The Italian word for sweet is dolce.

While the word is used to describe pastries and dessert, it’s also used as a form of endearment.

Sei dolce means you are sweet!

Blogging has many rewards including the opportunity to express a shared passion, in my case baking.

But one of the rewards of blogging that I would never have imagined when I started my blog, way back in 2005, is the opportunity to meet people that I would have otherwise never have met before.

This past week I met up with a lovely (very dolce) woman who had contacted me about the subject that is near and dear to the hearts of all cooks and bakers: cooking equipment. A friendly e-mail about corzetti stamps turned into an e-mail exchange that turned into a meeting over coffee and the realization that the world is actually a small place full of kindred spirits.

It was such a pleasure to meet my new friend and I just wanted to say thank you very publically. I also wanted to highlight one of the many shared pleasures my new friend and I have: Rosetta Costantino’s Calabria from Scratch.

This beautiful blog is an homage to the cuisine and customs of Calabria. Since my mother is Calabrese, I loved Rosetta’s blog from the first and am really looking forward to her upcoming cookbook.

One of Rosetta’s recent posts feature an Italian dolce called Bocconotti (little mouthfuls). While I have heard of Bocconotti, I never realized that there was a version of the cookie attached to Calabrian sweets. I asked my mom if she knew of these cookie and she wasn’t familiar with them.

My new friend also told me that she hadn’t heard of them before (in relation to Calabrian baking) but that she was on a quest to discover a recipe that would recreate the Bocconotti that a family member of hers used to make.

In the spirit of adventure, my mom and I decided to try these cookies one Sunday afternoon and the result was quite nice. Not only did I get to bake with my mom but we turned out some cookies that were very good.

While I don’t consider these a traditional family cookie, I really enjoyed trying them. It was a reminder of something that I sometimes forget when it comes to blogging: my blog is about baking.

I started my blog because I love to bake. Because I love dolci. While my blog is an avenue for many pursuits, it makes me happiest when I’m baking something sweet.

I want to thank my new friend for meeting up with me. I’m looking forward to many dolci adventures!

Ciao!

You can find the recipe for Bocconotti Calabresi here.

I’m not ashamed to admit it.

When it comes to “social media”, I’m just a tad behind the times. I’m still trying to figure out Twitter and while I have a Facebook account, let’s just say I’m apt to forget about it for weeks on end.

It’s not that I don’t like interacting with people, it’s just that I’m a Cream Puff and my thing is baking. I’m in the kitchen … a lot.

Perhaps one day I will graduate to a laptop that I can have in the kitchen that will allow me to bake and tweet and facebook and who-knows-what-else but I’m still having a hard time accepting the end of VCRs so give me time.

Give me time.

Having said that, I do acknowledge the deep and significant influence that social media have had on all of our lives.

Since I became a blogger in 2005, I have come into contact with countless people whom I probably would have never met, much less heard of.

One of these people is Judy Witts Francini of Divina Cucina.

To be honest, I don’t recall exactly when I first heard of Judy but I suspect that it was years ago and it was probably through David Lebovitz’s site. I do remember visiting her blog and thinking, “Here is a great teacher of cooking.”

In a day and age when we’re inundated with words and images about food, when food bloggers must number in the thousands (if not many, many more), in my opinion there are surprisingly few people whom I would consider genuinely capable of teaching others about food.

It’s one thing to have a blog and bake or cook and take pictures. That is certainly a worthy endeavour that many, myself included, find fulfilling.

But just because I make a great cake, it doesn’t mean I have what it takes to teach other people how to do it.

Judy knows how to teach people how to cook. I’ve never met Judy in person, but I know this. I know this as certainly as I know that fresh basil is a gift from heaven, butter is is my middle name and chocolate is a basic human right.

Not too long ago, Judy contacted me via Facebook and asked if I would like a copy of her cookbook, Secrets From my Tuscan Kitchen.

Would I?!

Shortly thereafter I came home to a little bundle waiting for me. I unwrapped it and immediately fell in love with a cookbook that’s a throwback.

