Berrymisu – Berrylove

April showers bring May flowers… It’s springtime and the cherry blossoms and magnolia trees have burst into a luscious Monet painting.  All of these brilliants colors of spring are so breathtaking that they have me craving fresh berries… so much so that I couldn’t resist making this berrymisu for spring and for this months berrylove.

Berrymisu

Berrymisu

Berrymisu

Here’s what you’ll need… pastry brush, parchment paper and 9 inch spring form pan

4 cups fresh strawberries, (reserve 6 strawberries for top of cake)

1 cup raspberries

1 cup blueberries

8 ounce package mascarpone cheese

2 cups heavy whipping cream, (reserve 1 tablespoon for raspberries)

1/2 cup honey, (reserve 2 tablespoons for blueberries)

3/4 cups confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon orange zest

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup light brown sugar

3 teaspoons vanilla

3 7 ounce packages of lady fingers biscuits

Strawberry, Blueberry & Raspberry

Strawberry, Blueberry & Raspberry

Preparing Berries:

Slice the strawberries into 1/2 inch pieces. In a large bowl, add the strawberries, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and cinnamon, mixing well. Cover and refrigerate, allow strawberries to marinate for one hour.

In a bowl, add raspberries, one teaspoon of vanilla and 1 tablespoon of heavy whipping cream, mix gently until completely covered.  Cover and refrigerate, allow raspberries to marinate for one hour.

In a bowl, add blueberries, 2 tablespoons honey and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest, mix well. Cover and refrigerate, allow blueberries to marinate for one hour.

Preparing Berrymisu

Preparing Berrymisu

Preparing Mascarpone & Whipped Cream:

With an electric mixer add the mascarpone cheese, 1 tablespoon vanilla and 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar, beat for 3 minutes.  Place in a separate bowl and set aside until ready to use.

Using the electric mixer again, in a bowl add 2 cups heavy cream, 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar and beat until soft peaks are reached, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Fold the mascarpone whipped cheese into the whipped cream, mixing gently until fully incorporated. Cover and place in refrigerator until ready to use.

Preparing the Lady Fingers:

In a saucepan on low-medium heat, add 1/2 cup honey, 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon orange zest and 2 tablespoons of orange juice. Allow to simmer until you reach a boil, turn off heat and let stand for five minutes.

Lay the lady fingers on a baking sheet.  With a  pastry brush apply honey orange syrup covering completely. Turn over and brush the other side with syrup.

Berry Cake "Berrymisu"

Berry Cake "Berrymisu"

Assembling the Berrymisu:

* Use a cake serving plate as the base for your Berrymisu and the spring form pan as the mold.

Line the spring form pan with parchment paper. Begin layering lady fingers on the bottom, followed by the sides of the spring form pan. Next, layer a heaping spoonful, about 3/4 cup of mascarpone whipped filling and spread evenly atop of lady fingers. Place a 1/2 cup of strawberries and spread evenly, repeating with one more layer of each.  Add the final layer of mascarpone whipped filling on top, spreading evenly.  Place  the raspberries in the center, followed by blueberries and then finally adding sliced strawberries.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

At first I wasn’t sure about the combination of flavors, with the berries, honey, spices, cream and citrus. But after the first bite, then the second, and the third… I knew instantly it was a perfect layering of flavors.  I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate and welcome spring.

Happy Spring!

* Recipe adapted: Eat Show & Tell

I’m part of bloghop, where the food blog community connects with other blogs to share recipes and spread the love. This month, April is #berrylove month!

You’re more than welcome to join us in #berrylove fun by simply adding your recipe at the end of this bloghop! Be sure to link back to this post, so that your readers know to stop by the #berrylove event! The twitter hashtag is #berrylove – have Fun!

