Buon Anno !

Raise your glass with your favorite sparkling wine to a New Decade, a New Year, and to Passion!

During the holidays, I gave some of my friends a bottle of my favorite champagne, Clicquot. This bottle is very special to me, as I feel a kinship to the founder's widow, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, and her story. Like me, Madame Clicquot also became a widow after seven years of marriage, and she also took over her husband's business (hers was champagne, mine is publishing). Through hard work and perseverance, she made her champagne house into a true success story.

I feel the same way with my drive and passion for Telos Press (www.telospress.com), and with my work as publisher of my late husband's journal, Telos. In 2011, we will be making 30 years of back issues (from 1968 to 1998) available online, in time for 2012 institutional subscription renewals. It will be our global mission to get Telos in every library across the globe. Our smart and dedicated team of interns will be writing about these newly accessible back issues in the TELOSthreads feature on the Telos Press blog. Stay tuned for more!

Likewise, Food and Fate Publishing (www.foodandfate.com) will continue its objective to promote great food and food-related stories and to help with the restoration efforts following the L'Aquila earthquake of April 6th, 2009. All net profits from the sale of my cookbook, Breaking Bread in L'Aquila, go to the rebuilding process, and our marketing campaign, "We have not forgotten," will be reaffirmed each year on the anniversary of that devastating event. Keep reading to hear more about our plans, including a new cookbook in 2012.

Buon Anno,

maria !

Buon Anno !

Poached Pears in Vino (molto fino)!

I'm taking photography lessons with Chris Corrado (www.christography.com). It was great to walk outside and take photos using depth of field and how effective it looks in photos. We stopped at a market and took this photo - (not bad). I bought some pears after the class and inspired to make my favorite poached pears.

A simple, elegant dessert and EASY to prepare. Adding your favorite spices enhance the flavors. Always use a good red wine when you are poaching the pears. An important rule of thumb is "always cook with wine that you will drink and serve your guests!

6 Peeled, Cored and Sliced Pears (Bosc or Anjou)
2 cups of red wine
1/2 cups of granulated sugar
1 lemon, juiced and lemon zest of the lemon (don't waste anything my mother and nanna would say)
Dark chocolate shavings (sinful)
Marscapone, Burrata crème fraiche or scoop of vanilla ice cream (use your favorite)

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients, except pears, and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to a low and add the pears. Simmer pears for 20 minutes and turn them occassionally to marry all of the flavors. Poke the pears at twenty minutes (until they are tender). Remove pears and let them cool. Boil wine sauce until the liquid has been reduced by half. Pour sauce over pears and serve with a tsp. of either Marscapone, Burrata crème fraiche or ice cream. Drizzle dark chocolate shavings and serve! Perfect with a dessert wine.

I've used oranges + cinnamon as another option with orange liqueur!

I also like to serve my poached pears with the 7-egg sponge cake - you can find the recipe in my archives (11/18/09)! .

a presto,

maria !

Poached Pears in Vino (molto fino)!

Amaretti, Biscotti, Pizzelli......Oh my !

Hi Everybody,

As a rule breaker.....I decided to create my version of the Gingerbread House with my delicous cookies from Breaking Bread in L'Aquila. I baked the cookies and with the help of my sister in law Maria, a brilliant and creative baker put the house together. I presented the Pizelli Palazzo on my monthly TV appearances on CHCH TV 11, Hamilton Canada.

Maria created the Pizzelli Palazzo, with the cookies and added a few more touches with chocolate torrone for the walkway. We added almond confetti (silver and white) for stones around the house. As Maria worked on the house, my gorgeous nephew Stefano and beautiful niece Amelia and I bonded over kareoke disco tunes "Funky Town" and "YMCA" ....wearing our funky hats, sunglasses and costumes. ps - I think Auntie Mary was having too much fun!


a>

I also brought the Pizzelli Palazzo during my book signing at the Italian Canadian Chamber of Commerce (ICCO) XMAS Party. Gianni Bardini, Console Generale D'Italia was very impressed with the design and I'm honored to have a copy of my book at the Consolate Office in Toronto!

Before I forget.....I want to acknowledge Stefano's suggestion to seal some of the holes with the icing sugar glue - thank you Stefano! Of course, Amelia helped with the snowmen designs......forgive me for not mentioning on TV !

This house can be made with your favorite cookies! Have fun and be creative!

a presto,

Maria

Amaretti, Biscotti, Pizzelli......Oh my !

Save L'Aquila!

Hi Everybody,

Been out of touch breaking.....

Continued promoting my cookbook Breaking Bread in L'Aquila and glad to be back!

I wanted to share an article about the state of the earthquake devastation of L'Aquila and the region of Abruzzo.

Please read this article and support me with the purchase of my book Breaking Bread in L'Aquila.

FT.com/House & Home - Model Village

I was very honored in May when I was invited at Santo Stefano to present my book at Albergo Sextantio. The owner, Daniele Kihlgren restored the character of the village in Santo Stefano. I share the same passion as Kihlgren and look forward to seeing him in February!

a presto,

maria

The net proceeds of this book will be donated to the restoration efforts of the earthquake of L'Aquila.

Save L'Aquila!