A couple of weeks ago I started a section on reviews. If you have missed the first review of the series, make sure to check it out as it was about some of the best pizza in Sydney at Caffe’ Moretti. Today I am changing topic: no pizza, no Italian food at all. Since I…
QUINCE JELLY MACARONS AND MY FIRST GIVEAWAY
After making cotognata I had some left over “quince water” in which I had cooked the quinces… that liquid makes some fantastic quince jelly! But I did not want to eat the jelly by itself… I wanted to make something unique to celebrate a special occasion, but more on that later. What’s more special than…
DOUBLE NUTELLA KULFI WITH TOASTED HAZELNUTS – MY GUEST POST OVER AT FLAVOUR FIESTA
When Divya asked me to write a guest post for her beautiful blog Flavour Fiesta I was so honoured and excited! She has an amazing site… please check it out!!! It is a feast both for your tastebuds and for your eyes. She is a very talented foodie and her recipes are mouthwatering. Not only,…
COTOGNATA – SICILIAN QUINCE PASTE
This is another one of my family’s recipes. It is a traditional sweet of many Italian regions (especially in the south) and when my parents were kids, it used to be among the most awaited gifts that Sicilian children would get for “all souls day”. You can find out more about the traditions of “all…
CHOCOLATE COVERED MARZIPAN RUM BALLS – MY GUEST POST OVER AT SANDRA’S EASY COOKING
A few days ago I got an email from Sandra of Sandra’s Easy Cooking asking me if I would write a guest post for her fantastic blog. Would I?? Of course I would! I felt so flattered and honored to be asked by one of my favorite foodies to be a guest over at her…
THYME SCENTED LEMON COOKIES
The other day I had some fresh thyme left in my kitchen and I was trying to figure out how to use it… the only thing I knew was that I wanted to make something sweet with it as I am always intrigued by the use of herbs in sweets. I surfed the web for…
PINEAPPLE LAYERED DESSERT
This is a very easy dessert and you can make it in a matter of a few minutes. It is so easy to make that I made it for my husband’s birthday, the day before our second daughter was born (yes… they were born on 2 consecutive days!). You can make your own custard or…
STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM IN PUFF PASTRY CASES
When I was a child I didn’t like sweets made with puff pastry: they would crumble so easily leaving my hands dirty and sticky. Traditionally, Italians do not use puff pastry for sweets very often… I remember eating lots of it in France though. Well, I have grown up and the times when I did…
MACARONS WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE AND MINT GANACHE
I must admit I had never attempted to make macarons before! Yes… you got that right! I have always been intimidated by how “precise” you need to be. Besides, I am not a “baker”. Mind you, I do bake occasionally (and I am doing more so lately), but I tend to use the stove more…
Rose Cheesecake
Creamy no-bake Rose Cheesecake with delicate rose syrup and a crisp biscuit crust makes a stunning centrepiece dessert. Light floral sweetness and silky layers give each slice an elegant finish.
GENOVESI ERICINE – MY FIRST GUEST POST
I have recently been invited by the charming Jill to write a guest post for her beautiful site, Mad About Macarons… She has just created a section on her site to publish recipes that require egg yolks. The reason is simple: the more egg yolks you use, the more egg whites you are going to…
BEIJINHOS DE COCO – COCONUT KISSES
This is not an Italian recipe. It is a Brazilian coconut sweet usually served during birthday parties. My husband ate this at work as one of his ex colleagues was Brazilian and brought it to share with all the co-workers… and as always when my husband likes some food, he asks me to replicate it….
