Food Lover's Odyssey

Tasting Venice - A Food Tour with Monica Cesarato

 

Another absolutely gorgeous day in Venice, and I had the great pleasure of spending the afternoon with Monica Cesarato, a Venetian and Venetian food afficianado. Monica writes a blog about Venice and owns and runs the Faronhof bed and breakfast, outside of Venice. She also is one of the two people who run Cook in Venice, where they offer Venetian cooking courses and food tours in Venice. Our plan for the afternoon was to eat a lot of cicheti. The day was so warm and sunny, we veered off course a little, walking along Zattere and stopping for a gelato (yes, it was that warm). Instead of just cicheti, I learned a lot more about the food in Venice.

 

 

 

Venetian Carnival Treats

Since it is Carnival time, we did a lot of talking about the fried foods treats of Carnival. I have seen the round "doughnuts"(frittelle) in five different variations. The three most typical are alla Veneziana (with rum soaked sultanas and pine nuts), filled with pastry cream, and filled with Zabajon (zabaglione). I've also seen them filled with cream chantilly (sweetened whipped cream). On our walk, we also found some filled with Nutella. There were also sliced apple rings dipped in frittelle batter and fried that I found at Tonolo Pasticceria. Lastly, there are Kraffen. These come from Austria and stayed in Venice after the Austrians left.

Fritelle with Zabaglione, Venetian Style, and with Pastry Cream

 

Fritelle with Nutella

 

Kraffen - (came with the Austrians) filled with pastry cream

 

Fried Apples Dipped in the Frittelle batter before frying

 

 

Venetian Sweets

On our walk, Monica also gave me a lesson on some of the other sweets that fill the pastry windows in Venice. One thing I noticed was that the same cookie were called different names in different pasticcerie windows. The Venetian dialect is still very strong in the city, and that's the reason for the two types of spelling for the same foods.

Zaletti (also Zaeti) Cookies

These cookies that are between are a sort of crunchy cake are made with corn flour, which gives them their yellow color. The name comes from Venetian dialect for yellow.

 

Bussola (also Bussolai) Cookies from Burano

Bussole are ring shaped shortbread cookies, with a little lemon zest added, and come from the island of Burano. I also saw these cookies with little chocolate chips in them. Monica told me she was a purist when it came to recipes, so I think she might not approve of the chocolate chip filled cookies, but they looked good this chocolate-chip cookie loving girl.

Pinza (also Pincia) - A kind of Bread Pudding

Monica explained Pinza as a kind of a bread pudding, made with corn flour, where you put whatever you have leftover into the mixture. This pinza had sultanas. She also suggested I buy a Venetian cookbook, A Toea coi Nostri Veci. It's traditional Venetian food. The only problem is that the book is written in Venetian dialect. (Monica, I'll be emailing you frequently for help ;-) I bought the book and plan to make and share several recipes from it.

 

Tiramisu

Of course, there is Tiramisu. We had a nice discussion about this dish, which is actually from Treviso (not Venice, but nearby). Monica, being the purist, said you cannot call it Tiramisu unless the eggs are raw. I knew I took liberties with my recipe, making a French bombe and cooking the eggs by whipping in cooked sugar, but she also didn't like my idea of adding melted chocolate to the espresso. Oh well, I might have to change the name of my recipe and make a new "original" version of tiramisu here.

 

Cicheti (cicchetti) and Ombra

Cicheti and Ombra are all the rage now, but at one time the person who went out for an ombra was considered a wino. Ombra means shadow. Legend has it that the little tumblers of wine that go with the finger food, known as cicheti, gets its name from the old wine sellers. They would move their barrels/carts to be under the shade, keeping the wine cool. Ombra can also be the "shade" or small bit of wine you get in those small tumblers.

Cicheti is another word that I've seen spelled two different ways. Monica let me know that cicheti (pronounced chee-keh-tee) is the Venetian spelling and cicchetti is the Italian spelling. Both are correct, and both are used throughout the city. We had cicheti at La Cantina Carbonera Vecia. Monica also gave me a list of other cicchetterie that she likes. I'll have more for you soon on all the cicheti I've been tasting.

 

Chocolate and Hazelnut Gelato from Nico

 

Carnival

During our walk, we also talked about Carnival in Venice. Monica reminisced that when she was younger everyone would be in costume. It's dress up for people of all ages. There were less of the extravagent costumes - those are furnished by many of the costume and mask stores in the city who pay the wearers to "pose" around St. Mark's Square. Not everyone was dressed up, but all ages were definitely participating.

