Italian BBQ

The original theme for this weekend's potluck was "Viennese," however, in the last minute the theme changed to BBQ due to the unseasonably nice weather.

Problem was, I didn't get the email. It was so nice, I didn't bother checking it all weekend.

So I showed up to the grilled meat and watermelon menu with an assortment of crostini and tiramisu. Oh well!

As usual, I forgot to take pics, so you'll just have to imagine the deliciousness.

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Crostini

This past September, the family and I trekked to Italy to attend a wedding in Tuscano....where we proceeded to eat like starved maniacs for two weeks. By far, the most memorable meal, was the five hour rehearsal dinner in a little L'Osteria in some tiny town in the middle of nowhere. We should have known we were in for a meal of a lifetime, when the waiters swooped down with not one, two, three, but what seemed like a dozen or so different kinds of crostini to begin the feast.

I was not so ambitious. I made three different toppings, and didn't even bother spreading the toppings on top of the crostini. Anyway, what I lacked in quantity was more than made it quality. As good as the food was in Tuscany, the bread SUCKED.

Crostini

Skinny Italian Bread or Baguette sliced at the diagonal
Olive Oil
Garlic

1/ Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2/ Smash garlic and put it in a bowl with about a half a cup of olive oil (depending on how much your making).
3/ Lay out bread on baking sheets
4/ Brush olive oil on slices of bread
5/ Toast to golden brown for about 10 to 15 minutes

Chicken Liver
In Heat, Bill Buford has the whole section about how BROWN Tuscan food is and I laughed my way through it because it was so true. Anyway, I borrowed this book from cousin, so no longer have it in my possession. Otherwise, I'd quote liberally. Even if you are not a foodie, I highly recommend the book. I made the liver topping in honor of Mr. Buford, so go read it! By the way, this recipe and the olive tapinade (slightly modified) comes from The New Basics Cookbook, which I bought in college 17 years ago (!!!) and have used regularly since.

EVOO
1 lb chicken liver
1 large onion
1/2 C chicken stock
1/2 C dry white wine
3 cloves garlic
2 t dried sage
2 t fresh rosemary
3 T capers
4 anchovy fillets
1 1/2 t tomato paste

1/ Heat oil in skillet over medium heat and saute onions until soft, then add the chicken livers and cook until browned.
2/ Add stock, wine, garlic, sage, rosemary, salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently until liquid mostly reduced (at least by two-thirds)
3/ Add capers, anchovies, and tomato paste. Stir well and cook 1 more minute.
4/ Transfer mixture to food processor and puree until smooth. Remove pate to serving dish and refrigerate for at least 2 hours for flavors to meld.
5/ Let the liver come to room temperature at least 30 minutes before serving.

Olive Tapenade

3/4 C pitted Calamata olives
1 t minced garlic
1 T capers
1/4 C EVOO
1 T chopped Italian parsley

1/ Combine olives, garlice, and capers into food processor and process for a few seconds to combine.
2/ With the motor running, slowly drizzle olive oil through deed tube.
3/ Transfer mixture to bowl and stir in parsley

Peas, Mint, and Creme Fraiche
I know, not exactly Italian, but I needed a touch of green after all that brown. This recipe is completely made up, so I don't have exact measurements.

1/2 Bag Frozen Peas
Handful of fresh mint
1/4 C Creme Fraiche

1/ Boil Peas until just done, but not mushy. Drain and rinse in cold water. (I know your supposed to shock in ice water, but I'm lazy. So kill me.)
2/ Put peas, mint and creme fraiche in food processor and process until smooth
3/ Season to taste

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Tiramisu

We didn't exactly eat Tiramisu the whole time we were in Italy, despite it's reputation as a "typical" Italian dessert. I have a feeling Tiramisu is akin to eggrolls, which are not quite Chinese. Still, we did have something similar to it in that memorable rehearsal dinner. However, they called it English pudding (!). Go figure.

There are A LOT of recipes online for Tiramisu (trust me, just google it). I ended up using a super simple one out of an international cookbook I bought for $5 out of the bargain bin at Barnes and Noble (please don't ask me how many cookbooks I have!). I liked it, because it was, most importantly, SIMPLE - no fancy custard required filtering through a fine mesh strainer (yeah right), no fancy booze I've got to make an extra trip to find and will never use again, and no fancy ingredients. And I liked the idea of adding the whipped egg whites as it added some lightness to the heavy custard.

3 eggs separated
2 C marscapone cheese
1 T vanilla
2 - 3 T sugar to taste
3/4 C cold, strong, black coffee
1/2 C Kahlua
enough lady fingers to create layers. (I used 1 and 1/2 packages of TJ's lady fingers, but that's because I used 3/4 package to create a pattern to line the inside edge of my trifle bowl, but in a standard 8x8x2-ish dish, one package is probably enough)
Sifted cocoa powder and grated bitterweet chocolate

1/ Whisk egg whites until stiff and in peaks
2/ Mix marscapone, vanilla, sugar (to taste), and egg yoks in a separate large bow and which with electric mixer until evenly combined.
3/ Fold in egg whites.
4/ Put a thin layer of custard at bottom of bowl
5/ Mix the coffee and liqueur in a shallow dish. Dip a ladyfinger in the mixture, turn it quickly so that it becomes saturated, and place it on top of the marscapone in the bowl. Dip and lay down enough ladyfingers to create an even layer.
6/ Spoon custard on top of the ladyfinger layer. Make more layers in the same way, ending with the marsarpone.
7/ Before serving, sprinkle with cocoa and grated chocolate (which I forgot).

Enjoy!