Food Minia

 Peaches in Red Wine.  6 peaches  6 Tbs. granulated sugar 1/2 lemon Red wine (Your choice. I like to use San Giovesse, Merlot or Pinot) Wash peaches in cold water.  Peel and slice into wedges. Discard pits. Place wedges in large bowl. Sprinkle peaches with sugar and the juice of half a lemon. Mix gently with a wooden spoon or by hand to avoid bruising the fruit. Peaches are delicate. Allow peaches to sit with sugar for 20 minutes, or until sugar has thoroughly dissolved. The fruit will soften slightly in the process. Place peach wedges into individual serving bowls. Add enough red wine to each serving to just cover the peaches.  Allow them to sit another 30 - 45 minutes. The longer they sit, to more intense the wine flavor.  I don’t recommend allowing them to sit any longer than 45 minutes or the wine flavor will dominate the peach flavor. Can be served room temp or slightly chilled. Serves 6

Torta di Pistacchio  Pistachio Cake Serves 8 Ingredients For the cake 1 2/3 cups raw shelled pistachios - Peel off red skin (see note below) 6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature Pinch of kosher or sea salt 3/4 cup granulated sugar Finely grated zest of 1 lemon Confectioners' sugar, for dusting For the ricotta cream 1 firmly packed cup well-drained whole milk ricotta, patted dry 2/3 cup heavy cream ½ cup mascarpone  1/3 cup confectioners' sugar ½  tsp. vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract Preheat oven to 325 degrees F with a rack in the center. Butter bottom and sides of a 9" springform pan with at least 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Process pistachios in a food processor in two batches until they are the texture of fine cornmeal. Set aside. Using a stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg whites and salt at low speed to break them up, then raise speed to medium and beat until soft peaks are formed. Increase speed to medium-high and gradually add 6 Tbs. granulated sug...

Torrone Nougat Almond Candy Makes 15 - 20 pieces                                           2 to 3 edible wafer papers (cook stores and party stores) 3 egg whites ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar ½ cup honey 2 cups granulated sugar 1/8 tsp. salt 3 cups whole blanched almonds 1 tsp. vanilla extract Kitchen thermometer  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray  8-inch square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Line bottom and sides of pan with edible wafer paper. Cut pieces as needed to fit. Set aside. Place egg whites and cream of tartar in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Put honey into medium saucepan. Pour sugar and salt into the center of the pan. Cook mixture over medium heat, without stirring, until honey begins to simmer around the edges of  pan. About 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, cooking gently and swirling the plan until sugar is dissolv...

Italian Peanut Cookie (Biscotto di arachidi italiano) Ingredients 2 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 tsp salt 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder Zest of one medium orange 1 cup dark corn syrup or honey 2 cups dry-roasted peanuts, chopped Preparation Instructions Combine dry ingredients. Roast peanuts in 350-degree oven for 10 minutes. Coarse chop in food processor. Add orange zest, molasses and peanuts to dry ingredients. Mix well by hand. Divide dough in half. Wet hands with water and shape each half into a log about 14 inches long. Place on parchment paper on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes. Cool. Slice logs diagonally as you would for biscotti. Make slices about 1/2-inch wide. Re-bake for 5 to 7 minutes. Cool. Dust tops with confectioners’ sugar. Yield: About 4 dozen cookies.