Tag: Panettone

[Thoughts on the Table – 69] Introducing Food Blogger Pina Bresciani

This episode’s guest is Pina Bresciani (pinabresciani.com), a talented food blogger based in Vancouver, Canada, with strong ties to Italy.

Join me as I learn more about Pina, starting from her upbringings in an Italian family in Vancouver, speaking Italian at home and English at school, and spending her summers at her grandparents in Sperlonga, a seaside town between Rome and Naples. Growing up, Pina continued to keep close ties to Italy, while growing fond of Vancouver’s natural beauty and multicultural vibe. In 2015, Pina decided to start a blog as a creative outlet and, naturally, she gravitated towards Italian culture, and, just as naturally, food became the main focus. Pina’s recipes show her continental Italian roots, at times incorporating a west coast influence, beautifully presented thanks to her amazing food photography.

During the episode, we touch on some of Pina’s posts:

We also talk about the Italian bar “etiquette.”

You can follow Pina on her blog, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.

The music in the episode is by www.purple-planet.com.

Listen now!
   

Mascarpone Cream – How to Make Panettone Divine

Growing up in the province of Milan, the presence of various panettoni in the house was reliably the earliest indicator that the Christmas season had returned. My father would receive a couple of panettoni as a gift from his workplace, my mother would bring one or two home she received from some the people she visited as a nurse, and my grandmas would always give us some of the ones they received since they couldn’t eat them all. Occasionally, right before Christmas, my family would also order an artisan-made panettone from their favorite local pastry shop.
Given the abundance of the seasonal sweet-bread, my family consumed panettone straight out of the box as dessert, afternoon snack, and even as breakfast. But after Sundays meals, and for sure on Christmas day, we used to serve panettone accompanied with something that made it even better: mascarpone cream and a glass of spumante!

What follows is the recipe that my grandmother passed down to my mother, who then passed it down to me. It’s quite simple to make, but it involves a certain amount of hand whisking. This preparation is what my family also uses to make tiramisù.

Mascarpone Cream

Yield: 10 servings

Total Time: 20 minutes

Prep Time: 20 minutes

2 tablespoons per serving

Mascarpone Cream

Ingredients

  • 500 g fresh mascarpone
  • 5 of the freshest eggs
  • 5 tablespoons of sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of rum

Preparation

  1. Take the eggs and the mascarpone out of the fridge an hour ahead of time so that they reach room temperature.
  2. Soften the mascarpone by stirring it energetically for one minute in a bowl.
  3. Whisk together egg yolks and sugar until the mixture becomes smooth and lighter in color.
  4. Stir in a tablespoon of mascarpone into the egg mix. Continue stirring until no lumps are left, and the cream begins to thicken.
  5. One tablespoon at a time, incorporate the rest of the mascarpone.
  6. Beat the egg whites until very firm, then gradually incorporate 2/3 of them into the cream (discard the rest), mixing gently from the bottom up in a circular motion.
  7. Slowly stir in the rum, mixing until fully absorbed.
  8. Just before serving the panettone, ladle a generous tablespoon of mascarpone cream over each slice and enjoy!
https://www.disgracesonthemenu.com/2016/12/mascarpone-cream.html