Recipe: Strawberry Lemonade Bars

Yessss!!  I'm writing and in a timely manner.

These bars are amazing and delicious and still really simple to make. I used the same crust from my last lemon squares but I added a twist to my lemon filling and decided to go with Strawberry Lemonade Bars this time.  I had fresh strawberries sitting in my refrigerator just waiting to be consumed and this seemed like the perfect trial. It's summertime and who could possibly resist the combination of fresh strawberries and lemonade.
To compensate for the extra liquid, I used an extra egg and another tablespoon of flower. I also cut down on the sugar content a bit because last time I found the lemon squares a little too sweet for my tastes and also because ripe, fresh strawberries should add their own sweetness to the batter.

The most beautiful strawberry lemonade bars

Ingredients

use Aluminum foil for easy cleanup

crust:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick butter) room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup all purpose flour 
• pinch of salt

filling:

• 4 eggs
• 1/2 -3/4 cup sugar
• 2 freshly squeezed lemons
• 2 cups fresh strawberries
• 1 tbs freshly zested lemon zest (I used zest that I had frozen from last time)
• 3-4 tbs all purpose flour

Line an oven proof pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easier cleanup.  Preheat your oven to 350°F. 

If you have an electric mixer, I would use it to cream the butter and sugar.  I don't have an electric mixer, so again I had to do it by hand. It just takes a little more time and patience but it's totally doable. I used a fork to mash the butter and sugar and then kneaded the salt and flour into the mix.  When it's a cohesive mixture and not too sticky (add a little more flour if you need to) press it evenly into your pan, bringing it up slightly along the edges. Now I'm notoriously bad at measuring, especially while in Italy. The recipe calls for a stick of butter, but the form is different in Italy, so I added a little at a time until the butter was able to hold all of the sugar. I figure, the more butter the better!  

Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly golden. Turn it, if you start to see only one area of the crust bubbling or coloring.
While the crust is baking whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and 3 tablespoons of flour.  Whisk until well-blended with no clumps.

Just look at that gorgeous color

In a blender, pulse your ripe strawberries for a few minutes. If you don't have a blender, you can alternatively crush them with a fork. Add this to your lemon and egg mixture.  If it's looking too runny, add in an additional tablespoon of flour but do it slowly so the flour blends and doesn't form clumps.
Pour the filling over the crust and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the lemon filling is set and firm.  Keep a close eye on your lemon bars and rotate to make sure it colors evenly.
The bars are done when the liquid sets. I wasn't being particularly attentive this time around (I was washing dishes instead) and my oven has a hot spot, so a little bit of my crust burnt. But that's okay because it was still utterly delicious.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Then cut into squares or triangles.  I used a round pan, so some of mine were oddly shaped, but that wasn't a problem.  I just ate those scrapes as testers.
Put in the fridge and then serve cold as a nice refreshing dessert!

The crust was still buttery and excellent and the strawberry lemonade filling was wonderful.  Use fresh berries and fresh lemons because the flavor payoff is fantastic.  The ripe strawberry really adds a kick of sweetness and reminds me of summertime adventures.  It also really complements the tartness of the lemon.

Recipe: Lemon squares

Soooo ages and ages ago I made lemon squares (mentioned in this blog).
Ages and ages ago I said I would post the recipe because they were delicious and I never got around to it.... Also I typed it into a word document, forgot about it and then when I finally found it, I deleted it, thinking that I'd already posted it.
Sometimes I spectacularly resemble an airhead.
So I've decided that now, since the weather is warm and lemon is super refreshing, I'll just have to post up the recipe.  Yes, it requires opening your oven, but not for very long so it's worth it.  As soon as your lemon squares are done, let them cool, take them out of the pan and cool in the fridge.
Totally and absolutely worth it.
And the recipe really is quite simple with minimal ingredients.  Even the crust is easy to make (although

I suppose you could easily buy one as well (think graham cracker lol)...
I have to give credit to Joy the Baker and Luscious Lemon for inspiration. I modified and combined their two recipes for the perfect lemon square.
I made these with lemons from my student's garden and then fed them to my classes. They were quite successful! Successful enough to make me want to make more. Which I finally did yesterday (sometimes it takes me time to get to my projects) and I played around with my base recipes again. I made Strawberry Lemonade Bars.  I'll try to post up the recipe tomorrow (since I'm typing it here, maybe I'll actually do it in a timely fashion!).

