Living in Italy is all about eating, especially eating with friends and family, it’s deeply ingrained. So tonight we are invited to some friends house for dinner and I was asked to bring a dessert. I find that desserts in Italy are a little underwhelming. I mean of course there is the fantastic Tiramasu, the incredible Cannolis and the unforgettable Gelato! But cannolis were a little too much work and Gelato has to be gotten fresh from the Gelateria!
I currently live in Italy and this recipe for Tiramisu has become my new “go to” recipe for making a dessert for company. It is prepared the day in advance, it’s easy and always a hit! Whenever we have guests arriving from the US we always make this dessert and it woos them everytime, but even my Italian friends love my recipe and rave about how authentic it is, high praise indeed!
I love the taste of Almond Roca and its so easy to make! I decided to whip up a batch for those moments when you just want something sweet but don’t want to commit to eating an entire dessert. I’ve made this Almond Roca three times since I have been here in Italy. One time it was to give away to friends in small gift bags and all of the girls loved it! Italian don’t really have this type of candy so it’s a real novelty!
Several months ago when I was up to my elbows in cherries, I came across a recipe that was mind blowing for me. It was for Noyaux (pronounced Noy-you). Noyaux is the French word meaning “stones” and is referring to the little kernel inside the pit of stone fruit such as cherry, peach and apricot.
Homemade Cannoli
(You will need cannoli molds and pastry bags to make these, I ordered mine at Amazon.com and they were under $10 and arrived in a few days. You can fry the shells a few days before filling them so it’s a great “do-ahead” recipe and a real crowd pleaser!
The other day a friend knocked on my door, when I opened it, there he stood with a big smile on his face holding a white bucket full of the blackest berries you have ever seen. He had just picked the wild blackberries that morning and picked a bucket for us and for himself.
This is the MOST delicious ice cream you will ever eat! Ahhhhh, homemade ice cream and summertime…could there be a better combination? I have early memories of homemade ice cream growing up. My mom would mix up a batch of her vanilla custard, stirring the steamy concoction on the stove while sweet vanilla wafted through the air.
Wow! It’s a bumper crop this year, what to do with ALL those cherries? How about Homemade Cherry Pie? It’s fun and relaxing to have a Cherry Pitting Party, just sit around outside in that beautiful May Day pitting and laughing with friends and family.