Printed on beautiful paper, the book is akin to taking all those handwritten recipes, written my your mother, or grandmother or aunt, hidden away somewhere, and binding them together in an homage to the home kitchen.

It’s simple, honest, direct and authentic. Just like the best teachers.

Judy … grazie!

Ciao!

Note: I bought a spectacular bunch of spinach from the farmer’s market. A day or two later, I bought some fresh ricotta and the idea to make Judy’s Crespelle alla Fiorentina (ricotta and spinach-filled crepes) was born. Smothered in a delicious besciamella (béchamel sauce) and fresh tomato sauce, this dish was delicious. You can buy a copy of Judy’s book here. Please take a look. It’s so worth it.

The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

In my ongoing and valiant efforts to catch up on all The Daring Kitchen challenges I’ve missed over the past year, I now bring you the February 2010 challenge presented by Aparna and Deeba, two most enthusiastic Daring Bakers. They chose the Italian dessert Tiramisu as the challenge.

Tiramisu, literally translated, means pick-me-up and in theory, it isn’t the most complex of desserts. However, when your hostesses challenge you to make all the components from scratch, including the mascarpone, well, let’s just say it changes things.

Yes. You read that correctly. The Daring Bakers are now also cheesemakers, among other things.

Even though my background is Italian, tiramisu is not my favourite. It’s not that I don’t like it - how could one not possibly like such a creamy, boozy dessert that packs a coffee-kick to boot?

It’s just that growing up, tiramisu became the ubiquitous dessert. Every birthday, every family dinner, every baptism, every confirmation, every wedding party dinner and just about everything else inevitably showcased a tiramisu.

To make matters worse, in the 80s and early 90s, mascarpone was not the easiest ingredient to find in Toronto. And even when you did find it, it was ridiculously expensive, moreso than it is even today. As a result, people (and I’m ashamed to admit some of my own family members) resorted to some very strange mascarpone substitutions the worst of which was fake “whipped cream”.

Ugh.

I prefer not to think of those horrible days! Happily, we have all seemed to move on and on the few occasions when we do make Tiramisu, it’s mascarpone all the way.

Over the years, I have shared my family’s Tiramisu recipe with numerous people and it remains my standard for the dessert.

However, Aparna and Deeba laid down the gauntlet and in the spirit of the Daring Bakers, I accepted the challenge.

There were two elements to this challenge that really intrigued me and that I enjoyed tremendously, even though I wasn’t all that successful with them.

The first element was the recipe for homemade mascarpone. I would have never attempted this on my own but Aparna and Deeba pointed everyone to a post on the blog Baking Obsession that belongs to Vera, a most talented baker. Even if you don’t make the mascarpone, you have to visit her site to see how beautiful her creations are!

The making of homemade mascarpone involves heavy cream, heated to a certain temperature, and the addition of lemon juice. The mixture is then allowed to drain in the refrigerator for a period of time after which you should end up with a thickened cream that is, in essence, a form of mascarpone.

My lack of patience reared its ugly head again and I did not allow my cream to heat to the right temperature before I added the lemon juice. I’m not sure what the issue was but after more than 40 minutes in the double boiler, my cream seemed to stop heating up. Finally I got so tired I mixed in the lemon juice and proceeded with the recipe.

My end product was delicious, but not nearly as thick as it should have been. Still, though, I wasn’t complaining. It was so good that we could all just imagine eating it in the summer over fresh berries. I cannot wait to try it again!

The second element of the challenge that I found most intriguing was the making of the savoiardi biscuits. Savoiardi (often referred to as Ladyfinger cookies) are an Italian biscuit that form the base of Tiramisu. However, savoiardi are quite popular beyond this dessert and are used for many other sweets and are also enjoyed on their own.

I have never actually made savoiardi so I was more than pleased to try them.

Like the mascarpone, things didn’t go perfectly for me. I’m not sure if I didn’t whip my egg whites enough but the biscuits didn’t quite rise as much as they should have. Still, though, the cookies were delicious and I can’t wait to try them again.

The rest of the challenge was quite involved. We had to make a zabaglione and a pastry cream, as well as prepare the espresso and whip up some cream to finish off the filling.