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

A Little bit of everything ~ Roxana GreenGirl ~ @RoxanaGreenGirl
Baker Street ~ Anuradha ~ @bakerstreet29
Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves ~ Becky Higgins
BigFatBaker ~ Erin ~ @BigFatBaker
Bon à croquer ~ Valerie ~ @Valouth
Cake Duchess ~ Lora ~ @Cakeduchess
Easily Good Eats ~ Three Cookies
Elephant Eats ~ Amy
GeorgieCakes ~ Georgie ~ @georgiecakes
Hobby and More ~ Richa ~ @betit19
Java Cupcake ~ Betsy Eves ~ @JavaCupcake
Mis Pensamientos ~ Junia ~ @juniakk
No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ TR ~ @TRCrumbley
Oh Cake ~ Jessica ~ @jesshose
Queen’s Notebook ~ Elizabeth ~ @Mango_Queen
Rico sin Azúcar ~ Helena ~ @ricosinazucar
Simply Reem ~ Reem ~ @simplyreem
Soni’s Food for Thought ~ Soni ~ @sonisfood
Teaspoon of Spice ~ Deanna ~ @tspbasil
That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!! ~ Liz ~ @Thatskinnychick
The Art of Cooking Real Food ~ Laura ~@TAofCRF
The Wimpy Vegetarian ~ Susan ~ @wimpyvegetarian
Vegan Yack Attack! ~ Jackie ~ @veganyackattack
Vegetarian Mamma ~ Cindy ~ @VegetarianMamma

Kale & Feta Baked Wontons for #Greenslove

#Greenslove couldn’t have come at a better time. I’m still feeling the remnants of #chocolatelove as I sit here eating the last piece of chocolate, really. I’m only eating healthy greens for the entire month, I’m going to try, really.

#Greenslove

I recently had a dinner party and wanted to make an appetizer that would allow me to use a array of ingredients that would satisfy everyones palate. I also wanted it to be something simple to make and healthy for you.  I made two flavors of baked wontons but one stood out… Kale & Feta.

Kale & Feta Baked Wontons

Kale & Feta Wontons

1 Bunch of Kale, cleaned and chopped (2 cups)

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled (I used tomato & basil flavored feta)

1/2 cup cottage cheese

2 garlic cloves, minced

dash salt (to taste)

dash of pepper (to taste)

14 wonton wrappers

1/4 cup olive oil

Kale & Feta

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet, set aside until ready to use.

Rinse and dry the kale. Cut the kale away from the vein of the stem and chop into strips. Place kale in a saucepan, add minced garlic, salt and pepper and sauté for five minutes or until leaves are tender. Set aside and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Add feta cheese, cottage cheese and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.

Baked Wontons

Taking a wonton wrapper, lay flat on work surface, scoop a teaspoonful of kale & feta mixture into the center of your wonton wrapper, folding over the top, then the bottom, followed by the sides. Brush lightly with olive oil to seal closed. Place on the baking sheet, allowing 2 inches between each wonton, bake for 10 minutes. Plate and serve.

March is #greenslove month!

Please join in on the #greenslove fun by linking up any leafy green recipe for the month of March 2012. Don’t forget to link back to this post, so that your readers know to come stop by the #greenslove event! The twitter hashtag is #greenslove.

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Al Dente Gourmet ~ Aldy ~ @AlDenteGourmet

Chocolate Love: A Wicked Good Brownie

Jeff: you put peanut butter in my chocolate?  Georgie: you put chocolate in my peanut butter?

I can honestly say, in an embarrassing kind of way… that I have been known to eat reese’s peanut butter cups at least once a week (sometimes more). I try to stay away from the stuff, well, because it makes a girls hips jiggle.

Chocolate Brownie Cookie & Peanut Butter Frosting

That being said…

I recently picked up a copy of the 10th birthday collector’s edition of Donna Hay magazine. Inside I found an entire section devoted to brownies, and one recipe in particular inspired me to get baking right away… brownie cookies with peanut butter frosting.

Brownie Cookie Mix

These are perfect for #chocolatelove bloghop and as a Valentines day treat. I decided to add another layer of flavor by making maple frosting brownie cookies as well… for those who don’t share in my love in peanut butter or have allergies. This way everyone gets some chocolate love.

Something Wicked Good Comes This Way... Brownie Cookies

All I can say is… hold on tight you’re about to crash into the most luscious, scrumptious wicked chocolate decadence.

