Happy Birthday, JLNobody, June 27

Here's hoping that your birthday tomorrow is a very special one, JL. Have a very happy birthday!

Happy birthday, JL!

Happy birthday from BBB and Butrflynet!

Haapy Birthday, Boss . . .

I intended to hold out until tomorrow, but what the hell. Happy Birthday, jl. Best wishes.

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JL.
Ya ain't gettin' older...yer just aging properly.

Edgar, I'm going to wait til tomorrow to permit myself the joy of your birthday wishes.

J. Can you PLEASE describe the ingredients in my Zuccotto cake? It looks SO good.
And thanks.
J.

IGM, that's a real zen card. Thanks.
JLN

Thanks, Frank. I agree. You too.
JL

Happy birthday, JL!

Damn! I'll never catch up to you. But I'm trying.

Thanks, Boss, an unusually pleasant surprise.
J

The internet pooped out on me just after I read your request, JL. Not your fault but something with the phone company and its penchants for dsl outages.

I've got two lists -
a link for the zuccotto in the photo, which I grabbed from google images.

And then a description of the one and only zuccotto I ever made, which turned out fabulously, but now I need just the right new bowl to make another one.
That recipe hasn't been online whenever I've looked, but I've got it from a magazine and could mail a copy to anyone with any interest.

The two zuccotti are quite different, but both "Toscano". The one I made was surprisingly simple to do; the one in the photo looks like something I'd mess up.


http://www.mybestdaysever.com/il-duomo-zuccotto/
(that has the recipe)
Ingredients are:

Cake
1 1/2 cups of plain (all purpose) flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
a pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/4 cup of milk
125 grams unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup castor sugar
3 eggs

Lemon Syrup
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup limoncello or grappa

Filling
200 grams bittersweet couverture chocolate
1 cup cream
125 grams icing sugar
1 cup marscapone
100 grams drained ricotta
100 grams of blanched almonds, roughly chopped
100 grams toasted hazelnuts, skins rubbed off and roughly chopped
100 grams candied citron, grapefruit or lemon peel, chopped



The one I made is a chocolate affair of the heart - Zuccotto Toscano, Food and Wine magazine, December 1990.

For the Pan di Spagna Sponge Cake -
4 eggs, separated
3/4 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch

For the Fillings and Garnish -
1/2 cup hazelnuts
10 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 cups of heavy cream (some will be cooked with chocolate, some will be whipped)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons light rum, plus more for brushing
2 teaspoons confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Oh, I'm weak in the knees, either from the recipe, my age, or the idea of limoncello.
This is going into my archive...one day.
Thanks dear.
j.

Lustful, you'll catch up some day, especially since this was the last time I'll admit to my age. Thanks.

Have a Painterly birthday

Yeah, but some people will be able to figure out your age anyway...by adding the years that pass from to day to the date when they are doing the calculations.

Not everybody...but some.

Birthday felicitations!