Archive for the ‘contests’ Category
mio amore and me
Lately I’ve gotten a few requests for photos of P from friends and family, so I figured it was time to post another. You can also see another photo of him in my post Amore Mio in case you missed it.
Now here’s the thing. I’m not very good at the holding out the camera in front of us and getting a good photo thing, so nine times out of ten P loses part of his head. And he didn’t help things this time either as he thought the photo was already taken and turned his head before the click.
But I still kind of like it anyway.
This was taken last Saturday at the Feast of Santa Caterina di Alessandria. Why yes, I do have more photos. Stay tuned!
Today I’m thankful for:
P.
Happy Love Thursday everyone!
P.S. Remember to check out the posts in the Dolce Italiano Contest and comment to enter the drawing to win a personalized, signed copy of Dolce Italiano by Gina DePalma:
Mosaic Biscotti, Sara’s Ms Adventures in Italy
Chocolate Kisses, Ilva’s Lucullian Delights
Ricotta Pound Cake, Here!
Chestnut Brownies, Shelley’s At Home in Rome
And tomorrow head over to Jenn’s The Leftover Queen to see what she has baking!
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[tags]love, amore, love thursday, nablopomo, 30 days of thanks[/tags]
Ricotta Pound Cake from Gina DePalma’s Dolce Italiano
**NOTE THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED.**
Welcome to Day 3 of the Dolce Italiano Contest in which you can win a free, personalized, signed copy of Dolce Italiano, the newly-released, highly-acclaimed Italian dessert cookbook by Gina DePalma, Executive Pastry Chef of Mario Batali’s Babbo Ristorante Enoteca in New York City.
You can read more about the contest in this post of mine and also over at Shelley’s At Home in Rome, home of the event, but here’s the gist: Shelley, Sara, Ilva, Jenn, and I are going to be posting recipes from the book over the next two weeks.
In order to be entered into the drawing for the free, personalized, signed copy of Dolce Italiano, you need to comment on the recipe posts; you can comment on all 10 over the next two weeks to maximize your chances of winning.
All comments must be posted by 11:59 p.m. PST on Friday, December 7th, 2007 to be entered.
So, after you leave me a note here, if you haven’t commented on Sara’s Mosaic Biscotti from Monday or Ilva’s Chocolate Kisses from yesterday, do go over and comment.
When collaborating, we had to figure out which days we would all post our recipes. I, of course, requested Wednesdays to keep the What’s Cooking Wednesday theme alive and also to enrich the WCW collection with some delicious Dolce Italiano recipes.
Now to the recipe.
I’m a cake and cookie girl, so it’s not surprising that the first dessert I’ve chosen is in one of those food groups–namely the Ricotta Pound Cake.
I love any kind of cake and I also love ricotta, so I had a pretty good idea I’d enjoy this too.
“Enjoy” doesn’t do this justice.
I *love* this cake. LOVE THIS CAKE.
The ricotta gives an extra kick to the normally tame (I didn’t say boring–did you hear boring?) pound cake as well as an awful lot of moisture. I love how the outside is nice and crunchy but inside it’s actually almost wet. This is without a doubt one of the best cakes I’ve ever made or eaten.
And as Gina wrote in the book, it *is* even better the next day–that just didn’t seem possible after I took my first bite nearly fresh out of the oven. I really have to learn to trust the experts.
Ah, and another bonus? It goes great with espresso!
Ricotta Pound Cake
(condensed from Gina DePalma’s Dolce Italiano)
1 1/2 c cake flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
3/4 c unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c fresh whole-milk ricotta
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 vanilla bean
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and place rack in center.
2. Grease and flour 9-inch loaf pan.
3. In medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, cream together butter, ricotta, and sugar until smooth and light.
5. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping sides of bowl after each addition.
6. If you have a vanilla bean (I didn’t), split it lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the blunt side of a small knife, then beat them into the batter along with the vanilla extract. I just used another teaspoon of vanilla extract.
7. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients to combine them, scrape down sides of the bowl, and beat the batter for 30 seconds on medium.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth top with a spatula. Tap pan on counter a few times to remove air pockets.
9. Put cake in oven and let bake for 15 minutes, then turn 180 degrees to ensure even browning. Lower the temperature to 325°F (160°C) and let bake until cake springs back when lightly touched, the sides of the cake have pulled away from the sides of the pan, and a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 minutes more.
For some reason, mine took another 35 minutes, so do keep a close eye on it. Perhaps it had to do with the water content of the ricotta I used versus what Gina uses? Experts?
10. Allow cake to cool in pan for 15 minutes, then invert it on wire rack to cool completely. Mine came right out of the pan like no other loaf I’ve made before–the browned outside is key here. Dust with confectioner’s sugar before serving.
As Gina says, flavor is best the next day, and I have to agree. Leftover cake can be stored for up to three days so long as it’s wrapped in plastic.
Buon appetito!
Today I’m thankful for:
Ricotta Pound Cake of course! YUM!
Dolce Italiano Contest with Gina DePalma
If you also read Shelley’s At Home in Rome (and if you don’t, why don’t you?!), you probably already know this, but just in case, I’m letting you in on the big news:
We’re having a contest! And it involves desserts! And books!
Brainstormed and organized by Shelley, the Dolce Italiano Contest centers on the book by the same name by Gina DePalma, Executive Pastry Chef at Mario Batali’s famous New York City restaurant Babbo.
