Eating Italy: A Chef's Culinary Adventure (10 page)

For the crema:
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until soft but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the rice and season with salt and pepper. Add 2 cups (475 ml) of the hot water and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally just to make sure the rice is not sticking on the bottom. Avoid overstirring, as the more you stir the starchier and gummier the final crema will be. Cook until the rice is so tender that it starts to fall apart and most of the liquid is absorbed, 30 to 40 minutes total, adding just enough water, as needed, to prevent sticking. You will need to add about ½ cup (120 ml) every 15 minutes after the first 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, steep the saffron in 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of hot water. Add the steeped saffron and steeping liquid to the rice, along with a final ½ cup (120 ml) of added water. While the rice mixture is still hot, puree it quickly in a blender on high speed. The longer it purees, the gummier it will become, so keep the pureeing time short. If the puree is too thick, add a little water to thin it to a nice creamy consistency. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

For the gremolata:
together the parsley, garlic, and lemon zest.

Pour the pureed braising sauce from the shanks into a medium saucepan, along with enough water to make a sauce the consistency of thick gravy. Season to taste with salt and pepper and half of the gremolata. Place the pork shanks in the sauce and heat through, 8 to 10 minutes.

Spoon the crema on individual plates, top with the shanks and some sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining gremolata.

CHOCOLATE FLAN

Everyone teases me about the name of this dish because it’s basically a molten chocolate cake, but at Frosio, we called it a flan. I’ve made this dish hundreds and hundreds of times. It’s one of the first desserts I cooked for Claudia, and I’ll keep serving it to her for years to come. It’s a great make-ahead dessert because you can pour the chocolate mixture into the flan molds and refrigerate it for hours or even days ahead of time. Then you take it straight from the fridge to the oven just before serving.

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar

4 large eggs

6 large egg yolks

8 ounces (2 sticks/227 g) unsalted butter

8¾ ounces (250 g) chocolate, preferably 58% cacao, chopped (2 cups)

1⅔ cups (208 g)
tipo
00 flour (see
page 277
) or all-purpose flour

½ cup (120 ml) Crème Anglaise (
page 284
)

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

¾ cup (112 g) chopped raw unsalted pistachios, preferably Sicilian

1½ cups (375 ml) Pistachio Gelato (
page 286
)

Whip the sugar, eggs, and egg yolks in a stand mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.

Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until melted and hot. Add the chocolate and remove from the heat. Let stand until the chocolate is mostly melted, 5 minutes or so. Stir until the chocolate and butter are blended. Blend into the egg mixture on low speed. Sift in the flour on low speed.

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter and flour six to eight 4- to 6-ounce (125- to 175-ml) baking tins or ramekins. Fill the buttered and floured tins to just under the inside rim. Bake until set on the sides but still gooey in the center, 6 to 8 minutes. The centers should be soft to the touch and jiggle when shaken but not be really liquidy. (The flan molds can be filled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days before baking. Bake uncovered straight from the refrigerator, adding a minute or two to the baking time.)

To finish, spoon a swirl of crème anglaise on each plate. Run a knife around the edge of each flan to loosen it. Turn each flan out onto the plate. Top each with confectioners’ sugar and a couple of teaspoons of chopped pistachios. Place a couple of tablespoons of chopped pistachios on the plate as a bed for the gelato. Use two spoons to scoop the gelato into an oval shape (quenelle) and place the quenelle on the chopped pistachios.

CHESTNUT RICE PUDDING
with
PERSIMMON

Claudia’s Uncle Bruno and Aunt Betty live just a mile or two from where she grew up. Betty is from Denmark and makes amazing desserts. When I was trying to perfect a rice pudding, I asked Claudia whether her aunt had a recipe. She told me about the chestnut rice pudding that Betty makes every year for the holidays. I played with the recipe a little and added some candied chestnuts to make it more special. The trick is to fold in some softly whipped cream to keep the pudding light and fluffy.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Candied Chestnuts and Puree:

10 ounces (283 g) peeled chestnuts, thawed if frozen, divided

2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar, divided

Rice Pudding:

1 teaspoon (5 ml) grapeseed oil or canola oil

1 cup (200 g) Arborio or other risotto rice

¼ cup (60 ml) sweet white dessert wine

4 cups (1 L) whole milk

2 large eggs, beaten

1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream

To Serve:

1 ripe persimmon (any type), sliced into half-moon shapes

For the candied chestnuts and puree:
Place 4 ounces (113 g) of the peeled chestnuts in a small saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until the chestnuts are very tender but keep their shape, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain.

In another saucepan over medium-high heat, combine 1 cup (200 g) of the sugar and 1 cup (235 ml) of water. Simmer until the mixture thickens slightly but does not change color and reaches 223°F (106°C) on a candy thermometer, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the boiled chestnuts. Let stand for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator so the chestnuts can soak up the syrup.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining 6 ounces (170 g) of peeled chestnuts and remaining 1 cup (200 g) of sugar in a medium saucepan. Add just enough water to barely cover the chestnuts. The nuts should still poke through the top of the liquid. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and cook, covered, until the chestnuts are tender, about 10 minutes. Strain and reserve the cooking liquid. Puree the chestnuts in a food processor or blender, adding just enough cooking liquid so that the mixture can be pureed. It will be very thick, like peanut butter. Set aside.

