With today’s post, I will take you all back to India, Goa to be precise. A few days ago, I shared with you the recipe for Milk Cream – a delicious cashew nut and milk fudge, and today I am back with another Goan delicacy traditionally made for Christmas: Goan Marzipan. We all know what…
Vin Brule
With Christmas just around the corner, I thought I should share a quintessential Italian Christmas recipe: Vin Brule – aka Italian mulled wine. When living in Italy, Christmas used to be my favourite time of the year. I loved the cold, snowy winters and dark evenings. It all contributed to the cozy Christmas atmosphere that…
Milk Cream
Today I will take you all to India with me – to beautiful sunny Goa, to be precise – and I will show you how to make Milk Cream. Milk Cream is a cashew nut and milk fudge that is traditionally made by Goan Catholics for Christmas. It is very likely a local adaptation of…
White Chocolate and Violet Truffles
When my parents were here for Christmas, the brought me some Violet essence that they had bought in France. I love to use flower essences in desserts. Jasmine is my favourite, but Orchid and Violet are a close second. Remember the recipe for my Jasmine and Mango Panna Cotta Shooters? And how about my Orchid…
Honeycomb
Tomorrow we celebrate Australia Day, the official National Day of Australia. The 26th of January, in fact, marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British Ships at Port Jackson, New South Wales. Nowadays, the celebrations reflect our diverse society and are marked by community and family events. It is a…
Almond and Cranberry Bark
I made this bark to give to my friends as part of the annual Christmas hamper. This year, I put a wedge of my home-made Panforte, some Truffle oil, my Rosemary Pine Nut Sablés and this Almond and Cranberry Bark. The perfect holiday hamper must always have some chocolate! I am sharing this recipe today…
Panettone Gastronomico
If you are one of MsM’s Newsletter subscribers, you may have noticed that today I was supposed to share a different recipe. The truth is I was not sure I would make it in time to work on this Panettone post as I made it for Christmas, but as it is something that Italians do…
Porcini and Taleggio Lasagne
Merry Christmas everybody! For Christmas, Italians often prepare a pasta bake or lasagne, so today I thought of sharing one of my all time favourite: Porcini and Taleggio Lasagne. This has to be one of my all time favourite vegetarian lasagne! It is very easy to make and it only requires a few ingredients. Yet, the…
Panforte di Siena
Today I’d like to share with you a traditional Christmas recipe from the beautiful Tuscan town of Siena: Panforte di Siena. Literally, panforte means “strong bread” which refers to its spicy flavour and it is a very ancient recipe. It appears that panforte was already made in the 1200’s and guess what? It used to…
Peanut Butter Honey Fudge
There is no Christmas without fudge. I have already shared with you a few of my favourite fudge recipes: Chocolate Fudge, Salted Nutella Chocolate Fudge, Brigadeiros, Cookies and Cream Fudge and Matcha Nama Chocolates. So, today I thought of adding a new flavour to the list: Peanut Butter Honey Fudge. It is very smooth and perfect…
Chai Shortbread Cookies
Shortbread cookies have always been my favourites. I love the fact that they are buttery and not overly sweet and I also like experimenting with different shapes and flavours. This time I gave my shortbread an Indian twist. We love Chai at our place and we always have some during the colder months of the…
Matcha Nama Chocolates
I have always liked Matcha sweets, but after going to Japan, I love them even more, especially when Matcha powder is paired with chocolate. In fact, in Japan you can find a huge variety of chocolates made with Matcha, including famous brands like Kit Kat or Pocky’s… yum! When we were in Kyoto, we fell…
Dulce de Leche Liqueur
Today I want to share with you the recipe for yet another home-made liqueur. I love Dulce de Leche, don’t you? Well, having this liqueur is like drinking liquid Dulce del Leche! It is just scrumptious. It is very easy to make and it requires only 4 ingredients. It is perfect to give as a…
Cubbaita
Tomorrow is a very special day for all Italian children, as we celebrate the day of the Epiphany and the visitation of the Biblical Magi to the baby Jesus. The night between January 5th and 6th is the night of Befana, who, in Italian folklore, is “an old woman who fills children’s stockings with candy…
Chocolate Cake with Zabaione
Hello and Happy New Year everyone! This is my first post for 2015 and to celebrate the beginning of a new year, it just had to be a dessert… and a chocolate one at that. This is a very easy and moist chocolate cake, made with very little flour. It is not too sweet, and…
Salted Caramel Nutella Hot Chocolate
After sharing the recipe for my baked Cinnamon Apples, which make for a healthy snack, I am back today with something more… festive. It is the holiday season and I think it calls for a little indulgence, before we get back to our everyday cooking and eating. So what better time than this to enjoy…
Pandoro
Christmas in Italy means Panettone or Pandoro. There’s a huge rivalry between the supporters of these two traditional sweets and very often people who like one will tell you they dislike the other.
