Most Italians have a go-to coffee bar for their breakfast: usually an espresso or cappuccino and a cornetto (a croissant). If you get to the bar on the late side you might find you’re out of luck on the pastry side. You’ll almost always find the bar’s homemade ciambellone, which is quite similar to a…
Dessert
Dark Chocolate Cake: fudgy and simple
Dark Chocolate Cake: fudgy and simple! I’m constantly on the hunt for delicious, easy to prepare dark chocolate layer cake that uses ingredients you almost always have on hand. So far my favorite is the flourless Torta Caprese but it’s also nice to have a great recipe for a classic rich dark chocolate layer cake….
Chocolate Truffle Treats
My sister Laurie made these Chocolate Truffle Treats for a recent cookie exchange party and as she described them to me I knew they were a winner! Then when I saw a picture of them I was completely sold. The flavor is so rich and delightful, and incredibly chocolatey, you think you’re eating truffles….
Red Wine Cookies (Ciambelline al Vino Rosso)
Red Wine Cookies (Ciambelline al Vino Rosso) They make a nice gift, along with other biscotti, for almost any occasion: Red Wine Cookies (Ciambelline al Vino Rosso) are the best way to use up leftover red wine. How many times have you had a party or dinner guests and you find a few bottles with…
Ginger Cake with a Maple Glaze
What makes this Ginger Cake with a Maple Glaze so fabulous is the fresh and candied ginger in the cake! The maple glaze is a great addition to the flavors, lathered and drizzled on top of the cake. I often use ginger in stir fry dishes, or blended with olive oil and soy sauce as a…
Gianduia Peanut Butter Cookies
“Most of life’s problems can be solved with a good cookie.” Ina Garten We all know that peanut butter and chocolate are a marriage made in heaven. If the chocolate is chocolate then the marriage is nirvana. Gianduia chocolates are Italy’s best: a Piedmontese mixture of creamy chocolate and ground hazelnuts. For those of you…
Panettone
Christmas is around the corner and once again it’s time to make panettone, the Italian classic sweet bread loaf that you find on every Italian table during the holidays. Panettone requires a full day including three risings, so if you decide to make your own panettone be sure to allot the necessary time to bake…
Apple Pie
Apple Pie Apple pie is at the very top of my comfort food list. Add a scoop of ice cream or, better yet, a drizzling of fresh cream and it moves a step higher into culinary nirvana. Apple pie is delicious year-round and is dead easy to make. Two pieces of equipment that make apple…
Banana Nutella Bread
If you love rich banana flavor and a dessert that’s full of chocolatey flavor then Banana Nutella Bread is the dessert for you! It just so happens that chocolate and banana are a heavenly match; the addition of Nutella takes this banana bread to a new level! If you’re looking for intense banana flavor then…
Tiramisù!
I’ve come to love tiramisù now that I’ve fine tuned my recipe to exactly suit my taste. The key to great tiramisù is to use mascarpone, and to beat the eggs until they’re cloud-fluffy. Of course good espresso and high quality Marsala wine are a given! You can chill tiramisù in a large serving dish…
Lemon Poundcake Drizzled with Lemon Glaze
Lemon Poundcake Drizzled with Lemon Glaze Our lemon tree is bursting with lemons and this is no exaggeration. I haven’t counted them but there are hundreds of beautiful lemons. We leave them on the tree all winter long and pick them as we need them each day: for salad dressings and the like. Let’s face it…
Caramel Walnut Torte
This gooey and delicious torte recipe explodes with fresh Italian walnuts! Italian walnuts are in their prime right now; tender and delicious. And it just so happens that we have a huge walnut tree growing right on our property. We pick some underripe walnuts in June to make nocino, an Italian liqueur usually served at Christmas. We pick the…