Fennel & mascarpone risotto with scallops

For ➍
50 g butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 fennel bulbs, heads finely sliced
300 g risotto rice, such as carnaroli
30 cl white wine
1.2 litres vegetable stock, hot
1 tbs olive oil
80 g prosciutto, cut into thin strips
12 fresh scallops ('diver caught', if possible), corals detached
3 tbs chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
4 tbs mascarpone

Melt the butter in a large, deep frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook gently for 8 m, until softened. Add the garlic and fennel and cook for a further 5 m. Add the rice and stir until coated in butter, then add the wine and bubble for 2-3 m.
Add the stock, a few ladlefuls at a time, stirring in each addition until absorbed. Keep ladling and stirring until the stock is used up and the rice is al dente but creamy – this will take about 20 minutes at a gentle simmer. Check the seasoning, cover and allow to rest for 2-3 m.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan, then add the prosciutto and fry for 1 minute or until crisp. Remove with tongs and set aside. When the pan is hot, add the white parts of the scallops and season in the pan. Cook for 1 me each side or until lightly golden, then add the corals and cook for 30 s. Remove from the heat. Stir the parsley and mascarpone into the rice.
To serve, divide the risotto between 4 bowls, top with the crispy prosciutto, scallops and their corals, and season with black pepper.

Read tip on cooking scallops. Read tip on cooking rissoto.

Fennel & mascarpone risotto with prosciutto

For ➍
50 g butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 fennel bulbs, heads finely sliced*
300 g risotto rice, such as carnaroli
30 cl white wine
1.2 litres vegetable stock, hot
1 tbs olive oil
80 g prosciutto, cut into thin strips
3 tbs chopped fresh flatleaf parsley**
4 tbs mascarpone
mace

Melt the butter in a large, deep frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook gently for 8 m, until softened. Add the garlic and fennel and cook for a further 5 m*. Add the rice and stir until coated in butter, then add the wine and bubble for 2-3 m. [Add some ground mace during cooking to enhance the taste.
Add the stock, a few ladlefuls at a time, stirring in each addition until absorbed. Keep ladling and stirring until the stock is used up and the rice is al dente but creamy – this will take about 20 minutes at a gentle simmer. Check the seasoning, cover and allow to rest for 2-3 m.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan, then add the prosciutto and fry for 1 minute or until crisp. Remove with tongs and set aside. When the pan is hot, add the white parts of the scallops and season in the pan. Cook for 1 me each side or until lightly golden, then add the corals and cook for 30 s. Remove from the heat. Stir the parsley and mascarpone into the rice.
To serve, divide the risotto between 4 bowls, top with the crispy prosciutto, scallops and their corals, and season with black pepper.

*Steam or microwave the sliced fennel until half-done. Add for 15 m to cooking.
**Or chop the fennel fronds.

Read tip on cooking rissoto.
Read a similar recipe with scallops.

Japanese cotton soft cheesecake

For ➑
225 cream cheese (room temperature)*
10 cl milk
5 large eggs (room temperature)
¼ tbs cream of tartar (or baking soda)
60 g sugar + 60 g sugar
60 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 tbs lemon juice
30 g all-purpose flour
2 tbs cornstarch
20 cm round springform pan

Line the bottom and sides of the springform pan with parchment paper. Wrap the springform pan with several sheets of foil, sealing it completely.
Fill a large baking pan halfway with water. Place it in the oven on the lowest rack. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
Separate the eggs and place the egg whites into a mixing bowl and the yolks into a measuring cup.
Beat egg whites on low speed for 30 s. Increase the speed to medium low and beat for another 30 s or until foamy. Add the cream of tartar. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until the egg whites just start to thicken. Add 60 g of sugar gradually. Continue beating until the egg whites reach the soft peaks stage, approximately 3 m.
In a separate bowl, add the cream cheese and milk. Mix on low speed until creamy and smooth (approximately 2-3 m). Add the butter, 60 g sugar and lemon juice and beat for 1 m. Add the flour and cornstarch and mix for another m. Finally add the egg yolks and mix for 1 more m. Strain the batter using a sieve.
Add ⅓ of the egg whites and gently fold into the batter until mostly incorporated. Add another ⅓ and gently fold. Add the remaining ⅓ and gently fold.
Pour the batter into the lined springform pan. Spread the batter evenly into the pan and smooth out the top using a spatula. Holding the sides of the pan, gently lift and drop the pan on the counter about 6 times to remove any big air bubbles.
Place the springform pan into the water bath and bake the cake for 1 h and 10 m. Check the cake for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. It should come out clean. Bake the cake for an additional 10-15 m to brown up the top.
Turn off oven, open the oven the door slightly and let the cake cool in the oven for 1 h.
Remove cake from the pan. Place on a plate and refrigerator for at least 4 h.
Serve with fresh fruit, fruit puree, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, etc.