Lime and Macadamia Nut Bark
Can you believe that I had never made chocolate bark before?? I know, so weird, especially considering that I am a chocoholic! In my defence, I must say that it is not something we usually make in Italy. For Christmas, we mostly make nougat. But bark is so good, so versatile and, let’s face it,…
Lavender Sugar
I love the smell and taste of lavender. It reminds me of when I used to travel to the south of France with my parents. One of our favourite spots was Aix-en-Provence. We always stopped at the morning markets to buy beautiful bunches of lavender, hand-made lavender soap and all sorts of lavender perfumed items. …
Cookies and Cream Fudge
I made this Cookies and Cream Fudge to give to friends as part of this year’s Christmas hamper. It is so easy to make and it tastes amazing. My husband is a huge fan of Cookies and Cream anything, so he was over the moon when I made it. But he wasn’t the only one…
Creamy Coconut Liqueur #SundaySupper
This week, for #SundaySupper we are sharing recipes for homemade gifts to give to family and friends for the holidays. I LOVE this theme and I cannot wait to read all the recipes that my fellow bloggers will share. I am always on the lookout for new ideas. Like every year, this year too I…
Home-made Salted Caramel Liqueur
If you follow Manu’s Menu, you will remember that I decided to start a little series on home-made liqueurs in the weeks before the holiday season. The reason is simple: home-made liqueurs make the perfect Christmas gift, both on their own or as part of a Christmas hamper filled with different home-made goodies. On the…
Home-made White Chocolate Liqueur
Italians like to make things at home. This includes tomato sauces and preserves, pasta, sausages and smallgoods and, of course, liqueurs. Home-made things are better on so many levels. For one thing, you know exactly what went into your food and then everyone knows that food prepared with love always tastes better. I have always…
Sweet Popcorn Snowballs
I made these Sweet Popcorn Snowballs as part of the menu for my daughter’s 7th birthday party. As the theme was Frozen, I thought having edible snowballs would be a fun idea. These are easy to make and look quite nice. You can make them for a winter themed buffet or save the recipe for…
Olive and Walnut Mini Madeleines
Today I want to share with you the recipe for a great appetiser: mini savoury madeleines made with walnuts and olives. I saw these in an Italian food magazine and I just HAD to make them. Actually, I made these for Christmas and served them as one of our appetisers, with blue cheese and honey. …
DELIZIA ALL’AMARETTO
If you follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Google+, chances are you have already seen a picture of this cake. It was so delicious and it looked so pretty, that I couldn’t resist and gave everyone a sneak peek of it. We had if for our New Year lunch and it was very successful. It is…
PARMIGIANO REGGIANO TARTS WITH COTECHINO
If you follow Manu’s Menu quite regularly, you will remember me saying that Italians always have cotechino for New Year’s Eve. It is like having turkey for Thanksgiving… it’s a given and something that can never be missing from our table. I have shared with you a few recipes for it during the years… from…