The end result was a very detailed dessert with lots of components. It was delicious, but also a lot of work. In Tiramisu’ world, this to me was the equivalent of a “supermodel” Tiramisu. For a very special event, I would consider trying it again, but for a Tiramisu’ fix, I’d probably stick with my family’s recipe.

For me, what distinguished this challenge was the unabashed enthusiasm displayed by Aparna and Deeba. They were the very embodiment of the spirit of The Daring Bakers. They cut no corners and pushed everyone. I have to admit sometimes I get a little lazy with these challenges, but not this time. Faced with the efforts that Aparna and Deeba displayed I could not, in good conscience, do anything but my very best.

Ladies, I thank you for being an example to us all and picking me up for an awesome challenge!

Ciao!

For a copy of the challenge recipe, click here.

And on the eigth day of the 12 Days of Cookbooks I give you Domenica Marchetti’s Big Night In: More Than 100 Wonderful Recipes for Feeding Family and Friends Italian-Style.

Domenica Marchetti is a cookbook author of Italian background who has very quickly become one of my favourites. I also own her book The Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy and believe me when I say it has kept me company during the chilly fall!

Her recipes are excellent and well written and Big Night is no exception. This is a big, warm book about feeding a crowd of people, something that’s good for all of us to do from time-to-time, especially over the holidays!

The book is geared to cooks of all sorts with a heavy emphasis on bright flavours, abundance and comfort. It’s traditionally laid out as it starts with Appetizers and Soups and Salads. It’s followed by Pasta, Rice and Savory Tortes and then Main Courses. The content is rounded out with Vegetables and Side Dishes and then Desserts. There’s even a brunch menu at the end for those who entertain large crowds early in the day!

I, of course, decided to showcase a recipe from the Desserts section. Because you can never make enough crostata in your life, I made the Jam Crostata using strawberry jam.

A simple and rustic tart, this is a perfect example of the kind of cooking and baking that Marchetti offers with her recipes. This was a most satisfying crostata and I look forward to making it again.

I’m also really looking forward to having some people over and trying more of the recipes.

Hope you pick this up for the person in your life that loves to feed a crowd!

Ciao!

The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook: As Compiled by Artie Bucco by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone. She also added her own modifications and changes.

Can I just say that I completely LOVED this challenge!

After missing the last two Daring Cooks challenges and not having much success with the October Daring Bakers’ challenge, it was such a pleasure to try making cannoli.

This was a first for me. I’ve never tried cannoli at home mainly because, to be honest, I’m not a huge cannoli fan. They’re okay, but they wouldn’t be my first choice when it cames to Italian desserts.

And I think I now know why.

After making the cannoli shells on my own, I can see that most of the cannoli shells that you buy at the store and even at bakeries, pale in comparison.

The recipe that Lisa provided created a shell that was crispy and light, with a faint hint of Marsala that was so pleasing.

And the filling was rich and luscious.

Perhaps what made this most worthwhile is that I finally got to use the cannoli molds that I purchased several years ago. I purchased them to use in making rolled cookies like tuiles, but I think in all this time I’ve only used them once.

While I considered rolling out the dough myself, I wimped out and used my pasta machine (thankfully Lisa included that in the instructions).

It was a breeze to roll out the dough with the machine. I wrapped the circles of dough around the molds and fried those babies up.

They looked so lovely coming out of the oil that I had to resist the urge to remove them from the mold right away. I found that if you let them cool down a bit, they slide of easily.

I didn’t do anything really fancy with my filling. I flavoured it with cinnamon and vanilla extract and as for the shells, I dipped the edges in melted bittersweet chocolate and then in ground pistachios.

These were just so delicious. The shells were so crispy they shattered when you bit into them. The filling was creamy and perfect and the chocolate and pistachios were just the right touch.

In the course of frying the cannoli shells, a few came off the mold because I hadn’t secured them properly but no worries, I used the shells to make cannoli stacks as Lisa suggested.

Thank you so much to Lisa for hosting. That’s another challenge to cross off the list!

Ciao!

It has been a jam-packed couple of weeks for the Cream Puff. Work has been incredibly busy and there’s been lots going on with family and friends between the Thanksgiving holiday and other events.

