an italian cook around the world
Cantucci is one of the most popular Italian biscotti. These Almond Cookies are very ancient and typical of Tuscan cuisine. Typically, Cantucci is served after a meal, paired with the traditional Tuscan sweet wine called Vin Santo. But I also love them on Sunday morning, drenched in my coffee!
Frollini is a classic of the Italian breakfast. These pastry dough cookies are very simple to prepare and absolutely delicious! Today I make chocolate Italian Frollini enriched with white chocolate chips: they will be our breakfast the next weekend!
Zabaglione is a classic Italian custard served either as a dessert or as a garnish of several sweets and cakes. This egg and sweet wine cream is particularly popular during Christmas and Easter time and paired with traditional cookies like Savoiardi and Amaretti, and also with berries and chocolate. Beyond its deliciousness, Zabaione is also the protagonist of an exciting history: here the traditional recipe and the history!
Struffoli recipe, along with Babà, “Pastiera”, and “Zeppole di San Giuseppe”, is a classic sweet of the Neapolitan cuisine. Crispy honey balls with a tender heart seasoned with candied fruit, and sugar decorations. In Naples, this is traditionally a Christmas dessert, but in the rest of Italy, these delicious hone balls are a delicacy for all major festivities!
The Italian rice cake, called also “Torta degli Addobbi” is a simple and tasty dessert of the Emilian tradition. Originally, this cake had been prepared for the “Festa degli Addobbi”, a medieval festivity where colored drapes were showed out from the windows. But, currently is common serve rice cake all year long. Arborio rice is slowly cooked into the milk and spices, then the mixture is baked into the oven at medium temperature. Liquor, brushed over the cake when it is still hot is fundamental to obtain the characteristic, sticky crust. Serve the rice cake cold, after stored a few hours into the fridge.
The pastry dough recipe is essential for several sweets. Make it is not difficult, but it’s mandatory follow some steps. The rewards will be an crispy and tasty dough, perfect for cookies or tarts. Once you try this homemade pastry dough you can’t do less than make it again, and again!
The almond cookies are “a must” of the Sicilian culinary tradition. They are prepared with the Almond paste, called “pasta reale” in Sicily (King’s paste).
The legend wants that the recipe was created in the XII century in the convent of the “Martorana” in Palermo and that his name is due to his goodness (worthy of a King!).
These delicious cookies are as good as easy to do! Accompany them with a good tea, coffee or a glass of Marsala, the typical Sicilian sweet wine.
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