Wicked Good Brownie

Here’s what you’ll need: parchment paper, baking sheet, makes 12 saucer cookies.

For the Brownie Cookies

12.5 ounces dark chocolate (chopped) I used milk chocolate :)

2 – 3/4 tablespoons butter (40 grams)

2/3 cup of caster sugar (superfine)

1/4 cup all purpose flour (sifted)

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

For the Peanut Butter Frosting

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1 cup confectioners sugar (powder sugar)

5 – 3/4 tablespoons butter (80 grams)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup of heavy cream

For the Maple Frosting

1 cup confectioner’s sugar (powder sugar)

5 – 3/4 tablespoons butter (80 grams)

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

2 tablespoons of heavy cream

Preparing the Brownie Cookie

Baking Brownies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

(Please use parchment paper these cookies spread out wide and burn quickly).

Place 8 ounces of chopped chocolate and butter in a saucepan on low heat, stir until smooth and melted. Set aside for later use.

Place eggs, sugar and vanilla in an electric mixer and whisk for 15 minutes until pale and creamy. Stir in the flour, baking powder, chocolate mixture and the remaining chocolate and let rest for 10 minutes.

Use a teaspoon – these cookies spread out like saucers. Scoop a teaspoonful of the brownie mixture onto parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until brownies are puffed and cracked on top. Remove from oven and allow to cool on trays.

Preparing the Peanut Butter Frosting

Place sugar, peanut butter, butter and vanilla in an electric mixer and beat for 6 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the cream and beat for another 2 minutes.

Preparing the Maple Frosting

Place sugar, butter, maple syrup and vanilla bean paste in an electric mixer and beat for 6 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the cream and beat for another 2 minutes.

Once the brownie cookies have cooled, spread a heaping scoop of frosting onto one cookie and sandwich with another. If you’re like me and love chocolate and peanut butter and maple then you’re gonna want to make a double batch… or hide some for later – they go really – really fast.

Maple & Peanut Butter Frosting Brownie Cookies

I’m part of bloghop, where the food blog community connects with other blogs to share recipes and spread the love. This month, February is #chocolatelove month!

You’re more than welcome to join us in #chocolatelove fun by simply adding your recipe at the end of this bloghop! Be sure to link back to this post, so that your readers know to stop by the #chocolatelove event! The twitter hashtag is #chocolatelove – have Fun!

A Little Bit of Everything ~ Roxana ~ @RoxanaGreenGirl
ASTIG Vegan ~ Richgail ~  @astigvegan
Badger Girl Learns to Cook ~ Kimberly ~ @BdgrGrl
Baker Street ~ Anuradha ~ @bakerstreet29
Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves ~ Becky Higgins
Baking Extravaganza ~ Samantha
BigFatBaker ~ Erin ~ @BigFatBaker
Bon a croquer ~ Valerie ~ @Valouth
CafeTerraBlog ~ Terra ~ @CafeTerraBlog
Cake Duchess ~ Lora ~ @cakeduchess
Cakeballs, Cookies and More ~ Sue
Cooking with Books ~ Marnely ~ @nella22
Creative Cooking Corner ~ Karriann ~ @KarriannGraf
Easily Good Eats ~ Three Cookies
Elephant Eats ~ Amy
Georgiecakes ~ Georgie ~ @georgiecakes
Hobby And More ~ Richa ~ @betit19
Java Cupcake ~ Betsey ~ @JavaCupcake
Kitchen Belleicious ~ Jessica
Mike’s Baking ~ Mike ~ @mikesbaking
Mis Pensamientos ~ Junia ~ @juniakk
No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ TR ~ @TRCrumbley
Oh Cake ~ Jessica ~ @jesshose
Preheat the Oven ~ Jason ~ @officialchefjae
Rico sin Azucar ~ Helena ~ @ricosinazucar
Savoring Every Bite ~ Linda ~ @Spicegirlfla
Simply Reem ~ Reem ~ @simplyreem
Smart Food and Fit ~ Lisa ~ @LisaNutrition
Soni’s Food for Thought ~ Soni ~ @sonisfood 
Sprint 2 the Table ~ Laura ~ @Sprint2theTable
Teaspoon of Spice ~ Deanna ~ @tspbasil 
That Skinny Chick Can Bake ~ Liz ~ @Thatskinnychick
The Dusty Baker ~ Jacqueline ~ @dustybakergal
The More Than Occasional Baker ~ Ros ~ @bakingaddict
The Spicy RD ~ EA ~ @thespicyrd 
The Wimpy Vegetarian ~ Susan ~ @wimpyvegetarian
Vegan Yack Attack! ~ Jackie ~ @veganyackattack
Vegetarian Mamma  ~ Cindy ~ @VegetarianMamma
You Made That? ~  Suzanne ~ @YouMadeThatblog