For the pudding:
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice, and cook until lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring now and then. Add the wine without stirring, and cook until it is almost evaporated. Add the milk in four 1-cup (235 ml) additions, allowing the milk to be absorbed between each addition. Stir only to break up the rice grains and prevent a skin from forming on the surface. It should not be stirred like risotto. The rice will take 15 to 20 minutes to cook and should be tender but not mushy. When tender, stir in the eggs, sugar, salt, and chestnut puree, stirring gently to break up any clumps of rice. Return the pan to low heat and stir gently to cook the eggs without scrambling them, 2 to 3 minutes. Refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.

Whip the cream in a cold bowl with cold beaters on medium-high speed until softly whipped (the mixture should form loose, soft peaks when the beaters are lifted), 3 to 4 minutes. Fold the whipped cream into the pudding.

To Serve:
Spoon the pudding into coffee cups or dessert bowls and top with the sliced persimmons. Drain and chop the candied chestnuts and scatter them onto the pudding, along with a generous drizzle of the candied chestnut syrup.

RHUBARB TARTELLETTE
with
ITALIAN MERINGUE

We made a couple of rhubarb desserts at Frosio Ristorante, but none of them captured the taste of rhubarb from my youth. I grew up in Nashua, New Hampshire, right next to my mémère (my grandmother). She always had mounds of rhubarb growing in the garden. She would put stalks of raw rhubarb in little paper cups filled halfway with sugar and give it to the kids. We’d dip the raw rhubarb in the sugar and munch away. My sister and cousins didn’t love it, but I couldn’t get enough. It was like sweet-tart Fun Dip candy. This dessert captures some of that raw rhubarb experience. It’s like a lemon meringue pie but with rhubarb marmalade as the filling and pieces of raw rhubarb dipped in lemon syrup served on top. At Osteria, I serve individual rhubarb tartelletta, but here I’ve done it in a single tart pan to make it easier. If you want to serve individual tarts, double the recipe and use ten individual tart pans, each about 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter.

MAKES 10 SERVINGS

Tart Dough:

8 ounces (2 sticks/227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup (120 g) confectioners’ sugar

½ vanilla bean, split and scraped

Zest of ½ lemon

7 large egg yolks, at room temperature

2½ cups (343 g) pastry flour

Rhubarb Marmalade:

1 pound (450 g) rhubarb, chopped

1 tablespoon (15 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice

¼ teaspoon (1 g) unsalted butter

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (225 g) granulated sugar, divided

1¾ teaspoons (8.25 g) powdered pectin

Italian Meringue:

2¼ cups (450 g) granulated sugar

1 cup (235 ml) egg whites (from about 5 large eggs)

Pinch of salt

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

Rhubarb Topping:

4 ounces (113 g) rhubarb, thinly sliced (1 cup)

¼ cup (60 ml) Candied Lemon Peels (
page 288
)

For the tart dough:
Combine the butter, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light, about 3 minutes. Gradually add the egg yolks, one by one, allowing each yolk to be incorporated before adding the next. Change the speed to low and slowly add the flour, mixing only until incorporated. The dough will be sticky and eggy yellow in color.

Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap, cover with another sheet of plastic wrap, and quickly press into a disk with a rolling pin. It will be delicate, so work quickly to keep it cold. Wrap the dough in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes or up to 2 days.

Roll the dough between several sheets of overlapping plastic wrap or parchment paper to a 13-inch (33-cm)-diameter circle no thicker than ¼ inch (6 mm). Set a 10-inch (25-cm) tart pan with a removable bottom on a baking sheet. Remove the top sheet from the dough, then gently invert the dough over the tart pan. Gently fit the dough into the pan so it reaches the edges and comes up the sides, moving the dough into place yet stretching it as little as possible. Trim the dough by rolling the rolling pin over the edges of the pan so that the dough sits flush with the top of the pan. Cover loosely and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the dough with parchment paper or foil, leaving some overhanging to use as handles. Pour dried beans or pie weights onto the parchment or foil to keep the dough from puffing during baking. Bake until the edges of the dough are lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the parchment or foil and beans or weights and continue baking the crust until evenly golden, another 12 to 15 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and let cool.

For the marmalade:
Mix the rhubarb with the lemon juice, butter, and all but 2 tablespoons (25 g) of the sugar in a nonreactive saucepan. Mix the remaining sugar with the pectin in a small bowl. Let the rhubarb stand at room temperature for 2 hours.

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook until the rhubarb starts to fall apart, about 5 minutes. When the rhubarb is fall-apart tender, whisk in the sugar and pectin mixture. Lower the heat slightly and simmer until the mixture coats the back of a spoon and the marmalade will set when cooled, 3 to 4 minutes.

Let the marmalade cool and then pour it into the baked tart shell, spreading it in an even layer. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

For the meringue:
Combine the sugar and ½ cup (120 ml) of water in a small saucepan, and cook over medium heat until the mixture reaches 240°F (116°C) on a candy thermometer, 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the egg whites, salt, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted. Change to high speed and, with the machine running, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the egg whites. Whip until the mixture cools down to room temperature (you’ll feel the sides of the bowl go from hot to lukewarm), 3 to 5 minutes. The meringue will be thick and glossy. Scrape the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with the star tip, or just cover the bowl and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

For the rhubarb toppings:
Combine the rhubarb and the candied lemon peels in a small bowl. Toss to coat.

If using a pastry bag for the meringue, pipe the meringue in small dollops or a decorative pattern over the tart. Or spoon the meringue over the tart, and then press and lift the back of the spoon repeatedly on the meringue to make small curls on the surface. Broil the meringue under a broiler 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) from the heat or with a kitchen torch until golden brown all over. Remove the ring of the tart pan by pressing the tart up through the bottom. Cut the tart into wedges and serve each wedge with a spoonful of rhubarb and candied lemon peels.