Cover your oven proof dish with aluminum foil for easy cleanup!

Ingredients
crust:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick butter) room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup all purpose flour 
• pinch of salt

filling:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tbs freshly zested lemon zest 
• 3 tbs all purpose flour

Line an oven proof pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easier cleanup.  Preheat your oven to 350°F. 

So many levels of utterly delicious

If you have an electric mixer, I would use it to cream the butter and sugar.  I don't have an electric mixer, sooo I was forced to do it by hand. It just takes a little more time and patience but it's totally doable.  Add the salt and flour and mix well.  When it's a cohesive mixture and not too sticky (add a little more flour if you need to) press it into your pan.  

Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly golden on the edges.
While the crust is baking whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and flour.  Whisk until cohesive.
Pour the filling over the crust and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the lemon filling is set and firm.  Keep a close eye on your lemon bars and rotate to make sure they color evenly.
Let cool completely and then cut into squares.  I used a round form, so the edges weren't square... which is fine, because I ate them before anyone could see!
Put in the refrigerator and serve chilled.

See, absolutely simple and deliciously amazing!

Restaurant Review Rome: Gelateria del Teatro

This is a grown up Gelateria. Well… Anyone can eat ice cream there, but it has some amazingly grownup flavors.

• Cioccolato fondente al nero d’avola (Dark chocolate and red wine)
•  Fragola allo spumante (Champagne and Strawberries)
•   Salvia e lamponi (Sage and raspberries)
• Cioccolato bianco e basilico (White chocolate and basil)
• Zabaglione zibibbo  (Sicilian wine cream)
• Mandorla d’avola (Sicilian almond)
•  Vecchia Roma (Cherry and cheese)
• Rosmarino, miele e limone (Rosemary, honey and lemon)

Very original and just alcoholic enough for my tastes.  They also had more ordinary flavors too, but the majority had some kind of exciting twist. It’s not as creamy as the gelato from Gelati & Mozzarella but it was still quite delicious.  I think it’s a Sicilian gelateria because it uses quite a few ingredients from Sicily which would also explain the less creamy consistency. 

What I really love about this place is the originality. You’re not going to find flavors like these in most other gelterias. For example I got a tasting of white chocolate and basil gelato. Where else are you going to find such a combination?  It was delicious and so completely unexpected. The white chocolate was the perfectly sweet balance to the pungency and earthiness of the basil.  It was really quite good.

I decided to skip it in my cup only because I didn’t want the white chocolate. It’s generally a little too

sweet for me. Instead I got the dark chocolate and wine gelato, strawberry champagne gelato and the sage and raspberry gelato. So refreshing on a hot, sunny day.

Surprisingly, my favorite flavor was the strawberry champagne.  It was light and refreshing, exactly what I needed after my 3 hour walk yesterday.  The strawberry tasted like fresh berries bursting in my mouth combined with the light bubbliness of champagne.

I liked my other 2 flavors as well. The dark chocolate is strong, not only was the dark chocolate flavor very strong but so was the wine. You can definitely taste both equally.  I really liked it but it was a little heavier. I would be hard pressed to eat a cup of it alone.  That being said, it paired really well with the other 2 flavors since they were both less heavy.  Even the sage and raspberry gelato was pretty light considering it was made with some kind of a cream base. I loved that the sage and the raspberry were quite well balanced. The sage was a nice earthy tone that worked with poignancy of raspberry.  It also matched quite nicely with my other flavors. 

Gelateria del Teatro is pretty well known. It’s won all sorts of awards for its gelato; all well deserved.  I happened to arrive during a lull which was nice. I could look at the flavors without making any snap decisions.  About ten minutes later, while I was sitting outside with my gelato however, there was a big rush and the place got packed.

