Fridaylicious: White Chocolate Limoncello Truffles

Thank God It’s Friday, Thank God It’s Delicious!

Good things come in small packages, and to be specific this week all the goodness comes in the small, rounded shape of a truffle. Even better if the little chocolate treat features among its ingredients some delicious limoncello, like the White Chocolate Limoncello Truffles we have the spotlight on this week!

We all know that truffles are so called because the original dark chocolate version (rolled in cocoa) resembles the black truffle fungus, but what not everyone knows is that the person who we should thank for such a watering-buds-invention is Auguste Escoffier, who back in 1920s came up with an “accidentally” different recipe of the French chocolate truffles, which originally were in fact a ball of ganache, chocolate and cream flavored in cocoa powder. One day while August was attempting to make pastry cream, he mistakenly poured hot cream into a bowl of chocolate chunks where he should have instead poured sugared egg. Once the mixture hardened he found out that it could have been rolled up into chocolate balls, and the rest is history!

White Chocolate Limoncello Truffles are made with heavy cream, white chocolate, and the addition of Rometti Limoncello which by infusing a bittersweet, zesty flavor to the sweet, delicate mixture elevates it to something definitively heavenly!

Grated white chocolate could be perfect for rolling, however if you want to add a little exotic look (and taste!) to this already simple yet outstanding recipe, coconuts flakes will just be like the cherry on top!

Ingredients (makes about 30):

1/4 cup Heavy cream
1 Lemon zest
8 oz Chopped white chocolate
1 tbsp Rometti Limoncello
Coconut flakes for rolling

Melt the chocolate in bain-marie; add Rometti Limoncello. Stir frequently as white chocolate tends to burn easily.
Heat the cream till nearly boiling then add to the melted chocolate. Stir until thick and velvety. Stir in the lemon zest. Leave to cool in the fridge for 2-3 hours, or until firm enough to work with.
Line a baking tray with non-stick paper. Wearing disposable gloves, scoop a teaspoon of the truffle mixture and roll into balls using the palms of your hands. If the mixture is a bit sticky, dust with icing sugar. Place each rolled truffle on the baking tray; return to the fridge and allow to firm up.
To coat the truffles; use a fork or skewer to dip each truffle into melted white chocolate then return it to the baking tray to set.
Pipe or drizzle some melted dark chocolate across the top of each truffle.
When all the truffles are made, place them back in the fridge for a couple of hours before packing them into cellophane gift bags or chocolate boxes.

Recipe from http://allrecipes.co.uk
Image by Eva Toneva

Happy Hour Tuesday: Smokin’ Apple

Happy Hour Tuesday!

After a long break during which Rometti has been working on some exciting projects (don’t worry, we will share with you shortly), we are very happy to be back with out weekly blog!

To welcome the new season, and to embrace the cozy atmosphere that seems to surround us  this time of the year, in preparation for the holidays we chose to come back with a New York cocktail, Smokin’ Apple.
Created by Drew Zechman at Boom, an intimate Italian restaurant in SoHo (unfortunately now closed), Smokin’ Apple combines Macallan Fine Oak whiskey, apple cider, fresh figs, sage leaves and of course, Rometti Limoncello.
There is no doubt that this is not a regular drink, it’s indeed a smooth blend of some of the favorite flavors of the season. The fresh, thick and spicy taste of apple cider seems to go very well with the earthy flavor of the fresh figs, which once they are shaken with ice and the rest of the ingredients contribute to adding a little bit of a bite to this delicious drink. Rometti Limoncello, with its zesty sweet and sour character enhances the properties of both and blends them in a pulpy drink.
Needless to say that the Macallan not only is the main ingredient but it’s also the “smoking” part of this exquisite Fall cocktail topped off with a few leaves of sage!

Every sip of Smokin’ Apple warms you up, and it’s like cuddling up with a cozy blanked by the fireside.

