wet mixing with hand beater to get it all incorporated so you're able to form your logs.
If you see some dry crumbles add a tiny bit of milk and gather up the dough.
Once dough is nice and smooth form it into two logs, 9x4 around ¾ inch thick.
Place both logs onto a rimmed parchment lined baking sheet, make sure to flatten down the tops of the logs gently.
Bake logs at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes depending on your oven, then let them cool completely before slicing.
When it's time to slice them, cut on the diagonal being careful with a serrated or electric knife.
Place the slices down on one side and bake them for 5 minutes.
Take them out after 5 minutes, flip them over on the other side, put them back in the oven and bake for another five minutes.
Take them out to check for desired golden color, I did mine for one more additional 5 minutes, ovens vary and so does every ones crunch factor.
Let them cool completely before dunking into chocolate.
MELTING CHOCOLATE
Place some of the chocolate into a microwave proof cup, along with the bit of shortening and check in 20 second increments until its melted, check and stir. You may need to melt more, but a little goes along way.
Take one end of your biscotti and dunk it into the chocolate and immediately onto parchment paper, then scatter your nuts on top.
When finished dunking all your biscotti place them into the fridge for 15 minutes so the chocolate can set.
Enjoy!
This can be stored in tin cans or boxes in between layers of wax paper for a few weeks, if they last that long.

7 Comments Filed Under: Cookies Tagged: amaretto, anise, biscotti, chocolate dipped, polenta biscotti, xmas cookies

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

Pandoro Christmas Tree Cake with Amaretto and Mascarpone Whipped Cream

December 10, 2014 by Marie 27 Comments

I’m excited to share this festive cake with you and you don’t even have to do any baking, it has a beautiful presentation because it resembles a snowy Christmas tree, it comes together in no time and it will certainly impress your guests!

Do you want to know what it is?

It’s called Pandoro, or golden cake and it’s something you buy, it’s sold almost everywhere during the holidays. You can find it along with Panettone at most supermarkets, pastry shops and Italian markets, I’ve even seen it in T.J. Maxx and Marshals this time of year. I went to Eataly Chicago last weekend and they were displayed everywhere.

Pandoro is a traditional sweet bread from Verona, golden in color because of the large amount of egg yolks used, there are no nuts or dried fruit like in Panettone and it’s baked in a star shaped mold. Trust me, it’s heaven in a pretty box!

You can buy the large size as well as the smaller, more individual ones, pretty much the same way they sell Panettone.

I have to be honest, I’ve never made this Christmas tree cake before so I opted for the smaller version just to see how it would turn out, I’ve seen it done on different blogs and websites in the past and always loved the look of it, such a festive dessert and the taste is decadent!

I’m here to say this is a wonderful addition to your holiday table, I know now by making the smaller version, that the larger one will be on my table.

Horizontally cut the Pandoro gives you beautiful star shaped slices that you can now layer with whipped cream, mascarpone or a custard, you can also flavor it with Amaretto, Limoncello, Rum, chocolate, whatever you so desire.

I used Amaretto to brush on my slices and to flavor my cream mixture, it was divine! You can embellish it anyway you want even using fresh fruits and nuts.

The layers build upon each other to form the look of a Christmas tree, the perfect addition to your sweet table this holiday season!

Pandoro Christmas Tree Cake with Amaretto and Mascarpone Whipped Cream

Ingredients

This recipe is for a 3.5 oz. Pandoro, you can double everything for the larger size.
1 cup, heavy whipping cream
½ cup of mascarpone, room temp
1 heaping tablespoon, powdered sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
2 teaspoons of Amaretto to flavor the cream mixture,plis additional for brushing layers
toasted sliced almonds for garnish and between layers,
white sprinkles, optional

Instructions

Cream Mixture
In a mixing bowl add the mascarpone and the heaping powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
Add in the heavy cream and the 2 teaspoons of Amaretto and beat mixture into stiff peaks.
Slice the Pandoro horizontally, being careful not to break the points of the star shape. Place the largest slice on a serving dish then brush with Amaretto, then spread cream mixture on top with some toasted almonds.
Place the next largest slice on top placing it on an angle so the points of the stars are staggered alternate layers.
Repeat with the Amaretto and cream mixture on every slice and continuing to stagger the layers until you reach the top.
Place cream mixture on the very top, sprinkle with almonds and other garnishments.
Dust all over with powdered sugar.
This can be made a few hours ahead of time and kept in a cool place.

27 Comments Filed Under: Cakes, Desserts, Winter Tagged: amaretto, Bauli Pandoro, Eataly Chicago, Pandoro, sweet Christmas bread

D O L C I !!!…(On the lighter side)

January 20, 2008 by Marie 18 Comments

STRAWBERRIES WITH LIMONCELLO RICOTTA CREAM!

Although I’ve made many desserts with ricotta, I’ve never once thought of putting it in my blender, until I saw Bobby do it on the Food Network. Something magical happens when you do that, the texture comes out smooth, creamy and rich tasting. You have to sweeten it up a bit, with a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar, then the sky’s the limit for flavoring! Amaretto, white chocolate liqueur, I think Bobby used Grand Marnier, but my favorite is Limoncello, I used about 2 tablespoons per 1lb. of ricotta. Throw everything in the blender, and make it the consistency you want, I made mine thicker than Bobby’s, just make sure it all smooths out! No one will ever know this is low fat!!

RUM SOAKED PINEAPPLE WITH MASCAPONE!

This is a favorite of mine which I make in the summer and winter.

Melt a little butter in a saute pan, add some brown sugar, when it all melts down and blends together, add some dark rum. Place your pineapple in the pan and cook it low and slow, turning each piece till everything soaks in and creates a slightly thick sauce.

Place it all in a pretty glass and dollop with a nice portion of Mascapone that has been sitting out at room temperature!

It’s warm, creamy, and the rum takes it over the top!!

Both of these desserts are quick to make, and taste’s oh so decadent!!

Enjoy!!!

18 Comments Filed Under: Desserts Tagged: amaretto, dark rum, grand marnier, Limoncello, mascapone, pineapple, ricotta cream, strawberries

PANETTONE STUFFED WITH PISTACHIO CREAM!!!

November 2, 2007 by Marie 17 Comments

Years ago, I mean YEARS ago, somewhere in a magazine I saw a picture of a store bought Panettone that was stuffed with pistachio cream, I have always keep that in my memory bank for something I wanted to try, since Hubby loves Panettone.

Well today, friends called and I invited them to stop by later for coffee. Of course it’s never just coffee! I had to have something to go with it. So I went into my pantry and there sat a box of Panettone, and I instantly recalled the stuffed one I had seen in an Italian magazine years ago. I even had some shelled pistachios! So I got on my computer and googled pistachio pudding, found something that sounded good ,so I quickly whipped it up, because it had to cool down for a couple of hours. When it finally cooled I folded in some freshly whipped cream!! Oh so sinful!!!

I even got adventurous and spun a little sugar on top, as that is what was in the picture. Never having done that before, it really didn’t turn out, I wanted it to be like thin strands, but mine turned out like thick brittle!!! Oh well, I kept it on for the pictures anyway!