It’s on an accessible corner but it’s not prone to the most foot traffic. People go there because they know it’s good so I suggest looking up directions and grabbing a gelato while you’re already in the Trastevere area or when you’re by Piazza Venezia  or Campo dei Fiori. It’s right on the river and is easy to get to from any of those areas on foot.  However, you won’t find it accidently (unless you happen to be walking on that side of the river, on the correct side of the street… it’s not super easy to spot unless you know where to look). I highly recommend that you look for it on purpose.

And if it’s sunny and warm outside, you can sit at their cute little café tables and bask in the shade. It’s a little noisy from the cars but it has a lovely breeze to chase away the heat.

P.S. There are two locations. The one I went to is Lungotevere dei Vallati 25 right on the corner of Via Melangolo about a block away from Ponte Garibaldi.

Restaurant Review Rome: Gelati & Mozzarella

I hadn’t had gelato in a while mostly because I’m too busy running around for work. I have had a sundae from McDonald but that certainly doesn’t count as gelato. And yes, I know, terrible. I’m in the land of gelato and really amazing food and I got a McDonald’s Sundae on my way home from work . My only excuse is that it was really late and I hadn’t had dinner yet. I needed something to get through the 20 minute walk home and nothing else cheap and easy was available. It was a fail but necessary. 

So the other day, while on a relaxing vacation walk, I finally had a chance to try the gelateria that my

housemate Adele has been raving about for months. I was a little dubious because it’s called Gelati & Mozzarella.  What does mozzarella have to do with ice cream? Nothing, right?

Well, I finally got there and I understand now.  There is a type of mozzarella in Italy (in the states too, but not as well known) called mozzarella di bufala and it’s made with the milk of the domestic water buffalo. It is traditional in the south of italy and is incredibly rich and creamy. It's considered one of, if not the best kind of mozzarella around.

 So this ice cream shop makes gelato using buffalo milk, hence the name.

They had a lot of incredible looking flavors, most of which were made with buffalo. I tried the stracciatella (cookies and cream) made with buffalo, cuore di cioccolato (heart of chocolate aka more dark chocolate than any normal person can handle) and the pera e cioccolato (pear and chocolate). Delicious, Delicious, Delicious!

The ice cream was incredibly creamy and rich, just how I like it. I got the €3 cup and it was just the right amount for me but if you can’t handle a lot of richness a €2 cup should be enough for you. The texture of the gelato was smooth and wonderful. 

I really enjoyed the cuore di cioccolato because it’s the darkest, deepest dark chocolate I think I’ve ever seen (they even have a regular dark chocolate flavor). It’s rich and smooth but for me, it wasn’t overwhelming. It was like hot fudge in ice cream form.  The stracciatella was also quite good.  I tried it to see about the bufala and it was great. It was just as creamy as I could have hoped.  But I have to say that my absolute favorite was the pera and cioccolato. It was light and creamy but not too sweet.  It was mostly pear flavored gelato with a hint of chocolate. It was divine and paired really well with the other flavors too.

There’s a small bar near the window to eat your ice cream or your pastries (they also do amazing pastries) but I chose to walk and eat since it was crowded when I was there. It really is adorable inside and their pastries and sweets look quite delicious. I really wanted to try a bit of everything, but I’ll have to save it for another time.  

Visiting Florence

It’s amazing.

When I go to Florence it’s as if nothing ever changes and then of course you take a closer look and realize that lots of things have changed, but it’s all background change. Nothing important has changed. The people are the same. The atmosphere is the same. Florence is always the same gorgeous city full of the same amazing sites.

I took this picture on Sunday, hence why it's not lit up

I got to Florence on Saturday and took a long lazy walking tour through center. There are some new restaurants, cafes, and gelaterias but the most important ones, the best still remain exactly where they have always been. They have stayed the same.

