Episode #204 - Schiacciata alla Fiorentina (Orange Flavoured Carnival Cake from Florence)

Today, with a little bit of delay, we pay homage to Italian Carnival.
Every town around Italy celebrates it; there are many different traditions, customs, and obviously foods, associated with it...

Picture 3 Picture 2

Like it happens for every pagan holiday, food goes well along with laughs and a festive spirit, and when it comes to feast, once again (since Carnival comes right after Christmas), you can indulge yourself with food...you know that spring is around the corner...the time for fresh vegetables and fruit is coming! So, yes, brig it on...more cakes!


In Florence Carnival is celebrated with the following desserts: Frittelle di Riso (Fried rice balls covered in sugar ), Cenci (fried dough covered in sugar) and the Schiacciata alla Fiorentina.
This cake is light and easy to prepare; around town you can find it sliced in half and filled with whipped cream or even ....Nutella!

Schiacciata alla Fiorentina
Serves: 12
Prep Time:
15
Cook Time:
30-35

Ingredients
2 1/2 Cups (250 grams) of Flour (all purpose, unbleached)
1 Cup (100 grams)of Sugar
4 tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
7 tablespoons of warm Whole Milk
3 Eggs
The Juice and the Zest of an Orange
1 1/2 tablespoons of Baking Powder
Confectioner's Sugar

Preparation:
Preheat your oven to 360 F (180 C).
Butter well an 8 ½ by 12 inches baking pan.

Separate the yolk and the egg whites.

Read More...
|

Episode #107 - Wake and Bake! Sunday Morning Breakfast: Spinach Frittata, Berries Fruit Salad, Marble Cake.

Hi Everybody,
welcome back to our little cooking show.

Deb has been flying around for the past few days...
Therefore I decided to shoot a solo episode.

First of all I did not want to leave you without something new before the weekend,
and second, I wanted to dedicate an episode to all the men out there that care about treating their girls (yes, I know, or their partners in general).


Sunday morning has always been a tradition in my family when I was growing up, and a rule as well!
My mom always worked her ass off all week around, during the day teaching in junior-high, and then me, my brother, the house...her husband.
My father was a young surgeon...I remember the phone ringing in the middle of the night...I remember vacations with my father, but not the days of the week....

I was about 6...remember waking up, walking to the kitchen with my younger brother...he was about 2.
My mom would leave in the fridge a blender full with my brother's breakfast. Do not ask me what was in it...some fruit, I remember a big cookie...It kind of sounds gross, sorry...
I had to process the food, heat it up a bit...no microwave those days...stove top baby...and serve the first breakfast.
Me, personally...loved a gigantic cup of milk with Nesquik and Rice Crispies.

The rule was...BE QUIET!!!
No playing allowed, no running...only breakfast and some TV. And wait for my parents to wake up. Mainly mom, as my father was already probably at the hospital or racing his Ducati on the Mugello track, just a few miles from our house.

One day I just decided to bake a cake by myself....

Read More...
|

Episode #106 - Munchies! The Bill Maher Midnight Snack...

Debi and I have been experimenting a bit...
We wanted to do this episode a few weeks ago, but by the time we get to the evening, well...
comes the night...the eylashes get heavy and we get camera shy.

We then decided to shot a bunch of stills of very sexy and fresh midnight snack you can throw together with ease,
and not feel too guilty about.

mango, sexy, evening, munchies, bill maher feast, fruit, goodfellas, debi mazar

So, let's wear your good pajama and hit the kitchen,
what do you feel like having tonight?

Since there is no specific ingredient amounts, we decided also to leave the poetry up to you...there is no need for a downloadable sheet...
Just get inspired!!!


Buon Appetito and,
Buona Notte.

Debi and Gabriele


|