What will I eat tonight? We will begin with…

I do not like to celebrate New’s year eve in the traditional way, with a big party of people, but rather low key, just with my husband, and at most (very) few friends.
This year it will be only the three of us, and as my husband is coming back from France tonight I was alone planning the dinner!

Alliance de foie gras de canard entire et de figues confites
(Carrefour made it, I just bought it!). I can’t wait to taste it!!!
(And yes, what is drolling form the side of the foie gras is fat, my dears, plain good duck fat!!!)

Soon the other courses!

What will I eat tonight? First course


Puy lentils and myrtle soup with steamed clams

Traditionally in Italy we eat lentils on New’s year eve because we think they will bring a lot of money during the year that it’s just beginning! Who I’m I to go against popular believes???

300 g of Puy lentils
100 g of smocked pancetta, diced
2 shallots, diced
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 bay laurel
5 myrtle bays
300 ml of water
Salt

Few fresh clams, steamed with just a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

Heat the oil in a heavy bottom pan, add the shallots and the pancetta, and let it stir fry for few minutes. Add the lentils, then water, bay laurel, mirto bay. Bring it to the boil, lower the fire, and let it cook for 30-45 minutes.

Once the lentils are cooked, discard the laurel and mix everything to obtain a thick cream. Add the steaming liquid form the clams and serve warm, with the clams.

What will I eat tonight? The dessert


Lately I’m not really inspired for desserts… Mostly because the house is still full of panettone and pandoro…
So, this is another way to recycle pandoro: Pandoro pudding!
Of course if you don’t burn it, like I did (and just because I was updating the blog in the meanwhile!!!) it’s much better!!!

2 eggs 400 ml of milk 2 tablespoons of maple syrup 1/2 pandoro butter

Preheat the oven at 180° C.
Grease with some butter and ovenproof dish that will fit in a shallow and bigger dish.
Slice the pandoro. Mix in a bowl eggs, milk and maple syrup. Arrange the pandoro in the dish, pour over it the egg mixture. Place the dish in the other dish, pour enough water to arrive to 2/3 and bake for 30-35 minutes.

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Pandoro&Panettone Tiramisù

Tiramisù is one of those Italian desserts known all around the world. It’s simple and quick to make, adaptable in various ways and so so so good!!!
The only “rule” you have to follow is to use mascarpone cheese. You can use ricotta, but mascarpone is the only that makes sense: if you are going to eat tiramisu you must forget diet or lightness!

This version is slightly different form the original one: after Xmas day everybody in Italy has to deal with leftovers, and sure in most Italian homes there will be half panettone and half pandoro.
We are very peaky about panettone and pandoro! There are three different factions: the one that likes ONLY panettone, the one that likes ONLY pandoro, and the one that likes both. So you must provide both! And, honestly, there is a fourth faction (my favourite!) that like panettone, but only with raisins, without those annoying pieces of candy oranges…

For 8 200 ml glasses

1 kg of mascarpone
6 eggs
6 tablespoons of sugar
Coffee (but I personally prefer hot chocolate)
Whiskey or grappa or rum

1/2 pandoro
1/2 panettone
Or 1 entire pandoro or panettone

Cocoa

Divide the eggs, and mix the egg yolks with sugar. Whip up the egg whites.
Mix mascarpone with the egg yolks, slowly add the egg whites, and combine well.
In each glass or in a big shallow dish, lay a spoon of cream. Mix coffee and the liquor you are using. Tear apart panettone and pandoro and lightly deep each piece in the coffee. Lay a piece over the cream, cover it with cream and continue to layer very glass, ending with a layer of cream. Dust with cocoa and refrigerate.
It’ better do it the day before, so it can rest overnight in the fridge.

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It’s finnaly over!

Ok, now I can say it: this year I couldn’t care less about Xmas… I didn’t care about celebration, decoration, “sanctification” or any ation concerning Xmas…
But finally it’s over and I can say it… I wanted to be mean, but I couldn’t (at least not as much as I wanted), I wanted to be grumpy, but I couldn’t and the last thing I wanted was to be merry, but I had to…
But now it’s over, from now on I can return to my normal self: grumpy, mean and not merry!!!
2006 is almost over as well, so I can leave behind loads of stuff I didn’t like and start anew! I know it’s childish, but really from the 1st January 2007 I would like to have a different life, maybe on a Jamaican beach, but I think I anyway have to stay in the grey surroundings of my dear Milan, polluted and plenty of people I dislike…
A friend few weeks ago told me that her new year resolution would be coherence: I couldn’t agree more…
Screw you guys, I’m going home…

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