During the holiday break, I wandered over to La Guli Pastry Shop. Pleasantly taunted by the photos of sweets they’ve been putting up on their Facebook page, I couldn’t just be an on-looker, I had to taste.
When I walked in, the place was buzzing, and rightfully so, as it was holiday time. Marveling at their beautiful display of holiday cakes and cookies, I appreciated these items, but knew they’re only there temporarily, so instead, I focused on their classics such as the cookies and pastries. Here’s what caught my eye:
Sfogliatelle – The beautiful shape of these pastries drew me in immediately and I could tell they’d be crispy to the bite even just by looking at them. There were two sizes, including a medium and large, which was a good option, especially since I just ate a big-ish lunch and wanted a little taste of something sweet.
I ended up buying one and biting into it at the shop. Wow! The flakiness of that crust was magical and while you had to eat it with a napkin under your chin (it’s very crumbly), I just loved all the freshness and flavor found in each bite. The filling found in the middle was spectacular as well, consisting of sweet, creamy ricotta cheese with a distinct but not overpowering flavor of orange. If you adore a little hint of dessert that’s not overly sweet, this one’s for you.
Brutti e Buoni – Even though I didn’t end up buying these cookies, I was so delighted when I saw them, as they remind me of the time I spent at Tasty Tuscany. Brutti means ugly in Italian, which is meant to represent the irregular shape of these meringue cookies. But don’t be fooled by their looks, as these little treats are anything but brutti in your mouth.
Service and Cost:
In quintessential La Guli fashion, the service was pretty standard but not exemplary, which I’ve come to expect here.
Costs are moderate and my sfogliatelle set me back about $3, while the cookies range between $9-$14/pound. They have so many varieties, so go ahead, drop in, and explore!
3 Mmmms
La Guli Pastry Shop – 29-15 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria NY 11105
718.728.5612
N/Q Train to Ditmars (last stop)
laguli.com
Remembering how easy they were to make, as the original version consists of only 3 ingredients (none of which is flour), I decided to make them for tomorrow's Passover Seder at my brother and sister-in-laws'. If those of you who regularly follow my cooking adventures, you'll know that I like to alter recipes, and for this one, I also added cranberries and a drizzle of good quality dark chocolate. Just a little something to beautify the brutti.
Foodista's Take on Brutti e Buoni - Adapted from recipe used at Tasty Tuscany
Ingredients (makes 24 cookies)
3 - 4 large egg whites - depends on the size. I used 3 and change
1 heaping cup of granulated sugar
8 oz of roughly chopped hazelnuts
Big handful of dried cranberries (craisins)
Good quality dark chocolate, melted (I used Ghirardelli)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Toast hazelnuts for a minute or two in a nonstick skillet. You'll know when they're ready when you can smell them, but watch them closely to make sure they don't burn.
In a medium bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Throughout the process, add the sugar and keep whipping until you can turn the bowl upside down without the egg whites moving. Gently stir in the hazelnuts and craisins. Mix well but make sure you're careful when mixing, so you don't completely deflate the egg whites.
Take a spoonful of the mixture and spoon into a greased cookie sheet. It's OK if the shape isn't perfect - these cookies are meant to look rustic. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until golden brown.
Let cookies cool for about 15 minutes and then carefully remove from the cookie sheet. Place on a wire rack and let cool for a few minutes longer. Then take the melted chocolate and drizzle on top with a fork in an irregular fashion.
Buon appetito and Happy Passover to those who celebrate.
Each day would start with a nice, light breakfast of yogurt, cereal, fresh fruit and a dessert from last night's dinner. We'd take about an hour, eating luxuriously, taking our time to wake up and by the end exchanging fun stories and always some laughs.
Then, we'd spend the day with our host Paolo, who each day took us on unique arts & culture excursions to various regions in Tuscany. Whether a visit to the beautiful Volterra, the home of the ancient Etruscans or a quaint little artists town called Certaldo, there was always something interesting and cultural to absorb. We quickly came to see that Paolo, a very well connected individual, always uncovered a neat little find or a piece of "candy" as he'd call it. And we were eager to eat em up, one piece at a time.
