Remember our 27K cake? Well I saw this recipe for maple sour cream walnut muffins at Design Sponge, and I couldn't help myself! 
I highly recommend visiting the original post, if only for the gorgeous styling. The author of the recipe and of the photographs is Sara Krock, a super talented lady with a very keen sense of beauty. You should visit her!
It has been a long time my friends... my boy and I still cook together, not as often as before, but we manage to squeeze some time from our busy schedules to make delicious food. No sooner is the food ready than I find myself eating it all in one seating! Really! I have become a cookie anything-eating monster, and so I keep on running! Last tuesday I ran 27 kilometers!!! Getting there baby!
This time around, I managed to control myself and I even have pictures of the cake! I am good, yes I am. I will now stop my blabbering, and give you the recipe, but beware... this cake is good! 27K worth of goodness!
SOUR CREAM CAKE
3/4 cup butter (200 gr)
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup sour cream (or 1/2 milk & 1/2 yogurt)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/4 cups flour, sifted
Filling
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Blend first 4 ingredients, then add dry ones. Grease pan.
Pour 1/2 batter into pan. Pour 1/2 of the filling over the batter.
Pour in the rest of the batter and then the remaining filling on top.
Bake 45 minutes in 350 F. oven in the middle. Enjoy!
Thank you to my friend Leila for the recipe.
I am a little late with this post, as Thanksgiving is just a memory now... You can eat apple pie at Christmas too, can't you?
This recipe is my dear Maña's recipe. Maña is my American mom, the wonderful woman that opened her home and her heart to a Colombian exchange student in 1983. We are family, the Regalia's and us. We have celebrated many Thanksgivings together in the last 15 years, and I have always loved my mom's apple pie.
Last year, after moving half way around the world, I finally made my first apple pie. It was a success and I have made it several times since. Now I am willing to share the recipe with you.
Nicolas loves this pie as much as I do, and he was a willing helper in the kitchen this time around. He peeled about 12 apples on his own (we made two pies), and he helped to roll out the dough. Off course he ate most of it himself!
For my readers in Italy: I used metá-metá instead of margarine and butter, it works really well. I have used several kinds of apples, and this time around we chose renate (not sure of the spelling) and we loved the flavor, but they are better suited for apple sauce as they did not retain their shape. Nest time a mix perhaps?
MAÑA'S APPLE PIE
For the crust:
1/8 pound margarine
1/8 pound salted butter
1.1/2 cups flour
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
Iced water
Cut the butter and margarine into small pieces, keep them in the refrigerator until ready to start. Mix flour and salt together, add the margarine and butter, and mix with a pastry mixer. Add 1 tablespoon of iced water at a time, until you get a consistent dough. Make sure there are bits and pieces of butter in the dough, as they will be essential to the flakiness of your pie.
Since this recipe is for a covered 9 in. pie, divide the dough in two. Roll out the dough over a pastry sheet, or a well flour surface. Roll from the center to the sides until you have a thin, round dough, slightly larger than your pan. Fold carefully in half and carry it to the pan, unfold and press down. Cut any excess dough from the sides. Keep in the refrigerator while you roll out the top pastry. Follow the same steps for the other half.
For the filling:
6 or 7 cups apple (peeled, cored and cut)
3/4-1 cup sugar
2-3 tablespoons flour
Place cut apples on water with lemon juice to avoid some oxidation. When ready to use, drain and add sugar to taste (some apples are sweeter than others), add flour to thicken the juices.
Mix all together, place on the crust, cover with the other half of the pastry and seal the sides. Pierce the top crust, or cut some holes into it to let steam out. Cook at 350 for 1 hour. Buon appetito!
I found this marvelous recipe at a brand new blog (to me) and we just had to try it. Rainy afternoons are here, and this gooey, sweet, piece of delicious cake was the right answer for it. Thank you Danielle!
I won't copy the recipe here, so please go to Danielle's blog and give it a try. Just a quick note, we added a bit of lemon to our cream, as the recipe calls for sour cream; and we made half the recipe for the salted caramel, next time we might make the full recipe! Good stuff.
Who doesn't like pancakes? We love them! We make them every Sunday for breakfast, sometimes it is oatmeal pancakes, sometimes it is banana pancakes, but the all time favorite recipe with my son is found in "Muffins and Other Morning Bakes" by Linda Collister.
