A Fool For April's Fool

What better dessert for today and for the rest of Spring than a fool.This traditionally English dessert is easy to make and a great way for both kids and adults to eat fruit.As the season progresses you can have fresh strawberry, peach or blueberry fool.This is a treat that can also be varied and amped up. Fools have been around since the time of the Plantagenets and got into full gear during Elizabeth I's reign.It's an easy dessert (and I'm surprised it's not common here in the States, given its' easiness). The name possibly could come from the Old French word fouler to crush ,but it's not certain.It's is the perfect dessert for a neophyte cook who is trying to impress. Slice any kind of fruit into small pieces and cook with sugar until semi soft.Fold into already whipped cream ,swirling the fruit mixture into pretty whorls.The English still use currants and gooseberries which tints the cream a lovely deep purple with strands of lavender.The original recipe also says you can use apples but berries work the best.Strawberries are good as are blueberries however you can also try blackberries for more bite or raspberries for a more mellow flavor.Peaches are also good too. You may want to spike them with some sweet white wine when cooking them.Rhubarb is also puller although it does require a lot of cooking and sugar Fools can also be varied in ingredients. a traditional fool may have just custard or a blend of custard and cream well mixed so it's light and airy.What I would do is make zabaglione and stir in fresh cut strawberries or blackberries ,letting these cook as the custard cooks.Don't add overly sweet fruit to this Italian classic.It's already sweet from the sugar and Marsala already added.One of the best British dessert is Eton mess.It originally served at Eton during the summer cricket games, this is mix of meringues,broken into a strawberry fool.You can try this too with chocolate snaps( those one you use for that easy refrigerator log) .For the cream.whip in shaved dark chocolate to the cream.You can also add a surprise layer of homemade fudge sauce too.Again,if you're making this ,stick with cherries,strawberries or raspberries. Make a yummy fool. Not just for today but for the days ahead.Spring will give us some of the best fruit.Use it in a light and airy dessert , perfect for the warm days ahead.

A Better Brunch

Brunches are supposed to be sophisticated affairs yet it seems both home chefs and restaurants still are stuck in the 1950s or 1960s.There are the same old dishes, namely gooey Eggs Benedict and omelets stuffed with soggy veggies and gummy cheeses.It's time to actually serve sophisticated foods made with ingredients suited more for lunch and dinner. David Tanis tackled this problem in his column in yesterday's A City Kitchen column in The Wednesday New York Times Dining section. Brunches both in and out have become pallid affairs.There's no imagination anymore.People ,brunch lovers and even foodie's aren't craving change or any new ideas.This is sad..Mr.Tanis tries to remedy this with spins on classic dishes, even throwing in a variation of a classic Italian dessert.The meal should also be pushed up half an hour to better be classified as more of a weekend lunch.It should also reflect the season.Summer lunches may mean grilled fish with a side of fresh herbs gracing a freshly picked salad . Fall and winter lunches should have a long simmered braised along with featuring the produce of the season. Mr Tanis gives us a truly Spring like lunch.It's great for now or for later on in the season ,perfect for an outdoor gathering.He starts off with a bright and sunny citrus salad , spiked with bubbly Prosecco.(think of this as an homage to that classic brunch libation the mimosa)It is graced with grapefruit ,and Meyer lemon sang with three kinds of oranges, blood, navel and the new Cara Cara.Sugar and almonds are added for sweetness and crunch with a dressing of Prosecco.The main dish is egg free, with it being a crab linguine with creme fraiche.It has mustard and green chile to shake things up.For dessert, it,s a play on the frothy zabaglione.This time it's frozen and espresso flavored. It also has a dash of Cognac along with cocoa powder.It's a great and surprisingly light end for a light meal.Prosecco should be served from beginning to end of the meal instead of mixed drinks. A weekend brunch or lunch should not be weighed down with heaviness.Indulge in good but different than the norm ingredients for something special as well as unique.It will make for a memorable weekend lunch for family or friends.

Piedmonte''s Fall Feast

One of the best places to be in autumn is Piedmonte in the northwestern corner of Italy. This is where fall comes to life, with bright colors and bountiful harvests.It''s also a time for the dishes of the season , both hearty and delicate.

