New York Monday #85: Fire?
August 20, 2007 | Filed Under New York Monday | 12 Comments
Well, thankfully, this time there’s no fire here. When I saw this fire truck, it seemed as if the firefighters had done their job and were getting ready to go back to their station. One day I saw a firefighter wearing his firefighting gear. It was so heavy and hot-looking. I couldn’t imagine anyone wearing all that clothing — from the fire hat to the heavy coat and boots — especially on a hot, humid day, and then racing towards a fire. But that’s what they do. They manage to fight the fire and help save lives, homes, and work buildings…
Have a great week, everyone!
Paz
Happy Anniversary! Happy Birthday!
August 19, 2007 | Filed Under Blog Anniversary, Desserts/Sweets | 30 Comments
Lady Fingers and crema pasticcera
Happy Anniversary! Happy Birthday to my blog! Today marks the two year anniversary when I first posted on this blog. Unbelievable. I never thought I’d ever develop an interest in cooking and then have the nerve to blog about it. Time sure flies when you’re having fun, learning new cooking tips, finding awesome recipes and meeting fellow food bloggers and making really good friends.
Sometime ago, I was talking to Simona of Briciole (one of the blogs I love!) about the different ways of making tiramisu. This is one of the first desserts I prepared and blogged about. Even to this day I still can’t believe that I actually made tiramisu because until then, I always had to go to a restaurant to order it. While I like to make tiramisu, I can’t prepare it often because one family member has a low immune system and can’t risk eating it because of raw eggs ingredients.
Simona suggested making a simple dessert of Lady Fingers and crema pasticcera, which doesn’t include raw eggs. This was something she used to make often as a teenager, so she shared her recipe for crema pasticcera and the dessert with me.
After I prepared the crema pasticcera, I dipped the Lady Fingers in coffee and then layered it with the crema (instead of the mascarpone mixture, which contained the raw eggs). Instantly, I had a delicious dessert! Thank you Simona! I had fun making this dessert. It was very easy to prepare and everyone enjoyed it.
According to Simona’s research on alternative Tiramisu recipes:
1. A number of people use crema pasticcera instead of the raw egg mixture to make Tiramisu, but they add mascarpone to it.
2. Other people use crema pasticcera and don’t use mascarpone, but they add whipped cream to the crema (we call the mixture crema chantilly) .
3. Ladyfingers and crema can be used to make zuppa inglese, but then you would need alchermes to moisten the cookies, not coffee.
4. However, some people make zuppa inglese using coffee to moisten the ladyfingers ( which is what I did).
Thanks to everyone who stops by here and leaves a comment. It would be no fun without you. For the past couple of months my food posts have diminished. I have a different schedule that doesn’t allow me to cook and blog much, neither have I been able to stop by other blogs as I previously did. In the near future, I hope to get up to speed again and blog about my cooking adventures more often. I certainly have a lot of recipes to try out and share! ;-)
Paz
Crema pasticcera in the pot
Crema Pasticcera
1/3 cup sugar
500 ml milk (slightly more than 2 cups)
3 strips of lemon peel about 3” long and 1/2” wide (using a potato peeler to cut the strips makes it easier to avoid cutting the white part of the lemon)
3 tablespoons pastry (or unbleached) flour
Pour the milk into a pan, add the lemon peel and warm up to well below boiling point.
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until the mixture is white and bubbly.
Sift the flour over the egg mixture and beat briefly until it is incorporated.
Remove the lemon strips from the milk.
Add the milk to the eggs and mix with a wooden spoon.
Pour the mixture into the pan and set it to very low heat, stirring at least every couple of minutes. When the froth on the surface disappears completely, crema starts to feel thicker. From then on stir almost continuously.
When crema reaches boiling temperature, cook for 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat and stir to bring down the temperature.
While the crema cools down, stir it every now and then to prevent the formation of a film over it.
Covered in crema pasticcera
Covered with crema pasticcera and chocolate powder
New York Monday #84: Subway Ride
August 12, 2007 | Filed Under New York Monday | 13 Comments
Have a great week, everyone!
Paz
New York Monday #83: Ornate Architecture
August 5, 2007 | Filed Under New York Monday | 8 Comments
Have a great week, everyone!
Paz
Ed. Note: A few have asked about this building. It’s an apartment building, residential home to many. Alot of the older buildings are rich in ornate architectural design. When you walk through the city, if you look up, you’ll spot them. You can see a few earlier examples posted here , here (bottom picture), here , here , here and here.
Some Announcements
August 3, 2007 | Filed Under Announcements | Leave a Comment
Life is like a flower; more exquisite and precious when shared with others.
Hi folks:
I just wanted to share a few things with you.
I’ve switched subscription carriers and am now using FeedBlitz. So those who previously signed up with my old service will have to sign up again with this new service. Sorry about that. If you want to be notified anytime a new post goes up here, enter your email address and subscribe to FeedBlitz. You can find the FeedBlitz subscription form on the right side of the page.
More news:
Foodies Unite! A Baking and Books Fundraiser:
Ari of Baking and Books is hosting a fundraiser for the 2007 Jewish Environmental Bike Ride. This is what she writes about its cause:
"This past May I began working at an amazing non-profit organization called Hazon. Its mission is to change our world by educating people about our environment, the food we eat, and the ways in which our relationship to these essential aspects of our lives influences our spiritual well-being. Though Hazon’s focus is rooted in the Jewish community, the work Hazon is doing affects everyone. Our vision is to create a global community of educated people who engage with the world around them by growing as individuals and working towards change."
I think it’s a worthy cause. If you think so too, go buy a ticket. Each raffle ticket costs $5 and there are 56 70 76 prizes (Fantastic cookbooks donated by fantastic publishers). You can buy tickets from now until September 3, 2007. For more information and to buy a ticket, visit this link: http://www.bakingandbooks.com/foodies-unite/
Thanks!
Paz
Herb Salt
August 1, 2007 | Filed Under Herbs | 19 Comments
It’s August! Have you made your herb salt, yet?
Some time ago, I made some herb salt (with rosemary and thyme). I loved it! I used it on almost everything. It was easy to make and I loved the fragrance, texture and color of the salt. Here’s the recipe again.
Paz
Herb Salt
Fresh herbs, whatever you like, you can make it with different ones or just one.
Coarse salt
- Take a bunch of fresh herbs and remove the woody parts if there are any. Put them in a blender together with a fistful of coarse salt.
- Turn the blender on and let it run until it has become like fine salt. Add more herbs if you want.
- Put it in a jar and use it. Often.