This is going to be a quick Magazine Mondays post but I definitely wanted to take the time to share with you a pasta dish that I made quite some time ago. I’d actually forgotten about these little beauties until recently, when I read a beautiful book that I’m looking forward to talking about very soon on this blog. You’re just going to have to wait for the details.

In the meantime, the pasta triangles you see above are my attempt at making pansotti, also often spelled as pansoti. I didn’t know what pansotti were until I saw a recipe for them in Issue 1 of Taste Italia magazine. They’re basically large ravioli stuffed with a filling of cheese and often bread soaked in milk. As far as I can tell, they’re not filled with meat.

I was happy to try them but I can’t say I was blown away by the recipe. It seemed like a lot of work to make the filling and I wasn’t happy with the pasta as it ended up being a bit on the touch side. Still, though, I’m hoping to try them again soon.

As you know, Magazine Mondays is an opportunity for everyone to dig into that magazine pile and try some new recipes. Here’s who’s joined me for this week’s edition:

Tia of Buttercream Barbie (cute name!) made a Marbled Mocha Cake from Gourmet magazine.

Wandering Coyote of ReTorte made some gorgeous Lemon Ricotta Pancakes from Canadian Living magazine.

Tina of Life in the Slow Lane at Squirrel Head Manor made Chicken Club Stuffed Potatoes from Southern Living Magazine.

Erica from the charming Cooking for Seven made a New York Cheesecake from Martha Stewart Living.

Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies made Cranberry Nut Rolls from Bon Appétit.

Allison of LemonBasil brings us a beautiful triburte to Gourmet magazine.

Emily of Sandmuffin made a gorgeous Applesauce Cake.

Janie of Panini Girl made an Eggplant, Zucchini and Fennel Casserole from Taste of Italia.

Thanks to everyone that took part. Remember that Magazine Mondays is a very informal event. You can participate any time. All you have to do is send me the link to a post you’ve done about a magazine recipe.

Have a great week, everyone!

Ciao!

You can find the recipe for Pansoti with Walnut Sauce here.

So I know that summer is over in many parts of the world but for those of us that are beginning the long trek through fall and winter, it’s never too early to start planning ahead!

My Magazine Mondays submission for this week is actually a dish that I prepared before I left for vacation in August. It’s a trio of ice creams from the January 2009 issue of Gourmet magazine: Almond, Chocolate, and Pistachio Spumoni.

Spumoni is not a happy word for me because it reminds me of a flavour of ice cream that we’d buy when I was a kid from the local gelateria. It was a mix of strawberry, vanilla and chocolate ice cream and had candied fruit thrown into it. It was horrid so when I first saw the word “spumoni”, I was a bit put off but then when I actually saw the flavours and also saw that there was on candied fruit in the recipe, I bookmarked it.

Perhaps one day I will tell you about my hate-on for candied fruit. One day. Just not today.

To get myself in the mood for my vacation to Italy, I whipped up the three flavours of custard, froze them and brought them to work. They were a hit with my personal favourite being the Almond flavour. The hardest part of the recipe was making sure that I started it early enough so that I could freeze all three batches in my ice cream machine (they have to frozen separately, obviously).

Remember, Magazine Mondays, is my weekly round-up of a magazine recipe that I’ve bookmarked but haven’t gotten to yet. You’re free to participate in what I like to call this non-event. Just send me the link to a magazine recipe you’ve posted. And remember, you don’t have to post it on a Monday. It can be any day of the week.

This week, I’m joined by the following MMers who got around to trying some magazine recipes:

Patricia of Brownies for Dinner made a gorgeous Brown Butter Pound Cake from the October 2009 issue of Gourmet magazine.

Our regular contributor Tamy of 3 Sides of Crazy made Franks & Beans Cornbread Casserole.

Tina of Life in the Slow Lane at Squirrel Head Manor made Mushroom, Garlic and Gorgonzola Stuffed Bread from the Sept-Oct issue of Tallahassee magazine.

And our most loyal fan, Wandering Coyote of ReTorte, made Onion Bialys from Canadian Living.

