[1] Homemade dulce de leche has only one ingredient: sweetened condensed milk. Here’s the recipe (photo © Karolina Kolodziejczak | Unsplash).

[2] Dulce de leche is used as a spread and topping, as well as an ingredient in desserts (photo © Bruna Branco | Unsplash).

[3] An easy way to serve dulce de leche: on ice cream (photo © Valrhona).

October 11th is World Dulce de Leche Day, celebrating the caramel spread and sauce made by boiling heavy cream or milk with sugar, or sweetened condensed milk, sometimes with a dash of cinnamon. Cajeta is the Mexican word for dulce de leche that’s made with goat’s milk.

Start with these two background articles:

 
Then, take a gander* at these recipes:
 
DULCE DE LECHE RECIPES

 
If you make ice cream, mix dulce de leche into chocolate, coffee or vanilla flavors.

You don’t need to bake or cook to enjoy dulce de leche.

 
When you need a sweet treat, grab a spoon and open a jar of dulce de leche!
 
 
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*Not exactly a Latin American term related to dulce de leche, but “take a gander” means to look at. It’s a slangy idiom dating from the early 1900s. It derives from the verb gander, which means “stretch one’s neck to see,” presumably alluding to the long neck of the male goose, or gander.

October 10th is National Angel Food Cake Day. We have a bunch of angel food cake recipes below, and a new one from Cambria Style that debuts today. It’s a special treatment, using a sweet-and-salty profile achieved with preserved lemons in the lemon curd.

If you don’t have access to, or don’t want, the preserved lemon flavor, simply substitute fresh lemon juice. You can also purchase lemon curd.

An angel food cake typically calls for 12 egg whites. What to do with the yolks?

Check out these uses for egg yolks.
 
 
> The History Of Angel Food Cake

> The History Of Cake

> The History Of Cake Pans

> The Different Types Of Cake
 
 
RECIPE: LEMON ANGEL FOOD CAKE WITH PRESERVED LEMON CURD

This recipe was adapted from the New York Times by Cambria Style.

The curd is combined with some whipped cream and used to frost and fill the lemon-flavored angel food cake. It’s bright, rich and light all at once.
 
Ingredients For 12 Servings

For The Cake

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Curd

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the cake. Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center.

2. SIFT the flour and 1/3 cup of sugar into a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to combine the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar. Beat with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed until medium peaks form (about 3 minutes).

3. GRADUALLY ADD the remaining cup of granulated sugar and beat until firm, glossy peaks form. Beat in the confectioner’s sugar, lemon zest, vanilla and lemon extract.

4. SIFT a quarter of the flour mixture over the egg whites and use a rubber spatula to fold until barely combined. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture. Scrape into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, smooth the top, and bake until the cake is springy and pulls away from the pan, 35 to 40 minutes.

5. TRANSFER to a wire rack to cool. Now, make the curd.

6. COMBINE in a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the lemon juice with the gelatin; set aside.

7. LIGHTLY BEAT the eggs in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, combine the granulated sugar, butter, preserved lemon juice, zest, salt, and the remaining 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water until warm. Remove from the heat, then pour over the eggs in a thin stream, constantly whisking.

8. PLACE the bowl over the simmering water pot and cook, stirring constantly, to 175°F (about 5 minutes). Remove from the heat, stir in the gelatin mixture, and immediately pour through a fine strainer into a wide bowl over an ice bath, stirring until the mixture is cool. Chill for 1 hour.

9. WHIP the cream until soft peaks form. Fold into the lemon curd and chill for another hour, until cold. To serve, unmold the cake. Using a serrated knife, halve the cake crosswise to create 2 layers. Dollop some of the lemon cream to cover the bottom layer. Top it with the other half, dollop on more lemon cream, and serve.
 
 
MORE ANGEL FOOD RECIPES

[1] A lemon angel food cake: lemon curd is made with preserved lemons, which add a sweet-and-salty flavor (photo © Cambria Style).

[2] You can purchase lemon curd, like the Bonne Maman brand in the photo. It’s also delicious on toast, pancakes, and as shown in the photo, to fill tartlets (photo © Bonne Maman).

