Tag: parmesan princess

Umami Flavor Pops Up in Lawrenceville!

As umami as parmesan cheese? Yes, Parmesan fits into the category of the umami taste sensation, which is a savory, robust, and mouthwatering flavor. The distinct and totally necessary umami was named the fifth taste sensation a little over a decade ago on top of sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Japanese for “yummy” or “good flavor,” Umami is the perfect name for a restaurant. Don’t you think?

Executive chef of the recently closed Tamari in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood, Roger Li will open his Izakaya, or Japanese Pub called Umami a few blocks away above Round Corner Cantina.

As a sneak peek, Roger held a pop up at neighbor Domenic Branduzzi’s Grapperia. A sampling of small plates, I tasted the Japanese street food dishes that will be served at the new Umami. Since it was negroni week, there was even an umami negroni on the menu!

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The pork gyoza, pot sticker- like dumplings, tasted incredible. A traditional “drinking snack.” Yep, that’s what Li is going for!

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Holy Robatas, Batman!
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Probably my favorite of the night, I tasted every variety of the Robatas, which included chicken thigh, hangar steak, chicken heart, chicken skin, and shrimp!

Chirasi-Sashimi Rice Bowl
For those of us who don’t want to order a la carte sushi, the sashimi rice bowl is a perfect menu option!

Don’t miss Umami’s next Pop Up on the patio at Round Corner Cantina June 22 at 4pm! Umami is scheduled to open its doors this fall!

Enjoy!
Ciao!

Strawberry Lime Mascarpone Tart!

A fruity, refreshing tart is totally Spring- totally Summer! Do you ever switch it up? Instead of the usual strawberry blueberry sweet tart, how about a sweet and tangy strawberry lime tart?

Today’s recipe is just that- A step outside the usual, a hint of lime and creamy whipped mascarpone cheese. I don’t think a fruit dessert can get any better. At heart, I’m really a chocolate girl! Shhhhh!

Enjoy this recipe!

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Strawberry Lime Tart
(Makes one 8 inch tart)
Ingredients:

Tart Crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cold stick butter cut into squares

Filling:
1-8oz. Mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lime juice

Topping:
Strawberries – Lime Zest

Directions:

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Grease a tart pan or a 1/2″ inch thick 8″ round cake pan.

Whisk together flour and powdered sugar.

Add in chunks of butter and work with your fingers until it starts to stick together and forms a dough.

Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 mins. in refrigerator.

Roll out into an 8 inch circle.

Press into pan. If using cake pan leave a small overhang to be folded over.

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Bake crust 10-12 mins or until golden.

Let cool.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, and 1 tsp. lime juice.

Add filling and top with sliced strawberries and lime zest!
Get creative! Make a beautiful design or mass chaos. Either way, it tastes the same!

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Enjoy!
Ciao!

A Family Feast ! Sarafino’s Restaurant

One day I had a meeting at a little Italian restaurant in Crafton. I asked, as I typically do, “What is your most popular dish?” The server responded, “Well, the beans and greens, the homemade gnocchi, the pizza, everything is great!” Of course, the table ordered all of it to share.

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When the dishes started arriving I couldn’t believe it. The beans and greens were perfect! Big chunks of sausage with a little kick. The homemade gnocchi- fork marks and all-were little pillows of heaven coated with red sauce and clinging crumbs of fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

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“Everything was fantastic,” I told Joe Caliguire, Sarafino’s owner, a humble man who behind his smile knew I would be totally blown away by his restaurant’s “lunch.”

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Caliguire recently traveled to Luca, Italy to gain more culinary knowledge and to cook with a family in their restaurant. When he got back he hosted a special tasting party for family and friends. I was lucky to be included!
Family and friends meant a traditional Sunday Supper set-up…
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…long tables with close place settings, food served family style, and one hundred loud, passionate conversations happening all at once! I had the pleasure of sitting with some of my faves! Pennies Pints Pittsburgh, TheFoodtastersPittsburgh, yajagoff, everybody loves you, and the great Rick Seback!

A special day for the Caliguire family!

