This fig cookie recipe brings out the magic flavour of an incredible, sugary fruit. Figs are at their best at the second part of August and the beginning of September, and if you have the possibility to buy them or better yet get them ripened on the tree, you are a very lucky person. The filling could be replaced by fig jam, but it would not have the same incredible taste enhanced by lemon zest and almond flour, which create an unmistakable taste.

Since the flour reacts differently depending on the country of origin and the percentage of gluten, it is difficult to be precise. Moreover, the size of the egg can also contribute to a great variation. Add one or two tablespoons of milk to the pastry if the dough is too dry.

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cooking Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Yield: Makes 4  servings.

Ingredients for the shortcrust pastry

• 1 cup (140 g) multi-purpose flour
• ¼ cup (40 g) corn starch
• 1½ tbsp (10 g) almond flour
• 1 tsp (3 g) baking powder
• ¼ cup (50 g) white sugar
• 2 tbsp (60 g) butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) milk

Ingredients for the filling

• 9 oz (250 g) fresh figs, peeled and chopped
• 2 tbsp (30 g) white sugar
• ½ lemon zest, grated
• 3 tbsp (20 g)  almond flour

Instructions for the shortcrust pastry

In a mixer, mix all the dry ingredients with the butter until it crumbles. Place in a bowl or on a marble surface and knead with the egg and milk. Wrap in plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Instructions for the filling

In a pot, cook the sugar, figs and lemon zest together for 10 minutes. When it cools, add the almond flour and mix again.

Roll the shortbread pastry between two sheets of parchment paper. Cut the pastry edges into a rectangle, then cut again into two rectangles. Place the filling in the centre of each rectangle lengthwise and seal it, overlapping the two edges.  Move the two rolls to the fridge and let sit for 15 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350 F (180 C) Bake the cookies for 25 minutes and cut them only when they reach room temperature.

This Imperial Milk is a family recipe and originates from what Italians traditionally call “Portuguese Milk” or what is more internationally known as “crème caramel”. It goes by different names and is very common in all Western cuisines.

The ingredients are simple: eggs, sugar, milk, vanilla combined in a pleasant dessert, which is given a unique touch thanks to the addition of finely ground almonds and Amaretto cookies. This finishing touch was conferred by my great-grandmother who  used a coal burning range. She had to perfectly regulate the coal inside the oven and cooked the Imperial Milk by placing burning embers on the mould’s metal lid.

This dessert was extremely popular in European restaurants during the last decades of the twentieth century, probably due to the convenience for restauranteurs, who could prepare it quite in advance and to keep it until clients requested it.

The basic ingredients of this recipe bring back the use of eggs and milk, combined to make use of what were considered medicinal virtues of eggs since ancient times. During the Middle Ages these ingredients were appreciated because of the need to eat meatless alternatives during fasting periods, especially during Lent.  Nevertheless, in Spanish-speaking countries, the attention is focused on the eggs, “flan de huevo” or more simply “flan”, and not on the milk.

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cooking Time: 1 hour + 5 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour + 35 minutes | Yield: Makes 8 servings.

Ingredients

• 4 cups whole fat milk
• ½ cup Peeled almonds
• 4 Amaretti cookies
• ½ cup white sugar
• 7 medium eggs, room temperature
• 1 vanilla bean
• For the caramel
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/3 cup white sugar

Instructions

Bring milk and vanilla to boil in light medium saucepan. Remove from heat and let it cool down.

Pour the almonds in a baking pan, on parchment) and bake it in a pre-heated oven for 10 minutes at 350 F (180 C) – until pale gold. Let them cool down.

Pour the ingredients for caramel directly in the mold. Protecting your hands with gloves, put the mold over low heat and dissolve the sugar in it. Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to boil. Boil without stirring until mixture turns deep golden brown, swirling pan occasionally. Carefully tilt mold to coat bottom (not sides) with caramel.

In a grinder, pour the almonds, the Amaretti and 1 tablespoon of sugar and grind the mix, until it turns into a powder.

With an electric mixer, whisk the eggs and the rest of the sugar until pale. Add the mix of powdered almonds and Amaretti, and the milk through a sieve. Pour the custard in the mold you have prepared.

Place the mold in a baking pan and add enough hot water to it to come halfway up sides of mold.