Truffles usher in the change of season and they are abundant in the specifically designated forest lands.These fungi , the diamonds of the food world, are used in pasta dishes as well as in flavoring oil and make a fine meal on a crisp October Sunday. Another cool weather favorite is bagna calda,literally hot bathin both the French influnced dialect and Italian.This is a savory and addictive blend of anchovies , butter and olive oil. cooked with garlic to create a bubbling sauce. Various veggies form mushrooms to Savoy cabbage are dipped into it and cooked. London Broil or any steak can also be cut up and the pieces cooked in it. The highlight however is soaking chunks of Italian bread in the sauce and then devouring them.

Fall desserts in the Turino and surrounding countryside are also wonderful. The Piedmontese are fond of fritters an make them using apples or even chestnut flour.Zabaglione or sabayon, a rich egg yolk custard made with Marsala wine often finishes a meal. The best dessert, though, is bonet, literally bonnet, a tasty treat harking back to the Renaissance,This is a slow baked creme caramel, made with crushed amaretto cookies , along with rum and cocoa powder.It can be made without the chocolate powder to emulate the original 15th Century recipe. The name means "hat' and could refer to the dessert's shape or that fact that like a hat it's the last thing considered. Either way it's a lovely dessert , served with espresso.

Piedmonte is beautiful in the fall. It is full of colors, flavors and aromas of good food. This is the season to enjoy it and its rich, culinary history.

Delicate and Cool Peach Dishes

Peaches are one of those warm weather treats that work well in every dessert.They are sweet but not overpowering ,juicy ,but not so much.The Italians know what to do with them especially during these sweltering times.Turn them into cool and elegant desserts, perfect ends to a summer 's late supper. Dave Tanis explored this in yesterday's City Kitchen column in yesterday's New YorkTimes Dining section.He has a couple of recipes perfect for the current crop.The first is the sheerly simple bath in red wine.Use a medium red wine along with sugar.For bite Mr. tanis gives the fillip of freshly ground black pepper along with Ginger and nutmeg.This cuts down on the sugar and makes the dish thoroughly refreshing.You can add a few blackberries ,as the recipe suggests, for color and variety. The second ish is a bit more labor intensive but still tasty.It is the absolutely heavenly zabaglione mixed with the peaches.Zabaglione or sabayon as the Piedmontese call it , is an ethereal blend of egg yolks,sugar and Marsala wine.This is whipped into a froth as it cooks in a bain marie or double boiler.The custard is then poured into individual frappé or coupe dishes.The peaches are layered on top until they lightly sink in. This is the time for ripe , juicy peaches.Try them in an elegant Italian style either with a cold spiced wine bath or gracing a dessert glass of sabayon.These are two ,chic yet simple ways to have this gem of the season.

Italian Harvest Season

yesterday was Columbus Day and I had forgotten to mention it in this blog. It's nice to have one day dedicated to Italian cooking however the entire month of October should be devoted to it. This is the season for truffles in the north and various grape harvests throughout The Republic. It's the season for hearty pasta dishes and delicious vegetable rich soups.

Italy offers a wide range of flavors during the autumn. Truffles are prime for the picking right now in my family's Piedmont, especially around Torino and the smaller wine towns of Asti and Alba. This are delicious shaved over risotto or polenta. They're also pressed into oil which is a great addition to any pasta or meat dish. The autumn is also a time for rich brodos , meat broths filled with pastas and late season tomatoes. This is also the time for pumpkin soup popular around western Piedmonte. it's so deliciously thick and flavorful, redolent with the gourd along with onions chicken broth and milk. It's perfect for those cool evenings when you want something satisfying and warming.

Italian harvest include fruits as well. There are the light delicate apple fritters that go well after a brunch to the raspberry and plum laden crostatas. these are buttery crusted tarts that have been filled usually with fruits and an almond paste. It's also the season to put away the gelati and make zablalione, that frothy concoction of egg yolks, sugar and Marsala wine.

The entire month of October should belong to Italy, and not just one day. This is the month where kitchens abound with the all sorts of fruits and vegetables. Its the season to appreciate nature's bounties and good recipes.