Wordless Wednesday & Watery Wednesday - Forty Years Ago ( age 24/25 ) in Miami and Lake Tahoe - October 27, 2010

Wordless Wednesday & Watery Wednesday

Forty Years Ago ( age 24/25 ) in Miami and Lake Tahoe - October 27, 2010

I'm participating in Wordless Wednesday

and Watery Wednesday.

D is for Dessert - Aaphabe Thursday

ALPHABE THURSDAY - THIS WEEK IS THE LETTER "D"

D is for DESSERT!

I spent a lot of time pondering over what I should choose as my topic for the letter "D".  I was at my computer in the wee small hours of the morning, starving, and, for some reason, I started thinking about dessert.  That surprised me since I am not really a dessert person.  I can pass it up when dining out and I seldom eat dessert at home.  I forego the calories unless it is something really spectacular.  I must say, I have traveled to some wonderful places about the globe and my taste buds have thrilled to the delight of many extraordinary desserts.  My hips

are not so pleased at this bounty.

According to Wikipedia, dessert is traditionally served at the end of a meal and is a sweet course or a strongly flavored one such as a cheese.  My preference is for sweets though I certainly don't mind following that up with a selection of wonderful cheeses and a nice glass of port.  Watch out hips!!

I also learned that, according to Debrett's, pudding is the proper term ( but we Americans have never been proper, have we? ).  Dessert should be used if the course consists of fruit and sweet is colloquial.  It is good to know that Canada, Australia and Ireland share our lack of proper terminology.  I rarely eat pudding and I think dessert is the perfect word for everything. 

My all time favorite dessert is crème brulée which is French for burnt cream.  In England , it is called Trinity cream and, in Spain, it is crema catalana.  It is a lovely dish of rish custard at the base with a layer of hard caramel on the top.  Its origins date back over three hundred years.

In the last ten years, I discovered a wonderful Brazilian chef who owns three Miami restaurants that I never miss if I am even 300 miles in the vicinity.  Chef Joao Carlos Olivera ( Juca ) has become a friend and his desserts ( as well as anything he serves at Tutto Pasta, Tutto Pizza or Zucchero ) are worth hours on the treadmill. 

The fabulous passion fruit mousse at Tutto Pasto, Miami

( once I ate two at one meal - I will NEVER share this with anyone! )

Soffiato di Guayaba at Zucchero in Miami

Sinful flourless warm guava cake, oozing with a luscious filling and ice cream

Pave with fresh coconut and pineapple at Zucchero, Miami

The Chocolate Cake at the Icon Restaurant, Seattle

Flan, a favorite in Latin America and Mexico

The other thing that can always tempt me is marzipan, my eternally favorite confection made of sugar and almond meal.  I like it plain or in a dark chocolate bar, the best of both worlds!

Wonderful marzipan delights at La Boqueria market on La Rambla in Barcelona, Spain

Taormina, Sicily store with is marzipan fruit creations

The dessert sampler in Portofino on Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas

A "Bushwacker" - made by Jerson, one of my favorite Indian bartenders with Royal Caribbean

Sometimes a cocktail can be almost like a dessert ( one that packs a punch! )

Several years ago, by chance, at my local grocery, Manila Market, I discovered these most addictive candies.  I normally steer away from anything that says "gummies" - I abhor gum drops.  However, mangoes, second only to mangosteens ( not related at all - see a prior blog on that delectable fruit ) are my passion so I tried them - and the rest is history.  I have purchased cases of them.  They are the gift I give everyone, including crew members on my frequent cruises.  When anyone sees me on a Royal Caribbean ship, they give me a big hug and ask, "Where are the mangoes?"  I never disappoint them!

I also like bread pudding. It is served world wide under a variety of names, usually with a sweet sauce, often with brandy, whiskey or rum ( any of the three is just fine by me ). Being a Southern girl by birth, I also like pecan and sweet potato pie and my childhood favorite, banana pudding!