As many expats know, living in Italy proves to be a challenge to pancake-lovers, as maple syrup, and pancake ready mix are difficult to find. I can not help you with the maple syrup, but this recipe is a winner when it comes to making pancakes from scratch. Nicolas' friends call them: the fluffiest pancakes ever!
PANCAKES
3/4 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
a good pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 large eggs, separated
1 Tablespoon butter, melted, plus extra for cooking
3/4 Cup plus 1 Tablespoon whole milk
Makes 12 pancakes
Sift the flour, salt and sugar into a bowl (do not skip this step, I assure you it makes a difference!) then make a well in the center. Add the egg yolks, butter and milk and beat with a whisk until mixed. Gradually work in the flour to make a very thick but lump-free batter. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, then fold them into the batter with a large metal spoon. (I follow all instructions to the letter, even the "metal spoon" part, as I think helps with the fluffiness.)
Heat a heavy-bottom skillet until medium hot, then grease it lightly with butter. Saute the mixture in batches of 3, using a heaping tablespoon of batter for each pancake. Cook for 1 minute until golden underneath, then turn over with a spatula and cook for another minute. Eat hot with maple syrup (or Nutella in our house.)
Enjoy!
PS. I forgot to take pictures, so I will take some this coming Sunday...
And you thought that we were not going to cook anymore! Well, you were wrong!
I have to admit that we are having a difficult time finding a regular day for our cooking adventures, so I will publish the new recipes as they come.
The other night Nicolas ate over at his friend's, and he had a "really good cake mom!" The little, experienced cook that he is cleverly asked for the recipe. His friend's mom: Julie, was kind enough to share it with us. She said that this family favorite came their way serendipitously, as she was trying many cake recipes that did not call for eggs (her oldest child was allergic to eggs.) Julie does not remember where the original recipe came from, so we are just naming it after her. Fair enough?
JULIE'S NO EGG - NO BUTTER CHOCOLATE CAKE
1 1/2 Cup flour
1 Cup sugar
1/3 Cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Cup cool water
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp vinegar
Preheat oven to 180 C. Mix all dry ingredients in a medium size bowl, then mix all the liquid ingredients in another bowl. Mix everything together and pour into a small pan (this was fine for our family of three, but you might want to double the recipe.) Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
For the frosting:
2 Cup powdered sugar
1/4 Cup softened butter
3 Tbsp milk or cream
Cocoa to taste
Mix all ingredients with a hand beater, and adjust ingredients to taste. Personally, I could use less sugar, and a little bit more milk, but I am not a big fan of frosting. Next time I might apply a thick layer of Nutella instead!
My friend Debby says that recipes such as this one where first created during WWII, in times of rationing. Creative cooks, don't you think?
We are back! I know I have been a very bad blogger lately, but I just haven't had the time, nor the peace of mind to sit down and write. But, I am back, and Nicolas couldn't be happier. I guess the little one is getting used to our time cooking together.
Today we are making our FIRST Italian dessert together, and we chose a simple, yet delicious one. Panna Cotta means literally "cooked cream", which is a misnomer as this custard is not cooked at all, no eggs, no double boiler, just gelatin as the tickening agent. Simple, the perfect recipe for my 10 year old.
Originally from the Piedmont region, in the mountainous regions of the Italian north where cream is abundant. Today you can find this dessert all over Italy. A silky, refreshing end to a meal, perfect served with seasonal berries. This could well qualify as the easiest dessert we have made together, and one of our favorites!
Based loosely on a recipe found in Basic Italian by Schinharl/Dickhaut/Lane, published by Silverback.
PANNA COTTA WITH STRAWBERRY SAUCE
Feeds 4
1 Vanilla bean
2 Cups + 2 Tablespoons cream
1/4 Cup sugar
1.3/4 teaspoons powdered gelatin (always check package for proportions) 2-3 gelatin sheets
Butter for greasing ramekins (we used silicon molds)
Split open vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out black seeds and place in a pot with the vanilla bean, the 2 cups of cream and the sugar.
Heat cream mixture and bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes (do not let it boil), whisking occasionally to help dissolve the sugar.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir powdered gelatin into the 2 tablespoons of cream - allow to soften for about 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove the cream/sugar mixture from the heat, add the softened gelatin mixture, and whisk to dissolve the gelatin.
