Mediterranean Summer
Page 31
3 large (about 1 pound) plums
4 to 6 (about ¾ pound) apricots
1 pint strawberries, washed, stemmed, and cored
½ pint blueberries
To make the syrup, heat the water and grappa in a small nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar. Stir to dissolve. Add the lemon peel. When the liquid comes to a boil, lower the heat to produce a slow, even boil and cook for a few minutes. Cool. Cover and keep refrigerated. The syrup can be held for up to a week.
To make the fruit salad, minimal handling of each fruit is important so as not to bruise since they will be mixed together when the syrup is added and will make for a better presentation. Cut the peaches and nectarines to remove the pits, then cut into ¾-inch pieces. Cut the plums and apricots to remove the pits, then cut into thin wedges. Halve or quarter the strawberries, depending on their size. Place the blueberries on top. Cover and keep refrigerated up to 3 hours before serving.
For serving, take the fruit out of the refrigerator an hour before serving. Just before serving, remove the lemon peel from the syrup and pour over the fruit. Toss gently to coat the fruit with syrup. Serve cold.
Baked Stone Fruit with Sweetened Ricotta and Crushed Amaretti Cookies
Frutte al Forno con Ricotta Dolce e Biscotti Rotti
MAKES 8 DESSERT SERVINGS
Except for the fruit, all of the ingredients can be in the pantry, leaving the trip to the market for finding what’s best in summer. The fruit looks beautiful when baked, and if you’re using oven-to-table baking dishes, this is a nice addition to a dessert buffet. This method is great in winter with baking pears like Bosc. Instead of the amaretti cookies, a little freshly grated nutmeg is a pleasant alternative.
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons dark rum
One 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
8 (about 3½ pounds) nectarines or peaches, slightly underripe
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, very soft but not melted
1/3 cup sugar
8 to 10 amaretti cookies
To prepare the ricotta, pour a cup of boiling water over the raisins in a small bowl. Set aside. When cool, drain the raisins. Whip the cream with the honey and the rum until it starts to thicken. Fold the ricotta into the cream, then continue to whisk until soft peaks form. Stir in the raisins. Keep refrigerated until serving time. The ricotta mixture can be made up to a day in advance.
To bake the fruit, place an oven rack on the lowest level and preheat the broiler. Cut the nectarines in half, remove the pit, then cut into quarters. Lightly butter 1 or 2 baking dishes large enough to hold the fruit in a single layer cut side up. Brush a little butter over the cut surface and pit cavity of each piece of fruit. Sprinkle the sugar in an even layer over the same surface. The butter will help keep the sugar on the fruit. Bake under the broiler until the butter and sugar caramelize and the fruit starts to become tender, about 12 minutes. Set aside.
To serve, place 4 pieces of fruit in a dessert or shallow bowl. Spoon a dollop of the ricotta over the fruit. Add crushed pieces of the cookies over the ricotta.
Chef’s Tip: For a nice addition, reduce a cup of inexpensive balsamic vinegar by half in a small nonreactive saucepan. Set aside to cool. Drizzle on or around the fruit just before serving.
Wine Recommendation: A unique Tuscan sweet white wine from Montalcino, Moscadello di Montalcino from Col d’Orcia or Capanna
Chocolate Capri Cake
Torta di Cioccolato Caprese
MAKES 10 DESSERT SERVINGS
On the island of Capri, I saw in the pastry shops a cake called torta caprese—a chocolate and almond cake that looked flourless—but finding a recipe proved difficult. I adapted the chocolate torta recipe from Albergo del Sole and created a new one by incorporating homemade almond flour. This nice addition to the repertoire is easy to make and is a great go-to recipe. Because the technique is very much like making a soufflé, it has a light, airy, and moist texture that is not shy in flavor. With the espresso crema, the flavor pairing is ottimo (optimal)!
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, plus a little more for the cake pan
8 ounces unsweetened chocolate
½ cup (3 ounces) whole almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Whipped Mascarpone Cream (Recipes), made with 2 tablespoons strong brewed espresso in place of rum
Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 300°F. Butter a 9-inch cake pan and line the base with a circle of parchment paper. Butter the paper.
Place the butter and the chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in the microwave and melt, stirring to combine. Cool and set aside. Grind the almonds with the flour to a flourlike consistency in a food processor. Set aside. Beat the egg yolks with the granulated sugar on high speed until light yellow and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Fold in the chocolate mixture. Fold in the almond flour until just incorporated. Beat the egg whites to soft peaks in a separate bowl, then carefully fold them into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread in an even layer.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out dry. Cool completely on a wire rack. Invert the cake from the pan to a plate, carefully remove the parchment circle, then invert back onto a serving plate. Dust the top with confectioners’ sugar.
