Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites (25 page)

If you’re intimidated by the prospect of making a mousse, this recipe is pretty cool. Once you’ve warmed up the milk, just combine everything in the blender, then pop it in the fridge to chill. Desserts don’t get any easier than that. Top individual servings with any kind of flavored cream you like; I like orange with chocolate, but a cinnamon cream would be nice, too.

4 servings

To make the mousse,
in a small saucepan stir the milk together with the granulated sugar and the espresso powder over medium heat until the milk is hot, but not boiling, and the sugar is dissolved.

Place the chocolate chips in a blender. Pour the hot milk over the chips. Run the blender on high until combined, just a few seconds, then add the egg whites and run the blender on high until light, about 1 minute. Transfer the mousse to 4 small serving cups. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours.

To make the mascarpone whipped cream,
in the bowl of an electric mixer stir together the mascarpone and the orange juice until smooth. Add the cream, confectioners’ sugar, and orange zest. Whip until the cream forms soft peaks, about 1 minute.

Spoon a dollop of the whipped cream onto each mousse and serve.

Note:
This recipe includes raw egg whites, which are not recommended for children, the elderly, or those with compromised immune systems. If you have health concerns about raw eggs, choose a different recipe.

The mascarpone whipped cream can be made several hours ahead of time and stored, covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator.

Comfort food meets the espresso bar in these cute little cups of sweetness. Not quite a pudding, the mixture is frothy and thick, like the crema that tops a good cup of cappuccino.

4 servings

Place the sugar in a food processor. Cut the vanilla bean open lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the food processor with the sugar. Pulse to combine well. Add the ricotta and espresso powder and blend for 1 minute. Stop the machine to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula, then blend for another minute. Spoon the mixture into 4 small coffee mugs. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

To serve,
top the ricotta cappuccino with crushed biscotti. Sprinkle with cinnamon and cocoa powder.

Zeppole are little doughnuts that are sold on the street in Naples and at street fairs. They are usually served with a simple dusting of powdered sugar, but the combination of chocolate and orange in this version is just to die for. Eat these warm, because they become heavy and doughy once they cool (if they stay around that long!).

4 to 6 servings

For the chocolate sauce,
heat the cream in a small saucepan until hot but not boiling. Combine the cream and chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and stir until smooth.

For the orange zeppole,
combine the butter, sugar, salt, and ½ cup water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the flour. Return the pan to low heat and cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture forms a ball, about 4 minutes. Transfer the flour mixture to a medium bowl. Using an electric hand mixer on low speed, beat in the eggs, one at a time, incorporating each egg completely before adding the next. Add the orange zest and beat until smooth. Set aside.

For the orange sugar,
place the orange zest and sugar in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is blended. Transfer the sugar to a shallow dish and set aside.

Pour enough oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350°F.

Using a small ice-cream scoop or 2 small spoons, carefully drop about a tablespoon of the dough into the hot oil. Make three more zeppole, being careful to not crowd the pan. Turn each zeppole once or twice, cooking until golden and puffed, about 5 minutes. Roll the cooked zeppoles with the orange sugar, then transfer to a plate. Continue frying the remaining batter in batchs of 4.

Reheat the chocolate sauce if necessary, and serve in a small bowl with the zeppole.