Read Margherita's Notebook Online
Authors: Elisabetta Flumeri,Gabriella Giacometti
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or as needed
5
1
/
2
ounces (150 g) cold butter
5 medium apples, peeled and sliced (you can use 5 different types of apples, which will result in different textures)
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the brown sugar, hazelnuts, salt, and cinnamon. Take the butter straight from the refrigerator and use your hands to blend it with the other ingredients until the mixture becomes crumbly (that's why it's called Apple Crumble!).
2. Grease a baking dish, pour in the apples, and cover them with the crumble. Bake until the apples are bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Serve it with custard in the winter, and with vanilla ice cream in the summer. It's also delicious with whipped cream or crème fraîche.
Makes 20 cookies
3
1
/
2
ounces (100 g) hazelnuts
3
1
/
2
ounces (100 g) granulated sugar
3
1
/
2
ounces (100 g) all-purpose flour
3
1
/
2
ounces (100 g) butter
Zest of 1 orange
3 ounces (85 g) dark chocolate
Confectioners' sugar, as needed
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Shell the hazelnuts. Lay them on a cookie sheet and bake until they smell nutty and are lightly browned, about 12 minutes. To remove any excess skin, wrap the nuts in paper towel and lightly rub them together.
2. Grind the hazelnuts and the granulated sugar in a food processor. Combine the mixture with the flour, butter, and orange zest. Form the dough into 40 small, perfectly round balls. Place the balls on a baking sheet and flatten them so that they resemble mini-domes. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Bake the cookies for 20 to 30 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool (otherwise they might crumble).
4. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Dip the flat side of each cookie in the chocolate. Join two mini-domes so that they form a ball. Make sure the parts stick together. Dust with confectioners' sugar.
Serves 4
3
1
/
2
ounces (100 g) dark chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons coffee
Pat of butter
2 large eggs, separated
Pinch of chili powder
1 teaspoon confectioners' sugar
1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Add the coffee and stir to eliminate any lumps. When the mixture is smooth, remove it from the heat, stir in the butter and then the egg yolks. Mix thoroughly. Add the chili powder. Chill the chocolate cream.
2. Beat the egg whites until stiff, then gently fold in the confectioners' sugar. Slowly fold the egg whites into the chocolate cream, careful to bring the mixture up and over. Spoon the mousse into small dessert bowls and cool in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. The mousse is excellent served with whipped cream.
Serves 6
Olive oil, as needed
9 ounces (250 g) couscous
7 tablespoons oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3
/
4
ounce (20 g) butter
20 mussels, cleaned to remove any grit
11 ounces (300 g) baby clams
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1
/
2
cup (120 ml) white wine
7 ounces (200 g) medium shrimp
2 garlic cloves
5
1
/
2
ounces (150 g) squid, cleaned and cut into rounds
7 ounces (200 g) cherry tomatoes, diced
Salt and pepper
7 ounces (200 g) peas (preferably fresh, but you can use frozen peas)
Chives, chopped
1. Bring 1
1
/
4
cups (300 ml) of lightly salted water and 2 tablespoons of oil to a boil. Pour in the couscous and use a spoon to blend it, then allow it to rest for 2 minutes. Add a few pats of butter and stir with a fork to break up any lumps.
2. In a saucepan, sauté the onion and peas in 1 tablespoon of oil. Cook the mussels in one pan, and the baby clams with the parsley and white wine in another. Strain the cooking water and set it aside. Cook the shrimp in boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes.
3. In a large saucepan, heat 4 tablespoons of oil, the garlic, squid, tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the sautéed onions, the peas, and water used to cook the shrimp, a little at a time. Allow all the ingredients to stew for a few minutes, then add the couscous and mix thoroughly. Drizzle with oil if necessary, and sprinkle with chives.
Serves 4
2
1
/
4
pounds (1 kg) fresh squid
1 cup (240 ml) white wine
1 sprig rosemary
1
/
2
organic lemon
Salt, as needed
3 large eggplants
1
3
/
4
ounces (50 ml) olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Pepper
Pinch of chili powder
1 tablespoon capers
1 sprig marjoram, chopped
1 sprig parsley, chopped
3
1
/
2
ounces (100 g) lamb's lettuce
1. Boil the squid in a large pot with 3 liters/quarts of water and a cork so that the squid stays tender. Add the wine, rosemary, and lemon. Lightly salt and allow it to cook for 40 minutes. Then turn off the heat and leave the squid in the water for another 30 minutes.
2. Slice the eggplants lengthwise and cut into strips. Drain the squid (save some of the cooking water for later) and chop it into 1- to 2-inch (3 to 4 cm) pieces. Wrap each piece of squid in a strip of eggplant. Use a toothpick to hold the roll together. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a
skillet, add the rolls, and brown for a few minutes, turning them as necessary, until the eggplant is well cooked. Add the vinegar, cooking water (strained), salt, pepper, chili powder, capers, marjoram, and parsley. Serve with salad.