Strain the mixture into a heat-proof container with a spout (a glass measuring cup works well), lightly swirl the mixture before pouring into ramekins to evenly distribute the vanilla seeds. Pour mixture into buttered ramekins and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate 4 to 6 hours until the cream is firm enough.
To serve, carefully dip the bottom of each ramekin in hot water, loose the edges of the panna cotta with a thin knife, cover the ramekin with an upside-down plate and reverse. The panna cotta should slide into the plate. Garnish with strawberry sauce.
For the sauce:
1 Pint strawberries, thinly sliced
1.1/2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 Tablespoons sugar
Toss strawberries, balsamic vinegar, and sugar in a large bowl to combine. Let stand 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Spoon strawberries over and around the panna cotta and serve.
As you know, I am BUSY! Poor Nicolas is getting neglected, as we are not cooking together lately. I will be gone all next week, so La cucina di Nicola will be back on the 19th. It is not really a vacation for me, but I couldn't resist using a little sign like the Italians do...
Have you commented on my giveaway post yet? You have until tomorrow. Hurry up!
I will be around, blogging from afar, and visiting my usual places. I won't disappear!
Last Wednesday while stopping at Judith's place, I was pleasantly surprised by her latest installment of "la buona cucina Americana." This recipe for donuts is so EASY it just screams: MAKE ME!
I have been told that I am a good listener, so I couldn't refuse such loud request. Right there, on the spot, I decided this recipe was going to be this week's recipe at "la cucina di Nicola." (By now, you might have figured out that cucina means kitchen/cooking in Italian.)
I did not change a thing about the recipe, this being our first time making donuts, it was a great success! I will have to watch the oil temperature more carefully next time, as some of our donuts got some "abbronzatura Italiana."
Nicolas invited his good friend over to share in the goodness of one of his favorite American sweets. To celebrate the food and its origins we just had to use some red, white and blue sprinkles. We did not forget about Italy, as we used NUTELLA for our frosting.
We all liked them a lot, so much that they almost disappeared before my photo shoot! I got a couple of good pictures (you can hardly see the bite on that donut on the back, can you?)
AMERICAN DONUTS MADE IN ITALY
Nicolas wanted to make chocolate chip cookies again, and even though I told him that he has the last word when it comes to the recipes we make together, I had to re-direct him. I faced my first dilemma at trying to multitask, as our cooking time "doubles" as my thursday weekly post at your favorite blog! See, I have already posted a recipe for chocolate chip cookies! But my sweet Nicolas understood my pain, and he chose a great recipe.
This one comes from "Cooking with Kids" by Linda Collister and it is simple and delicious.
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MUFFINS (THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN COOKIES!)
Makes 12 deep cup muffins or 18 small muffins
Ingredients
1.3/4 Cups (175 gr.) all purpose flour
1/2 Cup (55 gr.) cocoa powder, unsweetened
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 Cup (95 gr.) sugar
1/2 Cup (90 gr.) semi-sweet chocolate chips (as we are running dangerously low on these, we chose to cut some fondente chocolate into small pieces)
2 extra-large eggs
1 Cup (250 ml.) milk
1/2 Cup (125 ml.) safflower oil (we used sunflower oil)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons chocolate chips, for sprinkling (we used the real deal here)
Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Put a paper liner on each cup. Over a large bowl sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and sugar. Add the chocolate chips-chunks.
In another large bowl mix eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and gently stir with a wooden spoon.
Pour the mixture into the paper liners (half full) and carefully dot with chocolate chips.
Cook in the oven for about 20 minutes for the large ones, 16 minutes for the smaller muffins. Remove from pan and put them onto a wire rack to cool for about 30 minutes.
Now get a nice glass of milk and enjoy!
Nicolas had the great idea to make luscious, delicious, mischievous cheesecake. We were going to try my friend Paola's delicious recipe for crustless cheesecake but I did not have all the ingredients needed. We, as 21st century cooks know that we can always browse a little on the internet and find the right recipe for the ingredients at hand. We found just what we were looking for here. This recipe was perfect for us... with some exceptions: We did not have graham crackers, nor did we have sour cream (remember that we are in Italy, and these ingredients are as foreign as a Colombian living in Azzate!) Fear not, as my friend Joanne from Frutto della Passione had posted this wonderful expat food survival tips for people just like us. Saved by our virtual friends!
