Maria’s Spiced Cauliflower Flan / Lo sformato al cavolfiore e spezie di Maria

Since the 4th of December, when I started working part time at a goldsmith shop, my weeks have been quite hectic. Recipes and blog post scheduling, the weekly appointment with Wing Chun training, trying to be present on my usual social networks and fitting in multiple appointments hasn’t been easy. Let’s add my Panettone Obsession and the picture is quite clear. But chaos is my element, stress has always been my cup of tea (or loaf of bread) and even though feeling a bit tired I wouldn’t change a single thing.

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.

Poppy seed snails for Serena / Delle chioccioline ai semi di papavero per Serena

What I love the most about having a blog and a Facebook page is having inputs from fellow bloggers, followers and friends. Sometimes I wish I’d dedicate more time of my time to studying from books, but 90% of the time I end up following another blog’s inspiration, or responding to special requests from friends and family. This time around Serena (who works here, how cool is she?), an old friend from Padoa Art School, asked me whether I had a good recipe for a german pastry she loves.

Brioche obsession and Chocolate Babka / L’ossessione per la brioche e la Babka al cioccolato

Lately brioche has been the queen of my kitchen. It all started with italian facebook baking groups raving about this russian flower and the endless posting of pictures, videos and blog posts. I’m not usually inclined to follow trends, but admit the shape was so gorgeous I couldn’t help myself. And having friends around for dinner is always a great excuse, isn’t it?

Beetroot, tangerine, tonka beans and vanilla Sourdough Bread / Pane al lievito madre con barbabietola, mandarino, fava tonka e vaniglia

This bread was inspired to me by this month’s Twelve Loaves theme: roots. I had been looking for many weeks at the great achievements obtained by fellow bakers with this kind of bread (both professionals and home bakers) during my web surfing. Every single one had a different shade of pink, a different crumb, crust and rise. A whole world of beetroot breads.

Banana Bread, the ultimate comfort food / Banana bread, cibo coccola per eccellenza

Autumn is slowly drawing in, climate is getting colder, days are getting shorter. We are hit by mixed feelings about whether adventuring out of the house risking to catch a cold out of a sudden watery change of weather, or stay in, sipping on an old good cuppa. Tea time, comforting and soothing. Nothing wipes away fatigue, stress and anxieties like a mug of black tea. There’s no game, tea wins over everything. It can be savoured with a good varieties of foods, may it be sandwiches, scones, biscuits or cakes. One of my favourite options is toasted banana bread, with a gentle spread of salted butter.

About blackberries cheesecake and “abductions” / Di “rapimenti” e torta alle more e ricotta

As you all know some ingredients, if not handpicked in our backyards, can be quite expensive. Blackberries, at least in Switzerland, are among those. As a child I would pick them, and clearly remember a bush near to my father’s vegetable garden, but now no trace of them can be found in the surroundings. Luckily my uncle has a huge blackberry bush near to his house and two weeks ago I decided to go over and pick some with him. No warnings of abduction whatsoever. Yes abduction.

Spelt, wholemeal and wheat bran bread / Pane al farro-spelta, farina integrale e crusca di frumento

Few days ago I was discussing with Barbara, on a bread baker’s group on facebook , about dough hydration. Highly hydrated doughs scare the wits out of me, and I have disastrous memories of my first attempts at highly hydrated ciabatta. Barbara encouraged me to try and hey, there is nothing as a good challenge to get me going. Since I had been doing very little baking and feeling a bit down in the previous days I decided I needed a proper kick in my backside.

Knock Knock here comes Le Creuset’s Knob / Il pomello del desiderio

A year ago, after a lot of internet browsing and actual drooling over pictures of magnificient breads, I decided to get my own Le Creuset pot. I longed for one for far too much time. Blame it on childhood memories of my mum’s orange set of pots, my natural attraction to all things nice and often too expensive, or the new colors that were issued in 2012. Who knows. I knew I needed one.

Pain de beaucaire, truth or dare? / Pain de beaucaire e le verità nascoste

I know I owe you all an apology and an explanation. My last post’s title was misleading, as pointed out to me by Barbara. Probably some of you, like her, expected some dark revelation about my personal life and got none. I talked about some secrets and shared none… My mind was travelling back in years, living those moments I would share solely with my mother and my mind went through what we considered our little secrets.