From Peter Salerno’s Kitchen: Guinness Affogato [St. Patrick’s Day Dessert Drink]
Courtesy of Bon Appetit, The Best 2015 St. Patrick’s Day Guinness Recipe!
Thanks to Bon Appetit and Dawn Perry for this Guinness Affogato St. Patrick’s Day recipe! [Photo credit: Alex Lau]We here at Peter Salerno Inc.’s official blog look to Bon Appetit for the very best seasonal recipes. When you think of St. Patrick’s Day drink recipes, one name always comes to mind first – Guinness.
The usual Guinness recipes abound – Irish car bombs, Guinness stew, even Guinness pudding – and they’ve all been done a million times. But leave it to Bon Appetit to come up with an unbelievably delicious new way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a brand new Guinness recipe.
Not only is this Guinness recipe a drink, it’s also a dessert!
The Bon Appetit recipe for Guinness Affogato combines Guinness, espresso and vanilla ice cream into an incredible, delectable glassful of Irish delight. It’s the most refreshing way to cap off your St. Patrick’s Day meal. The recipe is as delicious as it is simple. Vanilla ice cream and espresso pair beautifully together, as do Guinness and vanilla ice cream. So why not combine the three into a traditional affogato and add some sweetness to your St. Patrick’s Day?
We hope you love this Bon Appetit recipe as much as we do!
St. Patrick’s Day Recipe: Guinness Affogato [Courtesy of Bon Appetit]
Ingredients
3scoops vanilla ice cream
1ouncehot espresso
4ouncesGuinness stout
Directions
Place ice cream in a tall glass. Pour espresso over and top off with Guinness. Serve with a straw and a long spoon.
From Peter Salerno’s Kitchen: Italian Christmas Cookies
Cooking With Nonna’s Recipe for Almond Coffee Christmas Cookies
When it comes to authentic Italian cooking, you can’t do any better than going to the source itself – an Italian grandma! So it’s no wonder that Peter Salerno loves the site Cooking With Nonna, filled with delicious Italian recipes straight from the kitchens of Italian grandmothers.
Cooking With Nonna’s mission is “Sharing Grandma’s Italian recipes with the new generations”, and we love the idea. From appetizers to entrees, lunches to dinners to desserts, the site features some great Italian classics and modern spins on your favorite old-world Italian dishes.
You MUST try this almond coffee Italian Christmas cookie recipe. (Photo credit: Cooking with Nonna)
Cooking With Nonna is the creation of Rossella and Vito Rago. Rossella travels to the kitchens of grandmothers from all regions of Italy, bringing you the greatest recipes (and secret family recipes!) from all over Italy.
This recipe for Almond Coffee Cookies is one of Peter’s new favorites, and will be one of the recipes the Salernos use when they make Christmas cookies this year. Try it out for yourself, and see how these amazing flavors combine in your mouth for a beautiful Italian holiday dessert experience.
Italian Christmas Cookie Recipe: Almond Coffee Cookies (from Cooking With Nonna)
Ingredients:
1 Lb Almonds
1/2 Lb Sugar
Zest of 2 medium lemons
3 Egg whites
1 Tbs Espresso Ground Coffee
2 Tbs Unsweetened Cocoa powder
1/2 Cup Sugar for glazing (put it in a flat plate for rolling)
50 Whole coffee beans
Preparation:
To prepare the paste, boil the almonds and remove the peel. Once they are cold and somewhat dry, put them in a food processor or a blender and chop them finely.
Put the chopped almonds in a bowl, add the zest of the two lemons, the sugar, the ground coffee and the cocoa powder. Mix everything very well.
Add the egg whites and mix until the egg whites dilute the sugar and the mixture becomes a paste.
Take a lump of mixture in your hand, roll it into a ball the size slightly smaller than a golf ball.
Roll the ball completely into the sugar and place it on a baking sheet.
Slightly insert a coffee bean on top of each cookie.
Roll all your cookies and bake them for 30 mins. at 350F.