I have to mention that the original recipe asks for milk in the ingredients, but it is never added in the recipe. I figured the author had forgotten it, and I added the milk. Our cheesecake came a little wobbly, so I am not going to include the milk in the recipe bellow as I do not think is needed. Also as we made our sour cream using lemon juice, our cheesecake ended up tasting "lemony." We like this serendipitous result.
BAKED CHEESECAKE (ITALIAN STYLE)
Crust:
2 1/4 Cups graham cracker crumbs (we used Mulino Bianco's macine crumbled in the food processor)
1/2 Cup butter, melted
Filling:
1/2 Cup sugar
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Dash of salt
2 eggs
Topping:
1 Cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. sugar
Combine crumbs and butter, press into buttered 8 inch pie plate to form crust on bottom and sides.
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add in lemon juice, 1/2 cup sugar, salt and vanilla. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour filling into crust.
Bake at 325F for 25 to 30 minutes or until set.
Combine the 2 tablespoons of sugar, sour cream, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla; spread over top of cheesecake then bake for 10 minutes longer. Chill for 5 hours or more before serving with a nice side of seasonal strawberries, delicious!
La Cucina di Nicola is growing! I am not talking about my ten year old non-stop growing spur, nor I am talking about my waist. We are growing up because we are trying our own version of recipes! YES WE ARE! We are getting confident with our baking, and we are trusting our instincts... I have to teach my boy about self confidence and originality, don't I?
We wanted, craved, desired some blueberry muffins, so we started by searching on the internet for a good recipe. We found this, and looking at the comments, we knew we had a good recipe in our hands. We changed some ingredients and quantities, and we are very pleased with the results!
We have decided to enter this picture to Snack shots: Muffin hosted by Michelle of Greedy Gourmet. Wish us luck!
NICOLA'S FIRST BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
1.1/2 Cups (190 gr.) flour (sifted)
1/2 Cup (100 gr.) white sugar
1/2 teaspoon (3 gr.) salt
2 teaspoons (9 gr.) baking powder
1/3 cup (80 ml.) vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 Cup (80 ml.) plain creamy yogurt
6 (90 ml.) tablespoons orange juice (freshly equeezed)
1 Cup (125 gr.) fresh blueberries
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 12 muffin cup pan or line with muffin liners.
Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough yogurt to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Add orange juice. Fold in blueberries. Fill 3/4 of the muffin cups with the dough.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack and enjoy!
Have you noticed how many baking recipes are there in La Cucina di Nicola's archives? I have been so vocal about not being a baker, and now I can't pull myself away from the oven. We now bake because it rains, we bake because it is fun, we bake because we can share.
Last Sunday was cloudy and cold, and Nicolas was bored, so we decided to cook together ( I can be a good mom, like that, sometimes.) Nicolas wanted to cook something that we could eat for breakfast, as he is tired of cold cereal, bread with nutella, or fresh fruit; he wanted to bake banana bread, but our bananas were not ripe enough... we had apples though. We decided to browse through one of my pristine baking books, and search for an apple based recipe.
"Muffins and Other Morning Bakes" by Linda Collister, is such a good book, that I, a non-baker, decided to buy it on a faithful day not to long ago. I am so glad I did! We decided to make a loaf cake that was described as uncomplicated and as an energy booster. Perfect!
By the time the cake came out of the oven, we had a handful of friends at the house, nothing planned. It was fantastic to be able to share with them this delicious cake. Nicolas was very proud too. We managed to save one slice of the cake for the picture! Doesn't it look delicious?
COUNTRY APPLE CAKE
7 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 Cup plus 1 Tablespoon sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 Cup self-rising flour, sifted (For each cup of all-purpose flour, add 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.)
2-3 Tablespoons milk
1.1/2 cups thickly sliced tart eating apples
Topping:
1/2 cup raw sugar (I used brown sugar instead)
6.1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and diced
1 Cup all-purpose flour, sifted
An 8.1/2 x 4.1/2 x 2.1/2 inch loaf pan, greased and lined with waxed paper.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Using an electric mixer or wooden spoon, beat the butter until creamy, then add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, then the vanilla. Using a large metal spoon, fold in the flour and enough milk to make a soft mixture that just drops from the spoon. Transfer the mixture to the prepared loaf pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Arrange an even layer of apple slices over the top.