[3] Angel food cakes are made in ungreased tube pans. The center tube allows the cake batter to rise higher by clinging to all sides of the pan (photo © Bhofack2 | Dreamstime).

[4] This version is topped with a strawberry glaze (here’s the recipe). You can leave off the glaze and garnish the slices of cake with whipped cream and strawberries (photo © American Egg Board).

[5] We love to serve these angel food cupcakes topped with berries at afternoon tea. Here’s the recipe (photo © Go Bold With Butter).

[1] Scamorza cheese hanging to age (photo by Hangingaurea Avis | CC-BY-SA-2.0 License).

[2] Scamorza made in Texas by the Mozzarella Company. This variety is smoked lightly over pecan shells. It won first place in its category at the American Cheese Society in 2019, and was recognized as one of the 46 BEST CHEESES IN THE WORLD by Culture Cheese Magazine (photos #2 and #3 © Mozzarella Company).

[3] Unsmoked scamorza from the Mozzarella Company.

[4] A scamorza lasagna from Mozzarella Company founder Paula Lambert. The recipe is below.

[5] A pizza topped with scamorza and speck, a type of Italian dry-cured ham that’s dry-cured in a similar manner as prosciutto. Here’s the difference between speck and prosciutto (photo by Avlxyz | CC-BY-SA-2.0 License).

[6] Smoked piglet scamorza. The shape is made to charm children and add cheer to the table for both kids and adults. In Italy, you can also find lambs and other shapes (photo © DeMagi).

[7] Baked scarmoza (scamorza al forno) is delicious served fondue-style, with bread and other dippers. Here’s the recipe from Cuisine Fiend (photo © Cuisine Fiend).

[8] Here’s the recipe (photo © Eat Snarter).

[9] Scamorza ai ferri, grilled scamorza cheese. Here’s the recipe (photo © The Gourmet Traveller).

[10] Baked ziti with eggplant and smoked scamorza. Here’s the recipe (photo © Williams Sonoma).

October is Italian Heritage Month.

Quick: Name an Italian cheese.

Was it mozzarella?

Now name another one.

Parmigiano Reggiano?

What about scamorza?

Scamorza is a cousin of mozzarella, firm and shaped like a pear, with a fat body and a little head (photo #1). It’s mild in flavor with a smooth, dense texture. The paste is like mozzarella paste, only drier. First, we share how the cheese is made. Then, ways to use it, a recipe for scamorza lasagna, and the history of scamorza.

Scamorza is made with fresh cow’s milk and is a semi-hard “pasta filata.” It’s a traditional food product of the regions of Campania, Abruzzo, Molise, and Puglia.

The first scamorza was scamorza affumicata, cold-smoked scamorza. It’s how the Mozzarella Company makes its scamorza, which has won national awards and has been named one of the 46 best cheeses in the world. (Editor’s note: Start with the best. Buy it here.)

Unsmoked scamorza is also made. In Italy it’s called scamorza bianca, white scamorza. After two weeks of ripening, it’s sold unsmoked; or else smoked for for 15 minutes over flaming straw [source].
 
 
HOW SCAMORZA IS MADE

The traditional way:

 
Scamorza lasts for months and continues to become more flavorful as it ages.

Scamorza is also made in a novelty pig shape, scamorza maialino (pig), which may delight children, but doesn’t provide a lot of cheese. Some purchase it to bring good luck for the new year.

Buy a great one: Order it from MozzCo. And treat yourself to any and all of the other wonderful cheeses, as well.
 
 
WAYS TO USE SCAMORZA

 
 
RECIPE: LASAGNA WITH SMOKED SCAMORZA AND PORCINI MUSHROOMS

This recipe is from Paula Lambert, founder of the Mozzarella Company. You’ll need béchamel sauce for this recipe. You can make it with this recipe (just omit the Dijon).

Paula suggests pairing the lasagna with an oak-aged Chardonnay.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the dried mushrooms in a small bowl and rinse with warm water. Drain and cover the mushrooms with 1 cup of very hot water. Let stand in the water for 30 minutes to one hour. In the meantime, sauté the fresh mushrooms over high heat in the butter in a medium skillet, until barely limp, about 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with salt and herbs de Provence. Set aside.