For example, for dinner we went to Trattoria Anita, what was a fixture in my life when I lived in Florence. It’s still the same and still incredible. It is so incredible that it deserves its own blog posting (which should be up soon)

Then there’s Old Stove Signoria.  My fixture. My home away from home in Florence. It’s an ordinary bar in Piazza Signoria and I practically lived there for the last two years of my stay in

Old Stove Signoria... A quiet moment

bella Firenze. I made friends with the hilarious bartenders and with their friends too.  It’s not the best food, but the atmosphere is incredible and the staff are friendly and awesome, especially the night staff.  There have been a few changes over the years, but it’s still an amazing place.  I don’t love the new kitchen but I still love the music, radio and live. Plus on Tuesday and Saturday nights they still do karaoke too. The karaoke is hilarious and fun and I love going and singing with my Italian girls who just egg me on and have me try random, difficult songs for the hell of it. 

That was my Saturday in Florence. Amazing dinner with my friend Lindsay and then karaoke at Old Stove after a cider at the other  Old Stove near the Porcellino.  It was a great night with awesome people and general hilarity and went on till the early hours of the morning. 

Now just a general warning, if you are a single, attractive single (well, okay, you don’t have to be single) female, you will get hit on at Old Stove Signoria. It is inevitable. The bartenders are hilarious and will hit on attractive females but it is part of their amazing Italian charm.  Just don’t let yourself get too charmed. ;)

The view from the bench in front of Old Stove

Then on Sunday after a nice long sleep, Lindsay made me an awesome homemade breakfast and then I went for a walk around the city. I met up with one of my favorite Italians, Alessio . We had a brief catch up session at Old Stove over a cider. (I know, I go to Old Stove a lot when I’m in Florence but in the day it’s very  relaxing and chill.) It’s been about 2 years since I’ve been able to sit down with him so I was super excited.

After my gab session I ran around the city confirming that nothing has changed terribly drastically.  I went to Via dei Neri and got a gelato from one of my favorites, Gelateria dei Neri (my review here). It’s still one of the best in the city. I get it way too often when I’m in the city but I love it wayyy too much.

I took a nice, long walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo and took lots of gorgeous pictures of the beautiful

One of the views walking down from Piazzale Michelangelo

sun and landscapes. It was refreshing and amazingly relaxing before my early evening with Lindsay and her most adorable son at a Carnevale party where we munched and danced to the Macarena. 

Then after a long day I wandered back to Old Stove for a cider and a chicken burger. Really I wandered over to say goodbye to everyone, but I was hungry so I decided to get a snack before training it back to Rome. The chicken burger was pretty good but I covered it in mayo, ketchup and Tabasco (I always ask for Tabasco because I love spicy wayyy too much not to do it). Then while I ate I took some time to write in the crowd like old times.  Some things never change. Somehow or other I can sit in a crowded pub and still focus on writing. It’s one of the few times I don’t get easily distracted.

Overall, I’d say it was an awesome weekend filled with good food, old friends, and cold cider. I’m definitely glad I got away from Rome for the weekend. Goodness knows I’ll be back to Florence again quite soon. 

Restaurant Review Florence: Gelateria dei Neri

In Florence, I have a few favorite gelato places and among the top is Gelateria dei Neri.  It's one of my favorite, if not my all time favorite gelato place in Florence.  I've been going there since 2006 when I first studied abroad. We would go once a week (at least) since it is right next to Santa Croce, where the Sarah Florence Program is.
It's conveniently located directly between Santa Croce and Piazza Signoria, meaning it's also quite close to the Ponte Vecchio. For anyone who's not been to Florence, super, super central and easy to walk to.
Now, every time I'm in the city I take a stroll down Via dei Neri and grab myself a €2.50 cup of gelato.  I always get a cup because I find that cones can get really messy and I'm notorious for spilling without extra incentive.  Cups all the way!
I love Gelateria dei Neri because they have so many flavors to choose from, especially in the summer. They have all of the traditional flavors like chocolate (cioccolato), strawberry (fragola), vanilla (crema), and cookies & cream (stracciatella) but they have a lot of other unique and awesome flavors.
They have a ton of fruit flavors and so many chocolate options that I could die of happiness.

I love, absolutely love their dark chocolate (cioccolato amaro).  It is rich and dark and creamily potent. If you love dark chocolate in general then this is definitely the flavor for you.
Their mint flavor is tasty as is the mango.  One of my other favorites is the crostata e fragolino di bosco which is a cream gelato swirled with strawberry jam and chunks of strawberry crostata (a type of fruit crumble/pie). It's absolutely delicious and unique to Gelateria dei Neri.
In summer time the options are even more plentiful.  I've been there a lot and still haven't tried each flavor although this is partially because I am a creature of habit.  There are a couple of flavors that I am stuck on, like the dark chocolate and the fragolino di bosco.  Even this last weekend I got dark chocolate, fragolino di bosco and the frutti di bosco (fruit of the wood, aka mixed berry).  I was not

dissappointed.  In fact, I was quite pleased with my choice.  The fruit and cream really helped to balance the thickness and density of the dark chocolate.
If you ever find yourself in Florence I highly recommend you try some gelato at Gelateria dei Neri.
It's easy to get to with lots of great choices.  And if you're in Florence during winter, they even have crepes and other kinds of desserts just in case it's too cold for ice cream!

Baking Exploits in Italy...

If you know me, or have read through some of the posts from last year then you know that I really like baking. I enjoy making desserts, even though I'm not a particularly precise person. I use recipes and then completely change things as I go even when baking.  It's supposed to be the science of cooking, and is, but I still like to tweak and play.
That being said, I haven't baked in ages.
I tried baking cupcakes back in December but sadly they didn't come out as well as they could have.  I had a couple of problems to contend with. The main issue was ingredients. Since Italians aren't big cake bakers (they're great with desserts and pastries but don't make fluffy cakes and cupcakes like we make in the States) I had a hard time finding the right kind of baking powder and baking soda. Vanilla comes in powder form, unless you go to specialty shops. Brown sugar here is not brown sugar but cane sugar, so it is darker in color but not finely ground. It doesn't pack well and therefore changes the texture of any cake or cookie that calls for it.
Ingredients were a slight problem, and so was measuring. I didn't own a measuring cup here because a measuring cup here doesn't measure cups but milliliters.  I didn't feel like taking the effort to convert my recipes into Italy appropriate measurements  so I just used a drinking glass to measure... Yes, so this doesn't really work.
Anyone with half a brain, probably wouldn't have tried to make it work but I'm a little insistent on doing things my way.
My chocolate chip cupcakes were edible but they weren't quite right either. They didn't rise the right way and certainly didn't get fluffy like I wanted.  No one complained, so I suppose they were good, but I wasn't happy with them.
I wanted to try again, but then th eoven broke.  Ok, not quite the oven, just the dial.
That being said, it took over a month for it to get fixed. I live in Italy after all.
So I had bought new pans, measuring cups and spoons and I couldn't bake until last night!
I finally got to bake something successfully last night.
My student gave me lemons from her garden so I decided to use them to make lemon squares for the

first time ever.  I looked up a bunch of recipes before getting the oven fixed which was quite comical. I looked up No Bake Lemon Cake and No Bake Lemon Bars and for some reason Yummly (a recipe search engine) linked me to a bunch of recipes that definitely required baking.
I was a little confounded but in the end it was fine, because I found 2 recipes that seemed great for when I got my oven back. Luckily, we got a new dial Wednesday morning so yesterday evening after work it was time to try some baking.
I'm going to have to post the recipe later on because my lemon squares came out wonderfully. Sweet, moist and gooey.
I made 2 batches and I was ridiculously pleased with both!

my beautiful lemon squares

Recipe: Grilled Chocolate and Strawberry Sandwich

I found a recipe for a grilled brie, raspberry and dark chocolate sandwich and I really want to try it.  The photo looked so amazing and I'm very curious about the combination of brie and chocolate.  I feel like the raspberries would be an amazing way too bring the flavors together.
I went to the store with intentions of getting raspberries and brie but sadly I couldn't find raspberries so I bought strawberries instead.  Less of a tang but still enough sweetness to work with the cheese and chocolate.
I wanted to try making my brie, choclate and strawberry grilled cheese but just as I was prepping it as a dessert my roommates came into the kitchen and I lost my nerve.  I chickened out and didn't make the sandwich I had originally intended to make.  I just didn't feel like explaining my logic to my roommates (AGAIN) and get the judging looks.  I love my roommates. They are amazing girls but not always the most adventurous with food.
So instead of making my grilled cheese dessert I made a grilled chocolate and strawberry sandwich with no brie that was utterly amazing.  Next time I'll make it with my brie regardless of who's around.