To make the topping, put all the ingredients in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. (The ingredients can also be mixed in a food processor.) Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples, then press down gently to firm. Bake for about 1 hour until golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let cool in the pan until lukewarm, then serve warm from the pan or cool completely on a wire rack. Eat within 3 days. When throughly cooled, the loaf cake can be wrapped the frozen for up to 1 month.
This recipe is from Muffins and Other Morning Bakes by Linda Collister. Published by Ryland Peters & Small.
"La Cucina di Nicola" is back! Continuing with the German theme, we bring you our version of apple strudel. We ate the delicious treat every DAY at every MEAL, this makes us "experts" in the field, doesn't it? I am going to tell you up front that we did not make the dough.
I know, I know, what kind of recipe is this? Well is an EASY recipe, that's it! I am cooking with a ten year old that has just received a game he has been anxiously waiting for: the all incredible "Super Mario Brawl" (?) You have no clue what I am talking about, do you? Suffice to say that Nicolas' attention span for cooking this week is nil.
What is a mother to do? This mom had everything ready, so Nico only had to mix the ingredients, spread them on the purchased dough and roll the strudel. Presto! We are both happy.
I think the most complicated part about this recipe is my introduction to it. So, here it is:
GERMANY INSPIRED, TIME SAVING, FAKE(ISH) APPLE STRUDEL
phyllo dough (pasta sfoglia in Italy, available in the frozen section of the grocery store)*
55 gr. (1/4 Cup) butter, melted
50 gr. (1/4 Cup) brown sugar
15 gr. (1 Tbs.) ground cinnamon
50 gr. (3 Tbs.) bread crumbs
40 gr. (3 Tbs.) golden raisins, re-hydrated
2 medium apples, peeled, cored and diced
confectioner's sugar for dusting
*You need to defrost the dough at least an hour before starting the recipe
Pre-heat oven to 175 C (350 F)
On a heavy skillet melt half the butter, fry the bread crumbs until golden brown. Set aside and let cool.
Mix brown sugar and cinnamon.
Mix apples, raisins, sugar/cinnamon mix, and fried bread crumbs together.
Dust flour over a clean dish towel, unroll and stretch the dough over it.
Spread some of the melted butter on the dough, then spread the apple mixture all over the dough.
Strudel means vortex in German, and it refers to the rolling method used to make these pastries. Now, get ready to roll.
Pick up the dish towel from one side, and push away and down from you to lightly roll the strudel up. Close the edges and transfer to a baking sheet, leaving the seam at the bottom. Spread any remaining butter on top.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until golden. Cool slightly and sprinkle some confectioner's sugar on top.
I suggest eating it warm with some vanilla custard, or vanilla ice cream on the side. You will see it disappear into thin air!
In lieu of La Cucina di Nicola, today we present you the easiest, fastest way to a pasta dish. We found this AMAZING secret by the main road on our way to Gallarate. I have never seen it before, but today it just caught my attention.
Without further delay....
I know a picture is worth a thousand words, but I have the urge to explain to you this picture... That cute boy on the left? he is mine, my boy, my Nicolas. Back to the point... that machine you see, in all its yellow splendor, is a pasta vending machine!!! NOOO! You say. Impossible! Others reply. I am here to tell you that I saw it with my very own eyes! It was there, siting happily between the cigarette vending machine (I know! I need to write another post about this!) and the soda vending machine.
The machine has several options, you choose which one appeals to you to go with your marlboros and your coke, and presto: Il pranzo é qui! (your lunch is here!) as posted on the delivery door on the bottom right.
I doubt any meal delivered by this contraption will look anything like the picture in the front of the machine, but.... if you want to try, I can give you the coordinates to the place. I was satisfied with just the sight of it.
I wish I had seen this before, I could have used it for my last Sunday Scribblings prompt: "Out of this World"
Recipes will return next week. This week our chef Nicola had soccer games to play, you see...
"La cucina di Nicola" is open! We are making brownies today, chewy, spongy, chocolatey brownies.
When my husband was a child, he used to bake brownies at home (Did I say that Colombians don't bake? My mistake!) and bring them to school to sell to his classmates. He went to an all boys school in Bogota, I so admire his entrepenurial spirit! He tells of the many times when the teacher would call him up to the board to answer a question, and he could only watch in disbelief while his so-called friends raided the brownie bounty. He did not get discouraged though, he even made some money from his little business (it is the Paisa in him -inside Colombian joke, sorry!)
