Giada at Home: Family Recipes From Italy and California (24 page)
Read Giada at Home: Family Recipes From Italy and California Online
Authors: Giada de Laurentiis
Tags: #Non-Fiction, #Reference
Put the bread in a large bowl. In another large bowl, combine the heavy cream, eggs, and brandy. Whisk in 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, the vegetable oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, and thyme until smooth. Pour the cream mixture over the bread. Add the cooled vegetables and toss until the bread and vegetables are coated. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the bread pudding is puffed and golden (cover the pan with foil if the top becomes too brown during baking).
Cauliflower and Pancetta Gratinata
This is a cross between a traditional gratín and a savory bread pudding, and trust me, cauliflower has never tasted so good. Pancetta, cheese, cream sauce—need I say more?
| 8 | ounces thinly sliced pancetta |
| 4 | tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces, plus more for the baking dish |
| 1 | pound cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets |
| 2 | cups plain dried bread crumbs |
| ¾ | cup heavy cream |
| 1 | teaspoon all-purpose flour |
| ¼ | cup capers, rinsed and drained |
| 1 | cup (4 ounces) grated Gruyère cheese |
| Salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| Olive oil, for drizzling |
Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F.
Arrange the pancetta slices in a single layer on two rimmed baking sheets. Bake until crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside to cool. Crumble the pancetta.
Lower the oven temperature to 350°F. Butter an 8 × 8-inch baking dish. Set aside.
Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the cauliflower and cook for 2 minutes. Drain well in a colander for about 5 minutes.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring constantly, until all the butter has been absorbed and the bread crumbs are toasted, 1 to 2 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream and flour. Add the cauliflower, capers, pancetta, and ½ cup of the Gruyère cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the cauliflower mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and the remaining ½ cup cheese. Drizzle with olive oil.
Bake the gratinata for 35 to 40 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the top is golden brown.
Poached Pears in Honey, Ginger, and Cinnamon Syrup
Ricotta with Vanilla-Sugar Croutons and Berry Syrup
Apricot and Nut Cookies with Amaretto Icing
White Chocolate–Dipped Almond and Lemon Biscotti
Raspberry Pound Cake with Vin Santo Cream
There is more to Italian desserts than gelato and biscotti. Generally, the desserts vary by region, with those served in the north tending to be more creamy and heavy, while those found in southern Italy are generally fruit-based and a little lighter. Many of them aren’t all that sweet;
Cranberry Cornmeal Cake
could easily be served as an afternoon pick-me-up and
Poached Pears in Honey, Ginger, and Cinnamon Syrup
as a nice, simple finale for a holiday meal. But though the Italian repertoire of desserts isn’t huge, there are a few classics, such as
Limoncello Granita
and
Apricot and Nut Cookies with Amaretto Icing
, that are deservedly well-loved, and I hope you’ll try them.
Because I love dessert so much, however, I couldn’t resist tinkering with some of these old standbys, jazzing them up with the addition of unexpected flavors. If I do say so myself, I think many of these are even better than the originals. Adding lots of fresh lemon to tiramisù makes it light as a feather and twice as refreshing, and combining pomegranate and mint in a sorbet—not so different from an Italian
granita—makes the perfect, palate-cleansing finish to a heavy meal. Italians often use honey in their baked goods, and I do, too. When it’s added to chocolate in my
Chocolate Honey Almond Tart
, it satisfies the cravings of any chocoholic—including me. It’s sweet and always leaves a smile on my face, which as far as I’m concerned is really the whole point of any good dessert, isn’t it?