< PreviousZUCCOTTO (ITALIAN CHRISTMAS CAKE) For the sponge cake: 4 large eggs 3 ⁄ 4 cup granulated sugar 2 ⁄ 3 cup cake flour 1 ⁄ 2 cup potato or corn starch For the filling: 1 1 ⁄ 3 cup ricotta 1 cup whipping cream 1 ⁄ 2 cup powdered sugar 1 ⁄ 3 cup unsweetened cocoa 1 ⁄ 3 cup chocolate chips 1 ⁄ 3 cup candied fruit or candied citrus peels 5 tablespoons liqueur (alchermes or amaretto) 5 tablespoons water Preheat oven to 350 F. Whisk or sift together the flour and potato/corn starch. Set aside. Beat eggs and sugar about 15 minutes at medium speed until light, fluffy and doubled in volume. Add the sifted flour gradually to the egg mixture, stirring rig- orously by hand. Pour mixture into a 9-inch parchment-lined springform pan. Bake for about 50 minutes, until set. Place on rack to cool completely. Remove excess liquid from ricotta by draining through a sieve. Mix ricotta and sugar. Whip heavy cream to stiff peaks and fold into ricotta mixture. Take 1 ⁄ 3 of the mixture and put in a separate bowl, mixing in cocoa powder until blended. Take the remaining 2 ⁄ 3 and add in chocolate chips as well as candied fruit. To assemble the cake: Take the cooled sponge cake and cut into long slices about 1 ⁄ 2 -inch thick. Take the mold and line the inside with plastic wrap. Ar- range the sponge cake slices in the mold, covering it com- pletely, press well with your hands to compact the pieces of sponge cake together. Brush cake with liqueur diluted with the water. Spoon ricotta and chocolate chip layer in and smooth the top. Cover with the chocolate layer and then cover the top of the mold with the remaining sponge cake, brushing it with the liqueur. Cover the top of the mold with the over-hanging plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Invert onto a serving dish. Remove cling wrap and dust with unsweetened cocoa. Cut into slices and serve. 50 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMBeR 2022 DESSERT ISLAND SPOON WORTHY This creamy, festive Italian dessert is perfect for holiday gatherings story and recipe by PHIL NEWTON | photo by JENNIFER REYNOLDS Z uccotto is a famous ancient Italian dessert that originated in Florence. It consists of a shell of sponge cake brushed with liqueur, either alchermes or amaretto, filled with whipped cream, ricotta and chocolate. Spoon des- serts, such as tiramisu, zuppa Inglese and panna cotta are part of a strong Italian tradition. “Zucca” in the Tuscan dialect means “head,” befitting a dessert made with a dome-shaped military helmet as the original mold. There have been many versions of this cake over the years, but all have the dome shape in common. Bernardo Buontalenti, a Renaissance architect and the creator of gelato, also created this dessert to honor Caterina de’ Medici. PHIL NEWTON is a Galveston baker/cook. He’s the owner/operator of Stiglich Corner with partner Cindy Roberts.4:00 P.M. AT THE GRAND 1894 OPERA HOUSE, 2020 POSTOFFICE STREET SUNDAYS AT THE SYMPHONY JANUARY 8 HAPPY NEW YEAR! A fun and varied musical fireworks Pops Concert modeled after the famous Vienna New Year Concerts – including another world premiere! FEBRUARY 26 MASTERWORKS III APRIL 2 MASTERWORKS IV Anton Nel joins GSO for Mozart’s gorgeous 24th Piano Concerto. Plus Ravel’s most magnificent orchestra piece, Daphnis and Chloe. World Premiere of a piano concerto by Norwegian composer Ketil Hvoslef with Andrew Staupe and Tchaikovsky’s 2nd Symphony. Internationally acclaimed soprano Ji Young Jeon joins GSO for a concert of beautiful arias and Respighi’s Pines of Rome, birds and all! MAY 14 MASTERWORKS V Experience intimate chamber music recitals performed in the elegant ballroom of Galveston’s historic Moody Mansion! Ticket includes glass of wine and light refreshments. Limited seating. 7:00 FRIDAYS | 2618 BROADWAY (FREE PARKING BEHIND MOODY MANSION) FEBRUARY 24 Trond Saeverud, violin MARCH 31 Anton Nel, piano MAY 12 Andrew Staupe, piano and Trond Saeverud, violin TRUBE FOUNDATION TICKETS & CONCERT DETAILS: GalvestonSymphony.org GSO is a community supported organization supported, in part, by generous funding from52 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 DOWN HOME MARKET MUFFINS This toddler-approved recipe is healthy and delicious story by SHANNON CALDWELL | photos by JENNIFER REYNOLDS I slander Torrina Harris, thankful for the bounty of fresh produce at Galveston’s Own Farmers Market, has created tasty and healthy muffins packed with local ingredients. Harris was inspired by banana and carrot cakes recipes when she created the muffin recipe, she said. With cinnamon, vanilla and honey for sweetness and spice, the muffins also feature beets and broccoli. They’re yummy served warm with melted butter. And parents of picky eaters will be pleased to know they are tod- dler-approved, Harris said. “My 2-year-old daughter loves them,” she said. “She calls them “muffies.” Harris recommends