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Brothers?
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Sarafino’s is BYOB so we had plenty of wine and beer to accompany our 10 course meal. Yes, 10!

Here were a few of my favorites!
Grilled Artichokes With Lemon!
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Stewed Squid Bruschetta
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Homemade Pasta With Braised Rabbit
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Not to mention…Soup, Pizzas, Chicken liver páte over polenta squares, penne with mint prosciutto and Parmesan, stewed wild boar over polenta, and roasted pork with rosemary potatoes!

Poached Fruit with IceCream and Biscotti! It’s too bad we had nothing to drink ; )

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Visit Sarafino’s! One of Pittsburgh’s best kept secrets! Take a bottle of wine and tell Joe I sent you!

Enjoy!
Ciao!

Sarafino’s
40 East Crafton Ave.
Crafton, PA
15203
412-922-8911

Lemon Basil Squares!

I am my grandma. Lemon dessert obsessed. Of course bright lemon yellow is her favorite color…”the apple doesn’t fall too far” is too true. Spring brings it out in me. I crave lemon meringue pie, lemon salad dressings, lemon chicken!
Salads doused in lemon juice are the most refreshing spring/summer salads! I just made a beautiful Greek salad this week!

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Lemon squares rank pretty high on the refreshing dessert list and are easy to make! My recipe makes a 9X13 pan, just sprinkle some powdered sugar, cut into squares, and enjoy a beautiful, delicious dessert! This time I added finely chopped basil for an element of surprise!

The addition of the basil’s green color added a crispness and a pop of color to the plain lemon squares. The flavor is incredible! Super sweet and lemony with a pop of savory! Delish!

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Here is the recipe!

Lemon Basil Squares
(Makes one 9X13 pan)

Ingredients:
Crust
2 sticks of butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour

Filling:
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 1/2 tbsp. basil, finely chopped(1 tbsp. for sprinkling on top)
2 tbsp. Powdered sugar (also for sprinkling on top)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour 9X13 pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine softened butter, 1 cup sugar, 2 cups flour with a wooden spoon until well mixed.

Press mixture into bottom of a greased 9X13 pan.

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Bake crust for 12-18 minutes until set and golden.

Meanwhile, whisk together filling ingredients.

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Pour filling over baked base and return to the oven for 18-20 mins.

Let cool.

Sprinkle with remaining chopped basil and powdered sugar.

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Enjoy the lemony deliciousness!
Ciao!

Pittsburgh’s Ramen Bar

Located in the heart of Squirrel Hill’s Forbes Ave. business district, Ramen Bar is just what its name suggests, a traditional Asian noodles and broth restaurant. Offering both dine in and take out service, Ramen Bar serves the city’s need for an intriguing Japanese -Asian influenced menu using the ramen technique.

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Open now for about two years, Ramen Bar is the first of its kind to arrive in Pittsburgh. The atmosphere is modern Asian with a cool art cartoon of a character wrapped in noodles. With a BYOB policy, you can enjoy your favorite wines, maybe a nice cold Sapporo, corking fee free!

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So what is Ramen?
The package you get at the store for 10/$1 that college kids live on for 4 years? Ummmm…no! Ramen Bar’s ramen is a much bigger version! The ramen base is a traditional broth. Thick chewy noodles and chunks of vegetables are added. At Ramen Bar you can add an egg or even a wonton to your enormous soup bowl.

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I enjoyed the Takoyaki appetizer ($6.50), a seaweed salad ($5.50), and Kimchi Ramen noodles (9.75).  Takoyaki is round balls of octopus pan fried in a batter. The seaweed salad was amazing!
The ramen alone was a whole meal!! Next time I hope to master eating the Ramen with chopsticks. I made a hilarious attempt!

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Definitely, a unique date night spot or a great place to catch up with friends! Stop by! You might love it!

Ciao!

NEW Market St. Grocery Store Opens Downtown Tomorrow!

