Crostata alla marmellata (jam tarte) and a lesson on how to make pasta frolla

Crostata, the Italian word for tart or pie, is one of the most popular and loved sweet baked goods in Italy. It is prepared in almost infinite forms and varieties, with local / regional versions, and it is possible to find at least one type of crostata in every single bakery, patisserie, bar and café all over the country. But also the homemade version is very common: almost all families have their own recipe which is usually handed down from mother to daughter. The peculiarity of crostata is the pastry dough used, the pasta frolla, that is the Italian take on the sweet shortcrust pastry - and this why I like to call it with the Italian name.
Pasta frolla is probably the most used basic dough in Italian pastry-making for preparing shells or closed pies, that can be topped or filled with an infinite variety of ingredients: custards, fruits, chocolate ganache, ricotta-based fillings, caramel sauce, or even savory fillings; the most simple of all possible fillings is jam or marmalade. This "basic" version of the crostata is absolutely my favorite breakfast and I make it very often. And it is so tasty and comforting that any moment of the day is perfect for having a little wedge of it.
But even if apparently simple, pasta frolla is not really the easiest of doughs to prepare or handle. Considering my passion for any kind of crostata I wanted to know more about pasta frolla and to discover how to make it in the best way, and studied a bit. Even if I like improvisation in the kitchen, cooking and especially baking and making pastries, I'm afraid, is all a matter of chemistry and physics. I do not want to bother anybody with a scientific treatise, but I like to share some basic pieces of information that can help anybody to make a good pasta frolla, which is a basic pastry dough perfect for almost any kind of sweet (and some savory) tarte one can imagine (and if someone has not understood yet, it is my favorite one). And once one masters just a little bit of this topic, no store-bought pastry shell or pastry dough will ever after been taken into consideration when deciding to make a tarte or a pie.

Stir-fried sirloin beef with cherry tomatoes, green olives and capers

I spend a lot time in the kitchen, and I like it. I can stay a whole afternoon tempering chocolate, lining pans, whisking eggs and flour, spreading batters, whipping cream, just to make a layered cake or mono-portion triple chocolate mousse; also I may enjoy shaping dozens mini-croissant. Or even, considering that both me and my husband eat huge quantities of veggies, I do not mind washing and cutting as many vegetables as a restaurant kitchen (I am not exaggerating) for the dinner side dish.
But when it comes to prepare meat, I don't know the exact reason, I prefer not to spend much time. Probably it is because I like rare meat (as I have already said in the post for Asian-style strip steak), or maybe because most of the times I cook meat only for two people - my two years old child has chosen a vegetarian diet, with pasta as favorite dish (I hope he will change, sooner or later) - and a slowly roasted piece of meat for dinner is not worth the effort and time.
The good thing of this habit is that I have an interesting repertoire of fast recipes, really helpful for busy-day dinners as well as in case of unexpected guests. One of these is the recipe for stir-fried sirloin beef  with cherry tomatoes, green olives and capers which is really tasty and easy to make. Since the meat is cooked just few minutes, without many additional ingredients and spices, it is important to choose quality meat to have a really good result.

Greek Yogurt and Chocolate Chips Muffins

I had not planned in advance to make these yogurt and chocolate chip muffins; the idea came when I noticed that I had in the fridge a cup of plain Greek yogurt very close to the expiry date. Nobody at home likes to eat this kind of yogurt on its own, but I usually keep some in the fridge for "potential use" as an ingredient. Yogurt is not the only food I use to buy in advance, to have it on hand just in case. And sometimes what I buy is much more bizarre and, consequently, less versatile than yogurt: it may range from a particular preserve or jam or chutney, to a sauce, to a mix of spices, to a type of grain, to a never tasted cheese. Most of the time I choose these items while hanging around supermarket or grocery store aisles looking for something else, written down on my shopping list; but I also like to buy local specialties when I travel, so I usually bring home edible souvenirs. Not considering purchases made during holidays and travels, where the idea is to bring home something to remember visited places, in the other cases, beyond my impulse buying there are remote, faded memories of particular ingredients required in recipes that I have seen somewhere; a magazine, a cookbook, a website? Who knows! But unfortunately most of the times I do not stumble upon those recipes anymore and so my purchases are actually quite useless. Or better, when I find them in the pantry or worst in the fridge, usually very close to expiring (and I don't like to throw food), I have to choose one out of two alternatives: the first is to to search a recipe requiring some of the stuff I have. So I consult all my cookbooks and food magazines, surf the web, search in my favorite food blogs and, in case I find some inspiration, what I usually have to do is to go and buy many other ingredients that I do not have at home. What a waste of time! The second chance, that I follow more often, is to pretend to be a Masterchef participant and create a dish (preferably and hopefully edible) based on one selected ingredient, or more than one for an even more challenging task.