freezing some so the tasty treat always is on hand. Harris, who grew up in Arizona and League City, learned to cook from her grandmother, who was famous for her pork chops, cabbage rolls and upside down-pineapple cake, she said. “The way I cook and eat now is very different from how I used to eat,” she said. “I didn’t grow up eating chia-seed muffins.” Advocating for positive change is a driving force for Harris, who is the program director for the Nia Cultural Center, a nonprofit community-based program that works to strengthen fam- ilies and mentor and prepare children for productive futures. She also serves on the board of Vision Galveston and Galveston Children’s Museum. Torrina Harris holds her daughter in the gallery at the Juneteenth Legacy Project headquarters on The Strand in Galveston. Harris, the program director for the Nia Cultural Center, was inspired by carrot cake and banana bread recipes when she created her market muffin recipe. The tasty and healthy muffins are toddler-approved, she said.Affordable housing, livable wages, high-quality child care and resources for teenagers are some of the social justice initiatives she would like to see introduced in Galveston, she said. Passionate about improving life for people and communities who have traditionally been excluded from progress, Harris recognizes she often is the only person in the room “who looks like me.” Not content with simply “preaching social justice,” she actively works to bring about change. One initiative she is proud of is the Harambee program at the Nia Cultural Center. Named for the Swahili word for “pull together,” the program pays grandparents, par- ents and caregivers of Black children younger than 3 years old to take class- es and share feedback on how better to engage Black families in Galveston. Harris was a poet in residence at Galveston Central Church and is a poet and poetry slam organizer and educator with Write About Now Poet- ry in Houston and Coast 2 Soul Poetry in Galveston. “I love poetry because it is one of the only things left with the power to change minds,” she said. “It doesn’t happen by reading the comments on Facebook or someone’s hot take on Twitter. But it happens with poetry.” COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 53 MARKET ‘MUFFIES’ Makes: 12 muffins 1½ cups wheat flour ¼ cups flax seed ¼ cups chia seeds 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon ¾ teaspoon baking powder ¾ teaspoon salt 1 ⁄ 8 teaspoon nutmeg 1 cup mashed overripe bananas ¼ cup shredded beets ¼ cup shredded broccoli ½ cup finely shredded carrot ½ cup honey ¼ cup milk of choice ¼ cup coconut oil 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease cupcake tin (or use cupcake tin liners — reusable silicone works best). Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Whisk wet ingredients, including fruits and veggies, in a separate bowl. Pour wet into dry and stir to form a batter. Scoop even portions into muffin tin. bake on center rack for 40 minutes. Keeping the oven closed — do not open — turn off the oven and allow muffins to sit for another 10 minutes. If still undercooked, turn oven back on and continue baking, checking every 5 minutes. Serve warm with butter or freeze for later. Note: Many of the fresh ingre- dients, such as honey, fruits and veggies, for this recipe can be picked up on Sundays at Galveston’s Own Farmers Market, from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays. Daphodill Farm & Agricola Family Farm are Harris’ per- sonal favorites, she said. 54 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 COUNTER CULTURE ‘IT FEELS MORE AIRY’ Historic East End island kitchen gets an elegant and modern makeover story by BARBARA CANETTI photos by STUART VILLANUEVA C hip Hosek has taken great pains to restore and decorate his 1859 East End Galveston cottage with furniture and furnishings appropriate for its time. But not in the kitchen. Hosek has updated, modernized and acces- sorized the kitchen, butler’s pantry and nearby prep area with all the conveniences needed for a first-class meal or entertainment space. When he and Mary Hill moved into the house in 2018, he felt the kitchen needed a little more elbow room. A sunroom, probably once an open porch for more than 75 years, had four sets of double doors into adjoining rooms. He removed two sets of the eight-pane doors and reassembled them as pocket doors, which now open into a grand dining room. “I just increased the footprint by a foot, but now you can get around people sitting at the island,” he said. “It feels more airy.” The long walnut dining table for eight, dating back to the 1860s, is below an eye-catching elegant Lalique chandelier. The dining room contrasts with the modern kitchen, but the two work well together. (Right) The kitchen in Chip Hosek and Mary Hill’s East End home features a spacious island for cook- ing