Have a fabulous week, everyone!

Ciao!

I love walking.

Next to baking, there is no act for me that is as calming and therapeutic as walking.

I’ve been walking a lot lately. Summer is the season to walk, after all. Despite the odd weather we’ve been having, most nights have been clear and cool, which are the perfect conditions for a walk.

When I head out, I don’t meander. I live in a busy neighbourhood and while there is a park nearby, I wouldn’t venture there by myself. Instead, I stick the main roads and while I wouldn’t say I strike out on a mission, I do walk purposefully.

My purpose is to talk to myself. No. I don’t mean actually have a dialogue with myself out loud. What I mean is that the purpose of my walk is to think, to feel, to sort out tangle of thoughts at the end of another day.

Over the course of my walk, I will think about many things, some good and some bad. I might think of a problem at work or at home, or about a task I have to accomplish, or maybe about the groceries that I need to pick up the next time I’m at the store.

I like to walk alone. Part of me feels badly writing that, because I wouldn’t want anyone to think that I don’t enjoy their company, but of all the activities in my life, walking is the one I prefer to do alone.

On my own, I’m free to follow my mind’s course, whatever that may be. Mostly, I’m free to think about any subject, something you can’t always do when others are around.

Invariably, as I make my way back home, my thoughts turn to food. It’s this quiet time, where I am by myself, that I think most about what I want to cook and bake. There’s very little as pleasurable to me, as scanning my food horizon, waiting for a glimpse of what’s there.

In these last few weeks, as I’ve found myself in the doldrums, my walking has been a constant source of relief. And lately, I’ve found myself thinking more and more about food, and less and less about other things. That’s good.

I’m not sure why, really, but about a week ago, I thought of arancini. For those of you that are unfamiliar, arancini are rice balls that are breaded and fried. Depending on what part of Italy you’re in, the arancini might be plain or filled with some sort of mixture ranging from cheese to meat and vegetables.

Strangely, arancini are not part of my family’s cooking tradition. My mother never made them and as far as I know, no one on my father’s side of the family prepares them. Growing up, I’d often hear some of my Italian friends refer to them, but I was always a bit mystified.

I was probably in my 20s before I finally tried arancini, and the first ones that I had weren’t very good. I would have had them at some restaurant or another and they were probably the size of soccer balls and filled with horrid frozen peas and who-knows-what-else.

Since then, I’ve tasted some very good arancini, thankfully. I think I’ve made them once or twice before but recently, while walking, I was gripped with the urge to make them again. It was like I had this deep, deep need to get into the kitchen and make these little treats.

Strange. But I’ve learned not to question what comes of my walks. I just go with the flow.

Ciao!

This is a recipe that I created myself, so if it is unlike any traditional arancini recipe, or if I offend any arancini purists with it, I apologize in advance. I’ve assembled a photo journal of the process, with the recipe following.

I start the process by quickly sauteeing some arborio rice in a few teaspoons of olive oil to toast the rice slightly.

I use chicken stock to make the rice base, and I cook the rice in the same way I would a risotto. I begin by adding enough hot stock to the uncooked rice to cover it, and slowly let it simmer until absorbed.

Once absorbed, I repeat the process by adding more stock. I continue doing this, adding stock, until the rice is cooked.

Unlike risotto, I let the rice cook a bit longer so that the liquid is completely absorbed.

I gather some rice and form a ball in the palm of my hand and then I make a small indentation.

I place a cube of fresh mozzarella in the indentation.

I carefully close up the ball (use some more rice if needed) and mold it gently with my hands until I have a round rice ball.

Once all the rice balls are done, I bread them by dipping them first in egg and then in bread crumbs. I line all my rice balls up on a tray lined with waxed paper.

Using canola oil or vegetable oil, I fry the rice balls, browning them until they are golden on all sides.

I drain them on paper towels, making sure to sprinkle just a bit of sea salt over them as soon as they come out of the frying pan. I let them cool slightly, and the I dig in.

Arancini, My Way
Makes 20 to 25 arancini depending on how big you make them (mine are about 2 inches in diameter).

