Palmabella's Passions

This recipe is from Tartine by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson

I made the Frangipane Cream before leaving for Slow Bowl, and thawed a disk of flaky tart pastry the night before. In the morning I had a warm frangipane-raspberry tart.

1 unbaked 9" tart shell of Flaky Tart Dough

1 t. salt
2/3 c. very cold water
3 c. + 2 T. flour
1 cup + 5 T. cold unsalted butter

Dissolve salt in cold water. Keep chilled until ready to use. In a food processor, measure flour into bowl. Cut butter into small pieces and scatter over flour. Pulse briefly until butter is the size of peas. Add salt-water mixture and pulse until dough comes together. (You will still see some chunks of butter.) Divide into two balls, wrap in plastic wrap, flatten into disks and chill for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. Keep extra disk of dough in the freezer for when you need it!

2 cups sliced almonds
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. + 2 T. unsalted butter
pinch of salt
4 t. brandy (optional)
2 large eggs
2 T. whole milk

1 pint raspberries

In a food processor, combine almonds and 1/4 c. of the sugar until finely ground. Set side.

In mixer bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add remaining 3/4 c. sugar and beat until fluffy. Add almond-sugar mixture and combine. Add salt, brandy and one egg. Beat until combined. Add remaining egg and milk and beat until fluffy. (May keep in air-tight container in fridge for up to a week.)

Roll out tart dough and place a tart pan, with bottom removed onto a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Pre-heat oven to 375. Place rolled circle of dough in tart pan, trimming edges. Pour in frangipane cream, smoothing top. Top with washed and dried berries. Bake tart about an hour, until filling is set, brown and crust is cooked. Transfer warm tart to a plate. Serve warm or at room temp.

They are ALL over my kitchen and dining room!

We really enjoyed our recent visit with Jerry and Paul! Luigi instantly bonded when receiving a giant lobster toy with 4 squeakers, and treats.

Sunday evening after a Santa Barbara brunch and long drive home from Slow Bowl, we grazed on cheeses, salami, dips and desserts during the end of the Super Bowl.

Monday we began the "Foodie Shopping Marathon" with visits to the Savory Spice Shop, Williams-Sonoma, the new Olive Oil shop (Olive a Sudden), and Brandini Toffee. After I was treated to lunch out, I went off to do my therapy group, and the boys hit Trader Joe's, Bristol Farms and See's Candy! They are GREAT shoppers!

Monday night, we had good wines, salad, lasagna, garlic bread and dessert at home.

Tuesday, the guys were off and running to Sam's Club, Costco and Khols before some good Mexican food for lunch:

Next we stopped at Super Target and the Sheild's Date Garden. EVERYTHING fit in their luggage, and we had a leisurely dinner at Pizza Vino. Calamari, bread with dipping oil started us off:

Paul tried the home made fennel sausage:

The rest of us sampled pizze: Prosciutto-Spinach for Brad, Burrata-Fungi for Jerry, and
Gorgonzola-Apple-Rapini for me:

After dinner, we relaxed and planned future trips and visits! What great house guests!

Taking a stress break:

Wine Tasting at Palmina:

Learning about Tessa Marie wine:

Flatbread pizza night! Then gelato! YUM!

Old and New Friends!

All of our prep took place in our hotel room that had a full kitchen. Here are dessert plates ready to go on the extra bed:

Behind the scenes with the cocoa powder stencil:

Here we are lined up for service:

Dessert included a chocolate-dipped "North Beach Cannoli", a Nutella Mousse Parfait garnished with Hazelnut Crunch, a Triple Layer Cookie Bar with toffee shortbread, caramel, Ghiardelli chocolate, and sprayed edible gold, and a red heart chocolate IN San Francisco!

Dessert was served with Lou and Jane's Buena Vista Irish Coffee:

Nutella Mousse Parfaits: Palma
8 oz. mascarpone cheese (room temp)

1 c. Nutella
1/2 cup Nutella for melting

1 1/2 c. cold heavy whipping cream

1/2 t. espresso powder

1 T. Frangelico Liquore or hazelnut extract

Place 1 cup Nutella and espresso powder in a bowl in microwave, and heat in 10 second intervals, stirring until smooth. Beat with mascarpone cheese until smooth. Melt
remaining 1/2 c. Nutella and set aside.
Whip cream until soft peaks form. Add Frangelico, and beat a few seconds longer until Frangelico is incorporated. Fold Nutella-mascarpone mixture into whipped cream and spoon into small cups or glasses. Alternate layers of mousse and melted Nutella.

