Eggnog: That Little Taste of Christmas

By: Karly Berezowsky

Eggnog is a worldwide holiday beverage, but its' ingredients vary from place to place. Some historians believe that the eggnog that we know today came from a British drink known as posset, which was made out of wine, milk and eggs. Posset was served hot and sometimes people even added figs to it for the sweetened taste it added. It is was not until much later until eggnog became a drink that was traditionally served cold.



Europeans also had a concoction that consisted of ale and milk that was similar; while in United States Eggnog is made using rum and milk. The drink became popular amongst the rebellious colonists in the cold winter times because it kept people warm due to the alcohol and it was tasty due to its'spices. The spices were imported through trade in addition to the rum that was most likely a result of trading in the Caribbean.



During the earlier years Eggnog was made with milk, eggs, and some kind of alcohol, which was usually brandy or sherry. Brandy was an ingredient that was added later on in the 1800's. It became a drink that was associated with socializing at parties around the holiday season.



Some farmers used to drink eggnog at their leisure because it was common for them to have a few cows and chicken, in addition to some liquor stored in the house; it was a relatively quick drink to make.



All in all, eggnog is a wintery pleasure to all of those that are of drinking age. However, not to worry there are also non-alcoholic versions in the Holiday book "The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition" that can be enjoyed by everyone at any time of the year.


For more Holiday tips, recipes and decorating tips get your copy of the book selected as the Best Italian Cuisine Book in the USA- The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays Special Occasions-2nd edition

Fourth of July and Happy Birthday USA

Written by :Eliza Chute


If you find yourself in Philadelphia, the birthplace of the USA this summer or for a fitting Fourth of July Holiday here is a 'delicious' place to visit:


You can find everything you need at Reading Terminal Market. It is quite the melting pot of delicious food. You can find everything from crepes to soul food, vegetarian restaurants to meat by the pound. This indoor market takes up an entire city block.
There is even the unique opportunity of getting freshly grown Pennsylvania Dutch made foods. There are eleven Pennsylvania Dutch owned shops. If you are craving chocolate, Chocolate by Mueller is the place to. All chocolates are hand-made on site. They even have a display kitchen, so you can watch them make their chocolates, as your mouth waters in front of the window. Looking for something a little more nutritious? Try the Dutch Eating Place. They serve breakfast and lunch, including their famous blueberry pancakes and apple dumplings. These delicious pancakes are fluffy and served by Pennsylvania Dutch in full garb, making it a tasty and fun experience. Or try Hatville Deli for some great deli food. However, don’t forget to bring cash, because the last two only accept cash and gift certificates.

For more Information on Reading Terminal Market
http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/about/


List of Pennsylvania Dutch Shoppes
AJ Pickel Patch & Salads
Beiler's Bakery
Dienner's Bar-B-Q
Dutch Eating Place
Hatville Deli
Kauffman's Lancaster County Produce
L. Halteman Family
Lancaster Co. Dairy
Miller's Twist
Rib Stand
Sweet as Fudge Candy Shoppe

For more recipes for the 4th

A special gift...

I am sending a special continuing tribute to my special aunt that passed away last week..she was one of my inspirations for discovering and loving Italian cooking.. It is so hard not to think of special things that she made for us everyday..especially now that St Joseph's Day and Easter and Passover Holidays are here.

Although, there is not any Jewish member of our family...she was fascinated by the foods to celebrate Passover and we would sometimes be invited over to her house to have a Passover dinner cooked totally by her...even when she was 90 yrs old..

A fan of the food network and many of their chefs as well...she was always reading cookbooks and watching TV cooking shows to learn new ways of preparing things..or adding a twist to her age old recipes...But I think she could teach everyone a thing or two..

From Easter Ham to her St Joseph's Day Calzones to her apple pies to her carciofi (artichokes). I never really realized what masterpieces each little treat was that she made for us-her own masterpiece that she made with her own hands using her own special gift that was given to her by the powers above..
And oh how I regret how many times I didn't partake of one of her delights because I was watching my weight. I didn't realize that I missed out on a masterpiece that was only here for a short period of time..it was her way of giving us her love, showing how much she cared, how much she loved us...

These masterpieces were not as famous as a Davinci but more precious....


As time passed and she got older, family members would receive more and more dinner invitations ... some we could accept and other times because of work or time commitments we could not....but what special gatherings we passed up and how we realize now that they were special invitations to her heart and her soul..the thing that made her tick..food and her love of it!!

"Eat more, you did not eat enough" those words she would always utter to me and I could not understand why she was not happy if I did not want to eat a lot or not at all..
bit it was her way of telling us she wanted to give us more and more of her love.... of her heart...of her soul

A special life that created special times and special memories.

The oldest female relative on my mom's side- she was what held the whole family together since my grandmother passed away..she always made sure that the whole family was together for Holidays to partake in a family meal.....something that was important to her ....