Driving to McKnight Road, The Waterfront, or Eeek! Mt. Lebanon in rush hour traffic, all because the Strip closes at 4:30 and where else can you buy food?? It’s the downtown Pittsburgh grocery nightmare…

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Downtowners know it well and Ralph Falbo is the superhero who took the old Ciao Baby restaurant location and turned it into a hot and trendy downtown grocery stop. With Vallozzi’s owners and Pittsburgh’s blessing, Market Square’s Market Street will house the first downtown grocery store in five years.

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Maybe pick up some wine and cheese for the evening in Market St. Grocery’s wine bar!

Is it a grocery store? Like produce, pasta, cheese? Yes. With perks! Like a wine bar, and a French pastry shop…Yes! It needs to be as fabulous as downtown Pittsburghers!? Right? Hello!!

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My favorite part of Market St. Grocery is the French pastry shop Gaby et Jules that sits against the front window. The colorful macarons and delicate pastries brighten the store! Perfect for dessert or a treat at the office, the Squirrel Hill based pastry shop is a beautiful and unexpected addition!

If you don’t feel like cooking Chef Michael Lamantia will have many prepared options.

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What will the prices be like? I might pay $2 more not to sit in one hour of traffic. Would you?

Enjoy, Pittsburgh!
Ciao!

Market St. Grocery
435 Market Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

The stores hours are 7am-9pm. The wine bar will be open later.

Banana And Coconut Skinny Muffins Scream Summer!!

Sometimes we need an easy to make, low fat, healthy muffin… that reminds us of vacation! Because summer is so close we can taste it, literally. One of my favorite baking opportunities occurs when super ripe bananas are staring at me. I can’t help but think about the delicious possibilities!!

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Usually a healthy muffin is hard as a rock, because of the wheat flour, and dry, because we take out all of the fat and sugars. These muffins are sweetened with honey and the natural sweetness of the super ripe bananas! A little brown sugar and cinnamon even out the sugar profile and add a pop of flavor! They taste totally tropical! Hmmm… maybe some rum next time 😉

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Guilt Free and Fabulous! Here is the Recipe!

Banana Coconut Muffins
(Makes 12 muffins)

Ingredients:
2 cups flour- 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white or all white (If all whole wheat they will be hard)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
1 tbsp. vanilla
2 super ripe bananas- smashed
1/4 cup almond milk or cow’s milk
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup shredded coconut + 2 tbsp. for sprinkling on top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Grease and flour your favorite muffin tin. Mine is USA Pans! They are fabulous!

In a mixing bowl, sift flour, baking soda, light brown sugar, and cinnamon.

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Add the honey, vanilla, mashed bananas, egg, and coconut.

Slowly and gently fold in the ingredients, breaking and chunks apart.

Add the milk. It will thin out the batter, but it will still be a nice, thick consistency.

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Fill muffin tins 3/4 full.

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Bake 15-17 minutes. Rotate pan and sprinkle with coconut after 10 minutes.

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Bake until the toothpick test shows a clean toothpick. Insert into center to test.

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Enjoy!
Ciao!

Deliciously Deviled Eggs!

Deviled eggs are perfect as an app, finger food, and this time of year, eggs are all the rage!!

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Is the most unhealthy ingredient the mayo? or the yolk?

One egg yolk has 5 grams of fat and 54 calories. Save on 50% of the calories by using nonfat Greek yogurt or nonfat cottage cheese to make up some of the yolk volume.

Obviously use a non-fat mayo or eliminate it all together and use greek yogurt or avocado.

Lets talk taste…Mustard snobs everywhere insist on using a dark mustard such as Grey Poupon in deviled egg recipes when yellow mustard is the perfect option. It has the tang needed to amp up the flavor.

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Deliciously Deviled Eggs
(Makes 12 halves)

Ingredients:
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled, halved, and yolks taken out
3 tbsp. light mayo, or greek yogurt
1-2 tbsp. yellow mustard
1 tbsp. sweet relish
1 tsp. paprika – 1/2 in recipe (1/2 tsp. for sprinkling on top)
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:
Mash egg yolks in a small mixing bowl with a fork.

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Add mayo or greek yogurt, relish, mustard, paprika, and cayenne pepper and mix well.