Bake at 320 F. (160 C) for 1 hour and grill for 5 minutes at 400 F (200 C).

In the case of the Italian Milk Portuguese style, the mould is covered by a lid in order to keep the top of the custard soft. In this case, the almonds and cookies must raise to the top and form a crispy crust.

Run a small sharp knife around edge of custard to loosen. Invert custard onto plate and serve.

Fried custard is a versatile dish. According to where you are in Italy, it has different variations: it is considered mainly as an appetizer in the Marche and Emilia regions, a part of a sumptuous mixture of fried treats like apples, stuffed fried olives (olive all’ascolana), different meats, vegetables and zucchini flowers. The different components vary according to seasonal availability. There are also slight differences in the batter for this fried appetizer. Our ancestors, who probably had iron clad stomachs, created these dishes in times when there was no heating in the houses, and everyone had a very active life.

A question that many foreign clients ask is “Do Italians really eat all these courses and food in a single meal?” The average person of my generation cannot, unless there is a special occasion. However, we enjoy offering our guests a taste of the richness and variety of Italian cuisine. A generous attempt that is sometimes misunderstood as trying to kill them with kindness through food.

In Venice, this is considered a Carnival dish and it is part of an incredible variety of fried sweets that Italians adore. Like cenci (link ad altra ricetta), it is part of a collection of fried recipes.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Yield: Makes 8 servings.

Ingredients for the custard

• ½ cup (100 g) white sugar plus more for sprinkling after frying.
• 3 medium egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons (35 g) pastry or 00 flour
• ¼ cup (35 g) corn starch
• 2¼ cups whole milk
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 or 3 strips of organic lemon zest

Ingredients for the batter and frying

• 1½ cups breadcrumbs
• 2 medium eggs
• sunflower oil for frying

Instructions

Gently whisk egg yolks, eggs, corn starch, flour and sugar in a saucepan until smooth, then whisk vigorously until light in colour, 1–2 minutes. Whisking constantly, gradually add the milk in a steady stream; scrape the sides of the saucepan. Scrape in vanilla seeds discarding the pod or add vanilla extract. Add lemon zest. Cook mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it starts to thicken. Continue whisking vigorously until the mixture coats the back of a spoon, 6–10 minutes. Immediately remove the custard from heat (do not bring to a boil). Remove and discard lemon zest.

Using a rubber spatula, pour the custard into a baking dish lined with parchment paper.

Let it cool.

Slide a knife around the sides of custard to loosen, cover with a plate and flip over onto the plate. Peel away the parchment paper and cut into cubes or diamonds.

Pour breadcrumbs into a shallow bowl or on a piece of kitchen paper.

Break the eggs in a bowl and whisk. Using your fingers, dip each cube in the egg mixture, then coat with breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess.

Fry until they are golden, and sprinkle with some sugar.

Make Ahead

The custard can be cooked and left in the dish one day ahead.

Usually I stick to the Italian tradition, but by now, this dessert has entered our kitchens too. Moreover, I added a personal touch, since I had fantastic organic oranges at home, at the top of their Sicilian flavor.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 50 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Yield: Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (500 ml) fresh whipping cream
• ¾ cup (200 ml.) milk
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 organic orange
• ¾ cup (100 g.) icing sugar
• 3 tablespoons Cointreau
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F (180C) and put 6 small ovenproof ramekins in a baking tin.

In a medium bowl, combine yolks and icing sugar, and mix with a whisk. Shave the orange zest in it.

Keep mixing while you slowly add all the ingredients except the caster sugar.

Divide the mixture between the ramekins and pour warm water into the tin until it comes two-thirds of the way up the ramekins. Bake for about 50 minutes until the custard is set – it should only wobble faintly when shaken. Cool and then chill until cold.

Before serving it, scatter the tops of the cold brûlèes with caster sugar, and use a blowtorch or hot grill to caramelize the tops – if using a grill, you may need to put them back in the fridge for half an hour before serving to cool down again.

These chocolate truffles are lovely special presents to give at Christmas time: there is nothing like a homemade gift for our families and friends to express our love for them.

The combination of chocolate, rum, coffee, and Amaretti cookies is reminiscent of Turin’s Bonet. These chocolate truffles are very festive and particularly appropriate to celebrate the winter holidays. The dark chocolate can be replaced with white chocolate and you can play with different ingredients to make the most of their versatility.

These chocolate delicacies have a very “exotic” yet transalpine touch. Piedmont cuisine is deeply influenced by its proximity with France, and not only because of geography; in fact, the Savoy dynasty, which ruled Italy until the end of WW2, was blood related to the French dynasty. Not only did the Savoy family try to compete with its French cousins in building palaces that wanted to resemble Versailles, but the two languages spoken in the parliament of Turin were French and the Turin dialect, until the constitution of the Kingdom of Italy.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cooking Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 2 1/4 hours (including chilling time)| Yield: Makes 20-25 truffles.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup (250 ml.) heavy (fresh whipping) cream
• 1 tablespoon (8 gr.) instant espresso coffee
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml.) dark rum
• 12 ounces (350 gr.) Good-quality finely chopped semisweet chocolate, or chocolate chips
• 4 ounces (80 gr.) amaretti cookies

Instructions

Set a heat-safe medium bowl over a medium saucepan filled with an inch or two of water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water in the pot). Heat over medium heat until water is simmering, then add cream to bowl and heat until warm, about 3 minutes. Add instant coffee and chocolate and cook, stirring constantly, until melted, about 3 minutes (or up to 5 minutes if using chocolate chips).

Carefully remove the bowl from the saucepan and pour chocolate mixture into a second heatproof bowl or pie pan (preferably made from metal, since it cools more quickly). Add the rum and mix carefully. Let cool at room temperature 15 minutes, then freeze until truffle base is firm, about 1 hour.

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Once chocolate mixture has chilled, use a teaspoon, melon baller, or small scoop to drop truffle mixture by the heaping teaspoonful onto the prepared sheet. Form truffles into balls by rolling them quickly between the palms of your hands. This process is a little messy, so wash your hands in cold water halfway through rolling, if desired. Freeze truffles on prepared sheet for 20 minutes.

Topping:

With a blender or food processor, finely chop the cookies and pour the powder in a plate.

Once chilled, roll truffles in the topping pressing slightly to adhere the ingredients to the truffles. Store finished truffles in the refrigerator up to 5 days; remove to room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

Note: if you do not find amaretti cookies or do not like them, you can replace them with chocolate powder, shredded almonds, grated pistachios or hazelnuts.

These days, most recipes use some pre-cooked ingredients, but for these chestnut soufflés I prefer using fresh chestnuts and boiling them instead of using a chestnut jam, as is indicated in modern recipes. As in other cases, I was inspired by the father of Italian cuisine, Pellegrino Artusi, and his Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.

While jam gives an excessively sugary taste to the soufflés, this preparation is lighter and more elegant.

Serve them immediately without trying to remove them from their moulds.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cooking Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 60 minutes | Yield: Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

• 5 oz. (150 g.) chestnuts
• 3 tablespoons (25 g.) icing sugar
• ¼ tablespoon vanilla
• 2 medium egg yolks
• A dash of marine salt
• ¾ cup medium egg whites (about 3 + ½ eggs – 140 g.), room temperature
• White sugar for ramekins
• Unsalted butter (for ramekins)

Special Equipment

• 4 (6-ounce) ramekins

Instructions

Boil the chestnuts in a pot with water for 10 minutes. Peel them, and cook them in milk for 30 minutes.

Put the chestnuts and milk in a bowl and, with an immersion blender, blend them. Pass through a sieve. Add the vanilla, yolks, and mix.

Heat the oven, 375 F (180 C), convected.

Butter ramekins, making upward strokes up the sides with a pastry brush. Sprinkle with sugar, tilting to coat completely and tapping out any excess. Arrange prepared ramekins on baking sheet.

Beat egg whites and a pinch of salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium speed until frothy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add icing sugar, 1 Tbsp. at a time, and beat until medium peaks form, 6 to7 minutes.

Using a rubber spatula, fold one-quarter of the beaten egg whites into chestnut mixture to lighten. Fold in remaining egg whites in 2 batches. Divide batter among prepared ramekins, filling completely.

Transfer baking sheet with ramekins to oven and bake soufflés until puffed and tops feel firm to the touch, 25–28 minutes.