Ingredients:
2 slices bread
2-3 pats of butter
1 bar dark chocolate
3-5 strawberries

I had a very large bar of chocolate to make my sandwich so I used a sharp knife to make chocolate shavings.  I decided for finer shavings rather than large chunks so the chocolate would melt faster and more evenly.
I covered both slices of bread with a medium layer of chocolate. If you're a chocoholic add more!  Then I sliced the strawberries and put them to the side for later.  
Put the better in a pan and heat over a low flame.  When the butter is melted, carefully place the bread in the pan.  Try not to let the chocolate touch the pan because it will melt, burn and then stick to the pan.
Let the bread get nice and golden shifting it around the pan once in a while (to make sure it's not sitting in any hot spots). A few minutes should do.  The chocolate will start to lighten in color.
When you take the bread out of the pan, you will be able to easily spread the chocolate with a knife and it will magically look like nutella.
Add the slices of strawberry to one of the slices, close the sandwich and eat happily.

The chocolate and strawberries are delicious between the slices of warm buttery bread. I was very very pleased with my dessert sandwich.

Apple Picking Fun

Okay, so I wanted to post this before I left for Rome...
However, things got hectic with packing and hanging out with friends and saying goodbyes... I started writing and never had a chance to finish writing.  So I'm writing this post from Rome, but it's about Jersey Apple Picking and fall.

I am always excited for fall.
Autumn is my favorite season because it means crisp air, leaves that change color, sweet apples, pumpkins and freshly baked pies, their sweet odor floating on the breeze...
It's the season where you can break out the cardigans and boots but that for the most part is still warm enough for short sleeves or shorts. It's light layers not bundling up.

Hello Apples!!

Most importantly it's a time for apple picking at apple orchards.

If you've never been apple picking you have not lived! Every year I try to go at least once because it's generally a nice relaxing outing meant to happen with family and friends.

I was so excited that some of my best friends humored my whims and went apple picking with me the week before I left. It was quite an adventure and just an amazing day overall.

Every apple picking adventure starts with picking a farm. If you want to pick your own, rather than buying apples at a market, I recommend either asking for recommendations from friends or going online.  None of my friends or family regularly go apple picking anymore so I usually use my internet.  I found Pick Your Own to research my farms in the tri state area (although I think you may be able you use it regionally as well). The site is also great because it has wonderful information about the farms and different varieties of apples available and what the apples are best used for. It is also wonderful because it tells you all of the other fruits and vegetables that can be picked at various farms.

I found a couple of great options on that site. My top choices were Alstede Farms, Riamede Farm, Stony Hill Gardens and Sun High Orchard. I really wanted a large farm that would have lots of apples still on their trees. And if some of the trees were large enough to be climbed, even better. ;)  I thought Alstede looked like a very child friendly place and it often has special events to pull you in and to discount the price. There is an entry fee unless they're having special events.  Both Riamede and Stony Hill also looked great but we ultimately decided to go to Sun High Orchard after calling the farms to find out pricing.  Riamede, Stony Hill and Sun High were all free entry and I believe had the option of hay rides but only Sun High had apples that were only $1.79 lb ($0.20 less a lb).  I think pricing changes pretty often, so it's never a bad idea to call and check.

Sorting our apples and making trades

We spent all day picking apples and running goofing off.  Sadly, there was no tree climbing, unfortunately none of the trees were big enough and it was prohibited. We had fun anyway picking each other up to reach the tallest branches with the best apples.
The Sun High Orchard had so many different kinds of apples that it was almost impossible to decide which to pick for ourselves.  They had baking apples and eating apples, ones that were sweeter, some more tart, others crisp. Oh my goodness, we had so much fun going from section to section choosing apples. Then we sat and sorted and traded until we finally chose about a bag of apples each. The apples were great, but it may be getting late in the season so go!!! And while you're at it get a pumpkin!  And then make pies and cakes and other awesome goodies.