One of the more extravagent costumes riding in a gondola

 

Adults in Costume on a Bridge in Venice

 

 

The youngsters posing and celebrating Carnival with confetti

 

Monica's personality is quite the opposite of the devil Carnival costume she had

 

Thanks again Monica for a wonderful afternoon and for all the information on Venetian food and Carnival in Venice!

 

 

 

Related Posts:

Frittelle, Hot Chocolate and Costumes - Welcome to Carnival in Venice

Snow one Day, Sun the Next - Carnival 2011 in Venice

Martedi Grasso- Fat Tuesday in Venice

Favorite Scene's and Costumes from Venice's Carnevale 2011in Photos

Italian Hot Chocolate

Italy in Chocolate at Turin's CioccolaTo Festival

Eurochocolate Perugia - Italy's Biggest Chocolate Festival

Cicheti and Ombra - Little Tastes of Venice

Best Ways to Savor Venice

A Lesson in Venetian Mask Making

Sfogi in Saor - Venetian Style Sole in Agrodolce

Tiramisu

Seven Sensational Gelaterie in Turin - Over 100 Scoops Later

 
 

Seven days sampling chocolate in Turin.  That was the plan. A chocoholics dream, right?  There was one problem. I had no appetite for chocolates. WHAT?!  Since when do I pass up chocolate?  The problem was that this California girl couldn’t take the heat nor the humidity, especially the humidity.  July in Italy is hardly the time to be sampling chocolate, especially during a heat wave.  I knew this.  My original plan was to be there now (in November) and letting hot chocolates and bicerins warm me from the fall weather.  I had been here before and took the Chocolate Pass tour.  I planned on delving even farther into the chocolate world of the city, but things got switched around, and I ended up in Italy in July.  Instead of changing my November plan to one that would work better with the summer climate, I stuck to one that had me in Turin in July. 

It was 40°C and a humidity level so high that if you were alive you were sweating. Far from any attractive "glisten" or "glow." No, this was the kind that drips from your jaw, chin, and fingertips and soaks through your clothes.  The kind that forms puddles in the space between eyelids and cheekbones and in the bends of your arms and knees.  It wasn't pretty.

This food lover had no appetite. Well, almost no appetite.  I did crave one thing……gelato, remembering that the gelato here was pretty good.  In the course of seven days, and at least 100 scoops later, I realized the gelato is sensational in Turin, dense and creamy and the flavors were intense and pure.  I’d have to say Turin's gelaterie rivals the best gelato in Rome, where people are making their Eat, Pray, Love gelato pilgrimages.  Hey pilgrims, you need to make your way up to Turin, too!

 

 

 

Here are seven sensational gelaterie in Turin, where I went back for seconds (and even thirds): 

The highest quality ingredients and a real pride for being artisans is the common thread with these gelato producers.  Great choices are the flavors of Piedmont - gianduja (milk chocolate/hazelnut combination born in Turin), hazelnut, and torroncino (like the Italian nougat candy).  Pistachio, dark chocolate (fondente), and seasonal fruits are also good choices. Looks like I had quite an appetite for chocolate after all.

 

Alberto Marchetti (aka AM) – corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 24 bis

High quality ingredients used to make some of the best gelato in the city.

 

Cremeria Ghigo – via Po, 52b 

Both a pasticceria (pastry shop) and gelateria, this is one of the oldest gelaterie in Turin. Top your gelato with their legendary panna (whipped cream)

 

Gatsby’s – via soleri 2

You’re getting a 3fer with Gatsby's.  Gatsby's owner also owns these other two places and serve the same gelato:

            Mokita – Piazza San Carlo

            Caffe Roma Gia Talmone – Piazza Carlo Felice

 

Pepino – Piazza Carignano

Another historic gelateria in Turin.  Don Pepino was born in Napoli (no wonder I like this place) and moved to Turin in 1884.  Pepino invented "il pinguino" (the penguin), the first gelato da passeggio (gelato for strolling/walking).  Plain (crema) gelato covered in chocolate and on a stick, the "Eskimo Pie." You can find "il pinguino" in other flavors: gianduja (chocolate & hazelnut), nocciola (hazelnut), caffe (coffee), viola (violet) and menta (mint)

 

Mondello – Piazza Emanuele Filiberto, 8

The owners of Mondello (named after the beach in Palermo) come from Sicily.  The specialties are the flavors of Sicily: pistachio, mandorla (almond), chocolate, Passito di Pantelleria (a sweet wine of Sicily made into gelato).  Don't forget to have the granite during the summer. They also make cannoli and cassata. The gelateria is in what's known as the "Palermo Quarter" of Turin, as many from Palermo move to Turin for work. 