Makes 20
2 pounds (1 kg) white potatoes
1
/
3
cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 dl) milk
3
/
4
ounce (20 g) butter
1
/
2
teaspoon nutmeg, or as needed
Salt
7 ounces (200 g) goat cheese
3
/
4
ounce (20 g) pitted black olives, chopped
Bread crumbs, as needed
Oil, as needed
1. Boil the potatoes. When they're soft (but not mushy), peel them and pass them through a vegetable mill. Heat the milk, add the mashed potatoes, keeping the heat low, then gradually add the milk and butter, stirring constantly. When the puree is creamy, add salt and grated nutmeg. Finally, add the goat cheese and olives.
2. Shape the mixture into small croquettes, dredge them in bread crumbs, and fry them in a generous amount of oil until they are golden brown. Drain off any excess oil on paper towels.
Serves 4
1 (4- to 4
1
/
2
-pound/2 kg) duck
1 large piece fresh ginger, chopped
2 spring onions, chopped
2 chile peppers, chopped
2 tablespoons peanut oil
4 tablespoons black peppercorns
2 tablespoons rice wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3
1
/
2
ounces (100 g) maltose
1. Wash the duck with boiling water in order to close up all the pores in the skin. This will make the skin thin and crisp when cooked. Chop off the tips of the wings and the feet, burn any feathers off the skin, and remove the giblets. Make a small incision in the neck and remove the trachea and the esophagus. Or you can ask your butcher to do this for you. Tie the duck around the neck and hang it over a colander with a bowl underneath it.
2. Ladle salted boiling water over the duck while turning it around completely (all the pores in the skin will close up!). Repeat this at least three times. Then let the duck hang for 3 to 4 hours, until it is perfectly dry (if it's very fresh, you'll have to leave it hanging overnight).
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Sauté the ginger, onions, and chile peppers in the oil until brown. Toast the peppercorns in a wok or small skillet, then crush the peppercorns using a mortar and pestle and add the pepper to the vegetables. Add the rice wine and heat, stirring, until it has evaporated. Add the soy sauce to taste. Spoon the sauce over the duck, then roast the duck in the oven for 15 minutes.
4. Dissolve the maltose in
1
/
2
cup of boiling water. Remove the duck from the oven and baste it thoroughly with a pastry brush. Turn the duck over, baste the other side, and return it to the oven for 15 minutes. Repeat so that the lacquer will be perfect. A duck weighing 4 to 4
1
/
2
pounds (2 kg) will take 2 hours to cook, so you will need to baste it seven times.
5. When the duck is a nice golden color, it's ready. Turn off the oven and let the duck rest for 15 minutes.
Serves 6
2 cups (470 ml) heavy cream
5 large meringue cookies
14 ounces (400 g) dark chocolate, chopped
Strawberries
1. Whip the cream until firm. Crumble the meringues and stir them into the whipped cream. Add
1
/
4
cup dark chocolate bits to the mixture. Pour the mixture into a mold and place it in the freezer for 2 hours.
2. When you're ready to serve, remove the meringue mixture from the freezer. Unmold the semifreddo. Melt the rest of the chocolate in a double boiler and pour it over the semifreddo. Garnish with a few strawberries.
Makes 4 cakes
3
1
/
2
ounces (100 g) graham crackers
1
3
/
4
ounces (50 g) butter
7 ounces (200 g) cream cheese
Strawberry jam
Strawberries
In a food processor, blend the graham crackers and butter. Line 4 ramekins with tin foil, then line them with the butter and graham cracker mixture. Place the ramekins in the freezer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, use a hand mixer to whip the cream cheese. Remove the ramekins from the freezer and fill them with the whipped cream cheese. Decorate each one with strawberry jam and slices of strawberry on top.
Serves 6
Zest of 1 orange
5
1
/
2
ounces (150 g) sugar
1
3
/
4
ounces (50 g) potato starch
2 large eggs
9 ounces (250 g) fresh-squeezed orange juice (strained to remove any pulp)
1
3
/
4
ounces (50 g) butter
In a food processor, grind the orange zest with the sugar, then transfer the mixture to a saucepan. Add the potato starch and mix thoroughly to prevent any lumps from forming. Beat the eggs with
1
/
4
cup (60 ml) of water. Slowly add the orange juice, followed by the beaten eggs. Cook over low heat for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly. Make sure it doesn't boil. When the cream coats the spoon, add the butter, mix thoroughly, and allow the cream to cool.
Serves 4
1 orange
Scant
1
/
4
cup (50 ml) orange liqueur
4 large eggs, separated
7 ounces (200 g) sugar
1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
Wash the orange, grate the rind, and soak the zest in the orange liqueur. Squeeze the orange and pass the juice through a strainer to remove the seeds and any pulp. Beat the egg yolks and sugar, then add the liqueur with the orange juice and continue to beat until creamy. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Whip the heavy cream. Gently fold the whipped cream into the orange cream, bringing the mixture up and over so it won't collapse. Carefully fold in the beaten egg whites. Pour the mixture into small bowls. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Top with a slice of orange without the rind.
Serves 4
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons sifted flour
7 ounces (200 g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1
/
2
cup (120 ml) milk
3
/
4
cup plus 2 tablespoons (200 ml) heavy cream
Pinch of salt
1
3
/
4
ounces (50 g) butter
4 celery ribs, chopped
Sprig of parsley, finely chopped