Liquorice Torrone and Christmas Wishes / Torrone alla liquirizia e Auguri di Buon Natale

This is my last recipe before Christmas, I don’t know yet if there will be more confectionery/sweets recipes next year as sugars and dairy product are the biggest no no in my new diet, and I would like to avoid falling into easy temptations even by having a little taste. But change is inevitable, the whole evolving as the days go by. I really wanted to post this recipe to show how sometimes the simple addition of a single ingredient can change a product, making it more special.

Dolci Regali, MTC’s third book is here! / Dolci Regali, finalmente il terzo libro della collana dell’MTC!

I don’t know about you but to me Christmas is a source of massive headaches and late races to purchase gifts. Not to mention gift wrapping and greeting cards, people who know me well are aware of my habit of wrapping presents in old newspapers, which I love to scribble with stupid doodles and vaguely punk collages. This year I won’t miss the opportunity to buy this wonderful volume for some of my friends and family members. “Dolci Regali” is the third book of MTC’s book series, which was born a year ago “L’ora del paté”. With such a title (Dolci means Sweet and Regali has two meanings, gift and royal) there’s no better choice for a Christmas gift, isn’t it? As in the book series’ dna this volume focuses on a very specific topic, exploring a period of time between the late seventeenth and early nineteenth century, which saw the rise and triumph of pastry, with the birth and development of leavened sweet breads starting from the mythical babà.

Raffaele Pignataro’s Panettone / Il Panettone di Raffaele Pignataro

Christmas is coming, by now most of you will have decorated their living room with a properly decorated tree, maybe yoi have put some pomanders here and there, set up the crib and started the countdown on the an advent calendar. I admit, my innate laziness and the luxury of having my sister (up until 3 years ago) to take care of the tree and house Christmas decorations at our parents made me unfit to recreate a proper festive atmosphere in the house. But as I type it comes up to my mind that some bread wreath, from Essen Mag’s shooting, are still lying around. It would take just 10′ to make a nice decoration, something to be hanged on my front door. That said to me Christmas mood is all in the food. All memories, emotions and Christmas images are filtered by special and traditional dishes.

Merry Belated Christmas and a latecomer recipe: My Mum’s Mincepies / Tardivi Auguri di Natale e una ricetta in differita: I Mincepies di mia Mamma

Merry Belated Christmas! Working in a shop around this time of the year means no time to blog around and unfortunately little baking and cooking too. But I am back, and cannot exempt from leaving one little traditional recipe even though it’s a latecomer.

Christmas is nothing without traditions. I grew up with a weird mix of Father Christmas meets Joan Baez in front of the manger scene. But I guess that’s our tradition.

Panettone Yule Log, the recycling of a monstrous Panettone / Tronchetto Natalizio di Panettone, o del riciclo del Panettone dilusione

Panettone, only Panettone on my mind. Every step I take, every move I make am thinking about IT and yes, it does sound a bit like a bitter-sweet nightmare. What I have been avoiding for years, the most difficult and scary of leavened has now become my obsession.