Cake is… / Cake è…

Having always had a great passion for food I am accustomed to peep at food blogs from all round the world, looking for recipes and tips but shying away from comments and discussions over topics. But since now I’m a blogger myself shying away is not an option anymore and I decided to go on a quest for some inspiration and contests to push myself into teh interweb (yes I know how to make fun of myself!).

Smiley bread / Il pane felice

Sometimes things go really bad, at least for a perfectionist like me. But sometimes you can laugh hard at things going bad, especially when you have a big fat loaf laughing at your face. That’s what happened to me last night.

Dill and Lemon Baguette / Baguette all’Aneto e Limone

Defiant of the terrible heat wave that hit Europe I brandish my dough scraper and declare “Baguette baking day”! Who doesn’t love a bit of baguette, or maybe it would be more correct to say a whole loaf since it’s addictive properties? I dare anyone to say they can eat just a little piece without going through all the stick.

New kids on the block / New entry nella cucina

Finally recovered from holidays and a lovely wedding I want to introduce you to the new kids hanging around my kitchen. Admire the cold shiny surface of my first marble slab, kindly given as a gift from my mother (isn’t it great to come back from a long trip and find such a lovely present on your kitchen table?).

Childhood’s fav: ”A Tale of Plastic Bread / Memorie d’infanzia: “Pane di Plastica”

They are locked in everyone’s memory. In the most secret recesses of one’s mind here they lie, soft and sweet, our childhood’s favourite meal or just one magic ingredient. Romantic candy floss, sticky caramel mou sweets, grandma’s special pasta sauce, mummy’s comforting meatballs, pick what you may but you cannot run and you cannot hide.

Forno Cultura

One of the reasons why I came to Toronto is a message I have received a month ago from my friend Caterina. Very simply it said: “Would you like coming to work as a baker/pastry chef in Toronto?”.

The Lakeview review / The Lakeview, recensione

Don’t you love it when someone you’re not quite so familiar with offers you to do something you’ve just been craving for a long time? One of the things I have been thinking of since booking my Toronto flight is: having a proper brunch.

Holidays+Fridge=Apple & Red Berries Curd / Vacanze+Frigo=Curd di Mele e Ribes

Sometimes I do miss my old self. Planning my holidays in every single detail, bagagge accurately packed two to three days before. Everything under control. Not anymore. Improvising has become part of my daily life…and I must say quite to my delight. Having no schemes and schedules (ok not so many schemes and schedules, I still need some!) provides me with unpredictable tasks, problems to solve, in one word: excitement.

Vittorio’s ciabatta, my own way / La ciabatta di Vittorio, a modo mio

This version of ciabatta is born from my experimentation with an original recipe from Vittorio of Viva la focaccia blog. He’s an amazing baker, and his videos and recipes have inspired me and taken my baking passion to a higher level. I have never failed with his recipes, which are always paired with videos that illustrate his techniques step by step. The only changes I have done with his recipes have been with salt and yeast percentage, because I prefer my bread lightly salted and do not digest yeast too easily.