2015 copyright Art of Living,PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati
This year’s Ferragosto was spent home staycation style..but staycations sometimes turn out to be the best kind of Holiday..especial;ly if you spend it with someone special doing things you love… Let’s see….so Ferragosto 2015 went down like this.. Alfonso and I spent the early morning hours picking fresh plums at the farm and making marmalade till our fingers turned purple…afternoon..a Pranzo di Ferragosto of Melanzana Parmigiana made with freshly picked Eggplants.. and freshly picked grilled veggies-mushrooms, tomatoes and zucchini..all grilled on branches of freshly picked rosemary…watermelon everywhere to keep cool and refreshed..and a plum cheesecake for dessert…..evening meal was corn on the cob grilled and bruschetta topped with shaved pecorino cheese eaten alfresco..dessert was a walk in the piazza and a gelato at our favorite gelato bar..and to end the night a televised performance of one of Pino Daniele’s last performances on Sogno Son Desto with Massino Ranieri…wow..I didn’t realize we could fit so much into one relaxing day! So many tastes and memories for one long day..that was too short!
Just a glimpse of a morning full of plum picking turning into 20 jars of plum preserves!
Here is snippet in a recipe of my Ferragosto 2105 staycation
Plum Cheesecake
2- 8 ounce packages of reduced fat or regular cream cheese
1-4 ounce container of plain greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar
10-14 dessert type biscuits
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter melted
1/4 cup plum preserves or marmalade
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place cream cheese, Greek yogurt, sugar, eggs, vanilla in a bowl and beat till creamy, then add in lemon zest and juice. Crush cookies/biscuits and add in melted butter till moist. Cover cheesecake pan with baking paper and form a crust with crushed cookie/butter mixture. Pour in cheesecake mixture. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for approximately 50 minutes or until firm. Let cool, then place in refrigerator for 2 hours to become firm and serve. Spread plum preserves on top before serving.
For more recipes get the Gourmand World Award Winning Book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays and Special Occasions-2nd edition
**Ever wanted to be a food blogger..Join me for my course-Food Blogging 101 at Bucks County Community College in Newtown Pa in September, go here for more info http://www.localwineevents.com/events/detail/598713/food-blogging-101 or just email us at [email protected]
*October 16-18th Join me at the Valley Forge Casino for Taste of Philly Show..where I will be cooking onstage and doing book signings throughout the weekend..For more info email [email protected]
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