CHOCOLATE AND COCONUT TARTELETTES
Last year I was looking for a good chocolate tart recipe and I came across this Rich Chocolate Coconut Tart. The moment I saw it, I knew I had to try it even though the shell worried me… it looked so hard to make and so delicate. Instead it was really easy to make, so…
ONLINE BAKE SALE FOR JAPAN – MANU’S MENU SNEAK PEEK
As many of you already know, Manu’s Menu will take part to the Online Bake Sale for Japan organised by Sabrina at The Tomato Tart. More than 90 food bloggers around the world have come together to support the initiative. Each of us will bake one or more goodies that will be put up for…
MARZIPAN – MARTORANA
This is a traditional Sicilian sweet made with almond meal. When my parents were kids, children in Sicily would get presents for “all souls day”. The dead people of the family were seen as “friendly ghosts” who would come back home on the night of “i morti” (“the dead”) to gift the new generations with…
Panna Cotta Tricolore
Creamy layers of strawberry, vanilla, and mint panna cotta inspired by the colours of the Italian flag, this Panna Cotta Tricolore looks almost too pretty to eat!
MANGO LASSI
This is definitely not an Italian recipe!! Lassi is a yogurt based Indian drink that can be savory or, like in this case, sweet. I had never drunk lassi before meeting my husband; actually I have to admit that I knew very little about Indian food before. He introduced me to many new ingredients and…
CHIACCHIERE
This is a very special time of the year for all Italian children: it is “Carnevale”. It is the time to dress up as a princess or a super hero and go around town to play tricks on people or throw coriandoli (round shaped paper confetti) in the air. There are many famous Carnevali in…
LIGHT BLUEBERRY MUFFINS WITH LEMON SUGAR CRUST
I know there are many blueberry muffins recipes out there. A couple of years ago I was looking for one, but I did not find exactly what I was looking for. So I came up with this one that is really a mix of 2 or 3 recipes. I tried to look them up on…
QUICK COCONUT CREME BRULEE – CREME BRULEE VELOCE AL COCCO
I love all sweets with a sugar crusty top… whenever I am in Spain, I always go for a Crema Catalana and in France I must eat Crème Brulée at least once! This is my version of a very quick crème brulée-style dessert. It is one of those dishes that I came up with not…
LIGHT CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH ORANGE LIQUEUR – MOUSSE DI CIOCCOLATO “LIGHT” AL LIQUORE D’ARANCIA
I love everything chocolate… and what’s better than a chocolate mousse to celebrate Valentine’s Day with the one you love? This is a lighter version than the traditional chocolate mousse because it does not require cream: I just use egg whites to make it fluffy. I usually make this mousse with rum, but this time…
CANDIED ORANGE ZESTS – SCORZETTE D’ARANCIA CANDITE
This is a typical Italian winter sweet and is often (but not only) used as a decoration for other desserts or served at the end of a meal with some coffee. My mom used to make lots of them for Christmas because that is the time of the year when oranges are at their best. …
“CAT’S TONGUES” BISCUITS – LINGUE DI GATTO
These biscuits are a classic of Italian cuisine. Every pastry shop sells them and they are very often served with ice cream. Their name literally means “cat’s tongues” as their shape and size resemble a cat’s tongue. I simply love them… they are thin and crispy and the aroma that they create while baking takes…
BAILEYS ICE CREAM – GELATO AL BAILEYS
A couple of days ago, my dear friend Nat asked me to publish this very recipe. I had actually thought of posting the recipe of another sweet for Valentine’s Day, but this request gave me an idea. Why not publish both recipes? In the southern hemisphere it is still very hot, so ice cream is…
ALMOND COOKIES – DOLCETTI DI MANDORLE
This is a recipe of traditional Sicilian sweets. Sicily is renowned for its citrus fruits, its pistachio nuts and almonds. All these products make fantastic ingredients for sweets. Whenever I go to Sicily, the little mountain top medieval town of Erice (Wiki) is my favourite spot to enjoy almond based sweets. This is a very…
YOGURT CAKE – TORTA ALLO YOGURT
This is another one of my favourite cakes. It is as light as a sponge cake and it is perfect to have with tea or coffee. It is quite healthy as it is made with yogurt and uses oil instead of sugar, so it is a good snack for adults and children! As measuring unit,…
ALMOND PARFAIT – PARFAIT DI MANDORLE
This is a typical Sicilian “semifreddo”, a semi-frozen dessert. It is usually served with a hot dark chocolate sauce and the contrast between hot and cold, sweet and bitter are DIVINE!