Poached pears in red wine are a delicious dessert, which joins the pleasure to eat fruit in an unusual way and the possibility to offer a dessert lighter than usual. It is free from animal products and indulges even the pickiest palates or our guests who suffer from food intolerances.

Pears, red wine, sugar and spices join in a magic blending which evokes winter and evenings spent in front of a fireplace. Traditionally they were cooked in the oven, in an Aga. The smell invaded all the house, but even now, even if we cook them in a pot, the scent which pervades all the house is heavenly. It recalls the atmosphere of Christmas Markets and the mulled wine you are served there

If you want to add a more personal touch to this dish, you could serve the pears on a bed of custard or Mascarpone sauce, and pour the wine reduction on it. If you also add some wild berries you could give a kick to a dessert that tends to be very sweet.

In restaurants in Emilia-Romagna, they are frequently served with a zabaione mousse.

There are few things that recall Autumn like chestnut Tuscan necci. These crepes made with chestnut flour make possible to enjoy them after the harvest period.

For centuries they were harvested, and still are, in the mountains which run along all Italy. Chestnuts have been providing calories during the harsh cold months and guaranteed the survival of the mountain population. They not only are an excellent source of sugars and energies, but also of vitamins and minerals.

Chestnuts are traditionally eaten roasted on the open fire, baked or boiled, but there is an interesting option offered by chestnut flour: made by processing dry, roasted chestnuts into a fine flour, it allows you to offer healthy dishes and desserts even to an increasing population of celiac people.

In regions of Italy, it’s most traditionally used to make Castagnaccio, a rich, barely sweet cake. Made entirely of chestnut flour, it’s gluten-free. It also has no leavening agent, so it’s quite dense. It’s studded with nothing more than raisins, pine nuts, and rosemary.

Chestnut flour is also used to make crepes. In Tuscany, they are called necci and are traditionally eaten plain or slathered with ricotta and honey. Since chestnut flour isn’t very sweet, crepes like these also are perfect for savory fillings. Crepes made with this flour are not only gluten-free but they are also a unique winter meal that shows off the flour’s flavor.

Containing neither animal fats nor eggs, necci are the ideal dish to offer to tablemates who are intolerant to eggs or lactose, or vegan, once you replace the ricotta stuffing with a simple dark chocolate sauce.

Sadly, it is quite difficult to find a really fresh chestnut flour and it tends to absorb water: while I was cooking the crepes, the batter left in the bowl tended to thicken and I had to add more water. The batter should be quite running. I also added a bit of olive oil in order to make necci more flexible, but usually, in most of the recipes, there are only chestnut flour and water.

A pan is not the ideal way to cook necci, the traditional tools are the so-called “ferri“ (irons), round dishes connected by a plier, in which the two sides of the crepe are cooked at the same time. It takes a bit of practice to reach a good level.

Strawberry panna cotta (bavarese) is a delicious dessert, ideal to celebrate Spring!

Strawberry season reaches its peak in May, offering the sweetest and most delicious flavour. This panna cotta intensifies their freshness creating a symphony of tastes in which the light sourness of lemon balances perfectly the sweetness of whipped cream.

I noticed, reading American recipe books, that panna cotta includes also the concept of bavarese, whereas the 2 cakes are quite different. While both of them are made basically with gelatin and whipping cream, panna cotta is a “white dessert” served with a chocolate sauce or a fruit compote, while bavarese includes fresh fruits, zabaglione and a wider assortment of ingredients in its own mixture.

IMPORTANT NOTE: in order to follow the American system with cups and pounds, I slightly varied the quantities to adjust it compared to the Italian recipe. Decide which system you prefer, the taste is the same, the result too.

http://Ricette carnevale giallozafferanoThese are typical fritters made for Carnevale. They are extremely simple and very popular all over Italy. Of course, each region has its own slight variations in the name and ingredients.
In most recipes, there is the possible addition of liquor (grappa, Sambuca) and butter, but I prefer my grandmother’s recipe.
Replacing the liquor with vinegar is a touch of pure genius, even if it seems quite odd. Adding liquors helps the dough not absorb the oil during the frying, but vinegar works even more efficiently, and the taste evaporates during the cooking. This is a recipe that, in spite of being a fried food, is much lighter than its official version.