Tiramisu - the sexiest dessert ever!

Food at the shore just has to be e-a-s-y

I just love it when you buy a product and they run a recipe on the package itself.  It makes it so much easier to shop; scan the ingredients and grab everything you need all at the same time.

I've had packets of lady fingers in my pantry for ages, and now, having made this sexy dessert for two weekends running, just when I need to lay my hands on a box and transcribe a great recipe for Tiramisu, of course, I can't find one!

A mercy dash to the local mini market in Stone Harbor failed to turn up any packets of lady fingers either.  So I'm settling for a recipe I've used previously from the Food Network:  Giada di Laurentiis's Tiramisu.

To me, Tiramisu, is the ultimate dessert; starring chocolate, coffee and mascarpone, it's like glorified baby food, spoon after delicious spoon after spoon.

Add another - adult - dimension to your tiramisu by adding amaretto or another of your favorite liquors to the espresso soaking mixture.

Team tiramisu with seasonal soft fruit Jersey strawberries, Jersey peaches or apricots and you've got the perfect Summer dessert...

Philly's Food Truck Scene

 Gone are the days of a questionable hot dog from a questionable cart.  These days, food trucks offer serious, high quality fare crafted by legitimate chefs.  They are peppering neighborhoods all around town.   Put simply, I'm hooked.

With the Vendy Awards coming up Saturday, July 28, we thought we'd highlight some of our favorite food trucks.  The Vendy Awards honor the thriving food truck scene in town, and recognize the talented sidewalk chefs that are creating this exciting culinary trend. 

Spot Gourmet Burgers, Steaks and Pork can usually be found at 33rd and Arch, on Drexel's campus.  The burgers are made from top quality sirloin that the owners grind daily.  They have a great assortment of interesting sauces and combos, and their simple approach to fresh, straightforward food totally works.

Buttercream Philly is a cupcake lover's heaven.  Owner Kate Carrera punted lawyering for baking in 2009 and she never looked back.  I'm delighted with her career change.  I sampled a lovely sextet of her creations; one was better than the next:  vanilla/vanilla; vanilla/ganache; vanilla/nutella; cookies and cream; chocolate/ganache; lemon/strawberry.  Good thing I only bought six.

SugarPhilly also aims squarely at the sweet tooth.  Their theory is that people want high quality, sophisticated, elegant desserts without the three-course commitment or cost of a full restaurant meal.  And they deliver.  Their macarons, which come in a variety of flavors, are transformational.  Their creme brulee is fantastic--if you have a hankering arrive early, the creme brulee can sell out.

Where do we go next?

Vanilla Pudding, Rapture in a Bowl

No cook desserts?  Bon Appetit has a spread on this topic in the current issue.

We've been ruminating on sweets that don't require a long spell in a hot oven, hence the focus on cupcakes a few weeks back.  On the same topic, We keep coming back to puddings.  This vanilla version is a corker--served plain, topped with seasonal fresh fruit,  a drizzle of caramel or a swirl of melted chocolate, we're sure you're gonna loooove it.


Vanilla Heaven (serves 4-6)

3/4 cup sugar
3 TBSP corn starch
3 cups half and half (or 1 1/2 cups milk and 1 1/2 cups heavy cream)
2 eggs
1 TBSP vanilla
1 TBSP butter

In medium saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch.  Add half and half and mix, heating over med til mixture begins to thicken.

In separate bowl, beat eggs.  Pour half of the hot pudding mixture into bowl, whisking constantly.

Then return egg mixture to pan, heat over med-low and cook another minute or two til thickened.  Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter.  Stir to blend.  Serve warm, or place in bowl, put plastic wrap or wax paper onto surface of pudding and chill.

And we couldn't really offer you vanilla pudding without our favorite chocolate counterpart.  We love making these both, and filling a bowl with half of each--kind of the yin and yang of dessert.

Penne Restaurant, Great Italian in West Philly

We had the good fortune to be invited to a birthday celebration at Penne last night.   We were greeted by friendly bartender who poured us aperitifs before we proceeded to our table.  We downed them,  then encountered a pleasant hostess, who seated us at a booth, and finally, our server, who was affable without being intrusive--which can be a tough balance to strike. 

One minor side note on seating:  in the future, I will request a table.   The booth's seat was uncharacteristically low and table  high, which made me feel like I needed a telephone booth to sit on, despite my respectable 5'7" stature.  But onto the food....


We started with a bowl of fried calamari.  Normally I detest this dish for its resemblance to greasy, fried teething rings.  In fact, I never eat it, but my husband, who loves it, seized the opportunity to order it for the table.  But this version was a revelation. The calamari was tender on the inside, crispy on the outside, and not at all greasy.  The sauce, a spicy tomato caper dip was a welcome departure from the typical tomato sauce that usually accompanies this dish.  I still only ate about 3 bites, but I enjoyed them.

 My husband handled the wine order, and he did an excellent job.  The birthday girl was Luisa, and husband found her namesake Pinot Grigio on the list.  Fortunately, it was the perfect pairing on a scorching summer evening for our pasta dinners.

My first course was a soup from the specials menu: sweet corn broth with tiny roasted garlic and scallion gnocchi. It was fantastic; the broth was light, but had an intense and deep flavor of sweet summer corn, and the gnocchi had a delightful crispness to them.  A really unique and seasonal dish!