Praline Chocolate Crunch: Elizabeth Falkner

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups blanched hazelnuts, toasted
1 teaspoon hazelnut or vegetable oil
4 ounces dark chocolate (do not exceed 72% cacao), chopped
4 ounces high-quality milk chocolate (such as Lindt or Scharffen Berger), chopped
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 3/4 cup puffed rice cereal or crushed cornflakes

Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Stir sugar and 1/3 cup water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and cook without stirring, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until amber in color, 7–8 minutes. Stir in hazelnuts, then pour onto 1 prepared sheet, separating nuts. Let cool.
Transfer candied nuts to a food processor. Add hazelnut oil and purée until smooth to make praline paste.
Combine both chocolates and 3 T. praline paste in a medium metal bowl (reserve remaining praline paste for praline mousse layer). Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in salt, then cereal. Spread out in a thin layer (about 1/8") on second pre-pared baking sheet. Chill until set, about 30 minutes

Chocolate-dipped Cannoli with Orange-Ricotta Filling: Tyler Florence
12 mini cannoli shells
12 oz. chocolate

Filling:
1 lb. good-quality ricotta cheese

8 oz powdered sugar

1 tsp fresh orange zest

3 oz. chopped citron (candied orange peel)

2 t. vanilla

Melt chocolate over a double boiler and dip half of each cannoli shell in the chocolate. Allow any excess chocolate to drip off then lay shells out on a waxed paper-lined tray to set while you prepare the filling.

For the filling:
Line a colander with muslin, add the ricotta and let drain until very dry. Squeeze out any excess moisture in muslin. Place the ricotta into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on high for 5 to 7 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add sugar, orange zest, chopped candied orange peel and vanilla, then mix on medium until just combined. Place the filling into a piping bag and fill chocolate dipped cannoli with the mixture. Serve as soon as possible.

Ghiardelli-Toffee-Caramel Bars: Palma

For the shortbread:

1 pound (4 sticks) butter

3 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup Rice flour (found in Asian section of any market)

One package Heath Toffee Chips

Cream butter and sugar. Stir together 2 kinds of flour and add half at a time. Add toffee
chips. Form six balls of dough and spread in a jelly roll pan. Flatten evenly with hands.
Prick all over with fork. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Let cool thoroughly on a wire rack.

For the caramel layer:
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups packed brown sugar

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter

6 tablespoons golden syrup

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

For the chocolate layer:
12 ounces Ghiardelli semisweet chocolate chips

For the caramel layer:
In a medium saucepan, add condensed milk, brown sugar, butter, syrup and salt.  Heat over medium-low heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves.
Bring mixture to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture darkens and reaches 237 degrees F. on a candy thermometer.
Remove from the heat, and whisk in vanilla. Pour mixture evenly over the cooled shortbread crust.

Immediately sprinkle chocolate over hot caramel layer, and spread. Cool. Cut into bars.
Keep in fridge. Optional: Spray with edible gold

Buena Vista Irish Coffee (recipe copied from Buena Vista brochure, 1950's)

"Irish Coffee...the drink of music and magic...was conceived by Joe Sheridan at Shannon Airport. Stan Delaplane brought it back to San Francisco with him. The Buena Vista serves it, just as it is served in Shannon and using the perfect 7-year old, pot still, Irish whiskey. Try it and taste for yourself." (Buena Vista, 2765 Hyde St., San Francisco)

1. Pre-heat glass with very hot water. Fill and let stand a few seconds, then empty.
2. Fill glass three-fourths full of hot, black coffee before glass has cooled. Drop three cocktail cubes of sugar into coffee.
3. Stir until dissolved completely.
4. Add full jigger of Irish whiskey for correct taste and body.
5. By pouring over a spoon, top with a head of lightly whipped whipping cream.
6. .....your Irish coffee is ready to enjoy-serve to your guests while piping hot.