And this is no ordinary cookbook. It’s getting rave reviews all over the place and has been named the 3rd best Cooking, Food, & Wine book of 2007 on Amazon.com and one of Publishers Weekly’s best books of the year (Lifestyle).
So now, Shelley, three other bloggers that you know and love, and I are getting together to help one of you win your very own signed copy!
Starting today and for the next two weeks (Monday-Friday), one of us will feature a recipe from Dolce Italiano. If you leave a comment on a post, you’re entered to win the book. Only one comment per post counts toward the drawing, but if you comment on each of the 10 posts, that gives you 10 chances to win.
Comments on all 10 posts will be accepted for the drawing up until 11:59 PST on Friday, December 7.
And you and your family can have a very lovely holiday season with all these delicious Italian desserts.
So where do you need to go? Here’s the schedule:
Mondays: Sara’s Ms Adventures in Italy
Tuesdays: Ilva’s Lucullian Delights
Wednesdays: Right here baby!
Thursdays: Shelley’s At Home in Rome
Fridays: Jenn’s The Leftover Queen
Since it’s Monday, you need to head on over to Ms Adventures in Italy and see what Sara has made just for you today. And comment! Don’t forget to comment!
Please note that comments on this post (that you’re reading right now), although sincerely appreciated, do not count as entries in the contest; only comments on recipe posts will be entered into the drawing.
Also check out Shelley’s three-part interview with Ms DePalma here, here, and here.
Today I’m thankful for:
The opportunity to be a part of the Dolce Italiano Contest. I cannot say enough good things about this book. Yes, there are recipes for cookies, cakes, spoon desserts, tarts, ice creams, sorbets, semifreddos, fried treats, dishes with fruit, celebratory desserts, and savory goodies–but there’s also a whole lot of information on Italian baking in general, techniques, equipment, ingredients, and more.
Goodness my grandmother would’ve loved this. She *loved* Molto Mario.
If you’re a foodie, this is a book you’ll want to get all floury and sugary during the day and then curl up with at night. It’s an awesome gift for anyone who loves baking, so whether you win one or not, I highly recommend picking up a copy.
ask me anything (again) & more
Remember back in July when I needed inspiration to come up with 8 things about me for a meme from JennieBoo?
Well now fabulous artist and blogger Robyn of Have Dogs, Will Travel has tagged me for 7 more things . . . and I need your help again.
Bonus–this will help me get through 30 days of posts for NaBloPoMo. What? You’re not signed up yet? Come join the fun, and don’t forget to add me as a friend!
Please leave your questions in the comments, and I promise to get to all of them (some restrictions apply, of course)–but if you’re afraid something has been asked before, don’t be.
I’m a proud member of the Department of Redundancy Department.
And now some announcements:
WIN!
Robin of My Melange, winner of my Bella Bags contest, is now paying it forward with a contest of her own! Read more about it here, but let me tell you about the wonderful prize:
You can win a fabulous copy of the soon-to-be-released book My French Life by Vicki Archer, and there are a few different ways you can enter the drawing. Get on over there before November 9th and check it out!
Also, if you want to see the Bella Bag that I chose for Robin, she posted about it here (and there’s some eye candy to boot!).
By the way, for the environmentally-interested, Marcia of Bella Bags has a new Be Green Shop Green full of organic goodies, so get shopping!
READ and REMEMBER!
Breast Cancer Awareness month is almost over, but that doesn’t mean we should forget how important this subject is. I put a widget from The Breast Cancer Site over there in my sidebar that you can click every day to help fund free mammograms, so click away!
And when you get to the site, why not click the Hunger, Child Health, Animal Rescue, Rainforest, and Literacy tabs at the top as well?
Now go read one of the most touching posts I’ve read about breast cancer, this by my new buddy through NaBloPoMo, BipolarLawyerCook, about her mother’s diagnosis:
Seventeen Years Later
WRITE!
(1) Halloween is coming up and blogging buddy Tui of Mental Mosaic would like to hear about your spooky encounters for the blog carnival she’s hosting:
Blog Carnival: True Spooks…Share Your Ghost Story
Hurry, post your entry, and send the link to Tui by October 28th. I’m working on mine!
(2) Another great event happening over at Vanielje Kitchen and The Passionate Palate:
Apples & Thyme…
celebrating time in the kitchen with mothers & grandmothers
Here’s your chance to write about the women who have inspired you in the kitchen, even if they weren’t your mother or grandmother. It’s a lovely way to remember and honor the women in our lives, so I hope you’ll participate.
Post your tribute by November 10th and then read the round-up of posts on the 15th.
Is this enough for you this weekend? I sure hope so.
I also have some planning to do for NaNoWriMo, so I know I’ll be busy.
Buon weekend,
and remember to fire away with the questions in the comments!
bella bags contest winner!
Two weeks, many gorgeous bags, and 91 (wow!) comments later,
we have a winner in the Bella Bags E-Party and Contest!
Congratulations Robin!
I’ll be in touch shortly about your bag.
And you can thank P as he’s the one who drew your name from the basket.
Thanks *so* much to all of you who participated by commenting and/or buying a Bella Bag–and special thanks to Marcía, the wonderfully talented bag lady (hah!) who made all this fun possible.
I’m off to bed now my peeps (it’s after midnight where I am!).
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
Calabria Guidebook
Recipes
