The Chocolate Clock at the “Duls de Sant Bioeus ” pastry shop in Via Volta, Monza is ticking away. Two minutes until the new year: 2019!! Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and peaceful New year!! Also a new cake has been created featuring the traditional ingredients of the “torta paesana” with a new twist. Continue reading
Speculaas are most commonly known as Dutch windmill cookies. These make wonderful Christmas cookies and are more delicate in taste and texture than gingerbread cookies. They can also be decorated with nuts, especially good are sliced almonds and pecans. Continue reading
These gluten free chocolate chip coconut macaroons have only three basic ingredients plus chocolate chips. No flour or fats here. They are super quick to make and bake. So if you like chocolate chip cookies and coconut try this delicious variation. Aquafaba works well here too. Continue reading
This pomegranate duck recipe is a lot easier than it looks. The ingredients are simple and the roasting times are brief so you can have a restaurant meal on the table in a few minutes. This delicious dish is perfect for the holidays with its colorful sauce and sprinkling of bright red pomegranate kernels. Continue reading
I got this Dubliner Cheese Biscuit recipe off the back of a package of Kerrygold Irish butter (milk from grass fed cows) when I went back home to Minnesota last November for Thanksgiving. These light and flaky biscuits were a welcome addition to the Thanksgiving table. The original version called for chopped walnuts and dried sage which I omitted here but can be added if you desire a richer version. Any mild and firm cheddar can be used too. Here in Italy I used a medium aged Pecorino cheese which worked well. If there are any left over the next day these biscuits are great for breakfast too, toasted and spread with any good jam. Continue reading
Torta Caprese is one of Italy’s favorite cakes created on the island of Capri. It has been said that a baker had forgotten to add flour to the batter but the end result turned out to be better than the original recipe. This cake is choc full of healthy almonds and dark chocolate. Also coconut sugar is substituted for the white sugar which is much healthier without altering the flavor. I also simplified the procedure by beating whole eggs together with the sugar without separating them. The texture is dense but light at the same time and you can whip up this gluten-free concoction in no time – almost as easy as making brownies! Continue reading
These whimsical teddy bears add the perfect touch to any holiday, be it Christmas or a birthday party. This pull apart wreath is fun to make as it is delicious. You only need to roll my easy dinner roll dough into three different sized balls, assemble them and pop them into the oven. Continue reading
Dukkah Seed Dip is a mix of ground seeds, nuts and spices. It’s a delicious and healthy way to accompany any kind of bread by dipping it first into a good extra virgin olive oil and then into the seed mixture. The toasted aroma of this mixture is unbelievably fragrant. It can also be used to sprinkle on salads and soups to give added flavor. Continue reading
Ice- cream cones for breakfast? No, not exactly, it’s actually ice-cream scones! That is scones made from melted ice-cream (especially chocolate if you have any left over lurking in a corner of your freezer and you don’t know what to do with it). Make these scones using the same recipe of “Controversial Cream Scones” in this blog substituting about half the quantity of cream with melted ice-cream. The rest is easy as pie as you’ll see in the directions! Continue reading
Looking for another original shape for your dinner rolls? Here’s a creative way to use my Easy Dinner Roll recipe. A few snips here and there, a clove or peppercorn for the eye and there you have it: a leaping dolphin! I got this idea from a local bakery that recently made rolls called “pesciolini” (meaning “little fish”) – only an oval roll with a vaguely tail fin shape on one end. My daughter suggested: Why don’t you try making dolphin shapes? And that’s just what I did! Continue reading