As time passes, I hope that it does not hurt as much to be without her and the calm feeling that she was always there. That thought that she would always be there was a comforting one that we took for granted..
The hurt may lessen but will always be there and I wish that I could hear those words of hers again.."Maria why don't you eat more, take another piece..."

I can comfort myself by knowing that I was fortunate to have been touched by this special person in my life and one who made my love for food grow even more for I will always think of her with every cookbook I write and every special recipe I make and that is the gift she left for me.....

Ciao zia... tanti tanti baci......ti manchi tanto......xxo

Maria

The Year of the Cookie...

Could this be the year of cookies? With so many cookbooks about cookies being released –everyone from Martha Stewart to…. well everybody has been has been talking cookies.
And there is now doubt why. These goodies go back as long as baking has been documented. One reason is because they travel well. Their origins have been traced to 7th century AD Persia, when the use of sugar became common. By the 14th century they were common in all levels of society throughout Europe from royalty to common street vendors.

Most of us have treasured memories of baking cookies in the kitchen with a relative or a special occasion filled with a particular cookie. But today we have gone ‘cookie crazy’. There are so many varieties that cookies have now become upscale. Why the trend now is to give not only gourmet wines and dressings as gifts but also gourmet cookies now make wonderful gifts.
These delights have become special enough to give as a gift. They have also gone organic. Mnay companies ar now offering pre baked cookies with organic flours, sugar adn butter.
Of course, it is nice to bake a batch of someone’s favorite flavor for a gift or to show our appreciation..but who has the time??? and now you can get mail order cookies shipped to someone special.
What a great idea..cookies as gifts. A thank you gift.. a romantic gift, a corporate gift, a birthday gift…a just to say’ your kindness is appreciated’ gift.
A gourmet cookie is a gift for the taste buds but also for your mind-sort of therapy to make you happy!!
In Italy we call cookies- biscotti and here is a recipe for some..
Biscotti alle Nocciole
2egg whites
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
½ cup ground hazelnuts
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place sugar and egg whites in a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon. Add in
‘flour, and egg yolk. Blend all in well with wooden spoon.
Butter a cookie sheet. Drop dough by the spoonful onto cookie sheet with space between each cookie mound .Sprinkle each cookie with ground hazelnuts. Bake for 5 minutes, then raise oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake for 5 minutes more. Remove from oven. Makes 6 servings.

For more recipes go to http://www.marialiberati.com/ or get your copy of the bestselling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking at http://www.marialiberati.com/
Ciao for now!!Maria
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http://www.mariandco.blogspot.com/
http://mediterraneandiet-healthy.blogspot.com/

Christmas Memories, part 1

My Christmas memories are very special ones. They are made up of vivid sights, smells and sounds.
*Sights-of family and good friends, brightly decorated presents and wrapping and bows and colorful table decorations, large tables spilling over with food
*Smells of great foods cooking on the stove and baking in the oven.
*Sounds- laughter, clanking of bowls and whirring mixers, oven timers, singing Christmas Carols-(in Italian and English), happy chatter, wine and champagne bottles popping and toasts of glasses clanking.
The most precious gifts that I received during the Holidays are these memories to treasure. Memories that I can relive, if only in my mind or through some faded photo.

There is one material gift that I do remember out of all of my Christmases- a sled. You see we lived in the city of Philadelphia- not exactly great space to ride around on a sled. But my parents always dreamed of building a house in the country and taking us out of the city- (which they did) and a place where we can go sledding with open fields and hills.

. After all the presents were opened, Mom insisted that we get ready to go to nonna’s house for our family Christmas Day dinner . But my father couldn’t budge until he took me on my first sleigh ride-‘city style’. What a great memory, and luckily I have a photo to prove it- my Dad pulling that little sled along the sidewalk, through the driveway and the peaceful quiet of a crisp snowy day. When the cold was too much we began heading towards home, but “pull me again Daddy”, I chanted. Of course my doting Dad headed around the block again, and again that day. Nothing could stop him, but Mom, who finally came out to find us. That winter was a special one, filled with memories of many snowy days and many sleigh rides with my father.

Here is hoping you have a special Holiday made up of many
Sights
Smells
Sounds

And I want to leave you with a taste of Christmas. This is a recipe I created to use up all that leftover Panettone. it was featured in the Holiday issue of tastes of Italia Magazine.This is a scrumptious version of bread pudding.

Panettone di Natale

*½ of a large panettone-cut into small cubes
*2 cups of milk
*1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract
*Dark chocolate (70-90 % cocoa) broken into small pieces or chopped.
*4 dried figs, cut into small pieces
*1/4 cup dried cherries
* ¼ cup raisins
*1 fresh lemon rind grated
Powdered cocoa for dusting on top

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Break or pull apart panettone into small cubes.
Place one layer of panettone cubes in an 8 inch round or square glass or ceramic baking dish. Cover with, chopped chocolate pieces, chopped fig pieces , then cherries ,then raisins. Cover this layer with remaining panettone cubes.
In seperate bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla and sugar. Pour liquid over panettone cubes. Gently push down on top to be sure liquid soaks into all layers, Let sit for 10 minutes then bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes or until firm and golden on top. When cool, dust with powdered cocoa and serve.

