Chestnuts remind me of winter in Italy. When it’s cold (and it does get quite cold in Milan), you can buy hot roasted chestnuts from street carts to warm you up. The smell of roasted chestnuts always makes me think of Christmas and cozy winter evenings. I soooo love them! When they are in season,…
QUICHE LORRAINE
Today I am going to share the recipe for a Quiche Lorraine. I am saying A Quiche Lorraine because there are many variations of this classic French dish and I am not claiming this to be THE traditional one. Actually, it looks like the original Quiche Lorraine did not have any milk or cheese in…
CRÈME BRÛLÉE
Today I want to share with you the recipe of a popular French dessert: crème brûlée. It is one of those dishes that should be in every food lover cookbook as it is a classic, simple yet sophisticated dish that pleases everyone. I personally love it and it is one of my husband’s weaknesses. I…
MANGO AND PASSION FRUIT MACARONS
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…
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…
BOEUF BOURGUIGNON
Our May 2012 Daring Cooks’ hostess was Fabi of fabsfood. Fabi challenged us to make Boeuf Bourguignon, a classic French stew originating from the Burgundy region of France. The last time I have eaten bœuf bourguignon I was in Paris… 10 years ago. I remember it so well, it feels like yesterday. My husband and…
ONION SOUP
This dish reminds me of Paris. I often used to visit la ville lumière in winter and, believe me, it can be quite cold there. So we would often start our dinner with a warm soup and onion soup would be my first choice. I love it… well, if you are a fan of cheese…
GORGONZOLA SOUFFLÉ
Ok, I guess by now you all know how much I love gorgonzola… so I won’t bore you with that… suffice it to say that I often have some in my fridge. The other day, I just wanted to cook something new with it. There are certain dishes that I have always been scared to…
GALETTE BRETONNE À LA FORESTIÈRE
This was my first attempt to recreate a fantastic dish that we ate at Crêperie La Gavotte in Nouméa (New Caledonia) during our holiday in October. A galette bretonne is very similar to a crêpe, but it is made with buckwheat flour and, as the name suggests, it is originally from the French region of…
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…
MONTE BIANCO – MONT BLANC
This is the recipe of a dessert that is quite popular both in France and Italy. In fact, the 2 nations share a border and the highest mountain in Europe (Monte Bianco/Mont Blanc) which gives the name to this dessert made with chestnuts, whipped cream and chocolate. Its shape reminds of a mountain covered in…
DUCK LIVER PATÉ WITH ONION JAM
I love paté. All sorts of patés. It is another one of the goodies I used to enjoy in France and now miss a lot. True, you can find paté here too but there is not the same variety that you find in France. One of my favourite lunch items in Paris is definitely a…
BAGUETTES
As many of you already know I spent quite some time holidaying in France as a child. My parents have always loved our transalpine cousins and whenever possible they would squeeze in a few days to visit France. I wasn’t too happy about it back then… l would have preferred to visit different places… not…
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…