as well as dining, commercial-grade appliances and fine art decking the walls. COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 5556 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 COUNTER CULTURE (Clockwise from top) The butler’s pantry adjacent to the kitchen provides prep space and storage. A glass-fronted display case shows off Chip Hosek and Mary Hill’s collection of rare Victorian-era pickle castors as well as sugar bowls, tea pots and other antique serving pieces; a KitchenAid gas range and custom range hood. The rough-looking stone walls add texture to the kitchen’s smooth surfaces; a grocer’s scale that once belonged to Chip’s grandfather, George Hosek,58 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 COUNTER CULTURE The original dining room is where today’s kitchen is, Hosek said. Today’s dining room probably was a parlor. The original kitchen was in the back of the house. The pristine longleaf pine floors throughout the first floor have been refinished and are in perfect condition. In his kitchen, Hosek created a huge 11-foot-long granite island, which easily seats six. The granite colors — golds and browns — coor- dinate with the large metal black and gold intricate ceiling tiles he installed in the sunroom. These colors are repeated again in the selection of hor- izontal stone bricks, which cover two walls and backsplashes in the kitchen. Hosek, a masonry contractor, chose the rough-looking stone walls to add texture to the room’s smooth surfaces. “We were only going to use it as a backsplash, but we went all the way up,” he said. Hosek and Hill, who will marry in the house this month, entertain frequently, so the large island comes in handy. But even more useful is the adjacent butler’s pantry, with its matching countertop for prep space. A glass-fronted display case in the butler’s pantry shows off their collec- tion of rare Victorian-era pickle castors, which are glass jars fitted in an elabo- rately designed silver-plated frame and matching silver-plated lid. The display case also showcases sugar bowls, tea pots and other antique serving pieces. And when it comes time to clean up after a party, the next room — a preparation area/laundry room — is out of the way and a great staging area for dirty dishes. The room likely is where the original kitchen was, Hosek said. Beautiful matching stained-glass windows were installed in the prep room and butler’s pantry, as well as vintage stained glass in virtually every transom over the doors in the three-bedroom house. “Whenever I get to replace a win- dow with stained glass, I do it,” he said. “These glow at night.” The rest of the house is carefully decorated with antiques and large floral arrangements. “When you walk in, you are in an 1800s home until you come in the kitchen,” Hosek said. Mary Hill and Chip Hosek sit at the 11-foot-long granite island in their kitchen. The Hoseks entertain frequently and the large island comes in handy. COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 59 MerryChristmas Inwarmappreciationof everyopportunitywe hadtoworkwithour customersduringthe pastyear,weextend ourverybestwishesfor aMerryChristmasand asuccessfulNewYear. BESTTITLECOMPANY 2022|2021|2020 BESTLAWFIRM 2022|2021|2020 BESTATTORNEY 2022 EXPERIENCEMATTERS! www.SouthLandTitle.net 409.744.0727-6710StewartRd.,Ste200,Galveston,TX77551 Chip Hosek, an avid cook, has long enjoyed preparing seafood. He shared this recipe with Coast Monthly: SHRIMP AND SCALLOPS 30-35 large shrimp, peeled and deveined 12 large scallops 1 teaspoon lemon pepper ½ teaspoon Creole seasoning ½ teaspoon paprika ½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning 1 stick unsalted butter ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1 tablespoon fresh parsley 4 tablespoons cornstarch Juice from 1 lemon Olive oil for cooking Peel and devein shrimp, leaving the last section of the shell on the tail. Put shrimp in a bowl. Pat the scallops dry and put in a bowl. Put 2 ⁄ 3 of the dry seasonings on the shrimp and lightly toss, mixing by hand. Put the other 1 ⁄ 3 of the dry seasonings on the scallops and lightly toss. Add ¼ cup olive oil to skillet set on high heat. remove shrimp from bowl to a plate and dust both sides with cornstarch. Imme- diately place shrimp in hot skillet. Cook 1 minute on both sides, remove and place on platter. Add more olive oil to skillet, if needed. Place scallops in skillet and brown on both sides about 1½ minutes per side. remove and place on platter. Add to the skillet juice of 1 lemon, 1 stick of butter and chopped parsley. Once butter melts, add 2 teaspoons of minced garlic. Add shrimp back to skillet and baste about 1½ minutes. remove from skillet. Add scallops to skillet and baste for 1½ minutes. remove from skillet. To serve, drizzle garlic butter from skillet over shrimp and scallops with a side of fresh sautéed vegetables.Next >