Today, in honor of his dad, Nicolas is making brownies -It is "la festa di San Giuseppe" or Saint Joseph day's today. In other words today is Italy's father's day celebration... you know with Joseph being the step-father to Jesus and all.
I do not want to brag, but these are great brownies!!! Really good!!!
So, without more interruptions, we give you:
DAD'S AMAZING BROWNIES
340 gr (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate
225 gr (1 cup) butter
5 eggs
500 gr (2.1/4 cups) sugar
15 ml (1 tbs) vanilla
140 gr (1.1/2 cups) flour
1.5 gr (1 ts) salt
170 gr (1 cup) chocolate chips, optional
Preheat oven to 190 C (375 F) and grease a 22x33 (9x13) baking pan
Melt butter and chocolate over very low heat, set aside. On a bowl mix eggs, sugar and vanilla, beat on high speed for about 8 to 10 minutes. Mix with the chocolate mixture until completely incorporated.
On a smaller bowl sift the flour and the salt together. Add the flour a little at a time to the chocolate-egg mixture, and incorporate.
Add the chocolate chips (or toasted walnuts, if preferred) and mix well.
Pour mixture into the greased pan.
Bake for about 35 minutes, no more! Do not overbake!
Cool and enjoy!
Welcome back to "La Cucina di Nicola" with our guest cook DeeAnn!!! As I have mentioned before, my good friend Dee taught Nicolas how to make cinnamon rolls while she was here with us. Nicolas was very motivated by her visit because he loves Dee's cooking, he was ready to learn ALL of her cooking secrets.
This is something that I have never made myself (you know the story, Colombians are not bakers for the most part,) but I do love a good cinnamon roll! I was more than happy to learn the recipe myself, so I took note of the ingredients and the process, for me and for you. I am giving you all ingredients the Italian way (grams and milliliters instead of cups.) If you want to convert the quantities, there is a handy chart here.
CINNAMON ROLLS WITH CREAM-CHEESE FROSTING
The basic recipe for the rolls is based on Paula Deen's recipe as a consequence of DeeAnn not having her own recipe at hand. She says it is basically the same. The frosting is all DeeAnn's.
For the rolls:
1 Package Yeast
120 ml warm water
120 ml warm milk
55 gr. sugar
75 gr. butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
380 to 440 gr. of flour
For the filling:
115 gr. butter, melted
170 gr. sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
Dissolve yeast in warm water, set aside. In another bowl mix melted butter, egg, milk, sugar, and salt. Add half of the flour and mix well. Add the yeast mixture. Add the remaining flour a little at a time until dough can be handled easily. knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes. Grease a large bowl and place the dough in it. Cover and let it rise for 1.1/2 hours. It should double its size.
Punch down and roll out onto floured surface. Roll into a rectangle of about 38 x 22 cm (15 x 9 in.) Now for the filling: spread melted butter over the dough, leaving a clean border all around of about 1.1/2 cm (1/2 in.) Mix sugar and cinnamon and spread evenly on top, (you could also add raisins or nuts at this point.) Roll the dough from the longer side, seal edges. Cut into slices (about 15.)
Grease a bakin pan or dish with butter. Place the rolls close together. Grease the top side of the rolls and cover again. Let them rise until double, about 45 minutes. Dee placed a container with water in the microwave and heated it, then she placed the covered dough/rolls inside the microwave along with the steaming water. DO NOT microwave them, the purpose is to keep the dough in an enclosed, humid, and warm environment. It works!
Bake for 30 minutes at 175 C (350 F) until golden.
For the frosting:
80 gr. cream-cheese
80 gr. butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250 gr. powdered sugar
Mix cream-cheese and butter. Add the salt, vanilla extract, and sugar, mix well. If the consistency of the frosting is to hard add 1/2 tablespoon of water at a time until you get the consistency of your liking. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.
Buon appetito!
Welcome back to "La Cucina di Nicola." We are back after a short hiatus due to vacation from school. Nicolas has chosen a family favorite for today: "Arroz con Leche" or rice pudding. This dish is another loved traditional dessert from Colombia -as well as any other rice-consuming country in the world!
Every child growing up in my beloved Colombia knows a song that goes:
"Arroz con leche me quiero casar,
con una señorita de la capital,
que sepa coser, que sepa bordar,
que sepa abrir la puerta para ir a jugar."