Here is the linky tool to join in on the fun!

Pistachio Orange Oatmeal Cookies

Here is the scrumptious Pistachio Orange Oatmeal Cookie recipe I promised to post.  I served these with my Orange Peel Sweet of the Spoon dessert and a bowl of vanilla bean ice cream.  These tasty little cookies are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, similar to a granola cookie.  I hope you enjoy them!

Pistachio Orange Oatmeal Cookies

Here’s what you’ll need…

Makes 20 to 30 cookies

4 tbsp salted butter, melted

1/2 cup pistachios, chopped

1/2 cup oats, chopped

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoon orange juice

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 tablespoons corn syrup ( I used Lyle’s Golden Syrup)

dash of salt

Preheat oven to 425

Melt the butter in a saucepan, set aside. In a food processor, pulse the pistachios and raw oats into tiny pieces. Combine all ingredients – the butter, sugar, oats, flour, baking powder, orange juice, orange zest, corn syrup and salt into a bowl, mixing until all ingredients are incorporated.

Orange Pistachio Oatmeal Cookie

Using a measuring teaspoon, scoop a spoonful onto a baking sheet, be sure to space several inches apart.  Bake for 6-8 minutes (each oven varies, so keep an eye on them – they bake fast), or until the cookies begin to brown around the edges. Let them cool on a baking sheet.

Pistachio Orange Oatmeal Cookies & Greek Coffee

Serve with a glass of milk, ice cream or a nice cup of Greek coffee – the way I ate them.

Citrus Love with Orange Peel ‘Sweet of the Spoon’

As a child I would watch my mother baking in the kitchen, all the while waiting for her to call me over – her “little helper”. How I loved to watch my mother bake, I was amazed as she created works of art. One of my favorite desserts she would make was a sweet of the spoon, in Greece called “γλυκο του κουταλιου”, where she simmered assorted fruit peels into a delectable dessert.

Citrus Love

As a Greek tradition, it is customary to offer this luscious spoon sweet to your guest upon arriving, served alongside water and Greek coffee.  My mother carried this tradition well into my adulthood.  Today for #citruslove I am inviting you into my kitchen and passing along this beautiful tradition, serving you “Gliko Koutaliou Portokali” also known as “Orange Peel Sweet of the Spoon”.

Greek Sweet of the Spoon

Here’s what you’ll need…

Makes 2 – 12 ounce mason jars of sweet preserves

8 navel oranges

2  cups of sugar

1 1/2 cups of water

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

Preparing the orange peel:

Clean by washing and brushing your oranges. Slice and remove the peel in strips, removing all of the oranges external rind using a knife or a peeler.  There’s no need to remove all the pith, keeping some of the pith adds to the flavor.  Continue to cut the orange peel rind into 1/2 inch thin strips – julienne style. (save the inside of the orange for eating, smoothie or juicing).

Preparing Orange Peels

Note: Traditionally in Greece when preserving large strips of fruit peels, like oranges, grapefruits and watermelons, it’s routine to sew and thread the fruit rinds into a circle, similar to the photo below.  I also used a skewer to speed up the process, though this leaves large holes in your fruit.

Threading Orange Peels

Place the peels in a large saucepan with enough cold water, be sure to cover about 2 inches.  The peels will naturally want to float to the top so I placed a dish atop to fully submerge them in the water. Let soak for 12 hours or overnight. You will need to pour the water out, rinse the orange peels and refill saucepan with cold water. Repeat this process approximately every 4 hours.

