I invariably choose crostata di visciole for dessert when out for dinner. Visciole...those delightful cherries that are sweet yet tart at the same time...are just what I love at the end of a delicious meal. Last night at dinner everyone elected to top their dessert with a scoop of gelato so I went with the...
Dessert
Banana Oatmeal Cookies
I've finally gotten myself into the mindset of shedding a few pounds and I'll be honest it isn't easy. My entire life revolves around food and I seem to move seamlessly from one food experience into another. Whether I'm running a cooking program, out to dinner, photographing food or at the market there never seems...
Ginger Carrot Cake
Carrot cake is a universally loved cake by all. Carrot cake, zucchini bread or other desserts made from vegetables are not typically Italian, but once they taste these sweets they become instant converts.I'm in a ginger phase right now: I'm drinking ginger tisanas, making ginger scones, cookies and cakes. And I've always loved Thai and...
Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
As today is Thanksgiving, it seemed to make sense to make some typical Thanksgiving foods in today's cooking class. I'm on an ice cream kick at the moment and I really love pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. Pumpkin pie ice cream was the perfect variation on the traditional Thanksgiving dessert theme. Fresh, pureed pumpkin, cream and...
Pumpkin & Amaretto Ice Cream
Who says ice cream is just for the summer? I love it all year round! There are so many fruits, veggies and treats that you only see in the fall and winter that lend themselves beautifully to ice cream. One winter flavor combination I love is pumpkin and amaretto. They're used together in the Lombardia...
Zucchini Ice Cream
I've been making a lot of ice cream recently and experimenting with different flavors. The best one I've made so far is zucchini ice cream. It's also the ice cream that everyone, across the board, loves. This is what I gather in my basket every day: I love to make all my favorite sweet things...
Banana Ice Cream
Lately I've been trying to make ice creams that recall something sweet and delicious that I love. Banana bread is one of these things, but it's only recently that I've perfected my banana bread. My approach to ice cream (in this case banana) is to look at the ingredients in banana bread and try to use...
Cherry Ice Cream
When I was little we used to spend part of the summer at our grandparents' home in Downers Grove, outside of Chicago. I haven't been back since, but at the time Downers Grove was a small suburban location, almost rural. Two of my strongest memories from those visits pertained to food. Pepperidge Farm was located...
Persimmon season & Persimmon Yogurt Gelato
Persimmons, known in Italy as kaki, cachi or loti, are a delicious fall fruit that can be found growing all over the Lazio region. Persimmons grow on a tree and have been cultivated in Italy since the mid 1800's. The persimmon tree is perennial and is originally from China and then Japan. There are two types...