Now that I see it written on the screen, I am happy that I never paid any attention to the words, as it translates:
"Arroz con leche I want to marry,
a girl from the capital,
one who knows how to sew, one who knows how to embroider,
one who knows how to open the door to go out and play."
Not a bad ending, right?
But this post is not about marriage, or embroidery, or games, it is all about the sweet treat stapple of my childhood:
ARROZ CON LECHE
(rice pudding)
1 Cup rice (I use arborio with excellent results, long rice works well too)
2 Cups water
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
1.1/2 Cups evaporated milk
1.1/2 Cups whole milk
2/3 Cup condensed milk
3 Tablespoons sugar
Cook the rice in a medium sauce pan. We let the water boil first, then we add the cinnamon stick, oil and rice; we stir a little, cover, set to low heat and wait 15 minutes. Rice would be a little wet.
Rise to a medium heat. Take the cinnamon stick out and add 1 cup of milk, stir continuously. When the milk is absorbed add 1 cup of the evaporated milk, stir. When absorbed add the rest of the ingredients and stir often (sugar needs to dissolve and milk can burn.)
Pudding is ready when it starts to get thick but it still looks very runny. Turn off the stove, cover and let the rice absorb the extra liquid.
We like to eat ours warm with a little sprinkle of cinnamon on top. Enjoy!
First, I have to apologize for my absence. I am in the mist of change and it is taking a lot of my time.
I am back with the latest from La Cucina di Nicola. We bring you the easiest recipe yet. This is a very popular dessert in Colombia, it resembles a flan. Nicolas loves it and wants to make it everyday now that he knows how easy it is. I hope you enjoy it as well.
POSTRE DE TRES LECHES
(three milk dessert)
200 ml condensed milk
200 ml whipping cream
200 ml whole milk
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla estract
For the caramel
150 grs sugar
3 tablespoons water
First make the caramel on a nonstick pan over medium heath. Mix the sugar with the water and stir the mixture until it starts melting. Keep stirring until the sugar caramelizes (it will become liquid and brown in color.) Be careful, as caramel would be HOT. Pour the caramel on the bottom of an 8x8 in. Pyrex recipient (or any other ovenproof recipient of similar size.)
Preheat oven to 375F
Mix all ingredients together until blended. Pour mixture over the caramel. Place in prewarmed oven for 40 minutes.
Ready!
Welcome back to "La Cucina di Nicola," we have a delicious recipe for you. As it happens World Nutella Day is almost here (February 5.) Its creators Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle from Bleeding Espresso (and Shelley from At Home in Rome, in spirit) have challenged every Nutella lover out there to join in the celebration. You can read more about it here. Personally I would like to invite my friend Paola to participate, as I am sure she will come up with something absolutely glorious for all to try. If you have never visited her blog before, you are up for a treat.
Of course we had to participate as we are HUGE Nutella fans (I don't mean it literally, but if we keep celebrating I could just as well mean it!) We invited Nicolas' good friend Gabriel to join us this time. The two of them were very excited by the possibilities of adding Nutella to a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe. It took some brainstorming to figure out how we were going to include the creamy hazelnut spread, at the end we chose two different options. On the first one we made a thumbprint in the center of each cookie, and then we dropped a dollop of Nutella in there, stirring a little for cohesion purposes. On the second one we decided to add the Nutella to the dough leaving streaks of chocolate color in it. We all liked the second option the best!
CHOCOLATE CHIP-NUTELLA COOKIES
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
3/4 Cup packed brown sugar
1 Cup of margarine and/or butter, melted
1 egg
2.1/4 Cups of flour, sifted
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
1.1/2 Cups chocolate chips
Nutella, as needed
First, heat the oven to 375.
In a bowl add both sugars and the melted margarine/butter, mix at low speed for about three minutes until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and mix again.
On another bowl mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and stir with a wooden spoon. Dough will be stiff (Nicolas needed some help with the stirring.) Stir in the chocolate chips. (At this point you can also add some Nutella to the dough, just don't mix it all the way, you want a "marble" effect.)
Drop rounded tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart. Use the palm of your hand to flatten them some.
Bake until light brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Let them cool slightly and remove to a cookie rack.
I would like to thank Maña for sending us a fabulous care package that included chocolate chips and vanilla extract, and my friend Debbie for providing the brown sugar and a simple recipe to start from. Thanks!