Ingredients:
2 oz Macallan Fine Oak 10 Years Old whiskey
1 oz Rometti Limoncello
1.5 oz hand-pressed apple cider
2 fresh figs
2-3 sage leaves

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain over ice in a martini glass. Garnish with a couple of sage leaves.

~Enjoy!

image from Cosmopolitan.com

Happy Independence Day 2013 From Your Friends at Rometti Limoncello

“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves, and under a just God, cannot long retain it.” – Abraham Lincoln

May you all have a safe and joy-filled 4th of July, please drink responsibly, and have an incredible amount of fun.

Cheers to you, and this great Country we live in.

Rometti Team

Happy Hour Tuesday: Limoncello and Grapefruit Punch

Happy Hour Tuesday!

Call it the come back of bright, vibrant colors in fashion or the turn of the seasons, this week at Rometti we were looking for something fun, fresh, young, and colorful. Gladly I came across a recipe that embodies all of these: Limoncello and Grapefruit Punch.

Depending on which type of grapefruit you decide to use, this cocktail might have a variation of color: red, white or pink will play an important role both for the hue and for the taste – tart, sour, sweet. Our pick was pink grapefruit, which is sweeter than other grapefruits and has a tangy flavor. Thanks to these qualities, pink grapefruit pairs really well with limoncello and mint.

Give a twist to your Sunday brunch or to your girls-only afternoon with this colorful, inspirational and refreshing drink!

Ingredients:
1/2 oz Rometti Limoncello
grapefruit juice, to taste
1/2 oz vodka
mint
lemon
sparkling water to taste
ice

Muddle a few leaves of ming in a lowball glass. Add ice, 1/2 oz Rometti Limoncello, and 1/2 oz vodka. Top with grapefruit juice – which we recommend to make from scratch, it won’t take long!- and sparkling water. Garnish with a lemon wedge and a sprig of mint.

Enjoy!~

Recipe from http://Celebrationsathomeblog.com
Image from Studio Lipov

Memorial Day Special: Texas Lemon Iced Tea

It’s Memorial Day weekend, and you surely are all getting together with family and friends for the biggest patriotic holiday after Fourth of July. Some of you might even throw a bigger party on Memorial Day weekend, which marks, if you like, the beginning of Summer, or at least makes it seem not so far away.

Perfect for a party as a refreshing alcoholic drink, Texas Lemon Iced Tea can be mixed in a pitcher and stored in the refrigerator. A variation of the Long Island Iced Tea, Texas Lemon Iced Tea has more tequila, no gin, and Rometti Limoncello. With its smooth, sweet flavor, Texas Lemon Iced Tea is great with any type of dish, from barbecues to desserts. Just make sure that you alternate it with glasses of water or nothing will save you from a buzz!

Drink responsibly. Don’t drink and drive.

Happy Memorial Day!

Ingredients:
1/2 oz Vodka
1/2 oz Rum
1 oz Tequila
1/2 Lemon, juiced
1/2 oz Rometti Limoncello
1 tablespoon Cola-flavored carbonated beverage

Combine vodka, rum, tequila, lemon juice, Cola and Rometti Limoncello in a pitcher. Stir and pour into glasses filled with ice.

~Enjoy!

God Bless America ~ Happy Memorial Day

Today we remember all the fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, husbands, and wives, that believe so much in freedom that they dedicate their lives to protect others’. We also remember their families, who are faced with the constant heartache.  Questions of their health, sleep,  frame of mind, or whether the weight of the duty they bear is beyond anything we can comprehend.

We especially hope our active soldiers can see the stars at night, and be proud of a country and of a people, and not have a clouded vision of a world in turmoil but a world that still has hope for peace and freedom.  Today we remember how lucky we are to have such freedom, a gift that needs to be protected and embraced for all times.

Today we must remember to look at our warrior families and friends living or not, with different eyes, ones of courage, gratitude and love.  For those that are still with us let us support the backbone of a nation that so greatly supported us.  Lets embrace them in our lives in our work, and build a stronger nation.

