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Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Cream of Mascarpone Dessert

Ok, this is soooooo delicious, but SOOOOOOOOOOO DELICIOUS that you will forget soon enough that you are about to gulp a gazillion calories in one go. Trust me, it's worth it.

And it's so easy to make it that even though you are not a wizard in the kitchen this recipe will boost your self confidence to explore more.
Here it comes:

You will need:

4 eggs
100gr. of sugar
250gr. of mascarpone cheese
Dark chocolate or cocoa to decorate

Separate the egg whites from the yolks and mix them together with the sugar. Stir everything with the help of a mixer until the cream is compact and smooth. Add the cheese, and stir everything (I use electric whisks, but feel free to use a wodeen spoon for it. Excellent arm workout!).

Add chocolate on top to finish everything. If you want to make it even better you can put raspberries on top to decorate. Put it in the fridge for an hour and it's ready to go.

Enjoy!!!

PS: mascarpone and eggs together do not last that long, so make sure that you'll keep it refrigerated in a plastic box for few days. But I guarantee you, it won't last that long, once you have tasted it :)


Sunday, August 19, 2012

Recipe: Orange Risotto

University is finally done. That means that I can now go back to writing for leasure and not just for duty. Not sure how long this will last but hey, let's seize the day for now :)

I just got back from Italy. Jet lag does not leave me alone and I woke up stupidly early in the morning. Well, let's look at it in this way: at least now I have time to enjoy my books (I just finished two fictional readings that are really worth it, but I will post about this later) and, most of all, I can enjoy my cooking! It's been a while since I have been busy in the kitchen, too much studying and traveling, so time to go back to it now.

Those who know me are aware about how much I love baking, at the moment though I am not into it as such. It is summer, it is hot and this temperature shall stick with us for a while, so why not not concentrate on yummy, fruity and, OF COURSE, vegetarian dishes? As I mentioned, I just got back from Italy.

So here's something my friend and former colleague suggested me a while ago: Orange Risotto.

Here's how to make it.

Ok people, first of all- Ingredients:

1 Orange
1 Lt of vegetable broth
50g of butter
1 Onion
2-3 Tbs of chives
30g of grated parmesan cheese
White pepper (as long as you like it. Usually I am quite generous in my doses, but it's up to you). 350g of rice (the arborio type,the one for risotto, yes)
A pinch or two of salt
A glass of white wine (dry is better, chardonnay kinda thing)


Wash the orange well and peel the skin with a potato peeler, but be careful not to get the white part off as it is bitter as poison.

Dry the orange before you start peeling it, or it'll go nasty on your fingers (it did on mine, ouch!)

Squeeze the orange, and keep the juice on the side for now. Cut the zest into tiny little stripes, and let them soak in boiling water before draining. Let the little stripes dry and keep them on the side for now. Chop an onion and let it stirfry in a large pan together with the butter.

Add the rice, and let it toast for few minutes. Add the wine, stir the whole thing, and then add the orange juice. Stir, stir and stir. After that add the broth, time to time. Keep adding the broth until the rice is cooked, and keep stirring. It is important as that is how the rice doesn't get sticky and mantain a nice consistancy.

Add the zest, the parmesan cheese, the pepper and the chives. Serve and enjoy it :)

Please do let me know your feedback if you decide to try this recipe. It is easy, perfect to impress someone ;) and vegetarian.