Last week, having a nice walk in the woods, I picked some delicious porcini mushrooms (in English cep mushrooms). Their scent and flavor are unmistakable and, rightly, they are considered as one of the world’s finest mushrooms. In this season of the year, I use porcini in many recipes: risotto, pasta, soups, side dishes and irresistible…
Tiramisù al Limone (Lemon Tiramisù)
Do you like both traditional tiramisù and lemon? This is the dessert for you, fresh and fragrant, especially in the summertime. Originally a recipe from Campania, where the lemon trees of Sorrento and Amalfi, with their intense citrus flavor, are the real cuisine stars. Tiramisù is prepared with fresh mascarpone cheese (see homemade mascarpone), lemon…
Mascarpone Fatto in Casa (Homemade Mascarpone Cheese)
I bet that you have tried tiramisù at least once in an Italian restaurant, that creamy Italian dessert made with a magic ingredient: mascarpone cheese. Today I will share a little secret with you: how to make mascarpone at home! Making cheese can certainly seem difficult, but preparing mascarpone is very easy -it only requires…
Pandoro con Crema di Limoncello (Pandoro with Limoncello Cream)
This year Passion and Cooking will celebrate Christmas with Pandoro, the “golden cake”! Pandoro and panettone are the most popular sweets during the winter holidays. While panettone is a native of Milan, pandoro is from Verona. It is traditionally shaped like a frustum with an 8 pointed-star section and is served dusted with powdered sugar…
Datteri Ripieni con Mascarpone e Noci (Stuffed Dates with Mascarpone Cheese and Nuts)
This is a simple, simply delectable recipe that you can make as a tasty appetizer to serve in a special occasion. This is certainly a Mediterranean-inspired dish, a succulent combination of flavors, creamy and caramely, that you can easily get addicted to. The date tree originated around the Nile and Euphrates rivers of ancient Egypt…
Colomba con Crema al Limoncello (Easter Cake with Limoncello Cream)
If you have ever celebrated Easter in Italy, you may have tasted our Colomba di Pasqua (Easter Dove). This is an Italian dessert only available at Easter, something in between a cake and a sweet bread loaf. The particularity of this cake is that it is shaped like a dove, the symbol of peace and…
Terrina di Gorgonzola, Fichi, Noci e Marsala (Gorgonzola Cheese, Figs, Nuts and Marsala Wine Terrine)
Gorgonzola terrine is an elegant recipe that you can serve at a buffet or as an appetizer, either with crackers or Italian ciabatta bread, and accompanied by nice glass of fruity white wine or an aged Port wine. This delight is also suitable as a cheese course in an important dinner. The pungent and distinct…
Panettone con Crema di Mascarpone (Panettone with Mascarpone Cream)
Panettone is Italy’s cake for the Holidays, a delicious dessert somewhere between a cake and a loaf of sweet bread. It’s this cake’s dome shape that makes it uniquely identifiable. The dough is very soft and the ingredients very simple: flour, eggs, yeast, butter, sugar, candied orange and lime, raisins … but the taste is…
Tiramisù
A pick-me-up that really picks you up Tiramisù, arguably the most popular Italian creamy dessert, combines the flavor of mascarpone cheese, coffee and savoiardi cookies. The name literally means “pick me up”, metaphorically “make me happy”, and usually the diner’s expression when eating it betrays this emotion. The “pick me up” may refer to the caffeine in the…