Browsing Tag

baking

Chickpea Flatbread

June 17, 2016

Emiko Davies’ Florentine: The True Cuisine of Florence arrived in my mailbox earlier this year after much anticipation. I have enjoyed Emiko’s blog for several years, and I look forward to her informative articles about Italian food, history, and culture on Food 52. She also writes a food column for the Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera and did a video interview for the publication’s Le Donne del Cibo series. Her Instagram feed is one of my favorites for its gorgeous captures of her daily life in Tuscany, her travels, her food photos, and her adorable daughter whom I’m convinced is one of the cutest kids on Instagram. Over […]

Carol Field’s Italian Easter Bread

March 28, 2016

Today is Pasquetta (“little Easter”) in Italy, a national holiday and a day that Italians take to spend with family and friends to celebrate the beginning of spring. Italians have a saying they like to invoke at Easter and on Pasquetta: “Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi.” (“Christmas with your family, Easter with whomever you want.”). The saying sounds much better in Italian particularly because it rhymes, and it reflects the more casual nature of the day after Easter when Italians go on outings to parks or the countryside to enjoy a day of fun and leisure. Packing a picnic for a day spent […]

Basics: How to Make Pizza Dough

February 24, 2016

A few years ago, I discovered a deep love for making dough from scratch. For years, the idea of making any kind of homemade dough intimidated me, until I finally got annoyed with myself, bought a few good baking cookbooks, and got to work in the kitchen. I couldn’t believe I wasted so much time being fearful. I’ve been making homemade dough ever since and I’m here to tell you that a.) it isn’t as hard as you think, and b.) it’s fun! I had a handful of fails along the way, but with consistent practice, I got more confident and […]

Cherry Jam Crostata

February 14, 2016

Happy Valentine’s Day! When given the choice between a chocolate dessert and a fruit dessert, I’ll choose a fruit dessert every time. I like chocolate well enough, but I often find it heavy on my palate. On the other hand, I relish the bright, tart, and lightly sweet flavors of fruit-based desserts like this cherry jam crostata. When we were in Rome several years ago, I snapped this photo while walking past a pasticceria (pastry shop). As you can see, crostata is a popular dessert in Italy. Crostata is both simple and elegant in its presentation, and a dessert I grew up eating often. […]

How to Make Italian Sweet Pastry Dough

February 10, 2016

For the first “basics” post of 2016, I’m introducing you to pasta frolla, an Italian sweet pastry dough. It is also known as shortcrust pastry. Pasta frolla is the base for many Italian desserts, especially crostata, a tart filled with fruit preserves or pastry cream (sometimes both), or even Nutella. Pasta frolla is also the dough of choice for pastiera napoletana, a traditional Italian Easter dessert, as well as delicate cookies that Italians call frollini. Once baked, pasta frolla is both tender and flaky, almost like shortbread, but less dense. The milk solids from the butter contribute not only to the texture of pasta frolla, but […]

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