The Basic Art of the Bubbly, part two

Since I began talking about how water tasting has become an art unto itself- I wanted to continue that with info on learning to appreciate the fine imported mineral waters out there. But remember- we are talking about naturally carbonated waters-not soda.

These waters are waters that come from springs and have a gentle and natural carbonation. Some of these naturally carbonated waters really aid digestion, have health benefits. They make a perfect choice to sip during Holiday meals to help digest.

Each mineral water in Italy comes from a different mineral spring and therefore has its' own characteristic . Some have a softer or harsher taste depending on the mineral content of the water. This is really influenced by the location and the age of the spring and other factors.

Some of the reasons to practice tasting and appreciating different mineral waters is that you will soon learn to distinguish between their characterstics. You will also be able to describe the qualities of specific waters and expertly pair them with wine and food.

Here are the steps on how to conduct a proper mineral water tasting:

Step 1- Pour

As soon as bottle is opened pour into water glass

Step 2- Taste

Sip a small sip (approx 2 tblsps) into your mouth. Let it remain on your tongue and then distribute it throughout your mouth. Notice the tastes and feel of the water.

Step 3-Observe

Raise your glass to eye level. Then lower glass to observe it from above.

Step 4-Smell

Raise glass up under your nose and then breathe in deeply.

Step 5-Second taste

Once again, take a generous sip of the water and let it linger on your tongue.

Cheers!

Cin Cin

Ciao for now!

Maria Liberati

If you are a wine aficianado or want to learn how to be one- come out to The Wine School in Philadelphia on March 13, 2008. I will be doing a class on the basics of Italian cooking with wine. To get more info or register go to http://www.vinology.com/ or email me at us at info@marialiberati.com

http://www.marialiberati.com/

Home of the bestselling book:

The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati, tm

Panettone.. another Italian Holiday delight

Copyright, 2005-2007, Maria Liberati
Editor: Julia Tulba

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, it’s time to prepare for Christmas and Christmas baking/. While visions of sugarplums are now dancing in your head and you are planning your holiday baking here is info on our favorite Christmas dessert and its’ history..Enjoy!

Christmas in Italy would not be the same if it did not include panettone, the traditional sweet bread that is prepared and enjoyed during the holiday season. Although its origins are said to be from Milan, Italy, its immense popularity has made it a requisite treat throughout the world. Panettone is no longer prepared by the Italian nonna (grandmother); in today’s global society, the sweet bread is also made in many non-Italian kitchens, as well as being a favorite item to buy in the stores. The word panettone derives from the Italian word panetto, which means a small loaf of bread. The traditional version of panettone contains orange and lemon zest, as well as raisins, which are added dry and not soaked. However, as a means of appealing to a widely diverse consumer market, other versions of panettone have been made available, such as plain or chocolate. For many panettone aficionados, however, the traditional versions remain the favorite. Most panettone breads have a cupola shape, and are served in slices that are vertically cut. A sweet hot beverage or a glass of sweet wine usually accompanies panettone. Although the process of making panettone can be a very time consuming affair, numerous recipes have been amended to make it less laborious, so that it may be enjoyed by all during the holiday season. These much easier recipes still retain the bread’s delicious taste, just when nonna made it. With its origins dating back to the Roman Empire, its popularity has made panettone a timeless classic.


This recipe is for a simpler version of panettone. You can bake this in a high but small cake pan lined with parchment paper. Or a 1 lb coffee can lined with parchment paper. Many gourmet cooking stores now carry the distinctive brown paper that commercial panettone is baked in-if you want that distinctive look.

PANETTONE
Copyright 2005-2007-Maria Liberati
From the best selling book series The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick unsalted butter – (softened-left out at room temperature)
1 teaspoon orange or lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups slivered almonds
2 cups golden raisins (optional)
3 cups chopped mixed dried fruits (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Take either a small high cake pan or a clean, empty 1-pound coffee can.
Line either with a parchment paper, cut to fit, and butter paper. Some paper should be overlapping top of pan or can so you will be able to take bread out when finished by lifting on edges of waxed paper.

In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until thick and pale yellow, about 5 minutes. Beat in
softened butter, lemon peel and extracts. In a small bowl, mix flour, baking
powder and salt and blend into egg mixture alternately with buttermilk. Stir
in almonds, raisins and dried fruit. Pour batter into prepared pan or can and place
on a baking sheet. Bake 55 to 60 minutes, or until bread is golden on top and a
toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool bread in can for 10 minutes. Lift bread out of pan by parchment paper edges on top. Turn out onto a rack to finish cooling.
To serve, cut into thin wedges.



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