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Spoon into the egg white centers, sprinkle with paprika.

 

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Enjoy!
Ciao!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Overnight Oats! Guest Post by The Almond Eater!

Today’s post comes from Erin of The Almond Eater blog, and is part of a special day of shenanigans from other Pittsburgh Bloggers.  You can see my post over on Yum Yum Pgh, where I share my homemade, easy, and delicious Pad Thai recipe!

Here is Erin’s Post!

Hi Parmesan Princess readers! Today I want to share my new favorite overnight oats recipe: Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Overnight Oats! After all, who doesn’t love a good oatmeal raisin cookie? Also, anyone who says cookies aren’t for breakfast is wrong.

I love overnight oats for 45 reasons, but the main reason is because they’re ready to go when I wake up in the morning, meaning no prep work is involved! This is great, especially mornings when I literally don’t have time to make breakfast—they’re the perfect grab-n-go option.

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I tried overnight oats for the first time two years ago and it was love at first bite. I made them every morning for a very long time, until my body/taste buds were like STOP IT. Now, I try to eat a variety of breakfasts, but still include oats in the line up at least once a week. It’s all about balance :) If you’ve never had overnight oats before, they’re just like oatmeal only cold and the texture differs depending on how much milk you include. I personally don’t enjoy soggy/mushy oats (ew), so I don’t use a ton of milk in mine. HOWEVER, if that’s your thing, go for it—the flavor will be just as good.

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These particular oats are only SEVEN ingredients, and if I’m being honest, you could probably get away with only using five if you don’t have all of the ingredients and don’t feel like running to the store (this happens to me every other day). I totally get it. If you doooo want to/have to leave out any ingredients, I’d suggest the nutmeg and/or vanilla. I don’t recommend it, but if you’re completely out, those things add to the flavor but they aren’t the core of the flavor…. if that makes any sense.

Whatever you do, you’re going to want to whip up these oats TONIGHT so you’ll have something to look forward to in the morning. And when I say “something” I mean and oatmeal raisin cookie in the form of oats. NOM.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Overnight Oats!
Ingredients:
2 cups oats
2 cups almond milk
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cinnamon stick OR 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:
Combine ingredients in a bowl/mason jar and let sit for at least 6 hours. Typically, it’s easiest to prepare these the night before and let them sit in the refrigerator overnight (hence the name ‘overnight oats’.) Enjoy!

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Thanks for reading—for more recipes and things that I find amusing, like The Almond Eater on Facebook or follow me in Instagram  Xoxo

 

Thank you, Erin! We can’t wait to try these oatmeal raisin overnight oats!
Ciao!

Rice Krispies Treats Easter Eggs! Adorable And Fun Treats!

Is it the crispy bite or the gooey yummy marshmallow we love so much about Rice Krispies treats? Loved by children and super easy to make, Rice Krispies treats can be made fun and festive with a drop of food coloring or an addition of colored sprinkles!

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To make the colorful treats, divide the butter/marshmallow mixture into thirds and added yellow, green, and purple (red and blue) coloring. Then add the cereal, mix well, and mold into a nonstick coated plastic egg! These can be a sticky mess so be sure to also grease your hands!
Enjoy making these treats everyone will love!

Rice Krispies Treat Easter Eggs
(Makes approx. 30 1-1/2 inch Eggs)

Ingedients:
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
3 tbsp. butter
1 10 oz. bag mini marshmallows
food coloring

Directions:
Melt butter in a saucepan over low to medium heat so it doesn’t burn.

Add marshmallows and stir until melted and the ingredients are incorporated.

Remove from heat and separate into thirds- three mixing bowls.

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Add food coloring to reach desired colors.

**It is important to work quickly at this point. Mix in the cereal before the marshmallow starts to harden.

Add 2 cups of cereal to each bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until cereal is coated.

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Grease hands and a plastic Easter egg. Press the cereal into the egg. After a few seconds, remove the cereal egg and place it on a piece of waxed paper.

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Serve in an egg carton or in the plastic eggs!

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Enjoy!
Ciao!