*Use mascarpone instead.

See a similar video recipe.
Read about Japanese fluffy pancakes.

Foccacia spread

For ➋-➍
2 tbs mascarpone
3 tbs light cream chese
2 ts paprika
olive oil
fresh foccacia bread

Mix mascarpone, cream cheese, paprika. Add a slow stream of olive oil until smooth and orange.

Serve with fresh foccacia and a glass of cold prosecco.

A quick tiramisu

For ➍
12,5 cl whipped cream
30 g sugar
250 g mascarpone
4 tbs milk
100 g amaretti or macaroons
10 cl strong coffee (espresso), cooled
2 ts cocoa powder

Beat the cream with the sugar almost stiff. Stir the mascarpone loose with the milk. Mix through the cream. Spread half of the cookies in 4 glasses. Pour 1 tbs of coffee into each glass.
Divide half the cream mixture over the glasses and sprinkle the rest of the amarettini on it. Keep a few cookies for garnish.
Pour another tbs of coffee on it.
Fill with the rest of the cream mixture. Garnish with the remaining cookies. Sprinkle with cocoa powder.

*This quick tiramisu-like dessert can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator.

Read Sophia Loren's tiramisu recipe.

Sugo bianco (Tuscan white sauce)

For ➍/ 75 cl*
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 sweet Italian sausages**
2 large fresh porcini mushrooms, brushed & chopped
1 medium zucchini, grated
4 fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped
3 tbs fresh cream or mascarpone
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Heat a saucepan. Heat olive oil. Make the onion soft.
Strip the skins away from the sausages and crumble the sausage meat with a fork or your fingers.
Add the sausage meat to the onions and continue cooking very gently, stirring occasionally, until the meat has browned.
Add the grated zucchini to the pan, also add the sage. Stir well, and cook on medium heat until the zucchini bits are softened. Stir in the chopped mushrooms. Add a few tbs of water. Raise the heat to medium and cook rapidly until most of the liquid has evaporated or been absorbed.
Take the sauce off the heat, and stir in the cream. Return briefly to the heat.
Season to taste.
Serve immediately over gnocchi, fusilli, or other short, curly pasta. Mix the pasta and sauce for 1 m, so the sauce really clings to the pasta, not that the pasta swims around in sauce.

*Leftovers can be frozen for a short period.
**Or any good fresh thick sausage with rather coarse meat. It can also be made with strips of wild boar or pork.

This white sauce, sometimes called ragu' bianco, has no tomatoes, and can be served with a variety of pasta.

Japanese rare cheesecake

For ➏
filling:
200 g cream cheese, softened*
20 cl plain yogurt
70 g/5 tbs sugar
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs gelatin powder
5 cl water
crust:
100 g crushed digestive biscuits or graham crackers
3 tbs melted butter
1 tbs sugar

Mix gelatin powder and water in a small cup. Set aside.

Combine crushed biscuits, melted butter and sugar in a bowl. Press the crumbs into the bottom of a round cake pan (20 cm).

Stir cream cheese in a bowl until soften. Put water and gelatin mixture into microwave. Heat for 1 m. Add yogurt, sugar, lemon juice and gelatin into softened cream cheese. Mix well. Pour the filling into the crust. Spread evenly. Refrigerate the cake for 3 h.

Serve with your favorite fruits, fruit sauce, or jam.

*Use mascarpone instead.

Japanese eat mostly fruit after dinner, but in recent decades western-type desserts have become popular, such as cheesecakes, from the baked kind to this no bake type. This no bake kind is called rare cheesecake even in Japanese.
This late 19th century Japanese print shows a herd boy with a cow.
read a French go at Japanese cheesecake.
Read more cheesecake recipes: Belgian cheesecake

White chocolate & strawberry tart

For ➓ 

375 g sweet shortcrust pastry* 

200 g white chocolate 

500 g mascarpone 

450 g strawberries 

1 tbs icing sugar

 

Preheat the oven to 200 C°. Roll the dough on a flat surface, line a buttered flan tin (23 cm) , blind bake for 10 m. Remove the baking beans and paper and put in for a further 5 - 10 m until golden brown. Set on a wire rack and leave to cool.

