A bowl of mascarpone dip. Photo courtesy
Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.
Mascarpone, the thick and delicious “Italian cream cheese,” is the key ingredient in tiramisu and a favorite for topping berries. In fact, it’s thanks to tiramisu, which has become a favorite dessert in the U.S., that most of us know what mascarpone is.
The fresh cheese is used in savory recipes too, of course. We like it as a quick and easy cocktail spread.
Blend mascarpone with your favorite flavors—Dijon mustard, mashed anchovies, capers and fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme), curry, salsa—there are vast opportunities. You can even divide the tub of plain mascarpone and make two different flavors.
Serve the spread in ramekins with fancy crackers or with thin-sliced toasted baguette. Delicioso!
By the way, a surprising number of people mispronounce and misspell the name of the cheese. It’s MAH-scar-POE-nay, not MAR-scah-POE-nay; mascarpone not marscapone.
Pizza for Halloween? Sure, when it’s pumpkin pizza!
Theo Kalogeracos is an Australian pizzeria owner based outside of Perth. He was named 2010 World Champion Pizza Maker at the Las Vegas Pizza Show.
Celebrate all through pumpkin season with his new pumpkin pizza recipe. Serve it with pumpkin ale, one of our seasonal favorites.
RECIPE #1: SMASHING PUMPKIN PIZZA WITH GOAT CHEESE & CASHEWS
Ingredients
¾ cup basic pizza dough, ball rolled and ready
¼ cup mozzarella, grated
2 tablespoons roasted unsalted cashews, crushed
1¼ cups roasted pumpkin, cubed and marinated in one teaspoon of basil pesto
1½ tablespoons white cream sauce (recipe below)
2½ tablespoons fresh goat cheese
4 tablespoons good Parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon fresh parsley for garnish, chopped
2 teaspoons cashews for garnish, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons extra Parmesan for garnish, grated
Pumpkin pizza. Photo courtesy Ballantine Books.
Preparation
1. PREHEAT the oven to 500°F for 15 minutes.
2. SPREAD THE mozzarella evenly over the base. Add the crushed cashews and cubes of pumpkin. Drizzle with white cream sauce (recipe below).
3. SCATTER the crumbled goat cheese and grated parmesan evenly over the surface. Bake the pizza for 7-10 minutes at 500°F. Remove from the oven and cut into slices.
4. GARNISH with fresh parsley, extra cashews and Parmesan cheese before serving.
RECIPE #2: WHITE CREAM SAUCE
Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup unsifted flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cup milk
Preparation
1. HEAT the butter in a heavy saucepan until melted. Remove from the heat and add the flour, salt and pepper, stirring constantly until smooth.
2. ADD the milk slowly, stirring. Return to medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute.
Use any extra sauce in soups, on chicken, fish, grains or vegetables.
Head to the butcher and make some
tempura brains. Photo courtesy Blu
restaurant.
Looking for inspiration for a Halloween dinner?
We love the menu at Blu restaurant in New York City’s Hotel Indigo. It’s not for the faint of heart (and there’s no heart on the menu):
Sautéed Chicken Livers with Artichokes and Lemon
Traditional Pinocchio Tripe with Crostini
Tempura-Style Calf Brain* with Marinara Dipping Sauce and Prickly Pear Salad
Black Risotto with Frogs Legs
Blood Orange Sorbet with Black Cat Cookies and Prosecco Zabaione
“In the spirit of Halloween, I wanted to get creative and playfully pair and plate items that diners might not ordinarily consider—but which are quite delicious,” says Chef Patrick Nuti. “All these items are perfectly normal in Italy and most other cultures but can seem foreign to American palates.”
We love culinary adventure, and we’re headed to Blu for Halloween. Maybe we’ll run into the Munsters or the Addams family.
You could bring a bottle of wine or other libation that will blend in with all the bottles brought by everyone else.
Instead, make your hostess gift stand out—permanently. A mug, plate or other Halloween-themed serving piece will be a permanent reminder that you came to party.
To add to the memento, take a Sharpie and inscribe the bottom of the piece with a Halloween greeting and the year.
Happy Halloween from THE NIBBLE, 2010. Rock on, ghouls.
I vant to drink your blood. Photo courtesy Riazul Tequila.
Vampire fans: Here’s a Halloween cocktail for you, courtesy of Riazul Tequila. It combines Tequila with crème de cassis, raspberry liqueur that is bright red in color.
First produced by French monks in the 16th century as a cure for snake bites, jaundice and “wretchedness,” crème de cassis is perfect for celebrations with a red theme (Halloween, Independence Day, Christmas).
While those monks would not win any prizes for medicine, the delicious liqueur can certainly help make one less wretched and brighten up drinks. Perhaps the most famous cocktail with crème de cassis is the Kir and its sparkling sibling, Kir Royale.
VAMPIRE COCKTAIL RECIPE
Ingredients
1 ounce silver tequila
1 ounce crème de cassis (blackberry liqueur)
1 lime wedge
Ginger beer
Ice
Preparation
1. Combine tequila, crème de cassis and squeezed lime juice with ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a chilled glass.
2. Top with ginger beer.
3. Bonus points: Garnish with glow-in-the-dark or wax candy vampire fangs!
Here are substitutions using cranberry juice and ginger ale:
