Make lent a little sweeter!

If you are in the Montreal area this month you are in luck! La cornetteria will be serving Zeppole di San Giuseppe or St. Joseph's Day Cream Puffs from it's little Italy location at 6528 St-Laurent blv, from March 1st to March 31st, 2011.

La cornetteria’s zeppole are crispy pastries similar to "pâte à choux" filled with cannoli-style ricotta cream or lemon-vanilla custard. These sweet cream-filled puffs are traditionally enjoyed on March 19th for St. Joseph's Day but La cornetteria will be making them fresh every day, all month long for $2.50 each or $24.00 dz.

La cornetteria was founded in 2006 by Stefano Cical and Alessandro Ficca with one goal in mind; to introduce the cornetto to Montrealers. The cornetto is similar to a croissant, only sweeter and with a brioche-like texture. These Italian style croissants are filled with ricotta and cream, chocolate spread, almond paste, custard or jam. Along with a variety of cornetti, La cornetteria offers high quality pastries and coffees to satisfy an ever-growing clientele.

Stop in to have a zeppole with your morning cappuccino, pick up a dozen for Sunday lunch or share one with your sweetheart. However you wish to enjoy it, La cornetteria’s zeppole are sure to tickle your taste buds. 


Click here for La cornetteria  

Tiramisù

Tiramisù is the perfect after dinner pick-me-up dessert.  This no-bake treat made up of savoiardi cookies dipped in drunken espresso and layered with mascarpone cheese is an italian classic. I've been making tiramisu since my childhood, it's probably the first dessert I made (of course my mom made me skip out on the rum!).

Everyone I know has a different version of this recipe and I myself like to change it up by using different liquor or by adding raspberries between the layers. I'm guilty of sometimes switching up the savoiardi  for amaretti cookies (gasp!).
Check the video recipe below!

Here is my version of the recipe, what's yours? 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vanilla sugar. Recipe: place sugar in mason jar with vanilla bean strands and seal. Keep in fridge.

7 egg yolks, at room temperature. Use top quality fresh eggs.

1/2 cup dark rum 

500gr mascarpone (17 ounces)

Zest of 1 Orange

30 Savoiardi cookies 

2 cups Espresso, cooled

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup grated or shaved bittersweet chocolate

Direction

Poor egg yolks and sugar in an electric mixer and whisk together on high speed for 5 minutes until the mixture is light yellow and fluffy.

Lower speed to medium and add 1/4 cup of dark rum, mascarpone cheese and orange zest and mix until smooth (1minute)

Spoon and spread about 1/4 cup of the mascarpone mixture on a serving plate. I used a long and narrow plate in order to have only 1 row.

Poor the cooled espresso in a bowl add 1/4 cup of dark rum. Quickly dip the savoiardi in coffee on 1 side only and arrange in a single layer side by side, on wet side down over the mascarpone.

Once you have one layer of savoiardi down on the plate top with a thick layer of mascarpone and then sprinkle with cocoa powder. Repeat this step twice and top you tiramisu with the shaved or grated bittersweet chocolate.

Refrigerate overnight.

Enjoy!

Making Fresh Pasta. Video Recipe!

Fresh Tagliatelle con Funghi

As I watched my friend Steve make us fresh tagliatelle I wondered: "Is it really just 3 eggs and 300g of semolina flour?" Yes it is... Those are all the ingredients needed to make delicious fresh pasta. But of course you will also need a pasta machine. 

Here is Steve's recipe for homemade tagliatelle con funghi:

Ingredients

3 large eggs

300 gr of 00 (doppio zero) flour

For the sauce:

1Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil + more to drizzle over the pasta before serving

2 cups oyster mushrooms (he also used dry porcini, which he rehydrated in warm water)

2 shallots, finely minced

Chiffonade of basil (about 7 leaves)

Freshly grated Parmiggiano

*watch video for directions