My apples that made it home... I ate some on the way :D 

Next time I go to Sun High I'm definitely going to get a pumpkin too and maybe one of their honeys since almost everything in the small store is locally grown.  I would also suggest trying their apple cider donuts and their apple cider because both were delicious.  Oh, and their pastries look delicious too. I tried a bite of the apple crumble and it was crisp and sweet with just enough crumble to apple ratio.  

Next time pumpkins!

Recipe: Apple Cupcakes with Maple Butter and Fresh Whipped Cream

I went apple picking last Saturday! It was a lot of fun but at first I wasn't sure what to do with the sheer quantity of apples I picked.
I finally decided on what to make with my apples. I settled on apple cupcakes because I've never made them before and I always enjoy a challenge and trying new things.  Frosting wise I decided to use the maple butter that I bought in Canada this summer and then I'll top that with a dollop of fresh whipped cream (yes, I know I'm obsessed with it... in fact I should probably have a blog that talks just about whipped cream).

mini cupcakes with maple butter and fresh whipped cream

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp fine salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (or ginger)
8 tbs unsalted butter (1 stick) at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 medium baking apples (I used a selection of apples from when I went apple picking this weekend)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. I made a tray of regular sized muffins and a tray of mini muffins. I had extra batter, so I also made 3 additional regular sized muffins.
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Mix together to break up any lumps and put to the side.
In another bowl, mix the butter with a electric mixer on a medium-high speed for about 2 minutes.

apple batter!!

Add the sugar and vanilla and continue beating until the mixture is smooth.  Add in the eggs one at a time. Mix until well blended for about a minute.
Line the muffin tins and then fill until about 3/4 full.  Tap the tin to make sure there are no air bubbles.  Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean or until the top is nicely golden. Rotate the pans about halfway through the baking time. My oven needed about a half hour for the cupcakes to be fully cooked.
Remove the cupcakes from the pans and let cool completely before frosting.

Oh my goodness... Just delicious!

Recipe: Lemon Meringue Pie

So I've never actually made lemon meringue pie before and I'm not exactly clear how I decided to make it, but I did tonight. We were talking about desserts and there were egg whites in the fridge and lots of lemons to play with.
I think it came out quite nicely for a first attempt and can't wait to try it again.

Simple Pie Crust
1 1/2 cups flours
2 tsps sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tbs whole milk

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Mix all the ingredients together and pat down into the bottom and sides of a 9" pie pan. I didn't have a 9" pie pan, so I used 2 8" cake tins and just made two shorter pie crusts. Poke holes into bottom and sides
Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Keep an eye on the crusts because they cook quickly.  And then use with any pie recipe (in this case obviously lemon meringue xp )

Lemon Meringue Pie
1 cup sugar
2 tbs  flour
3 tbs corn starch
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup water
2 lemons squeezed and zested
2 tbs butter
4 egg yolks whipped
1 9" pie crust or 2 8" pie crusts
4 egg whites
6 tbs sugar
1 tbs vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Lemon filling: In a medium sauce pan, whisk together sugar, flour, corn starch and salt. Slowly add in the water, fresh lemon juice, and lemon zest. Blend well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil. Add in butter. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and then add a half cup of the hot lemon/sugar mixture. Then pour back into the lemon mixture and bring to a boil. Continue to cook and stir until thick. Remove from heat and pour into pie crusts.

Meringue: In a bowl, whip the egg whites until foamy and mix in the vanilla. Add sugar gradually, and continue to whip until the eggs form stiff peaks. Spread meringue over lemon mixture, sealing the edges at the crust.

Bake for 10 minutes or until meringue is golden.

-Raspberry Truffle

Restaurant Review: Ferrara Bakery and Café

I discovered a fantastic little dessert place in Little Italy this Sunday. Although, I guess I shouldn't call it little. It was kind of a big place. Ferrara Bakery and Café is on the corner of Grand and Mulberry, smack in the middle of the small area known as Little Italy. I had no idea that it is one of the oldest bakeries still operating in the area and has a sister restaurant nearby (that hopefully I'll get to try out soon).