Our New Favorite Mousse: Spuma di Ricotta al Caffe
The amazing people at Saveur have done it again! At Peter Salerno Inc., we’re just crazy about this recipe. It’s a bold new take on a classic Italian dessert. You’ve probably had ricotta mousse (spuma di ricotta) if you love Italian desserts – but have you ever tried adding the flavor of coffee?
The result is a stunning ricotta and coffee mousse (spuma di ricotta al caffe) that will leave your taste buds at a loss for words. Equal parts light and rich, sweet and savory, it’s the perfect compliment to a great meal or an amazing cup of coffee.
(Just think: now you can have the world’s best cup of coffee brewed right from your smartphone or tablet by ordering TopBrewer from us, and pair it with this amazing mousse!)
Scroll down for this fantastic recipe, courtesy of Saveur!
Try this stunning ricotta and coffee mousse. (Photo credit: Saveur)
Recipe: Ricotta and Coffee Mousse (courtesy of Saveur)
Serves 6
Ingredients
2 cups store-bought ricotta 1 cup cold heavy cream ⅓ cup sugar 2 tbsp. instant espresso 1 tbsp. powdered gelatin Shaved chocolate
Preparation
1. Purée ricotta in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl; set aside.
2. Whip together heavy cream and sugar in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Set aside.
3. Bring ¼ cup water to a boil in a small saucepan; remove from heat. Whisk 2 tbsp. of the water with espresso in a small bowl. Whisk remaining water with gelatin in another small bowl until dissolved.
4. Stir espresso mixture into ricotta, then gelatin mixture; fold in cream in 3 stages. Chill mixture for 1 hour, then transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe mixture into 6 sundae glasses; refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. Garnish with shaved chocolate.
Need the perfect dessert recipe to compliment the perfect cup of coffee from your TopBrewer coffee brewing system? Why not try out a classic Sicilian dessert recipe, tested and approved by Peter Salerno?
Ricotta cake (also known as Cassata) is a staple dessert from the classic Sicilian cookbook, with the perfect blend of sweet and savory, rich and creamy, light and airy. As usual, our friends at Saveur have created our favorite recipe for Sicilian ricotta cake, rimmed with pistacho marzipan and created with a touch of Grand Marnier.
This ricotta cake (cassata) recipe will leave you begging for seconds! (Credit Wikimedia)
From your first bite of this ricotta cake, you will experience the rich creaminess of ricotta, the zest of orange, the lightness of confectioner’s sugar, and the nutty balance of pistachio marzipan. Try it for yourself – we’re sure it’ll become a household dessert favorite!
Cassata (Ricotta Cake) Recipe: Courtesy of Saveur
Ingredients
Butter, for greasing pan 1 cup plus 2 tbsp. flour, sifted, plus more for pan ⅔ cup plus ¾ cup sugar 1 tsp. orange zest 6 eggs 1 cup shelled pistachios 3 cups confectioners’ sugar 1 egg white, lightly beaten 2 tbsp. Grand Marnier liqueur 1 lb. ricotta, drained overnight in a cheesecloth-lined strainer, or ricotta impastata 1 tsp. vanilla extract ½ tsp. ground cinnamon ¼ tsp. kosher salt 2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice Whole candied fruits, such as oranges, apricots, and cherries, halved Candied citron, cut in strips
Preparation
1. Heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9″ cake pan; set aside. Combine ⅔ cup sugar, zest, and eggs in a large bowl and beat on high speed of a mixer until pale and light, about 5 minutes. Add flour and fold to combine. Pour into cake pan and smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, let cake cool completely, and remove cake from pan. Using a serrated knife, cut cake crosswise into ½″-thick strips; set aside.
2. Line bottom and sides of a 12″ metal pie plate with plastic wrap; set aside. Process pistachios in a food processor until finely chopped. Add 1 cup confectioners’ sugar and process until finely ground. With processor running, slowly add enough egg white to form a smooth dough. Transfer dough to a work surface dusted with confectioners’ sugar and knead until smooth. Using a rolling pin, roll marzipan until ¼″ thick. Cut into 2″-wide strips and line side of pie plate with strips, flattening where they overlap to form one continuous ring; set aside.