 

Piu di un Gelato – via San Tommaso, 6

All the chocolate flavors are outstanding, as is the lemon.

 

GROM – 4 locations in Turin, the original and most centrally located is Piazza Paleocapa (near the Porta Nuova Train Station)

Highest quality organic products.  They now have their own farm and have 31 locations in Italy and 4 outside of Italy - one in Paris, New York, and coming to Malibu (yes, I'll be driving to LA for gelato).  The Piazza Paleocapa is its first location.  Every flavor is delicious.

 

 

 

 
 

I'm not really unhappy about the heatwave during my Turin stay.  I was able to taste a lot of gelato, have another reason to return to Turin, and I learned a few other things about travel in Italy:

When it’s 40° C anywhere and you’re one of the worst packers in the world, you should make sure your hotel/lodging is not at the top of a 200-meter climb.

The heat can beat the testadura (hard head - my mom’s nickname for me) right out of you.  After Turin I changed my itinerary to coastal travel until the heat wave let up.  **Note: It did take a few more episodes of heat exhaustion for me to thoroughly learn my lesson.  A later trip to Camogli and attempting a 3-hour hike with only a half liter of water was one of those episodes.

I would call gelato a life saver, as I'm sure it staved off any bouts with heat exhaustion while I was in Turin.

 

 

 

 

 

Related Posts:

Caramel Gelato and Favorite Gelaterie in Rome

Gianduja Budino and a Chocolate Pass in Turin

Everyone Should Eataly (Turin)

Tiramisu Cheesecake - A Perfect Italian-American Combination

 

Tiramisu Cheesecake - A Delicious Italian American Combination

 

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I joined my brother and his family for their first trip to Italy recently as their unofficial tour guide.  My first duty was to introduce them to one of the greatest food pleasures in Italy, a daily dose of gelato.  Both my nieces’ favorite gelato flavor, hands down, was Tiramisu.  The girls had included it in their daily gelato scoops. You might say I'm a bad influence, but there are so many worse habits you can have than needing a daily fix of gelato, right?

 

They were so in love with the Tiramisu gelato that they asked me if I could make a Tiramisu cheesecake when we got back to the U.S.  Funny that they didn’t just ask me to make Tiramisu gelato for them.  Cheesecake is one of my specialties, and one of their favorite desserts, so I didn’t think twice about their request.  When one of my niece’s birthdays rolled around, I made her this cheesecake.  It actually matched the creamy texture and flavor of the gelato very well; the cake is just a little denser.  This could be the perfect Italian-American combination.  The famous desserts of each country in one. 

When making a traditional Tiramisu dessert, I use rum, coffee, and a little melted chocolate for soaking the ladyfingers.  In this recipe, I played with a few combinations of liquor and liqueur.  When I used rum in the cheesecake, the rum flavor disappeared after it baked. All you could taste was coffee, and I didn't want to make a coffee cheesecake, but a Tiramsu one. I prefer how the creamy Bailey’s and coffee-flavored Kahlua combine with the espresso powder. Neither flavor, liqueur or coffee, overshadowed the other in the cheesecake, similar to the way those flavors are balanced in Tiramisu.

 

 

 

 

 Tiramisu Cheesecake
(makes one 9-inch cake)

For the crust:
1 ½ cups ground graham crackers
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
2 ½ pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
3 egg yolks, at room temperature
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons Kahlua
1 tablespoon Bailey’s Irish Cream
4 teaspoons espresso coffee powder

¼ cup chocolate shavings, for the garnish
Sweetened whipped cream, for the garnish

 

Preheat oven to 375ºF and butter the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan

Mix together the cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter.  Press into the spring form pan, going up the side of the pan only 1/4 inch.  Bake 8 minutes.  Cool completely.

 

Decrease oven temperature to 325ºF

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese until it’s smooth.  Add the sugar and mix together.  Add the eggs and yolks one at a time; mix each in before adding the next. Add the cornstarch and mix together. In a small bowl combine the Kahlua, Bailey’s and coffee powder and stir until the coffee powder has dissolved.  Add to the cream cheese mixture and mix together. 