Note: I always use homemade chicken stock, which I salt. As a result, I do not put salt in the rice as I cook it because the stock is salty enough. I usually make the rice the night before and let it sit in the refrigerator. I find the cold rice much easier to handle. I also make these relatively small (never larger than 2 inches in diameter). When forming the rice balls, I find it’s a good idea to keep a large bowl of water close by to rinse your hands. The starch in the rice can sometimes make your hands very sticky. Some people like to serve these with tomato sauce but I like them simply, on their own. Leftover rice balls can be kept well-wrapped at room temperature or you can store them in the refrigerator and reheat them.

8 cups prepared chicken stock (homemade is best, of course)
1 cup arborio rice
olive oil
20 to 25 1/2-inch cubes of mozzarella (preferably fresh)
3 eggs
2 cups bread crumbs
sea salt, to taste

Place the chicken stock in a pot and heat gently so that it’s hot, but not simmering or boiling. Make sure that the pot is close to the pan that you will cook the rice in.

In a wide, shallow pan, drizzle in a few teaspoons of olive oil and then heat over medium heat for a minute or so.

Add the uncooked rice to the pan and sauté for two minutes, stirring constantly. You don’t want to burn the rice but you do want to toast it slightly.

Add two cups of chicken stock to the rice. The rice should be covered by the stock. Keep the heat on medium, unless you notice that the stock begins to boil. If that’s the case, lower the heat. You want it to simmer gently, but not boil.

Stir the rice occasionally, ensuring that it doesn’t stick. Keep doing this until the rice has absorbed almost all the chicken stock.

When the rice looks almost dry, add another two cups of chicken stock and repeat the process. Stir occasionally to ensure that it’s not sticking.

At this point, taste the rice. It will still be slightly firm, but you should notice that it’s beginning to soften.

Once it looks dry again, add two more cups of chicken stock.

Cook until the stock has been absorbed. Taste the rice again. By this point it should be almost cooked. At this stage, you want to ease up on how much stock you add. If the rice is still a bit undercooked, just add another cup of stock and keep cooking.

Once the rice is done (it’s soft and plump), cook it until the liquid is absorbed (but be careful not to burn it).

Take the rice off the heat and let it cool to room temperature (or refrigerate overnight).

Once you’re ready to make the rice balls, have your mozzarella cubes in a plate close to where you’re working.

Form the rice balls by gathering a bit of rice in your hand and forming an indentation in the centre. Place a mozzarella cube in the indentation and close the rice over it. If necessary, pick up some more rice to cover the mozzarella cube. Place the rice ball in a plate.

As you form the rice balls, if your hands get sticky, just rinse them in a bit of water and continue.

Once all the rice balls are formed, beat your eggs in a large, shallow plate. Place the bread crumbs in another plate and begin breading by dipping the rice balls first in the egg and then rolling them in the bread crumbs.

In a large frying pan, heat about two inches of canola or vegetable oil. When it’s hot enough (test it by throwing in some bread crumbs - if they start to sizzle you’re good-to-go), place four or five of the rice balls in the pan. Don’t overcrowd them or they won’t fry up nicely.

Gently turn the rice balls so that they fry evenly on all sides. This should take four to five minutes.

Once they’re done, remove them to a plate lined with paper towel and immediately sprinkle with a tiny bit of sea salt.

Serve these hot or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Last week I mentioned in my Magazine Mondays post that the March 2008 Food & Wine issue had an excellent feature called “How to Cook Like You Own an Italian Villa”. I tried many of the recipes and loved them all. By far, however, the recipe for Jam-Filled Mezzaluna Cookies was my absolute favourite.

I try so many new recipes in a year, both from magazines and cookbooks. And I would say that in a year, there’s probably only a handful of times where I come across a recipe that becomes part of my recipe family.

And this recipe has now been officially adopted.

While they’re more than a cookie, these treats are buttery pieces of pastry heaven meant to enclose the jam of your choice.

They were incredible. I don’t know what else to say about them other than to say that when I bit into one, warm out of the oven, I just had this image of eating one of these lovely treats with a steaming espresso at the kitchen table in our little house in Italy.