Drying the Orange Peels

After the peels have soaked, pour out the water, rinse the peels and refill saucepan with water.  Place saucepan on stove at medium high heat and bring to a boil, cooking for 5 minutes from when water begins to boil.  Drain and rinse the peels with cold water.  Repeat boiling and rinsing process two additional times for three minutes each time.  Rinse the orange peels and strain in colander removing excess water.

In order to remove excess moisture, place orange peels on a flat surface atop of a towel to dry anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours.

Preparing the sweet of the spoon:

Place sugar and water in a saucepan and stir until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 5 minutes. Add orange peels and allow to simmer on a low boil for 20 minutes until a syrup begins to form and thickens slightly. My mother wanted me to tell you – it should be thick like honey, enough to coat your spoon, hence sweet of the spoon.  Once you’ve reached the desired consistency, add the 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, stir until combined.

The Orange Peel Sweet of the Spoon

Allow to cool completely before storing in sterilized jars.  Since I was serving this for a dinner party and gave some as party favors in small 4 ounce jars, I bypassed the canning process.

There are so many ways to serve this luscious sweet syrupy dessert – with a scone, on toast or simply by the spoonful.  Do as the Greeks do and serve it as  your first course at a dinner party.  But… this Greek got adventurous and served dessert last, graciously set atop a heaping scoop of vanilla bean ice cream with a pistachio orange oatmeal cookie – (recipe soon to follow).  I wanted my guests blabbering sweet nothings at their departure.

Ice Cream Orange Peel Topping

I’m part of bloghop, where the food blog community connects with other blogs to share recipes and spread the love. This month, January is #citruslove month!

You’re more than welcome to join us in #citruslove fun by simply adding your recipe at the end of this bloghop!  Be sure to link back to this post, so that your readers know to stop by the #citruslove event!  The twitter hashtag is #citruslove – have Fun & OPA!

Powered by Linky Tools

http://www.linkytools.com/wordpress_list.aspx?id=123605&type=thumbnail“>Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

A Little Bit of Everything ~ Roxana ~ @RoxanaGreenGirl
Baker Street ~ Anuradha ~ @bakerstreet29
BigFatBaker ~ Erin ~ @BigFatBaker
CafeTerraBlog ~ Terra ~ @CafeTerraBlog
Cake Duchess ~ Lora ~ @cakeduchess
Cakeballs, Cookies and More ~ Sue
Easily Good Eats
Elephant Eats ~ Amy
Food Wanderings ~ Shulie ~ @foodwanderings
Georgiecakes ~ Georgie ~ @georgiecakes
Hobby And More ~ Richa ~ @betit19
Mike’s Baking ~ Mike ~ @mikesbaking
Mis Pensamientos ~ Junia ~ @juniakk
No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ TR ~ @TRCrumbley
Oh Cake ~ Jessica ~ @jesshose
Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives ~ Lisa ~ @parsleynsage
Peaches and Donuts ~ Sylvia ~ @PeachesandDonut
Savoring Every Bite ~ Linda ~ @Spicegirlfla
Simply Reem ~ Reem ~ @simplyreem
Smart Food and Fit ~ Lisa ~ @LisaNutrition
Soni’s Food for Thought ~ Soni ~ @sonisfood
That Skinny Chick Can Bake ~ Liz ~ @Thatskinnychick
The Art of Cooking Real Food ~ Laura ~ @TAofCRF
The More Than Occasional Baker ~ Ros ~ @bakingaddict
The Spicy RD ~ EA ~ @thespicyrd
The Wimpy Vegetarian ~ Susan ~ @wimpyvegetarian
Vegan Yack Attack! ~ Jackie ~ @veganyackattack
Vegetarian Mamma  ~ Cindy ~ @VegetarianMamma
You Made That? ~  Suzanne ~ @YouMadeThatblog


Cookie Love: Cranberry Turtle Bars

Who doesn’t love chocolate pecan turtles? They’re my go to candy bar when I’m craving  chocolate, especially when I’m visiting our local chocolatier at Chocopologie Cafe.  This month’s bloghop “Cookie Love” got me thinking about my favorite candy “pecan turtles” and one of my favorite cookies “shortbread”.  I remembered reading a cookie recipe from Gourmet magazine and thought these would be perfect for bloghop cookie love and perfect as holiday gifts.

