If I were his World Cup Chef: Vincenzo Iaquinta (Italy)

This story is #2 of 32, in my new "If I were their World Cup Chef" series. Each post will honor one world football player from each of the 32 countries going to the World Cup in South Africa this summer. As my muses, each will inspire a recipe that I am privileged to offer as my gift ... to thank them for making the world more beautiful.

If you are following the Original LA Farmers Market/Monsieur Marcel recipe series, please find grocery shopping tips at the end of recipe.

I love cosmic winks!

Last month, just as I was inspired to include Juventus’ - and the Italian national team’s - yummy forward, Vincenzo Iaquinta, on my list of muses for “If I were their Chef”, the new Dolce&Gabbana 2010 World Cup men’s underwear ads popped up on my radar.

Oh look, I had to smile ... there's Iaquinta, in his new "calcio" briefs, looking like ... a god. What a perfect muse he is for “If I were his World Cup Chef”.

My job is just so easy.

Besides that, I have always been in love with Iaquinta. I had to wonder my usual ooooh, who are you, out loud, when I first saw him play with his World Cup Champion Azzurri squad during the 2006 tournament. After that summer, I followed him as closely as I could with his club team, Udinese. When I was in Italy in May 2007, I could understand the Gazzetta’s Italian well enough to get that he was going to sign with Torino's Juventus, the club whose jersey he dreamed of wearing since he was a child. (I had to make sure that wasn't just a rumor, which would just be mean. My fellow tifosi said yes, Diana, it’s true.) By the time I returned to Torino that fall, his striking image was gracing almost life-size posters in the windows of one of my favorite downtown stops, the Juventus store. I wasn’t the only one snapping photos.

He is even more striking in Italy’s blue national jersey! Maybe even more still, when visiting white lions in South Africa.

While in Italy I also bought his club jersey for my honorary nephew whose name is Vincent, and more than once considered keeping it for myself. Please don’t tell anyone.

To his credit, and I really do love this about certain men in his class, he keeps his personal and family life very private. There is the very good news that he has been married to his beautiful wife Arianna probably since forever ago, and they have two of the most gorgeous little sons. Apparently he wouldn’t mind if his children followed his path and became footballers, and family time is his top priority alongside his stellar career.

Regarding his roots, he was born in Calabria (the toe of the boot), and when he was very young, his family moved north to Emilia-Romagna (above-behind the knee of the boot), which is considered the Food Basket of Italy. Some of the world’s most exquisite food cities reign there, like Bologna, Parma, and Modena. This region also houses headquarters for Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, and Ducati. So, it’s only proper to offer a recipe that celebrates his own class-act, and is worthy of the region he most likely calls home.

If I were his World Cup Chef, I’d also have the posing-in-his-underwear thing to address which, is a very nice problem to have. Clearly, his recipe can’t not put both rich and sensual on the plate. I must do what any relatively clever, self-respecting, swooning chef would do because, she can. It is my understanding that his favorite meal is lasagne. Fortunately that is fairly easy to translate into something sweet and sexy, with his name on it.

A layered dessert oozing with strawberries and cream. (It is summer, after all.)

To add an Italian accent, this dessert honors the green, white, and red of his national flag, which he will proudly represent next month in South Africa. Since he’s said that the highest point in his career was winning the 2006 World Cup, this must be something that will inspire revisiting all that. In the style of lasagne, fresh crepes that are lightly tinted green and lime-twisted to add intrigue, are beds for the layers of incredibly delicious fresh strawberry sauce, thinly sliced fresh berries, and vanilla-spiced (it’s always the spice with me, I know) whipped cream. Topped with shaved white chocolate, this irresistible temptation dreams of experiencing an unforgettable World Cup moment.

As in ... wouldn’t it just love to be set on the table before one of the tournament’s dreamiest men?

I think it would.

Italian Flag Strawberries and Cream Lasagne, for Vincenzo Iaquinta
Note: This dessert is best when chilled overnight or for at least 8 hours before serving; have bar or block of white chocolate available at time of serving. Please do not be daunted by the length of recipe, each step is easy and, the end result is worth every last second spent preparing it.

Make crepe batter:
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
Grated zest of 1 fresh lime
1 Tbsp melted butter
3 drops blue food color
1 Tbsp butter, for cooking crepes
In medium bowl, whisk first 7 ingredients until smooth. One drop at a time, whisk in blue food color, for batter to yield a soft green color. Let batter rest while strawberry sauce, fresh berries, and spiced whipped cream are prepared.

Make strawberry sauce and prepare berries for lasagne:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
12 fresh large strawberries, hulled, chopped coarsely
Prepare simple syrup by cooking sugar in water in small saucepan over medium heat, until sugar is dissolved. Pour syrup over fresh strawberries and mash fruit lightly for berries to fully absorb the syrup. After 10 minutes, press through a fine sieve, reserving puree. (Use remaining fruit solids for another use, if desired.) Transfer puree to small saucepan, and continue with these ingredients:

1 tsp cornstarch
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp butter
1 tsp vanilla

Whisk first 3 ingredients into strawberry puree and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens into a glaze. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Set sauce aside.

Hull an additional 10-12 fresh strawberries and slice thinly. Set aside for lasagne layers.

Make spiced whipped cream:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
In large bowl, using electric hand mixer, whip cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold in:
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

Cook crepes and prepare to make lasagne:
Have a small round plate handy, also several sheets of waxed paper before cooking crepes. Melt a little butter in an 8" round nonstick skillet, over medium heat. Pour about 3 Tbsp crepe batter in center of skillet, and tilt pan so than a very thin, delicate pancake-like round is formed. After about 30 seconds, flip crepe gently to cook on other side for about 30 seconds. Transfer crepe to dish and cover with waxed paper. Repeat process until all crepe batter is used; yield is about 8-10 crepes.

Coat a small (5" round x 2" deep; i.e., Corningware French white) casserole dish with cooking spray, and line with plastic wrap.

Make layered lasagne with all prepared components:
Coat bottom of prepared casserole dish with a little strawberry sauce. Place one crepe on top of sauce. Spread crepe with about 2 Tbsp strawberry sauce, followed by about 2 Tbsp spiced whipped cream and 10-12 slices of fresh berries. Repeat layers with crepe, sauce, cream, and berries (use all berry pieces), ending with a crepe. Reserve any remaining sauce and whipped cream, for serving.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place something weighty and round on top of casserole, like a smaller, medium-weight bowl, and chill for at least 8 hours or overnight. This will press the layers together and yield easier slicing.

To serve, remove top plastic wrap and place shallow pasta or serving bowl on top of casserole. Gently flip casserole over and peel away surrounding plastic wrap.

Drizzle serving plates with a reserved strawberry sauce, if desired. Slice lasagne and lay cut side down on top of sauce. Shave white chocolate as desired, for garnish.

Yields 4-6 servings.

Where to shop ~ for specialty ingredients and pantry staples, I love Monsieur Marcel; for produce, Farm Fresh and Farm Boy Produce; for breads, Thee's Continental Pastries, Monsieur Marcel, Breadworks.