I was out for Chinese New Year with some friends and we were haplessly wandering around looking for dessert. We found Ferrara. It was like a beacon on the corner calling our names with bright lights. Ang and Andrea were drawn like moths to a flame and crossed the street and then proceeded to look in through the glass doors. I was a little more skeptical. From the outside it looked like a tourist trap to me. Bright lights, big signs, but it was definitely appealing. The setup was welcoming and the girls were set. I was definitely willing to give it a try. After all, looks can be deceiving. 

tasteful decor

Upon entering the bakery, I was surprised at how big it actually was. It looked like a slightly larger, yet typical pasticceria in Florence. It had a traditional vibe but with a elegant yet simple twist. It was well lit, and elegantly set up with tasteful Valentines Day decorations (earlier in the evening we had passed a restaurant that Cupid had apparently thrown up on). 

gorgeous and typical pasticceria

On the left, there was a pastry bar with a beautiful bounty of desserts, from traditional Italian cookies, to more delicate and complicated cookies, to Italian pastries like sfogliatelle, cannoli and babà, to typical american and french pastries, to beautiful cakes (both slices and whole) with chocolate, vanilla and fruits.  It was a beautiful sight that had my mouth watering. Based on looks alone, I wanted one of everything. We had to grab a table and try some (yes more than one) of those desserts. 

I would have loved to have one of these fruit tortes... and then I saw chocolate lol

During the brief wait, I took a bunch of pictures, fascinated at the variety of desserts available. We arrived later in the evening so I know that during the morning hours and early afternoon there were probably even more desserts available. I can't wait to go back and try other things!  But I suppose I should tell you about what I actually ate.

a macaron cake as well as some other gorgeous bites

Looking at the menu was a challenge because there was so much to choose from. There were alcoholic drinks, coffee drinks and chocolate drinks available. I had to stop looking because I was just getting overwhelmed. The dessert menu was just as extensive as the drink menu and included the various partries as well as gelato. I think I looked at the menu for a good 20 minutes until finally we had to give our server our order. 

Our waitress was friendly and quite helpful as well as patient given our indecisiveness. 

You look hungry, have a cannoli! really hungry? have a chocolate cannoli!

The girls each decided to try a trio, meaning they got to try three mini desserts of their choosing. Unfortunately, I don't quite remember what they each chose, although I had a nibble of most everything and it was all delicious. And Andrea also ordered some kind of mocha capuccino thing that had fresh whipped cream on top that she seemed to really enjoy while Steve got a trio of gelato, chocolate, hazelnut and salted caramel. I, instead, decided to order a white chocolate raspberry ribbon cake with a glass of milk (as per suggestion of our server lol... best idea ever!). 

The dessert arrived pretty quickly and it was absolutely gorgeous. 

Oh my goodness. Gorgeous! and tasty too. While looking at the menu, I had contemplated the prices and worried that we were about to have a typical tourist experience. The desserts were on the slightly pricey side (my cake was $7.75 and the hot chocolates were around $5 each). But I was pleasantly surprised. The desserts well exceeded my expectations. The chocolate mousses in the trios were spectacular and my chocolate cake was dense and creamy. The whipped cream was fresh and the white chocolate was a lovely accent. It wasn't what I had been expecting, but it was delicious and the milk was a fantastic palate cleanser to break up my massive chocolate consumption. 

My delightful cake, glass of milk and the yummy gelato

I also thoroughly enjoyed the gelato. The consistency was creamy and smooth. It wasn't quite the same as gelato in Florence, but it was up there. The chocolate was probably my favorite but I also really liked the hazelnut. 

Struggling, but I did finish everything!

We definitely took our time enjoying our dessert. No one rushed us as we devoured our sweets and chatted and goofed around talking about other good times. 

We all pretty much cleared our plates, although I won't lie, I definitely slowed down about 1/2 way through my cake. It was really rich and we had had quite a lot to eat for dinner.  

I think next time I'm in little Italy, I'll definitely be stopping in to pick up a few pastries for friends (and myself of course!). I really had a good experience and a great dessert that I would eat again.  

-Raspberry Truffle

P.S. I thought this mini wedding cake was absolutely gorgeous. I may have to order it next time I stop by!