3. Heat ¼ cup sugar and ¼ cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until sugar dissolves, then stir in Grand Marnier; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together remaining sugar, ricotta, vanilla, and cinnamon until smooth, 2–3 minutes; set aside.
4. To assemble, line bottom of prepared pie plate with cake strips, cutting to fit, and then sprinkle with 5 tbsp. Grand Marnier syrup; place ricotta mixture on top of cake and spread evenly to fill pie plate, smoothing top. Cover top of ricotta mixture with remaining cake slices, cutting to fit evenly, and drizzle with remaining syrup; trim excess pistachio marzipan and then wrap pie plate in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, 2 hours. Meanwhile, combine remaining confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice in a medium bowl to make a thick glaze. Invert pie plate onto a serving dish and peel off plastic wrap. Pour glaze over cake to cover evenly. Decorate with candied fruits. Refrigerate cake until set, 2 hours or overnight.
If you’re like us at Peter Salerno Inc., there’s nothing better on a cold winter’s night than a hot espresso or cappucino, a fantastic dessert wine, and a traditional Italian dessert.
Even though it’s a bit early in the season for Torta di Ricotta (Ricotta Cheesecake) – it’s traditionally served in Abruzzi during Easter season as a pastime – it’s such a delicious, outside-the-box Italian dessert recipe that we just can’t wait to share it with you.
Our favorite recipe for Torta di Ricotta, from DeLallo. (Credit DeLallo)
The tastes of ricotta, lemon and light confectioner’s sugar come together in this dessert, which is much lighter than you would expect! Done correctly, the sweetness of the ricotta and sugar blend with the zesty tang of lemon to create a one-of-a-kind, uniquely Italian flavor.
Pair your torta di ricotta with a delicious limoncello for a lemon-fresh dessert experience, or enjoy with your espresso of choice for a savory blend of flavors that will beautifully complete any meal.
Thank you to the wonderful people at DeLallo for their torta di ricotta recipe (ricotta cheesecake), which is quickly becoming one of our very favorites at Peter Salerno Inc. Enjoy!
Sweet Ricotta Cheesecake – Torta di Ricotta (from DeLallo)
5 eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 pounds DeLallo Whole Milk Ricotta, well drained
Zest of 3 lemons
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting Directions:
For the pastry dough: in a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and eggs with a whisk until light in color. In a separate bowl, combine 2 cups flour, lemon zest and butter. Work ingredients together with a fork, allow butter to remain in small chunks. Add flour mixture to the beaten eggs and sugar. Gently work the dough and slowly add the remaining flour.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. (If the dough is too sticky, add more flour—a little at a time.) Gently form the dough into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
For the filling: beat egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl until light in color. Slowly fold in ricotta until the mixture is smooth. Mix in lemon zest, flour and cornstarch. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until they form peaks, and then gently fold into the filling mixture.
Once ready to prepare, preheat the oven to 300˚F. Grease and flour mini bundt pans. Remove pastry dough from the refrigerator. Cut into 6 equal pieces (for mini bundt cakes).
Gently roll out dough with a rolling pin or pasta machine to create thin sheets. Arrange each sheet carefully inside bundt pans to line, allowing some of the dough to hang over the edges.
Fill each pan with ricotta filling and gently fold the excess dough over top to form a top.
Bake for 1 hour, or until golden. Allow cakes to cool completely before removing from pans, and then refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 6 hours.
Top with sifted confectioners’ sugar.
Makes 6 mini bundt cakes, or 1 full size bundt pan.
![Thanks to Bon Appetit and Dawn Perry for this Guinness Affogato St. Patrick's Day recipe! [Photo credit: Alex Lau]](https://petersalernoblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/bon-appetit-guinness-affogato.jpg "Thanks to Bon Appetit and Dawn Perry for this Guinness Affogato St. Patrick's Day recipe! [Photo credit: Alex Lau]")
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