I know it is pretty weird but I cannot resist; when I go shopping I have to buy something, be it a cup of yogurt or sour cream or a new spice or a jam, that I may need in future!

This time, with the yogurt on hand, the job was quite easy, then I chose to go for the creative route and make something sweet for breakfast.

Croissant-shaped milk bread

I know that the picture can be misleading: one could easily think I am going to share the recipe for a soft (and sweet) brioche-bread containing a relatively high amount of butter, a certain number of eggs, a lot of sugar, requiring a long preparation process and, of course, a standing mixer. But no, the recipe is that of a bread, which is soft and brioche-like because prepared with milk instead of simple water and "reinforced" with a minimum quantity of butter and egg. Also every step can be made by hand (no particular equipment required) and, not considering dead times while the dough is rising, the total preparation time is relatively short. My sister is the source of this bread's recipe that I had the chance to taste this summer while staying (in Italy) at my parent's home with her and her two children, who used to have it for merenda (the afternoon snack) filled with ham, prosciutto or chocolate-hazelnut spread.
I liked it immediately because is soft, light, with a good balance of sweetness and saltiness, and therefore can be the perfect side for both sweet and savory dishes / meals. In particular, exactly as the brioche bread that it reminds so much, I find this milk bread perfect for breakfast, a bit warm maybe, served with jam (with or without butter), chocolate spread, light spreadable cheeses, or cold cuts. But actually it is very versatile. Use it for example to make small sandwiches for the morning or afternoon snack: children (and not only them) will love it. And what about using this bread to make sweet and savory bites for a buffet? If there are adults among the guests, the range of possible fillings significantly increases: smoked salmon, any kind of paté, vegetable spreads, and more. It will also be appreciated if placed in the dinner bread basket with other varieties of bread.
I gave these little breads the shape of a croissant but, of course, other different shapes can be used: rolls, buns, small loafs.

Chocolate and red fruits mousse cake

Special occasions always deserve a special cake! It can be an anniversary, a birthday, a dinner with guests, a special day or simply the wish to make at home something that is usually bought from pastry shops or ordered at the restaurant.
It is not always necessary to master the art of patisserie or to have particular and costly equipment. Some recipes only require time and a bit of organization, like this chocolate and red fruits mousse cake; the only matter here is to plan in advance all the steps, especially if it has to be served for a specific time. But, since it tastes better the day after preparation, I recommend to make it in advance and keep it the freezer until the planned day; then it is important only to remember to transfer it into the refrigerator at least four hours before serving.
The recipe is my personal adaptation of different recipes that I wanted to put together; I have to say that the result gave me great satisfaction. The cake is composed by three layers: the first one is a base of biscuit joconde, a sort of sponge-cake made with almond flour which gives a delicate nutty flavor and a slightly crunchy texture which perfectly balances the softness of the upper layers. Then comes a very peculiar milk chocolate ganache, where the cream is replaced by a blend of red fruits (I used raspberries and sour cherries because I wanted some sourness to balance the sweetness of milk chocolate, but any type of red fruits will work well). Finally on top there is a light dark chocolate mousse (light because there is no egg and no added sugar), which really has a light texture. The combination is absolutely lovely, especially for chocolate fans. I made it as a unique cake (the occasion was my son's second birthday) but it can also be shaped in mono-portion cakes (it only will take a little longer, and take up more space in the freezer). For decorating the top I tempered some milk chocolate, spread it in a thin layer over non-stick paper and, when partially solidified, cut it into little circles. I used also some raspberries to add a touch of color and served.

Teriyaki Salmon

I love salmon and I make it very often at home: it is easy to find in all supermarkets, it does not require specific cleaning (of course if one takes fillets or steaks), it cooks rapidly and, not less important, it tastes really good and can make special even a standard mid-week dinner at home.
I also love Japanese style in cooking: apart from sushi and sashimi (that I really like but won't probably never make at home), I have always enjoyed the combinations of flavors typical of Japanese cuisine; no to talk about how beautifully food is usually offered, even when the recipe is one of the simplest. So I wanted to try to make at home salmon teriyaki, a Japanese cooking technique in which fish or meat is grilled or seared with a sauce made of soy sauce, mirin (a sweet rice wine) and sugar. Probably there are thousands slightly different recipes for salmon teriyaki; this one belongs to the list and is really delicious, a perfect balance of salty and sweet. And is ready in fifteen minutes, with very few things to wash after. Much much better than what is served in many restaurants.