Bloghop #Cookielove

Cranberry Turtle Bars:  (Recipe adapted from Gourmet Live Blog)

Cranberry Turtle Bars

Here’s what  you’ll need: Candy thermometer, 10 x 15 baking pan – makes 24 to 36 bars (based on cut size)

For the crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 – 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

For the topping:

2 sticks unsalted butter

1 – 2/3 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup (I used Lyle’s golden syrup)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place rack in the middle to bake.

For the crust:

Line a 10 x 15-inch shallow baking pan with foil, butter all 4 sides, except the bottom.

Blend the  flour, brown sugar, and salt into a food processor, add butter and pulse until mixture resembles cornmeal.  Layer into baking pan, pressing down firmly with a metal spatula to form an even sheet.

Place in oven and bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden in color.  Remove and let cool on a wire rack.

For the topping:

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stir in sugar, corn syrup, and salt and bring to a boil. Stirring occasionally, until caramel registers 245 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add the cranberries, coating them entirely in caramel sauce.  Return to stove and boil until caramel cranberry mixture reaches 245 degrees.

Remove from heat, stir in vanilla mixing well, add the pecans stirring into caramel mixture coating well. Quickly, pour the caramel topping onto the cookie shortbread base, gently spread pecans and berries evenly. For the final layer, sprinkle chocolate chips throughout to cover.

Cool completely, it’s important to allow the topping to set.  Once completely cooled, cut the bars into equal pieces and serve.  Now only if I could keep from eating them all.

I’m part of bloghop, where the food blog community connects with other blogs to share recipes and spread the love. This month, December is #cookielove month!

You’re more than welcome to join us in #cookielove fun by simply adding your recipe at the end of this bloghop!  Be sure to link back to this post, so that your readers know to stop by the #cookielove event!  The twitter hashtag is #cookielove

Powered by Linky Tools

http://www.linkytools.com/wordpress_list.aspx?id=118913&type=thumbnail“>Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Badger Girl Learns to Cook, Baking and Cooking: A Tale of Two Loves, BigFatBaker, Bloc de Recetas, Bon a Croquer, CafeTerraBlog, Cake Duchess, Creative Cooking Corner, Easily Good Eats, Georgie Cakes, Hobby and More, Knitstamatic, Mike’s Baking, Mis Pensamientos, Manu’s Menu, No One Likes Crumbley Cookies, Oh Cake, Queen’s Notebook, Savoring Every Bite, Simply Reem, Soni’s Food for Thought, Teaspoon of Spice, That Skinny Chick Can Bake, The Art of Cooking Real Food, The Spicy RD, The Wimpy Vegetarian, Vegetarian Tastebuds, Vegan Yack Attack.


SquashLove: Acorn Squash Gnocchi, meet Candied Walnut Pesto

The first time I ate gnocchi, I fell in love.  I remember it as though it were yesterday.  Jeff and I had just begun dating and this was our first fancy dress up dinner date.  It was such a memorable evening that I’m still feeling the intoxicating effects today.

Bloghop Love

Our dinner date was at Cafe Vico, where upon arrival we were promptly greeted by chef and owner Marco Vico, who gently held my hand, kissed it and called me “Bella”, I remember blushing.  Marco lead us to a romantic cozy alcove, where we were served warm crusty bread with an herb and garlic infused olive oil, soon followed by a savory zuppa di porcini and crispy fried calamari.  Once the main course arrived in huge serving plates,  I immediately coddled my handmade gnocchi resting in a creamy pesto sauce, while Jeff  consumed chicken marsala set upon succulent layers of perfectly sauteed baby bella mushrooms.

Our dinner ended with a rich deep roast espresso and a dreamy fluffy tiramisu.  The dining experience left me reminiscing the evening’s tasty morsels… great food, excellent service, a beautiful setting and the finest of company… it was all very exquisite.  The magic continues today for both my deep love for Jeff and gnocchi.

