Excerpt

Developing recipes came naturally to Janine Fiori. Tasting, teaching, and sharing the recipes; and researching and writing about food were some of her greatest pleasures. Janine loved her work, and she was thankful to have her hand in so many aspects of cooking.

Janine took a bite into a slice of the golden yellow bread. I can taste egg butter sugar and yeast. The firm round loaf with the soft crust was labeled Sweet Italian Bread. It tastes like Portuguese Sweet Bread. Sweet Italian Bread is panettone, although some do say panettone is a yeast cake.

There she went again, analyzing everything she tasted. How could she use this in a recipe? How could she make it taste even better? Mmmm. Ill cut it into thick slices, stuff the slices with apricot preserves and pecans, soak them in a vanilla-egg-sour creamfat-free, of coursemixture flavored with orange liqueur, then bake it until puffed and golden brown. Maybe Ill add cranberries to the preserves. That was itanother new recipe.


Apricot, Cranberry, and Pecan Bread Pudding

1 loaf sweet bread, cut into 6 to 8 1-inch thick slices
1 cup apricot preserves
1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon orange liqueur
1 tablespoon butter
6 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups fat-free sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
confectioners sugar (optional)

Cut bread slices to fit snug in a deep casserole dish. Remove bread from dish, and cut a pocket in each slice of bread. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix apricot preserves, cranberry sauce, pecans, and 1 teaspoon orange liqueur. Spoon into bread pockets and set filled bread slices aside. Butter casserole dish.

In a large bowl, stir eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon orange liqueur until well blended. Pour of mixture into casserole dish to coat bottom. Place filled bread slices in casserole dish and pour remaining egg/sour cream mixture evenly over top. Let sit for 10 minutes. Heat oven to 350F. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and puffed. Separate bread slices; transfer to serving plates. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar, if desired. Serves 4 to 6.


As Janine prepared the apricot preserves, cranberry, and pecan filling, she thought about the invitation she had just received.

The Italian American Food Council has selected you to join a group of Italian Food Professionals for an all-expense paid seven-day conference on The History of Italian Food and Its Influence on American Culture at The Inn at Montauk, New York. Il Cuoco Grande (The Great Chef) Pasquale Buonappi, founder of IAFC and owner of the magnificent Cibo Buono Ristorante Italiano in Naples, Italy, will provide recipes based upon the lectures of Italian food historian Donatella la Storia.

With bruschetta, panini, cappuccino, and gelato being served everywhere, Janine was delighted that she would be getting first-hand knowledge about the history of Italian food. She marveled how pizza had become Americas comfort food. Italian authorities were astonished, too; and its Americanization compelled them to reclaim pizza as an Italian food. In 1984, Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana was established to identify the essential ingredients, preparation, and cooking methods of authentic classic Neapolitan pizza.

Janine pondered why the IAFC chose her. Was it the constant praise she had received for the food served at her highly acclaimed caf, Con Amore? Was it because her food articles appeared in so many culinary publications? Could it be because her protg, Suna Maria, had become an award-winning pastry chef? Or was it because for the past year Janine had been developing recipes for a prestigious Italian food producer from the Itria Valley in Puglia? She had even appeared in some print advertisements for the company.

She also wondered why she received such late notice. The conference was only two weeks away. Had the invitation been inadvertently delayed? Was it too late to respond? Would she still be able to attend? Janine would have to call the IAFC to find out, but she would have to wait until Monday.

???????

This was too good to be true! Janine learned she had been selected, along with six other Italian aspiring food professionals, by a process in which nominees were evaluated on their performance, skills, and dedication. Several Italian food manufacturers, including the one she was developing recipes for, Il Poma Agricola di Puglia, were sponsoring the seminar. Door-to-door transportation had been arranged through a limousine service. Although no reason was given, it was acknowledged that her invitation had been delayed; and she was surprised to hear that her room was already reserveda one-bedroom suite with an ocean view. I guess they knew I would be there. Fortunately, several of her projects were near completion, and in two weeksin mid-Octobershe would spend a week in Montauk.

Janine wondered who else might be there. I bet Alicia Midori was invited. Shes done so much with her Italian vegetarian and vegan recipes, and shes introducing that new organic frozen line. Maybe that guy who owns the six Italian restaurants. Whats his name? Batare? Batara? Bataro. Thats it. Stefano Bataro. Hes really good looking. This could be fun. Oh, I wonder if Marco Travola will be there. She had seen Marco a few times on television and they had crossed paths at several celebrity chef events. Hes soooo sexy, and he has that popular television show and he just won that award for Most Influential Italian Chef. I wouldnt mind cooking with him in the kitchen or anywhere else for that matter. Janine smiled at the thought.