Banana pudding - the recipe always gets doubled at my house!

NILLA WAFERS ORIGINAL BANANA PUDDING

Printed from COOKS.COM

________________________________________


3/4 c. granulated sugar


1/3 c. all-purpose flour


Dash of salt


4 eggs, separated, at room temperature


2 c. milk


1/2 tsp. vanilla extract


35 to 45 Nilla Wafers (reserve 10 to 12 for garnish)


5 to 6 med. size fully ripe bananas, sliced (reserve 1 for garnish)


Combine 1/2 cup sugar, flour and salt in top of double boiler. Stir in 4 egg yolks and milk; blend well. Cook, uncovered, over boiling water, stirring constantly until thickened. Reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add vanilla. Spread small amount on bottom of 1 1/2 quart casserole; cover with layer of Nilla Wafers. Top with layer of sliced bananas.


Pour about 1/3 of the custard over bananas. Continue to layer wafers, bananas and custard to make 3 layers each, ending with custard.


Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry; gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Spoon on top of pudding, spreading to cover entire surface and sealing well to edges. Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes or until delicately browned. Cool slightly or chill.


Just before serving, garnish with banana slices, then stand Nilla Wafers upright around edge of dish. Makes 8 servings.

Wordless Wednesday

Tutto Pasta and Zucchero, Miami, Florida

A few years ago, I was nominated for the Godmother of Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas.  I made the top one hundred finalists and, as such, was invited to Miami to sail with the other finalists on the relaunch of the Majesty of the Seas after their dry dock and refurbishment.  I was allowed to bring a guest so I invited my dear friend and forensic nurse colleague, Sherry Arndt.  I took an overnight flight from San Francisco but Sherry wasn't due to arrive until evening.  I was ravenous so my hotel recommended a litttle place about a block from them - Tutto Pasta.  Little did I know, that restaurant would become one of the top favorites of my lifetime and its owner and chef, Joao Carlos Oliveira - who most people call, Juca, would become a friend!

I walked over from the hotel and found myself in a rather crowded restaurant that had both outdoor dining and inside tables, plus counter seats that looked onto the open kitchen where several cooks were busy preparing meals for their patrons.  The menu was quite extensive, with all sorts of temptation and I was told that Tutto Pizza, next door, also belonged to Chef Juca
I was waited on by a very charming young man, Christian Escuti, from Latin America who knew
everything about the menu and was well informed on the many wine choices.

While Tutto Pasta is basically an Italian restaurant, Juca, who is from Brazil, adds his own special touch to the dishes.  They are unique and tantalizing.  Tutto Pasta began delighting visitors in 1994 and the Miami Herald named this restaurant one of the best in Dade County. On my first visit, I was so impressed at lunch, I brought my friend, Sherry, back for dinner and I
ordered the exact same meal!!  Tutto's passion fruit mousse is to die for ( I had two at lunch that 
first day )!  


When Chef Juca saw me back that same evening, he came over to say hello.  Sherry and I were delighted when a complimentary focaccia di capra - a focaccia with truffle oil and goat cheese -
joined the parade of other fabulous food we ate that evening.

The wonderful facaccia di capra - with truffle oil and goat cheese

Mozzarrella with tomatoes,  and basil

Facaccia Salad

Arugula, goat cheese, and figs - my favorite salad on the menu - I have it every time I eat

at Tutto Pasta

Ever since I visited Argentina and went to Mendoza in the Andes, where they grow the grapes

for Malbec wines, they have been one of my favorite reds.  This Pascual Toso was 

wonderful and I had two bottles in one day!  My friend, Sherry, arrived to help me with the second one!

Rare ahi with shrimp, scallops, arugula and mango salsa

With wonderful waiter, Christian Escuti, during one of my early visits to Tutto Pasta

Lamb chops with roasted potatoes and grilled vegetables

My favorite dessert, passionfruit mousse - I have been known to eat two at a meal!

