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…
PISTACHIO AND CARDAMOM SEMIFREDDO WITH ROSE CREAM
Today I want to share with you the recipe for a special dessert. A few weeks ago, my friend Abeer from Cake Whiz asked me if I wanted to be a part of a special project she was working on for Christmas. She asked a few of her favourite bloggers to come up with a Christmas…
SOFT VANILLA & PINK SALT CARAMELS
I made these caramels to give away as presents for Christmas this year. I had wanted to try and make my own caramels for ages, but all the recipes I came across had corn syrup as one of the ingredients and I wasn’t very keen on it… especially since I have never seen it around…
FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE AND PEAR CAKE
I must admit I always choose creamy desserts over cakes, as I find it harder to finish a slice of thick cake than a few spoonfuls of cream. Anyhow, this cake is one of the few exceptions. I guess the fact that it is flourless has a lot to do with it. This is a…
HOME-MADE PUMPKIN PIE SPICE
This is another one of those items that is commonly found in North American stores, but is very hard to come by anywhere else in the world, Sydney included. Luckily, this pumpkin pie spice mix is easy to make and calls for “international” spices, so it can be made at home no matter where you…
HOME-MADE PUMPKIN PURÉE
Come October-November I start seeing a lot of recipes that call for pumpkin purée… the truth is, the thought of looking for the canned version never even occurred to me. I didn’t even know it existed before I started blogging… So, I looked it up on the internet and discovered that it is plain and…
GRILLED FUJI FRUIT, SPINACH AND ROCKET SALAD
I have noticed that l don’t have enough recipes for side dishes on the blog, so I thought of remedying that and today I am going to share with you the recipe for a delicious salad. This is perfect for autumn, when fuji fruits are in season. In fact I have had this recipe in…
CHESTNUT RUM MOUSSE
Yesterday I showed you how easy it is to make your own Chestnut and Vanilla Cream… now that you have such a yummy treat in your fridge, how about making something else with it, if you haven’t finished it off the spoon yet, that is! Desserts in a glass are my kind of treat and…