It was love at first bite.

As with all Magazine Mondays, I’m always happy to share with you links to posts from other food bloggers who have squared off against their magazine piles. Here’s who made a dent:

Wandering Coyote of ReTorte made Roasted Garlic and Sundried Tomato Bread from Canadian Living.

My Jenny of All Things Edible made Brownies from The Brownie Project.

Janie of Panini Girl made Pea and Parmeson “Wanton” Ravioli from Gourmet magazine.

Tamy of 3 Sides of Crazy made Golden Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting.

Amy I. of Playing House made Vanilla Bean Shortbread from Cooking Light.

Andreas of Delta Kitchen made Asparagus Pizza.

Here’s a photo journal of the Jam-Filled Mezzaluna Cookies:

I had a lot of fun rolling out this very tender dough. I used a 4-inch tart ring to cut out the pastry circles.

I used some lovely cherry preserves to fill the cookies.

I very gently sealed the cookies.

I placed the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. I brushed them with egg wash and sprinkled on sugar. The recipe instructs that you sprinkle on sliced almonds but I omitted that step.

Ciao!

Unless you happen to live in Emilia-Romagna, in whose towns and cities there are still a few shops selling pasta made by hand, you can make far better fresh pasta, either by the rolling-pin method or the machine method, than you can buy or eat anywhere.

– Marcella Hazan, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking

Truer words were never written than those above. Homemade pasta is the epitome of creating beautiful food at home. And contrary to what many people thing, making pasta at home is not difficult, even if you make it entirely by hand and roll it yourself!

The Daring Bakers had the opportunity to do this thanks to our March hostesses.

The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.

These lovely ladies threw down the pasta gauntlet by challenging us to make lasagne typical of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy; a region renowned for its citizens’ abilities to make the most beautiful homemade pasta..

To see the challenge recipe, you can visit The Daring Kitchen and view the recipe archive, or you can visit Mary, Melinda and Enza.

The recipe, the main challenge being hand-rolling the pasta, was for a spinach dough, a country-style ragu and a bechamel.

So I should tell you right off the bat that I had to make amendments to each section of the recipe. Normally, I love all of these elements but Famiglia Cream Puff has been struggling with various forms of flu and the thought of a heavy, albeit delicious, lasagne didn’t sit very well with the stomach.

Instead, I made a basic pasta dough, a plain tomato sauce and a bechamel that I used for a mini-lasagne. I used the rest of the dough to make a larger and plainer lasagne that was enjoyed throughout the week for work lunches.

I began by creating my dough. Using the method Mama Cream Puff taught me, I created a ring of flour and dropped in my eggs. Using a fork, I slowly incorporated the flour into the egg until I had a thick mixture that I gathered into a ball. I kneaded the dough for about 10 minutes (by hand) until it was nice and smooth. I then let it rest for about an hour.

I used the longest rolling pin that I had to begin rolling out my dough. It was tough work, especially because at a certain point I had to divide the dough in half. Our counters are very small and there was no way that I could roll the dough out thinly without cutting it into two pieces.

At a certain point, I will admit, I gave up. It was hard work rolling that dough and I probably could have gone a bit thinner, but I was satisfied so I cut my dough into segments, floured them and placed them on a baking sheet to dry out a bit.

I then went ahead and made a half portion of the bechamel. Because I couldn’t stomach the idea of eating bechamel since I was under the weather, I made a mini lasagne with the bechamel. I began with a layer of bechamel, followed by a layer of cooked lasagne noodles topped with sauce and grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

I repeated these steps several times and ended with a slathering of bechamel on top.

The end result looked lovely. While I didn’t try it, my family ate it right up, which is, of course, the best compliment a cook can get.

I went ahead and used the rest of my dough to make a simple lasagna of noodles, sauce and grated Parmigiano, which was also delicious.

My mother’s lasagne is the standard by which I judge all others. While this lasagne was good, it’s certainly not Mama Cream Puff’s, although I did take many liberties with the recipe.

I do want to thank Mary, Melinda and Enza for challenging us to step out of our comfort zones and get rolling!

Ciao!