To cut the torta, run a long, thin knife under hot water. Shake off the excess water, keeping the blade clean for each slice. Serve with a dollop of the espresso crema on the side.
Entertaining Note: The torta can be made up to a day in advance. Keep it in the pan and cover with plastic wrap. Store at room temperature. Add the confectioners’ sugar just before serving.
Wine Recommendation: Small-production dessert wines from the island of Lipari, such as Malvasia delle Lipari from Hauner, or from the island of Elba, a sweet red Aleatico dell’Elba from Acquabuona
Whipped Mascarpone Cream
Crema di Mascarpone
MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS
This luscious and elegant blend of sweetened mascarpone cheese with whipped egg whites was served with the torta sabbiosa—sand cake—at Albergo del Sole near Milan. It’s great with baked, poached, or fresh seasonal fruit, berries, and tarts. Instead of the rum, try it with other liquors like cognac or grappa. Or replace the liquor with 2 tablespoons of strong espresso. A little nutmeg or orange zest grated into it is divine too.
3 large egg yolks (see Note)
¼ cup sugar
One 250-gram container (about 9 ounces) Italian mascarpone
1 tablespoon dark rum
2 large egg whites at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Beat the yolks and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture is light yellow and ribbons fall from the beaters when they are lifted up. Add the mascarpone and rum. Mix at low speed and blend until smooth, then at high speed until soft peaks form.
Using clean, dry beaters, beat the egg whites in another bowl on low speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and salt, then continue to beat, increasing the speed in increments, until stiff peaks form. Fold the whites into the mascarpone mixture. Keep refrigerated.
The crema can be made 3 to 4 hours before serving. If it separates a little bit by becoming thin on the bottom and still fluffy on the top, give it a gentle stir to make it smooth throughout before serving.
Note: This recipe contains raw eggs. People with health problems, the elderly, or those who are pregnant should avoid consuming foods with uncooked eggs, which, in rare cases, carry the potential for Salmonella infections.
Very Rich Cooked Cream
Panna Cotta
MAKES 8 DESSERT SERVIN
GS
There’s custard, flan, pudding, and then there’s panna cotta, one of the mainstays of the Italian dessert repertoire. Even though the direct translation is “cooked cream,” it is heated only enough for the flavors to marry and for the gelatin to melt into the base. With mascarpone it becomes sublime. If you have gelatin sheets, replace the powdered gelatin in this recipe with 2 sheets. Make sure you soften them in tepid water before adding to the cream. For forming, use the classic baba molds, available at better kitchenwares stores and online. Choose the 5-ounce size and look for those with a nonstick coating since they will not react and discolor the cream.
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
21/8 teaspoons granulated gelatin
½ cup whole milk
One 250-gram container (about 9 ounces) Italian mascarpone
Heat the cream with the sugar, salt, and vanilla in a nonreactive pot over medium heat (stainless steel is best). Stir to melt the sugar and salt. Meanwhile, dissolve the gelatin in the milk. When the cream starts to steam, add the milk mixture. Remove from the heat and cool to lukewarm. If the cream is too hot, it will melt the mascarpone, causing it to release some of its fat, which will rise to the top. Stir from time to time to make sure the gelatin is dissolved and not forming any clumps in the cream.
Place the mascarpone in a bowl large enough to hold all the liquid. Add 1 cup of the cream mixture and stir until smooth. Add the remaining cream, stir to combine, and strain with a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl.
Ladle ½ cup of the cream into each mold, then evenly divide any that remains among all of them. Place the molds on a small tray, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours. These can be made up to 2 days in advance.
To remove the panna cotta from the molds, run the blade of a small, thin knife under hot water, then insert into the mold between the edge and the cream. Follow the circumference to free it from the mold on the sides. Invert the mold in your hands and gently shake it to feel it release, then unmold on dessert plates.
Serve with fresh, baked, or poached seasonal fruit, purees, syrups, caramel, or slightly warmed chocolate sauce and ground toasted nuts.
Wine Recommendation: Tuscan Vin Santo from Fattoria di Felsina or La Sala
Bibliography
Artusi, Pellegrino. L’arte di mangiar bene. 111th ed. Florence: Giunti Marzocco, 1991.
Davidson, Alan. Mediterranean Seafood. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1981.
Gosetti della Salda, Anna. Le ricette regionali Italiane. 12th ed. Milan: Casa Editrice Solares, 1995.
Heikell, Rod. Italian Waters Pilot. 5th ed. St. Ives, UK: Imray, 1998.
———. Mediterranean France and Corsica Pilot. 3rd ed. St. Ives, UK: Imray, 2002.
Reboul, J.-B. La cuisinière provençale. 25th ed. Marseille: Tacussel, 1997.