Gnocchi Love

Why am I gushing about love?

Well, I’ll tell ya!

I’m part of this month’s blogHop, where the food blog community connects with other blogs to share recipes and spread the love.   This months bloghop is focusing on the wonderful Autumn harvest with the incredible lovable squash.

So for today…for this month’s bloghop we’re uniting in the name of #squashlove… Acorn Squash Gnocchi meet Candied Walnut Pesto

You are cordially invited to dinner…

Here’s what you’ll need

Squash Gnocchi

1 1/2 pounds acorn squash
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (additional for rolling out gnocchi)
2 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
4 tablespoons butter
2 garlic gloves, minced
salt & pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese, finely grated for topping

Candied Walnut Pesto

1 cup candied walnuts
1 cup arugula
6 sage leaves
3/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic gloves
2 tablespoons of acorn squash ( I added squash to blend the flavors with my homemade gnocchi)

For the Gnocchi

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Cut the acorn squash in half, scoop out seeds. Using a 1 tablespoon of butter, dollop into the center of squash, place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and place in oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 6 hours or overnight.  Reserve 2 tablespoons for pesto. (make ahead).

Squash Love

In a small sauce pan, heat the remaining butter, add minced garlic and chopped fresh sage, cook until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Place on a paper towel to drain excess oil. Set aside until ready to use.

For the Pesto

In a food processor, combine arugula, sage leaves, squash, candied walnuts, olive oil, garlic cloves and blend until a rich thick paste has been reached.  Remove and place in airtight container, refrigerate until ready to use. (make ahead).

Candied Walnut Pesto

Preparing Gnocchi

Peel and puree the acorn squash, place in food processor, add the sauteed sage and garlic, mixing well. Add the eggs, salt and pepper, mix well. Add the flour, a little at a time, stirring to combine all the ingredients. The gnocchi should be soft but not sticky, if sticky add a tablespoon of flour at a time until a soft consistency is reached.

Mixing the Gnocchi

Transfer to a work surface and knead briefly until smooth. Keep your work surface, tools, hands and dough lightly floured as you work. Roll 1 portion of dough into a 1/2 inch thick rope and sprinkle lightly with flour. Using a knife, cut the rope into 1/2 inch pieces. Layer Gnocchi on a lightly floured parchment-lined baking tray. Finish making the remaining Gnocchi. Freeze remaining gnocchi in layers on wax or parchment-lined freezer tray. Gnocchi may be frozen for a month. Cook from freezer—do not thaw.

Rolling out the Gnocchi

In a large pot of boiling salted water, preparing in 2 batches, cook the gnocchi for 15 to 17 minutes or until gnocchi floats to the surface.

Acorn Squash Gnocchi with Candied Walnut Pesto

Drain the cooked gnocchi and add them to the pan with the candied walnut pesto. Toss gently to coat.  Serve warm and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  (Gnocchi recipe adapted from Mario Batali)

You’re more than welcome to join us by simply adding your recipe at the end of this bloghop!

Baker Street | Anuradha : @bakerstreet29
Bloc De Recetas | Salomé : @blocderecetas
Bon à croquer | Valerie : @valouth
Cafe Terra Blog | Terra : @cafeterrablog
Cake Duchess | Lora : @cakeduchess
Elephant Eats | Amy 
Food Wanderings | Shulie : @foodwanderings
Hobby and More | Richa : @betit19
Georgie Cakes | Georgie : @georgiecakes
Mike’s Baking | Mike : @mikesbaking
Mis Pensamientos | Junia : @juniakk
My Twisted Recipes | Dudut : @mytwistedrecipe
No One Like Crumbley Cookies | T.R : @TRCrumbley
Queens Notebook | Elizabeth : @mango_queen
Simply Reem | Reem : @simplyreem
Skip To Malou | Malou : @malou_nievera
Teaspoon Of Spice | Serena : @tspcurry
The Daily Palette | Annapet : @thedailypalette
The Professional Palette | Regan : @profpalate
The Spicy RD | EA : @thespicyrd
Vegan Miam | Rika : @veganmiam

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 270 other followers