I have written about fig and walnut panforte before as a note on my panforte recipe on the blog, but I really think it deserves a page on it’s own. I adore simple recipes and with not much more than the figs and walnuts, this is good anytime of the year but I especially love…
Panna Cotta – My Favorite Dessert
Panna Cotta or as I refer to it, Jello for grownups, is one of my favorite desserts. Since I was a pastry chef, that is saying a lot. When I go to a old school trattoria , if Latte alla Portughese or Creme Caramel is on the menu, I will order it. These are both…
The Joy of Cookies- Zaletti
As I was baking these Zaletti cookies from Venice last night for a friend of mine Monica from Cook in Venice, for an interview she did with me, I realized that baking is really one of the best therapies which brings me joy. It has been a tough winter, my husband has some medical problems…
Ballotte-Stewed Tuscan Chestnuts
When the chestnuts come out you know the temperature has gotten chilly and we have broken out the down comforter, put the mattress heater on the bed (called scaldasogno) and turned the heat on in the house. The grapes have been harvested and driving past the wineries you can get drunk smelling the wine fermenting….
Seasonal Recipes- Grapes
This summer was killer hot. The hottest summer in 30 years. It wouldn’t be so bad if Italians used ice in their drinks and liked air conditioning. For me, just a little too extreme! But, August 15 is the breaking point almost always. It is a national holiday, based on a religious celebration, which are…
Lost Recipes-Salame Dolce
This is one of my favorites to keep in the freezer as a back-up dessert! Richer and fancier versions sold in pastry shops now have melted chocolate and chopped nuts added to make it more of a candy version. Rolling the outside edges in powdered sugar makes it really look like salame. Here’s the…
New Year- Old Recipe Tuscan Apple Cake
Sometimes the classic recipes are the best. On my old website I had a list of recipes from some of my favorite chefs and restaurant owners. I had gathered them before the era of blogging. With the redo of the site as also a new platform for recipes, travel tips and restaurant suggestions, I will…
Piccoli Piacere– Small Pleasures { Merenda}
There are little things in life that make me happy, timing is one of them. As we were driving into Florence yesterday to attend a Dante reading by 1,200 people in Piazza Santo Spirito, we stopped at our favorite “truckstop” pastry shop. You never know where you will find perfection! It was 4:30pm— and it…