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….
Christmas
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…
Panettone French Toast
It’s a miserable rainy day, not one to go outside for any reason. It happens to be the last holiday of the season here in Italy…the Befana…so I feel compelled to add a little festivity to the day and that usually means a food…
Cranberry Hazelnut Biscotti
Cranberry Hazelnut Biscotti are something I make year round; a great dessert to have on hand…especially for dipping in sweet dessert wines! When I think of Christmas dishes in America I think of cranberries…they appear in sauces, breads, stuffings. And in Italy hazelnuts are a common Christmas dessert ingredient: nougat torrone, chocolate torrone and many…
Christmas Season in Rome 2015
Here are a few pictures of Rome during the Christmas 2015 season. Nothing lifts the spirit more than shimmering Christmas lights, beautifully decorated Christmas trees, lovely shops and gorgeously packaged panettoni and other holiday treats! Piazza Venezia… The iconic Hassler Hotel at the top of the Spanish steps… Via del Babuino… These boxed panettoni are…
White chocolate with dried fruit & nuts
A guest brought this to a party at our home: white chocolate with pistachios and dried fruits. Tasty and gorgeous! Melt 300 grams of white chocolate over double boiler, then use a rubber spatula to spread paper thin on oven paper. Press the dried fruits and nuts into the chocolate as it cools. Once cool…
Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkin Bread is probably my favorite dessert on earth, or at least one of them. This recipe is the only recipe that I have been using for decades without changing a single thing in the recipe. I make it any time of the year, but especially around the holidays when pumpkins are in season. I…