And here it goes… another way to use that delicious Passion fruit Curd you have in the fridge! I have made my share of macarons in the last few months, but this was the first time I filled them with a fruit based curd. I can tell you one thing: I loved them, and I…
BABY SHOWER SHORTBREAD COOKIES
I made these shortbread cookies for a friend’s baby shower. Her baby (a girl!) is due anytime when I write this and we can’t wait to welcome her in our little circle of friends. The baby shower colours were pink and yellow, so I decided to make some ducks, some baby clothes and bottles in…
SHORTBREAD AND CHOCOLATE HEARTS
I made these heart shaped cookies, to take to a charity tea party that was organised in the neighbourhood. The aim of the event was to raise money and awareness about cancer and it was also a beautiful way to socialise with our neighbours. I had planned to dip the cookies in white chocolate mixed…
VANILLA AND LEMON MINI CUPCAKES
I think mini cupcakes are among the prettiest sweets ever. There is nothing more beautiful and elegant than small, bite sized spongy cakes covered in a coloured swirl of fluffy icing. I only recently discovered these treats, but they quickly became a favourite of mine to bake and I often take them to parties and…
WHITE CHOCOLATE & RASPBERRY VERRINES WITH MASCARPONE & YOGURT CREAM
I often find that great recipes are born by chance (or by necessity?). Actually, some of the best recipes, like the one I am going to post about today, get to see the light of day because I have a few things in the fridge (or freezer) that have to be finished. I then take…
GÂTEAU BRETON
Bretagne is the area of France I love the most (together with Provence). I went there only once, as a child, but it was so breathtakingly beautiful that I remember it clearly. I have the memory of eating a fantastic fish soup in a restaurant in the walled city of Saint-Malo, while it was raining…
PASSION FRUIT & COCONUT CRÈME BRULÉE
Crème brulée is one my favourite desserts. I love to break the thick and bittersweet caramel crust to find the silky sweet cream underneath. I love contrasting flavours and textures in food as you find that they all melt together when you savour them giving you ONE distinctive taste. It is a bit like all…
RASPBERRY AND WHITE CHOCOLATE MACARONS
This recipe is long over due! I made these macarons with my mum when my parents came over for Christmas! They were to be given to my mother’s work colleagues on her return to Italy and they were a success! I have also been asked for the recipe… so ladies, here it goes! Apologies for…
FOODBUZZ 24X24: COME HAVE SOME AUSSIE TUCKER, MATE!
Even though I am Italian, I have been living in Australia for the past 6 years. I love this country so much that I have formally become Australian a couple of years ago and I consider myself Australian as much as Italian. Australia is a wonderful country where people from different cultural backgrounds live together. …
CHOCOLATE PANNA COTTA AND THE GIVEAWAY WINNERS
Does it ever happen to you to feel like having a little sweet treat but you don’t really want to go out to the stores to buy the ingredients?? To me, it happens oh so often. So, what do you do when you have a sweet craving to quench?
BUCCELLATO – CUCCIDDATU
Buccellato is a Sicilian cake traditionally eaten during the holiday season, especially on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve… so it had to be featured on the Sicilian Street Food New Year’s Eve Party I organised for this month’s Foodbuzz 24×24 event! It is a ring shaped shortbread cake filled with dried figs, raisins, candied fruits,…
CARBONE DELLA BEFANA – SWEET COAL
I thought of taking a little break from my Sicilian Street Food Party series of posts, to share this recipe with you. In Italy, Christmas holidays always end after January 6th as we celebrate the day of the Epiphany and the visitation of the Biblical Magi to the baby Jesus. That is also the last occasion…
CASSATINE SICILIANE
These cassatine are the snack version of the bigger and more famous Cassata Siciliana. They are pretty much the same thing (apart from the lack of candied fruits on the top), only smaller and more “street friendly” as they are often consumed on the go on the busy streets of Palermo. They are delicious little…
PISTACHIO GELATO
Sicily is very famous for its nut production, especially almonds and pistachios. There is a town in the Eastern part of Sicily called Bronte which is reknowed for the quality of the pistachios that grow in the area. I wanted to make ice cream and serve it in a brioche (as it is typically served on…
DULCE DE LECHE
My husband has a very sweet tooth… and he LOVES condensed milk and everything made with it. I must admit that I instead don’t usually like overly sweet desserts… but I have a weakness for anything caramel. A few years ago, in Palenque – Mexico, we had a fantastic dinner in a restaurant called La…
SALTED CARAMEL MACARONS
This is going to be the 3rd recipe of macarons that I am sharing on my blog. I like all of them: the ones with a White Chocolate and Mint ganache and the ones with Quince Jelly… they are all delicious, but today’s macarons are my all time favourite macarons. I LOVE salted caramel anything…
BABÀ
Today I am going to show you how to make one of the most popular sweets from Naples. In fact I am going to take you to the southern region of Campania for my series on Italian Regional dishes. This region has a vast culinary tradition, so I will be presenting quite a few dishes from…
BLUEBERRY CURD
I think I might have said this already, but growing up I never liked berries. The berries you find in Italy are often too sour for my taste buds, so I never enjoyed eating them (well, apart from the times I would actually pick them on the mountains… but that’s another story!). So I was…
RUM, DATE AND PECAN ICE CREAM – THE SECRET RECIPE CLUB
And it is time again for the “Secret recipe club” reveal! I am sure you all know what the club is about, but for the few of you who still don’t know about it, here goes a brief explanation. Each month you are assigned a participating food blogger to make a recipe from and in…
DARK CHOCOLATE AND MACADAMIA NUT BROWNIES
This is obviously not a typical Italian recipe and, unlike many of you, I haven’t grown up eating and baking brownies. I have discovered them relatively late in life, but it was “love at first bite”. And how could it not be? I adore chocolate! After eating them once, I tried to find a recipe…
HALLOWEEN TREATS
I must admit I have never celebrated Halloween before moving to Australia. When I was a child, we did not have Halloween in Italy. We used to celebrate the 2nd of November which is “All Souls Day” (or “il giorno dei morti” as we call it). That’s the day we remember our loved ones who…
TAHITIAN LIME MOUSSE SHOOTERS – THE SECRET RECIPE CLUB
This is the second month I am participating in the “Secret recipe club” and I LOVE it! It is a great concept… each month you are assigned a participating food blogger to make a recipe from and in turn someone else will be assigned your blog. All you have to do is choose a recipe,…