Penne is known for their homemade fresh pastas.  Our table sampled a good assortment, one better than the next:

Birthday girl Luisa had the ravioli filled with zucchini, goat cheese, and potato, topped with herb pesto and pine nuts, which she thoroughly enjoyed.   I've mentioned before that potatoes, pretty much in any form, are a serious temptation to me, and their use here was unexpected and delicious.

I had the linguine with clams.  This was a bit of a departure for me, because linguine with white clam sauce is a signature dish of mine so I normally wouldn't order it in a restaurant.  But this version had some alternative ingredients that intrigued me--red pepper linguine and  bacon.  I'm happy to report that it was terrific.  The clams were tiny and toothsome, the linguine was perfectly al dente--not always easy to execute with fresh pasta, and the bacon was a great crispy-salty foil to the clams and noodles.  I don't think I'll mess with my version of the dish, but never say never.

My husband had the tagliatelle puttanesca with swordfish.  The briny capers were an excellent accompaniment to the steaky, mild fish, and the pasta was, again, perfectly cooked.

For dessert, we sampled the chocolate amaretto cannoli and the blueberries with lemon-thyme  mascarpone.  They did not disappoint!


If you hurry, you can still catch the special menu deals available through  University City Dining Days, going on now through July 26.

Bon Appetit's Slow Roasted Salmon

Before serving, I glazed the salmon with chili lime butter

We're at the Jersey shore...so there's no excuse not to be serving fish two to three times a week (as we are supposed to do to keep our brood healthy).

Salmon is far and away one of the most palatable fish especially for small children, because it doesn't have any bones, and from a parental perspective it's great because it is packed full of Omega-3 fatty acids.

The wild caught variety is higher in Omega-3 than its farmed cousins:

You can tell the difference because the flesh looks denser and it is a much richer redder color (farmed salmon is a lighter pink color).

I've been hanging on to this recipe in Bon Appetit and have since cooked this same dish twice.  The slow roasting technique almost poaches the salmon, so there's no fear of the fish drying up.

I served this salmon with a number of salads and my much lauded apple pistachio coleslaw.

I make this side even healthier by replacing half of the mayonnaise with 0% greek yoghurt.  It tastes just as good but reduces the calories and the fat content significantly.


Apple Pistachio Coleslaw:

1 bag of prepared coleslaw or broccoli slaw mix
1 apple diced (dunk these in a bowl of water laced with the juice of 1/2 lime and then drain before you add into the coleslaw; this step will prevent the apple from discoloring
3 heaped tbsps light mayonnaise
3 heaped tbsps of 0% greek yoghurt
2 teaspoons of white wine or rice vinegar to thin the mayo and add sharpness to the coleslaw (if you prefer a less tangy coleslaw, then omit the vinegar)
pepper and salt to taste
1/2 cup of smushed up pistachio nuts to sprinkle on the top of your coleslaw

Healthy and amazingly tasty!

Meatballs Mastered, Finally!

Since I've been on the topic of my culinary New Year's Resolutions, I was reminded that one of them was to master meatballs.

For some reason, the ability to craft these delectable orbs has eluded me for decades.  Mine were either too mushy, too dry, lacking flavor, falling apart, overly seasoned--I simply never struck the correct balance.   It was just last week that I managed an affirmatively good version, earning even the approval of my very discriminating  daughter.    My son, on the other hand, never met a hunk of ground beef he didn't like, so my trials and errors never went to waste. 

I recalled the seemingly unorthodox but very sound meatloaf advice from Down Home Diner's Chef Jack McDavid--to  use a dough hook for thorough distribution and emulsification of the fat and flavors.  Figuring the principle was the same with meatballs, I used his method.    And it worked!

Here's what I did.....

For the meatballs:
This made about 2 dozen.

2 1/2 lbs 85% lean ground beef
1/3 cup chopped garlic (I used the jarred stuff and it worked beautifully--use less if fresh)
2 cups Italian style seasoned bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1/4 cup beef broth or water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Blend all ingredients thoroughly, using dough hook  if possible.  With wet hands, form the mixture into firmly packed balls approx 1 1/2 inches in diameter and drop them into simmering marinara sauce.  Cook on low heat for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Serve over pasta, on sandwiches, or solo.  (These also freeze really well.)

Ok, next resolution.....It's only July.

How To Make Quinoa Tabbouleh

Quinoa--cucumbers--tomatoes--red onions--mint--parsley--a few other basic ingredients, and voila, healthy, deliciousness in a bowl. 

The hostess made this for book group last week and it was a huge hit.  Remember my new year's resolution about eating a variety of grains?  Well, I haven't exactly adhered to it.  Ok, if I'm to be completely honest, I've been a dismal failure.  But this dish reminded me of my intention, so I am trying again.  With summer's arrival, cool, light, grain-based salads make a wonderful healthy meal--or a well-chosen, all-purpose side for a barbecue.

Here's my best guess at the quinoa tabbouleh recipe:

1 cup quinoa
1 large cucumber, seeded, peeled, and chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes (or 1 large tomato, or 3 plums), chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper (to taste)

Cook quinoa according to package directions.  (Do not over cook or it will be mushy).  Cool quinoa and mix with remaining ingredients.  Mix, and allow to set for at least 1 hr to blend flavors.  

Quinoa seems to be the new 'it' food--it kinds of eats like a carb but contains substantial amounts of protein.  Works for me.