Wrap two layers of aluminum foil around the sides of the spring form pan.  Pour the cheesecake filling into the pan on top of the cooled crust.  Bake in a water bath for 55-60 minutes.  The outer edges should be set and the center will still jiggle a little when you move it.  (The cake continues cooking after it’s removed from the oven.)  Cool for 30 minutes, then remove the spring form rim.  Cool completely, then place into the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, overnight is best. 

Right before serving, sprinkle the grated chocolate over the cheesecake and serve with whipped cream.  Buon Appetito!

 

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What is your favorite flavor of gelato? And, your favorite cheesecake?  Have you ever combined the two?

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Related Posts:

Tiramisu and Italian Sweets Weeks

Gianduja Nutella Cheesecake for World Nutella Day

Meyer Lemon Cheesecake and Recipe Sharing in Rome

Gianduja Budino and a Chocolate Pass in Turin

Torta Caprese - Flourless Chocolate Cake from Capri

Caramel Gelato and Favorite Gelaterie in Rome

Chocolate Eclairs: My Mom and Learning to Make Them

Caramel Gelato and Favorite Gelato Spots in Rome

 

  

When I’m in Italy, I can’t go a day without a cone of gelato.  I’ll let you in on a secret; sometimes, I even eat it twice a day.  I go through serious gelato withdrawals when I get back to the U.S.  Gelaterie aren’t as popular in the U.S., and quality ones are even harder to find. 

  

 

  

In Rome, you can find a gelateria every few feet, but not all are of equal quality.  Good gelaterie make their gelato on-site and use fresh, natural and organic products.   My favorite flavor is cioccolato fondente (dark chocolate), but it’s not normal to only order one flavor.  I usually combine it with caramel, gianduja (chocolate and hazelnut), stracciatella (chocolate chip), café or lampone (raspberry). I will go out of my for quality gelato, and usually found myself at one of these favorite five gelaterie while in Rome.

  

  

 

Giolitti (www.giolitti.it - via Uffici del Vicario 40 – north of the Pantheon) It’s over 100 years old and the favorite of native Romans.  The fruit flavors are very good.  They are open until 1:30AM for your late-night gelato cravings.

 

  

San Crispino (www.ilgelatodisancrispino.it – Villa della Panetteria 42 near the Trevi Fountain and Piazza della Maddalena 3 near the Pantheon) If Michelin stars were given to gelaterie, San Crispino would certainly receive three.  Two brothers dedicated to producing the best gelato, do.  They use the highest quality fresh ingredients and all natural ingredients.  They only serve their gelato only in cups because they believe that cones interfere with the flavor.

 

  

Della Palma (via della Maddalena 27 - north of the Pantheon) With 150 flavors and countless of them creamy chocolate combinations, this is a chocoholics dream gelateria.

 

  

Al Settimo Gelo (www.alsettimogelo.it - via Vodice 21A – near Piazza Mazzini and the Vatican) Ingredients are all natural, organic and fair trade.  The chocolate peperoncino is an excellent mix of chocolate and spice.

 

  

Gelateria Ara Coeli (www.gelateriaaracoeli.com - Piazza Ara Coeli 9 – near Piazza Venezia) They use Valrhona chocolate for their luscious chocolate gelato.  Their fruit flavors are bursting with the freshness of the fruit.  They also make desserts such as tiramisu, cassata and more.

 

 

  

What are your favorite gelato combinations? Where have you had the best gelato in Italy or in your country? 

  

 

Here’s a recipe for caramel gelato in case you’re also having gelato withdrawal and there’s not a gelateria every few feet in your neighborhood.  This recipe includes a caramel sauce that you can swirl in or serve on the side, or both.  The caramel mix-in gives it that much more of a caramel flavor and a texture combination. 

  

 

  

Caramel Sauce for Mix In

(makes about 1 1/2 cups)

 

 

1 1/4 cup (250 grams) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (60 ml) water

1 cup (225 ml) heavy cream

 

 

Over high heat, heat the sugar and water in a heavy-bottom sauce pan that is at least triple the height of the sugar and water mixture.  In another saucepan, heat the cream, just to take the chill from it.  Do not stir the sugar mixture or the sugar will crystallize.  You can swirl it slowly to make sure the sugar is cooking evenly. 