2. BRING a large stockpot full of water to a boil. Add the salt, olive oil, and the lasagna noodles. Cook uncovered over high heat until they are al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander and then quickly rinse with cold water to cool the pasta (and stop them from cooking further).

3. SPREAD the pasta on sheets of plastic wrap that have been placed on top of a dish towel to absorb the dripping water. If you stack it, place plastic wrap between the layers of pasta.

4. POUR the rehydrated porcini mushrooms into a sieve, saving their liquid in a bowl beneath. Chop the mushrooms and add to the skillet with the fresh mushrooms. Set them aside.

5. STRAIN the mushroom water through a sieve, or several thicknesses of cheesecloth, into a small saucepan. Place over medium heat and boil the mushroom water to reduce to half its volume. Then add it to the mushrooms.

6. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8″ x 13″ x 2-1/2″ baking dish. Rub the bottom and sides of the baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter. Ladle a couple of spoonfuls of béchamel sauce on the bottom of the dish, and spread it out with the spoon. Place a solid layer of lasagna sheets first, then spread with béchamel sauce and sprinkle with the mushrooms and scamorza.

7. REPEAT the layering process three more times until all the ingredients and pan juices are used, ending up with béchamel sauce covered with scamorza on top. Bake the lasagna uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the lasagna is bubbly and nicely browned on top.

8. REMOVE from the oven and allow to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before cutting into squares approximately 3″x3″.
 
Copyright © 2007 by Paula Lambert, Cheese, Glorious Cheese!. All rights reserved.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF SCAMORZA

Scamorza originated in southern Italy, and is still produced in Abruzzo, Campania, Molise, and Puglia. It is the oldest recorded dairy product of Campania, since around 1600.

It is believed that the term scamorza derives from the verb scamozzare, which means to eliminate a part. What part is eliminated?

It happens when the cheesemaker breaks the upper part of the dough to create the signature bottleneck shape of the curious cheese.

According to tradition, scamorza was an accident: a mistake during the production of provolone or caciocavallo*, which inadvertently went sour.

Until a few decades ago, cheesemaking was done at home, with the smoking done in the chimney of the kitchen. Each family had its own cow to provide milk [source].

Scamorza was traditionally smoked over beechwood, which adds a delicate, sweet note to its milky flavor. Today it is available both smoked and unsmoked.

Although cow’s milk is the original, variations with water buffalo’s milk or sheep’s milk also are made.
 
 
________________

*Caciocavallo means “cheese on horseback.” This description derives from the manner in which the cheese is always tied together in a rope and hangs from a beam or a wooden board to drain and age. Like scamorza, mozzarella and others, it is a pasta filata: a stretched cheese that is typical of Southern Italy. It is produced with the same ingredients: cow’s milk, rennet, milk enzymes and salt. It is hand-shaped, reminiscent of the number 8: two rounded bodies joined by a bottleneck, which happens at the point of support on the beam.

†Herbes de Provence is a mixture of dried herbs popular in the Provençal cuisine (southeastern France). Formerly simply a descriptive term (in the manner of “Italian herbs”), wherein cooks chose their favorite herbs to season their dishes (typically grilled foods and stews), commercial blends began to be sold as herbes de Provence in the 1970s. These blends can contain any variety of marjoram, oregano, rosemary, savory and thyme. Lavender leaves are often included in products sold in the North American market [source].

October 8th is National Pierogi Day. Pierogi, dumplings of Central and Eastern European origin, are traditionally stuffed with cheese, fruit, ground meat, mashed potato or sauerkraut. They can be served baked, boiled grilled, fried/sautéed and steamed. They’re typically cooked in butter with sautéed onions. You can make them or buy them. Personally, we eat a lot of Mrs. T’s pierogies.

We’ve previously offered 50 different ways to serve pierogi. There are toppings, dips, and more elaborate preparations like bacon-wrapped pierogi appetizers, pierogi casseroles, pierogi crostini and much more.

Pierogi is the plural word in Polish; the singular form is pieróg, pronounced pye-ROOG. In the U.S., you’ll find the plural Americanized to pierogies. The largest national brand, Mrs. T’s, spells her product “pierogies.”

Pierogi, along with Polish sausages, is the most recognizable Polish food abroad.
 
So today, here’s an idea for entertaining or family fun: a pierogi bar.

