Recipes

Chicken thighs are one of my favorite pieces of the chicken. They are moist, tender, versatile and can retain all of their excellent qualities whether they are roasted, broiled, braised or stewed. This recipe is easy to make, just takes a bit of time to stuff and tie the pieces, and this part of the prep can be done a day ahead. You can either practice your deboning skills or have the butcher remove the bone for you. For a slightly different flavor for the sauce, try substituting Marsala or Madeira wine for the white wine.

Mille-Fleuille is such an old world classic pastry. When I was studying cooking in France I had at least one puff pastry based sweet every day. I developed a love for the buttery crispiness of puff pastry and to this day, making my own pastry dough is still a favorite pastime. However, if you are not so-inclined, there are several store bought brands that will work equally well. I think that the main ingredient in making superb puff pastry, or any layered (often referred to as “laminated”)dough like croissants, or Danish pastry is the butter. Salted butter and even some lesser unsalted brands contain a percentage of water and water in the butter is the enemy of a good layered dough. So, if you would like to make your own, invest in a good quality European Unsalted. If you would like more information on butter, click on my link to Tips and Techniques on Butter. /https://flourfiglive.wpengine.com/tips-and-techniques/butter-salted-or-sweet/
NOTE: The time and difficulty level I’ve listed for this recipe is based on buying the puff pastry.

My Dad’s rich chocolate fudge cake is legendary in our family. Was often the cake of choice for birthdays, or any celebration. I found two versions in his journal, and after several test runs, I find this to be the closest to what I remember. I tested the cake using several cocoa powders and found I really liked Guittard’s Dutched Cocoa Rouge the best. It has a wonderful color and intense depth of flavor. The fudge frosting was more of a challenge, as the ones in his journal involved many steps, and many places where disasters could take place. Fortunately, my sister had his easier version, and that is what I have used for this recipe. I did take a bit of creative license with the espresso flavored chevron pattern on the top. The cake is intensely chocolate, and I found that the tiny bit of deep coffee flavor blended nicely and rounded out the overall flavor.

This Risotto is a perfect Fall/Winter dish with it’s creamy butternut squash and earthy mushrooms. It can be a first course, or become a satisfying main course with the addition of a simple salad and a glass of wine. Risotto was a major part of our food groups growing up, and I’m still in love with it and its many variations. My father comes from the Northern part of Italy where the carbs came from rice and polenta, and thus became prominent in our household. When I started cooking on my own, I realized that there were endless ways to fix rice using the “risotto” technique. There seems to be something for every season. In the Spring there are asparagus, peas and prosciutto, artichoke hearts in early Summer, seafood and lobster stock, saffron, and the list goes on and on. What is critical is the process, using the correct short grained high starch rice, using an excellent stock, and taking your time. Remember, it’s a bit like a soufflé, in that it’s meant to be served as soon as it’s finished cooking. It waits for no one.

This Panettone recipe, of all my Father’s recipes (so far that is) has taken the longest to develop. To my recollection, he never made this while we had our family bakery in Northern California, but did make it during his apprenticeship in the 1930’s. Several versions appear in his journal. Some had the dough resting overnight in the refrigerator, some had three risings, others had two. There were small changes in the amounts of butter and sugar, but none were overly sweet and none had nuts. So, for home use, I find this to be the easiest, and can be made in a day. The extract – Fiori di Sicilia can be found in some specialty stores, but you can also find it on Amazon. It is an important component in this recipe if you want that hard to detect aroma and flavor you find in top quality imported brands. Another important ingredient is good quality peel. You may find very fine orange, lemon and citron at Italian delicatessens, or again, on line. I do apologize for the lateness in posting this recipe. If you don’t have time to make it this season, I hope you give it a try for the next. Try it toasted, or as French Toast. It’s wonderful!

A festive roll cake with rich chocolate flavors, creamy mocha filling, topped with dark chocolate ganache and candied sliced almonds. It’s impressive to look at and not too difficult to make. It does involve several steps so you need to set aside at least a couple of hours to allow for cooling of the cake, the chocolate ganache and assembling. This recipe will easily serve 10, and is perfect for Holiday dinner gatherings.