Passionfruit mousse on my November 2009 trip to Tutto Pasta

Sherry Arndt and me with Chef Joao  ( Juca ) Carlos Oliveira on our first trip to Tutto Pasta

The great guys behind the dishes 

November 2009 visit - Gabriel, who is managing Tutto Pasta since Chef Juca has opened

Zucchero, his new restaurant  - and my favorite waiter, Christian

Whenever a cruise brought me to Florida, I would fly into Miami so I could eat at Tutto Pasta, even if it meant renting a car and driving the 220 miles to sail out of Port Canaveral!

Just this past month, I was invited by Royal Caribbean to sail for the weekend on their new mega ship the Oasis of the Seas, complimentary, in a balcony cabin, and I was allowed to bring one guest with me.  I invited a forensic nurse friend from San Diego.  We were due to sail on Friday, November 20th but I flew into Ft. Lauderdale on Wed, November 18th, rented a car and headed to Miami.  After checking into the Hyatt Regency, I went immediately to Tutto Pasta.  It had been an entire YEAR since I had last been there.  Much to my delight, my favorite waiter, Christian Escuti was on duty and I was warmly greeted by him and other staff.  I had a wonderful dinner and heard the news that Chef Juca had opened a new restaurant, Zucchero, not very far from

Tutto Pasta.  Someone called to let him know I was in town and would be there for dinner the following night.

I checked out of the Hyatt at noon on Thursday, stopped by Tutto Pasta for lunch and drove to

Ft. Lauderdale to meet my friend, Claire Nelli, at our hotel there.  After a brief rest, we were on 

the road to Miami again.  

We arrived  at Zucchero and were quite impressed with the new restaurant.  Since Juca was busy cooking, we chose to sit at the counter rather than dining at a table.  It was the perfect spot to get a look at the procession of fabulous dishes.  The aromas emanating from the stove were

heavenly.

Zucchero Restaurant, Miami, Florida

Zucchini flower stuffed with cheeses

Zucchero chefs at work - Angelo, left and Juca, right

Wonderful appetizers

Linguini pasta with shrimp and mussels

Outstanding staff at Zuchero

Kobe beef meatballs

Chef/owner Joao Carlos Oliveira - Juca - 

of Tutto Pizza, Tutto Pasta, Zucchero, and Tutto Pasta Factory

Interior of Zucchero's

Insalata di rucula

Gnocchi di papate verdi, cannelloni with crabmeat, ravioli di arigosta

Cheers - with great sangria!

Cannelloni with stuffed crabmeat

Burratta

Xavier

Angelo and Juca

Pave with coconut and pineapple

.  

Soffiato di guayaba - running a close second in my favorite list to that passionfruit mousse -

this is a guava concoction with  a hot guava filling that runs out when punctured!

Angelo, chef at Zucchero

Claire Nelli and Carmen Henesy at Zucchero

We were so stuffed after our wonderful evening at Zucchero, it was hard to navigate the thirty miles back to our Ft. Lauderdale hotel.  I felt sad saying goodbye to Chef Juca and was sad I hadn't gotten to see his lovely wife, Patricia, this visit.  Now  that I'm retired, I have no idea when I'll be back in Miami since the change in my income doesn't allow me to travel as I once did.  During my working life, a whole year without eating at Tutto Pasta would have been unthinkable!

During this time of recession, both of Juca's restaurants are offering incredible specials to allay some of the costs of dining out.  If you are in the Miami area, be sure to call and find out what they are.  One night a week, wines are fifty percent off and, other nights, pastas have special pricing.  

Living in the San Francisco area, I am used to a huge choice of excellent retaurants.  Chef Juca's Miami restuarants can compete with the best of these!  I wish I could move Juca and Tutto Pizza, Tutto Pasta, Tutto  Pasta Factory and Zucchero out here.  Believe me, if he ever opens West Coast branches in this area, I'm going to ask him to let me  handle his public relations!  I am one of his biggest fans!