Melt the white chocolate with 125 g of the mascarpone in a bain-marie. Transfer to a mixing bowl and, using an (electric) whisk, beat in with the rest of the mascarpone until the mixture is smooth. Pour into the pastry case and set the cake to chill in the fridge for 3 h.*

Wash the strawberries and remove the green. Puree 150 g of them in a food processor, then mix in the icing sugar. Set to chill.

When the cake is set and you're ready to serve, take it out of the fridge, cut up the remaining strawberries and spread them on the cake. Cut the cake up and pour some of the strawberry coulis over the individual pieces.

*Alternatively, use a ready-made pastry case instead. Or bake six rounds of pastry to put in an individual serving cup. Pour chocolate mixture over it and set to cool.

Torta della Nonna (Granny's tart)

For ➑
crust:
500 g unbleached all purpose flour
4 egg yolks
grated zest of 1 orange
1 ts vanilla extract
350 g unsalted butter
200 g powdered sugar
a pinch of salt
filling:
300 g fresh ricotta
4 egg yolks
50 cl whole milk
60 g flour
180 g sugar
decoration:
1 egg yolk
handful of peeled blanched almonds or pine nuts
confectioner's sugar

Prepare the dough by mixing the ingredients gently. Chill the dough for 1 h in the refrigerator.

In the meantime, lightly whisk the yolks and the sugar, then sift in the flour, mixing carefully to keep lumps from forming, and then add the milk in a thin stream, again stirring gently.

Once the mixture is smooth, gently heat it, while stirring carefully, until it begins to thicken. Once it reaches a very slow boil, count to 120 while stirring gently and it is done. Transfer it to a bowl because it will cream to cook in the pot, and let it cool thoroughly. Mix the ricotta into it.

Preheat your oven to 180°C.

Roll out the dough and use half of it to line a crostata pan (a low-sided 25 cm pan). Pour the ricotta mixture into the middle of the pan, forming a mound, and cover it with the remaining half of the dough, tamping the edges down firmly to seal them.

Whisk the remaining egg yolk, brush it over the top of the torta, and scatter the nuts over it.

Bake the torta for 1 h.

Let it cool, dust it with confectioner's sugar, and serve.

The torta della nonna is a classic Tuscan cheese tart, meaning granny's pie, sometimes made with mascarpone instead of ricotta.

Sophia Loren's tiramisu

For ➑
3 eggs, separated
5 tbs sugar
170 g mascarpone
36 Savoiardi (lady finger biscuits)
25 cl orange liqueur
25 cl espresso coffee
50 g black chocolate, grated
10 g cocoa powder (or 50 bittersweet chocolate, grated)

Combine egg yolks and sugar in a medium-sized bowl and beat well.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks.
In a third, larger bowl, combine the egg yolk mixture with the mascarpone, then fold in the egg whites to produce a creamy mixture.
Arrange a tight layer of ladyfingers in a 22x30 cm serving dish.
Using a spoon, drizzle about half the liqueur and half the espresso over the ladyfingers.
Cover the ladyfingers with the mascarpone mixture and the grated chocolate, and dust it with a little more than half the cocoa.
Cover the filling with a second layer of ladyfingers and drizzle with the remaining liqueur and espresso.
Top with the remaining cocoa before serving.

Italian cinema diva Sophia Loren has published two collections of her favourite recipes, Italian of course, Neapolitan by proxy, la cucina sfiziosa, hearty food with a little extra. Here she gives her version of the tiramisu dessert, substituting the classic amaretto by orange liqueur.
The forerunner of the tiramisu, with custard, rather than mascarpone cheese, was popular in Tuscany, as zuppa del duca, a dessert for the ducal visit of Cosimo III de' Medici to Sienna, or the closely related zuppa inglese, the Italian version of the English trifle. No written sources about the recipe are available before 1983, pointing to its appearance in 1971 in Veneto's Treviso . The name means 'cheer up' or 'give some strength', giving birth to legends that the dessert was invented by Venetian lace-workers, or women of a casa chiuso**, or by Northern Italian wives making it for their soldier husbands in WWI. It became widely popular in the 1980's.
Read more Sophia Loren recipes: Sophia Loren's raw tomato spaghetti, vermicelli with sauce alla Sofia.
(**Several Italian dishes are rumoured to have been invented by women of the trade to regain their strength, such as the spaghetti alla puttanesca.)