Our excursions with Paolo were followed by a nice family lunch after which we had some time to relax. Shortly after that, it was cooking time. Our time to spend in the kitchen with Pat, a free-spirited Italian food extraordinaire who taught us more tips, recipes and delicious "candies" than we could swallow.
A set menu was presented to us each day, consisting of about 3 (sometimes 4 dishes). Pat would start by talking a little bit about each dish and where it came from, often revealing to us the nuances of each Italian region that we gained inspiration from. During our first cooking lesson, we took a page out of Piedmont.
Cooking Lesson 1 - A Dinner from Piedmont
Our first cooking lesson was inspired by the Italian region of Piedmont, which is located up North near Mont Blanc, Pat's hometown. Since the region is privy to colder weather, its cuisine properly reflects that through its hearty stews, roasts, potato dishes and other starch-based foods. Our Piedmontese dinner included:
Brasato al Chianti (Beef Roast with Chianti-based Sauce) - We worked with a nice sized piece of beef roast for this, which we braised in a local, organic Chianti wine for about an hour and a half. We could've done it for longer and Pat suggests marinating the meat overnight in spices such as cloves, cinnamon, rosemary and thyme, but we did the quicker version of it in our class. Besides the Chianti, we also used chunks of onions, celery and carrots, which we also cooked with the meat and later pureed into a gravy that we poured over the roast. The result was a tender, comforting and juicy meat dish that's wonderful and comforting, especially on those unseasonably cold days we're having.
Potato Ring - At first, I couldn't imagine what this would be - it sounded simple yet also foreign to me. Consisting of three different colored (and flavored) potato layers that were stacked in a bundt pan, the dish was very innovative and also obvious in hindsight. I loved that about Tasty Tuscany...always introducing us to something new, but also something simple enough to recreate at home. I'll tell you how we made this:
Ingredients (serves 8-10)
About 3 lbs of russet potatoes
1/2 cups of tomato sauce (1 can of raw peeled tomatoes)
1 cup of finely chopped parsley
1 clove of garlic, pressed
1 cup of parmesan cheese
Nutmeg
2 tbs of butter and 1 more tbs for the mold
2 tbs of breadcrumbs
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cook the potatoes in their skin. Let them cool slightly and then remove the skins. Put the potatoes through a press or a ricer to finely mash them and flavor with salt and butter. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon and make sure you get a nice smooth consistency.
Divide the potatoes in thirds and move each one to a separate bowl. Each bowl will be flavored differently. In the first bowl, add the finely chopped parsley and mix well. In the second bowl, add the freshly made tomato sauce (see Tasty Tuscany's recipe here) and in the third bowl, add the pressed garlic and about a 1/4 tsp of grated nutmeg. You can add some parmesan cheese too if you like - it'll melt nicely.
Take the bundt pan and line it with the room temperature butter. Make sure you get the butter in all its crevices, so the potatoes don't stick. Then take your breadcrumbs and sprinkle them all over the inside of the bundt pan - they will stick to the butter.
You can now layer your potatoes. Start with the tomato layer and make sure you even it out with a spoon; then do the same thing with the parsley layer and then top it off with the garlic/cheese/nutmeg layer. Bake for about 40 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes (about 15 minutes). Flip the bundt pan onto a flat, oven-safe plate and remove the potato ring. You will see the pretty colored layers on the outside. Right before you are ready to serve this, sprinkle it with more parmesan cheese on top and pop it into the broiler for about 3-5 minutes or until the top is nice and golden brown. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Brutti e Buoni (Ugly but Good) - The name of this dessert cracked me up, but it also represents one of life's great lessons - not all beautiful things are good, as sometimes the ugly ducklings are the real prize. Well such is the case with these rustic hazelnut cookies, which are made up of only 3 ingredients - hazelnuts, sugar and an egg white. They're dropped onto a cookie sheet in a free form fashion, and what comes out is something truly wonderful - soft little, cloud-like meringues that end each bite with a nice crunch.
Tomorrow...I'll cover my second cooking class which is inspired by Sicily. Stay tuned...