It becomes a full lunch or dinner with the addition of Polish kielbasa sausage.

Serve them cooked or fried (we’ve boiled them in soup, like gnocchi and wontons).

 
 
PIEROGI FOR YOUR PIEROGI BAR

Start with sourcing the pierogi.

 
 
SIDES YOUR PIEROGI BAR

Offer a few sides to round out the meal. We’ve served:

 
And for dessert pierogi:

 
 
TO SET UP YOUR PIEROGI BAR

We especially like pierogi with beer. Other options:

 
Ready to party?

Put together your guest list!
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF PIEROGI>
 
 
> 50 WAYS TO EAT PIEROGI

[1] Fried meat pierogi ready to be dipped or topped (photo © Karolina Kolodziejczak | Unsplash).

[2] Sautéed in butter, topped with minced parsley and served with sour cream (photos #2, #3 and #4 © Mrs. T’s Pierogi).

[3] Serve them on skewers with dips.

[4] This is a pierogi casserole, a shepherd’s pie.

[5] Pierogi for dessert: blueberry pierogi with ice cream and fresh blueberries (photo © Millie’s Pierogi).

[1] Elda’s cooking and grilling sauces can be used on just about everything (all photos © Elda’s Kitchen).

[2] The “Best Sellers” box.

[3] Honey Ginger Soy sauce goes with everything from egg rolls to sweet potato fries.

[4] The Wok & Roll Box. There are six gift boxes, and individual flavor trios are also available.

Elda’s Kitchen produces sauces that are very gift-worthy, as well as a treat at your own table. The line of cooking and grilling sauces hits the categories of vegan-friendly, verified Non-GMO, gluten-free, no MSG or preservatives, and no high fructose corn syrup. And they are delicious and worth your attention.

 
There’s even a Peach Habanero sauce that works on pancakes.

We even mixed it into plain yogurt: yum!

Essentially, whatever savory food you make, there’s an Elda’s sauce to mix into it, top it, or mix it into.

People who love condiments should definitely sample the line.

People who need food gifts have six boxed set options (below)that are sure to please.

For stocking stuffers and party favors, individual bottles are sold in three-packs.
 
 

 
 
Head to Elda’s Kitchen and get yours!
 
 
THE HISTORY OF SAUCES

Mankind doubtlessly taught themselves to mix up sauces before our first recorded evidence. The oldest recorded sauce in European cuisine is garum, the fish sauce used by the Ancient Romans. It was ubiquitous, used, as some have described, like modern Americans use ketchup.

We know that by 200 C.E., Romans were using a variety of sauces beyond garum. Sauces not only added flavor; they covered up the flavor of less-fresh foods.

Apicius, author of the first-known cookbook in the first century B.C.E., wrote at the end of one of his recipes for a particularly flavorsome sauce: “No one at table will know what he is eating” [source]. Roman sauces were usually thickened with wheat flour or crumbled pastry. Honey was used to make a sweet-sour sauce.

Each world cuisine evolved to make sauces to complement their foods. They added flavor, moisture, and visual appeal to dishes both savory and sweet.

The classic French mother sauces* were created in the 17th century by La Varenne, and codified in the 18th and 19th centuries by Carême and Escoffier.

Sauce is a French word, taken from the Latin salsa, meaning salted.

 
There is a world of sauces to discover: beyond American, beyond European. Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East all have wonderful sauces that you can use with your American fare to make “fusion” dishes.

Seek them out, and enjoy them.
 
 
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*The mother sauces are tomato, hollandaise, béchamel, velouté, and espagnole. They are further used as a base to create the secondary sauces: mornay, sauce suprême, creole, béarnaise and demi-glace. Here’s more about them here, here and here.

†The cookbook, De Re Coquinaria, authored by “Apicius,” is thought to have been compiled in the late 4th or early 5th century C.E. and given that title (“On the Subject of Cooking”). The name Apicius had long been associated with an excessively refined love of food, exemplified by Marcus Gavius Apicius, a Roman gourmet who lived sometime in the 1st century C.E. The author of the book is one Caelius Apicius; however, no person by this name otherwise exists in the historical record. The book was no doubt compiled by a person or persons who wished to remain anonymous [source].