God continue to bless all those fallen, and all those standing to influence our lives for the good of all.

Happy Memorial Day, and God bless America!

The Rometti Team

Cook N Bake Turkish Series: Sutlac Dessert

It’s Thursday again, and hopefully after four delicious Turkish recipes you still have room for some dessert! For one last time during this Turkish Series, my friend Ceren from Istanbul suggested Sutlac Dessert, nothing less than rice pudding with a hint of vanilla and cinnamon. The very first bite of it will awaken your childhood memories, the sweet smell of vanilla and cinnamon will bring you back to those after school afternoon filled with homework when either mom or grandma would cheer you up with a chilled, creamy rice pudding.
One of the favorite Ottoman desserts, which at the time was usually flavored with rose-water, Sutlac Dessert is still a very popular home made dish, as well as a dessert you can often find on restaurant menus.

On the note of such a simple yet ethereal treat, we must now say goodbye to our Turkish Series. We hope you enjoyed it and stay tuned for more recipes from around the world to come!
Ingredients:
1 liter of milk (plus an extra 1/2 cup for mixing the starch)
1/2 a cup of rice
1 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of starch
1/2 a package of vanilla
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
Clean the rice and boil slowly in 1 cup of water. Add milk and boil for 10 more minutes. Add sugar and stir until it dissolves.
Mix the starch with half a cup of milk ad then add it into the rest of the milk and rice mixture. Bring to a boil then remove from heat and add in vanilla. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
Pour into serving bowls while it is still warm. Sprinkle cinnamon on top once it has cooled.
Note: if desired make sutlac in the oven during directions 1-3
if desired mix starch with 2 eggs and 1 cup of milk before adding it to the milk and rice mixture.then add in vanilla.
If desired put the pudding into oven safe bowls and set on a tray with water in it then put bowls in the oven,and use overhead heat to toast the tops of the pudding.

~Enjoy!

Happy Mother’s Day 2013

Today is a celebration of those women who will always have a special, irreplaceable place in our heart. They gave us life, raised us, taught us how to walk / talk, they have always been at our side even then they disagreed with us.  But most of all, regardless of our imperfections and mistakes, they have  and will always love us.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there!

Auguri mamma!

The Rometti Team

Happy Hour Tuesday: Cucumber, Lemon and Limoncello Cocktail

Happy Hour Tuesday!

Lately I have been noticing that cucumber is widely used in American (and not only!) cuisine : we find it in both fancy and more humble dishes, it is used as one of the main ingredients or serves as a side to accompany the main entree, it flavors tea, water, and now even in cocktails! As a matter of fact, this week’s drink is called Cucumber, Lemon and Limoncello Cocktail.

With its sweet and sour flavor, cucumber offers antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, especially if consumed fresh. These properties are beneficial whether the cucumber is eaten or the essence are extracted from the actual slices. This is why cucumbers are often associated to beauty, spas and wellness.

Cucumber, Lemon and Limoncello Cocktail, which we found on the Italian Dulcis in Furno website, has a zesty flavor which is mellowed down by the bitterness of the cucumber and the mint. With its balanced taste, sweet yet refreshing, Cucumber, Lemon and Limoncello Cocktail is suitable to all the seasons.

Ingredients (serves 2-3):

1 cucumber (about 10,60 oz)
1 shot Rometti Limoncello
2 lemons (the juice)
6 teaspoons sugar
10 mint leaves

To garnish;
Mint leaves to taste
Lemon slices to taste

Peel the cucumber and cut into small pieces. Put the cucumber and mint leaves in a blender and process until creamy. Add the mix to the rest of the ingredients in a shaker. Shake well and pour into glasses that can be garnished with lemon slices and mint.
Serve chilled.

~Enjoy!

Image and recipe courtesy of http://dulcisinfurno.blogspot.com

Happy Easter!

Rometti wishes everyone a Buona Pasqua – Happy Easter ! We hope you are all enjoying spending time with family and friends!

The Rometti Team