Palline all’Arancia
In Sicily, even before the making of pastries and confections became a source of income for the convents, the tasty treats as gifts were an acceptable currency by which…
Icing (Glassa) & Candy (Dociumi)
Palline al Cioccolato (Chocolate Balls)
These little chocolate balls, a thoughtful gift for your favorite Valentine, are a variation of Palline all’ Arancia. This is one of the very few confections in which the…
Fruit & Nut Chocolate Clusters
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Dried fruits, nutritious nuts and crunchy granola, all covered in chocolate make for the perfect treat for our after dinner walks in the woods. Many years ago, the year…
Cuccidati Kisses
So, you’ve made dozens and dozens of Sicilian Christmas cookies and have just a bit of fig filling left. What do you do? As I see it, you have…
Panforte
Panforte dates back to the year 1000 and is the traditional Christmas dolce of Siena, one of the first cities in Italy to use sugar and rare spices. This…
Scorzette di Arancia
If you can peel an orange and boil water you can make candied orange peel! I feel very fortunate to have several citrus trees in my yard and I…
Salame Dolce
Italians, as a rule, do not eat dessert after a meal, choosing perhaps a piece of fruit instead. However, it is a well-known fact that we find time “between”…
Better than Nutella Chocolate Spread
I have made several attempts over the years to come up with a chocolate spread that I feel is worthy of sharing. The flavor was always great, rather it…
Almond Paste vs Marzipan
In Italy, the terms almond paste, and marzipan are used interchangeably. In the United States, however, almond paste and marzipan are not the same thing. It is important to…
Lemon-y Cream Sauce
My lemon-y cream sauce is the result of having a little bit left over of an ingredient called for in a recipe. It’s not enough to really do anything…
Blood Orange Chocolate Truffles
You may offer a terrific torta (cake) or several kinds of biscotti (cookies) to your guests after dinner, but there are some who consider chocolate to be the ultimate…
Italian Meringue
There are three types of meringue, the differences lie in when and how the sugar is added. The one you are probably most familiar with is the French meringue.…
Candy Cane Marshmallow Pops
The candy cane, synonymous with Christmas, began as a straight white stick of sugary candy. In the late 1600’s, (about the same time Europeans began using Christmas trees) a…
Nutella Fudge with Sea Salt
The only fudge I have ever made (usually for the holidays) is from the recipe on the back of the can of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk. Last week,…
Sugared Lemon Slices
These sugared lemon slices are the perfect little garnish for that special dessert. I also like to use them for ice tea and Limonata providing an unexpected touch of…
Chocolate Ganache
Ganache is a silky-smooth mixture of chocolate and cream, and the results rely on the quality of the chocolate used. You can use semi-sweet or bittersweet, milk, dark or…