  

 Once the sugar mixture is a deep amber color and just starts to smoke, remove from the heat.  Immediately whisk in the cream, a little at a time (this will stop the caramel from cooking further).  The mixture will bubble up quite a bit.  Once all the cream has been whisked in, return to medium heat and continue stirring until caramel has dissolved.  Set aside.

 

  

Caramel Gelato

(makes about 2 1/2 cups)

 

 

1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (60 ml) water

2 cups (450 ml) heavy cream

1 cup (225 ml) whole milk

 

 

Over high heat, heat the sugar and water in a heavy-bottom saucepan that is at least triple the height of the sugar and water mixture.  In another saucepan, heat the milk and cream, just to take the chill from it.  Do not stir the sugar mixture or the sugar will crystallize.  You can swirl it slowly to make sure the sugar is cooking evenly. 

  

 Once the sugar mixture is a deep amber color and just starts to smoke, remove from the heat.  Immediately whisk in the cream, a little at a time (this will stop the caramel from cooking further).  The mixture will bubble up quite a bit.  Once all the cream has been whisked in, return to medium heat and continue stirring until caramel has dissolved. 

  

 Strain and chill in a bain marie.  Once cool, process in an ice cream/gelato machine according to your machine’s directions.  Once you’ve processed the gelato, drizzle in the caramel sauce and mix in.  Freeze until ready to serve. 

  

  

Related Posts:

  

Best Picnic Spots and Picnic Fare in Rome

  

Food in Rome - Taste of Testaccio is Offal

  

Roman Pasta Dishes and 10 Places to Eat Them in Rome

 

Pizza al Taglio at Pizzarium in Rome

 

Seven Sensational Gelaterie in Turin - After More than 100 Scoops

 

If It's Tuesday, I Must Be Eating Gelato in Rome

  

Best Ways to Savor Venice

 

If it's Tuesday I Must be in Rome and Eating Gelato

I said au revoir to Paris, and became the unofficial tour guide for my brother's family's first trip to Italy.  They were here for only 12 days because getting my brother to take a long vacation is harder than getting a French person to speak English.  After our mad dash through Italy, I've come up for air and have a few funny food tales to share, starting in Rome.

In Rome, I was attacked by a group in red hats.  No, I didn’t yell “Viva Berlusconi!” in the middle of a Communist Party protest against him. It was WORSE! 

I cut in front of a group of French children at the Giolitti gelato shop. (I guess it's only when the French are out of France that they abide by the standing in line/waiting your turn rule.) There so many of these little red hat-wearing children, pressing against one another and into the cashier's stand to pay for their gelati.  Each one was trying to pay for his or her cone of gelato individually.  And, each one was pondering whether they wanted a cone or cup, a piccolo, medio,  or grande before handing the money to the weary cashier.  

I knew exactly what I wanted and casually slid my 3 euros on the counter for my medium cone.  When suddenly, this little person in a red hat growled, “Madame, vous etes après nous!” And, after that an echo of “Oui, oui, Madame!” rose up from the sea of red hats below me.   I thought fast though, and feigned ignorance, giving a shrug and looking at the frazzled cashier as if to say, "What do they mean, I'm after them?"  The cashier smiled, and quickly gave me my receipt. 

I hurried away from the angry looking faces in line only to be met by another onslaught of red hats at the gelato counter.  The poor gelato scooper looked even more harried than the cashier.  He was working frantically to get everyone their scoops and usher the served customers outside.  From underneath many of the hats,  I heard, “Chocolate, no caramel, no bacio.  Uhm, maybe a fruit flavor instead.”  I looked at the scooper just as he was raising his arms in disgust and shaking his head at the impossible task before him. 

The first rule in ordering gelato in Italy is: Don't make your gelato scooper angry.  Scoop size has little to do with the small, medium, and large posted on the signs.  No, the amount of gelato you receive is directly related to the mood of your gelato scooper.  These kids not only broke the rule, they messed it up for all gelato buyers for the rest of that day. 

In any case, I ordered my usual, cioccolato fondente (dark chocolate) and stracciatella (chocolate chip), even giving a tip before they scooped it.   I'm not sure that it helped, but the gelato was creamy, rich and refreshing.  

I may have left the land of pastries in Paris, but I think a gelato a day will make up for it.  Since Giolitti is close to the Pantheon, I sat behind its columns looking onto the piazza, and ate my first of what will surely be many gelatos in Italy.