Comments for An Italian in my Kitchen

Comment on Italian Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake by Rosemary

Rosemary — Sun, 15 Oct 2023 22:49:16 +0000

In reply to Pamela. Hi Pamela, I have never made it with sour cream, although it can be used as a substitute, but the taste would be very different because of the tanginess of sour cream. Let me know if you try it. Take care!

Comment on Traditional Italian Ciabatta Bread by Rosemary

Rosemary — Sun, 15 Oct 2023 22:44:32 +0000

In reply to Joe. Hi Joe, the biga should be looser (as in the photo), but by liquidy I really don't know exactly what that means. Is there water on top? Let me know.

Comment on Italian Sourdough Starter – Lievito Madre Recipe by Rosemary

Rosemary — Sun, 15 Oct 2023 22:43:11 +0000

In reply to Chuck Page. Hi Chuck, you should wait a couple of hours until it has risen and then refrigerate. When you take it from the fridge, let it sit for about 30 minutes then refresh. Glad I could help. Let me know how it goes. Take care!

Comment on Italian Sourdough Starter – Lievito Madre Recipe by Chuck Page

Chuck Page — Sun, 15 Oct 2023 15:30:05 +0000

Hi Rosemary,
I have made the LM following your recipe and it has gone beautifully! I want to store it in the fridge. Do I do the normal daily refreshment and then put it in the fridge or do I wait awhile after the refreshment and then put it in the fridge? I hope to make panettone this week. I will let you know how that goes. Thanks for all your help!
Chuck

Comment on Traditional Italian Ciabatta Bread by Joe

Joe — Sun, 15 Oct 2023 13:25:59 +0000

Good morning,

I made the Biga last night, this morning its watery,
I followed your direction. What did I do wrong.

Thank you

Comment on Easy Italian Peach Crumb Cake by Rosemary

Rosemary — Sun, 15 Oct 2023 11:05:24 +0000

In reply to Terisa. Hi Terisa, yes you can just be sure you don’t over mix it. Take care!

Comment on Italian Sponge Cake – Pan di Spagna by Rosemary

Rosemary — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 23:02:09 +0000

In reply to David Roberts. Hi David, that’s not a whisk, it’s the attachment to my stand mixer. Btw you can beat eggs with a whisk.

Comment on Quick & Easy Homemade Puff Pastry by Jeff W

Jeff W — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 21:35:54 +0000

In reply to Blanca.

Bear in mind that the number of layers doubles with each fold. So four folds (if folded in half) is actually 2^4 layers, or 16 layers. The photos in this recipe however showed doing a tri-fold initially, which results in 3 layers, then folding in half twice, which results in 12 layers for the final product.

You actually want to be careful not to over-fold a puff pastry, because after a certain point the layers aren’t distinguishable and it simply becomes a buttered bread. The more rigorous versions of puff pastry can probably handle more folds than this recipe, but they will still have issues after two or three more folds.

Since puff pastry doesn’t have any leavening in it like yeast or baking soda, it relies on the layers staying distinct and the butter crisping them up. If the layers become muddled too much your puff pastry won’t “puff”. Croissants are made this way intentionally, but they also include yeast to let the dough rise and make a more “bready”, yet flaky product.

Comment on Easy Italian Peach Crumb Cake by Terisa

Terisa — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 20:48:02 +0000

Question…would I be able to make the crumb crust in a food processor?

Comment on Italian Sponge Cake – Pan di Spagna by David Roberts

David Roberts — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 20:41:32 +0000

The recipe calls for beating the eggs but the photo shows a whisk. Which is it?

Comment on Italian Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake by Pamela

Pamela — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 16:08:28 +0000

Hi Rosemary. I have some sour cream that I need to use. Do you think I can substitute the ricotta with the sour cream? Thanks

Comment on Grissini Italian Breadsticks by Rosemary

Rosemary — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 20:11:47 +0000

In reply to Karen. Hi Karen, thanks so much, great idea with the add ins. Take care and have a great weekend!