I made these Rose Meringue Sandwiches for my daughter’s 8th birthday party. The theme was “high tea” and as I was also making a Rosette Cake for the occasion, I thought of making rose shaped meringues. In Italy, bakeries or sweet shops often sell meringues, plain or dipped in chocolate and I wanted to somehow…
Lemon and Lavender Possets
I made these Lemon and Lavender Possets for my daughter’s 8th birthday party. I must confess I had never heard of possets before, but when I read the recipe, I knew I HAD to make them. It’s an English dessert that I thought would work well for the High Tea theme of the party. Possets…
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
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. It is a great concept… each month you are assigned a participating food blogger to make a…
Nutella and Chocolate Chip Wafers
Do you have some Nutella at home? These wafers are so easy to make and they require only 3 more ingredients: sugar (better if brown), 1 egg and chocolate chips. No flour required, so they are a great gluten-free option! They are really crispy and will make everyone happy. I loved them, but as I…
Seeded Cranberry Crunch Granola Bars
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. It is a great concept… each month you are assigned a participating food blogger to make a…
Pomegranate Panna Cotta
Oh yes, another panna cotta recipe. I know, I know… I already have quite a few on the blog, but it is a dessert that I really love and I often make it. Besides, it is so easy and quick to put together that it often comes in handy. Panna cotta is a little like…
Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
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. It is a great concept… each month you are assigned a participating food blogger to make a…
Carciofi in Pinzimonio
I grew up in a family of artichoke lovers. Every week, in winter, my parents would buy plenty of artichokes at the local market and we would eat them in all sorts of ways. I have already shared a few recipes and ideas on what to do with this delicious vegetable, and today I am…
Brutti ma Buoni
It’s been a while since I have posted one of my Regional Italian recipes, so I think it’s time to publish one. This is a recipe that is very dear to me, as it is one that we would often make at home when we had some egg whites left over from other recipes. It…
Pomegranate Risotto
As you know, autumn has come to the Southern hemisphere. I can’t lie… I don’t mind it. I welcome the fresher air and the leaves changing colour on the trees. It is a beautiful season. And I LOVE autumn food: mushrooms, chestnuts, quince… pomegranates. In fact, pomegranates always put a smile on my face: I…
JASMINE AND MANGO PANNA COTTA SHOOTERS
These panna cotta shooters are a very elegant and exotic dessert. I believe they would be the perfect dessert for any New Year’s Eve dinner party. When I smell jasmine, I am always brought back in time… you see, in the house I used to spend my summer holidays in Sicily, we had a beautiful…
SMOKED SALMON AND VODKA RISOTTO
Today’s recipe is the perfect dish to make for your New Year’s Eve dinner party: it’s classy and delicious and it is done in 20 minutes! We always have smoked fish during the holidays, both as appetiser and as part of a main dish like this one. I love smoked salmon, and Vodka goes really…
MURUKKU – CHAKALI
Today I will share with you the recipe for an Indian savoury snack that is always eaten for Diwali, but that we also like to eat during the rest of the year at tea time: murukku – முறுக்கு (also known as chakali or chakli). Murukku is a Tamilian word that means “twisted” and even though these…
GELATINA DI CAFFÈ – COFFEE JELLO
I have been blogging for almost 3 years now and when I look back at all the the things I learnt, I almost can’t believe it. I am talking about cooking techniques and also about computer skills and photography! But what I am the most grateful for are the friendships I made along the way. …
BRAISED FENNEL WITH RED WINE VINEGAR
Going through my Recipe Archive, I have realised that I don’t have as many side dish recipes as I should! So today I will share with you a very quick and delicious side dish, perfect to accompany both meat (especially pork) and fish: Braised Fennel with Red Wine Vinegar. It is a dish my mum…
SALTED CARAMEL PANNA COTTA
You know how much I love panna cotta, but what you may not know is that I consider it my “go to” dessert for when I have little time, but still want to impress my guests. You do need to make it in advance, but it comes together in 15 to 20 minutes. It is…
BRIGADEIROS
Today I want to share with you a very easy recipe that l have been wanting to make for a while. A few years ago, my husband came home from work with a couple of little “truffles”. He said that one of his colleagues had brought them to the office and gave him 2 for…
CHOCOLATE AVOCADO MOUSSE
Chocolate mousse is one of my favourite desserts. I think all the chocoholics out there will agree with me: there is nothing better than digging the spoon into a soft, silky chocolate mousse. Heaven! However, chocolate mousse often involves raw eggs and/or cream, which means it is probably not very child (and hips) friendly. Well,…
SUSHI RICE
I have been wanting to try and make sushi at home ever since I started blogging, but for one reason or another, I always postponed this project. Since my eldest daughter started school, I have so little time to dedicate to the kitchen and with the days getting shorter, I leave all the “important” cooking…
PUMPKIN RISOTTO
Today’s recipe is from Lombardia, the region of Italy I grew up in and it is a very simple risotto made with pumpkin cream. As you know, it is autumn down here in the southern hemisphere… so what’s better than some pumpkin risotto to warm us up? Don’t you just love that orange colour? I…
BANANA, COCONUT AND PASSION FRUIT SMOOTHIE
Lately I have been experimenting quite a bit with smoothies and shakes. The truth is, I have been left with some ripe fruits that needed to be used and I wanted to make something light and healthy with it. Besides, I always find that smoothies are a great way to get my fussy children to…
CHOCOLATE, ESPRESSO AND CHILLI MOUSSE
Have you already decided what to serve to your loved one tomorrow? If you haven’t, or are still undecided, look no further. I think I may have the answer for that, at least as far as dessert goes. I have always wanted to try and make something with chocolate and chilli… I know, it sounds…
TRUFFLE HONEY & VANILLA CRÈME BRÛLÉE
A little while ago, my husband and I went out to have dinner at a delightful restaurant called Chophouse. We ate really well and I was particularly impressed by their Wagyu Tartare with truffle aioli, pear, pine nuts & white soy dressing and by their Wagyu Striploin with harissa… divine! Also, I was pleasantly surprised…
SAUSAGE AND FENNEL RISOTTO
I don’t think I have said this before, but when I was expecting my eldest daughter, I used to have very strong savoury cravings and risotto was always on the top of my list! The great thing about risotto is that it is like a white canvas that you can paint with any flavour you…
WHITE CHOCOLATE PANNA COTTA SHOOTERS WITH RASPBERRY COULIS
If you are not new on this site, you will know that I love all desserts that you can eat with a spoon: mousses, creams, trifles… and panna cotta! I also like individual servings and I have been making these panna cotta shooters for a while now. I often take them to friends’ houses for…
ITALIAN STYLE HOT CHOCOLATE WITH WHIPPED CREAM
Italian winters can be really cold. I miss the short days, cosy evenings and heart warming food that we used to have during those cold months. The truth is, it never gets that cold here. One of the special treats we would have in winter was hot chocolate. The Italian hot chocolate is creamy, thick and sinful. …
PORK MEATBALLS WITH PEANUT SAUCE
Thai is one of my favourite Asian cuisines. Believe it or not, there were no Thai restaurants in Milan, at least up until 6 years ago! Some Chinese restaurants would serve some Thai dishes, but they obviously did not have a lot of variety. That’s why, the moment I saw it, I bought this little…