Acknowledgments
David
Whole or in part, this book is the result of an extraordinary collaboration by several very talented people. It would not have occurred without the wisdom and support of photographer and bon vivant Steven Rothfeld. Our spirited editor Charlie Conrad saw promise from the beginning and was steadfast with his valuable mantra “show, don’t tell” throughout the writing. My great friend and college roommate Erol Munuz was the perfect person to help me fulfill this effort, balancing voice with clever objectivity in the storytelling. Our agent Susan Rabiner expertly coached us in the essence of memoir writing, and Al Fortunato’s literary talent helped us capture the impact and message of those stories.
Jenna Thompson and everyone at Broadway Books define efficiency, are wonderful to work with, and exude the values of caring and listening. The photographers Paul Moore and Nigel Pert have keen eyes behind their cameras. Ben Pease, our cartographer, has created spectacular maps. Many thanks to Margot Hirsch for letting me develop and test entertaining-size recipes in her kitchen, and Amy Vogler for guiding me in their writing. Kudos to Sergio Esposito of Italian Wine Merchants, whose passion and palate helped pair delicious wines with the recipes that together stimulate a sense of place through taste.
Faith Heller Willinger, a bravissima food and wine writer, took me under her wing and offered a chance to discover what was to become an enormous inspiration. Annie Benard, an enthusiastic yacht charter agent, untied my lines and introduced me to living at sea. Captain Peter Wood, with immense knowledge of the world offshore, helped to keep the maritime writing in the book on course.
My parents reared their sons with a no-limits attitude toward life, while my brother Adam advocated a “don’t stop” position when I was abroad. The results have brought forth a new literary tradition in the family. To my extended family, Julie and Gary Wagner, thank you for urging me to write this story.
Erol
First and foremost, heartfelt thanks go to my dear friend David Shalleck for allowing me to vicariously tag along on his great adventure. It has been quite a journey.
Charlie Conrad, our editor at Broadway Books, consistently offered a steady hand and precise direction, always with sharp insight and good humor. Jenna Thompson provided terrific perspective and ensured the project (and its authors) stayed on track. Many thanks to the entire Broadway team who helped guide us to the finish.
Additionally, I would like to acknowledge John Butman, whose friendship and experience let me know what to expect next; Frank Sommerfield for his kind efforts; my friends at The Boston Consulting Group for their unwavering encouragement; Jimmy Gilroy, Rosalie Joseph, and Alan Duncan Ross for their much appreciated support.
Al Fortunato played an instrumental role influencing the tone of this book and his sense of styling and taste always inspires me. Finally, Susan Rabiner, my agent, who has stood by me for close to a decade dispensing priceless wisdom, along with healthy doses of tough love. Finally, I offer a special note of gratitude to my mother; my wife, Janet; and my children, Anna and Evan, for their limitless support, patience, and smiles.
About the Authors
David Shalleck has worked for over two decades in the food business as a chef and television culinary producer alongside some of America’s most celebrated chefs. He has cooked in noted restaurants and for special events in New York, San Francisco, the Napa Valley, London, Provence, and throughout many of Italy’s famous regions. Recent television credits include the PBS series Chef’s Story at the French Culinary Institute, Joanne Weir’s Cooking Class, Fast Food My Way with Jacques Pépin, and with Cat Cora on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America. His recipe, menu, food styling, and food product development clients include respected cookbook authors, restaurant operators, and many national brands. He is the founder of VOLOCHEF™ Culinary Solutions, offering specialized services to the food service and media industries. A graduate of Syracuse University in set and lighting design, he currently lives in San Francisco.
Erol Munuz is an executive-level adviser and communications strategist who has worked across both public and private sectors. He is a graduate of Syracuse University and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Currently, he lives in Sudbury, Massachusetts, with his wife and two children.
PUBLISHED BY BROADWAY BOOKS
Copyright © 2007 by David Shalleck and Erol Munuz
Foreword copyright © 2007 by Mario Batali
All Rights Reserved
A hardcover edition of this book was originally published in 2007 by Broadway Books.
Published in the United States by Broadway Books, an imprint of The Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.broadwaybooks.com
BROADWAY BOOKS and its logo, a letter B bisected on the diagonal, are trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Maps by Ben Pease, Pease Press, www.peasepress.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Shalleck, David.
Mediterranean summer: a season on France’s C�
�te d’Azur and Italy’s Costa Bella / David Shalleck with Erol Munuz.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Shalleck, David. 2. Cookery, Marine. 3. Cooks—Biography. 4. Sailing—Mediterranean Sea. 5. Mediterranean Sea—Description and travel. I. Munuz, Erol. II. Title.
TX840.M7S53 2007
eISBN: 978-0-7679-3023-9
v3.0