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Harry’s Bar in Venice is known for the blush pink Bellini cocktail that owner Harry Cipriani created in the 1940’s. But the restaurant’s chefs prepare many memorable dishes including a bright summer salad served in a deep bowl. The salad, which features cucumber, sweet corn, tomatoes, and avocado in a bracing red wine dressing, is a favorite of Coleen Kirnan, Tuscan Women Cook’s owner. We’ve adapted their recipe from Cipriani New York. Tip: To keep the pulp of a cut avocado from turning brown, simply rinse the cut surface under cold running water.Make this salad then serve it immediately.Read More →

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A close cousin to tiramisù is Zuppa Inglese, an Italian take on British trifle that is popular in Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, and central Italy. This spoonable dessert consists of layers of sponge cake or ladyfingers soaked in bright red alchermes, a sweet rose and spice liqueur. One layer of cake is coated with vanilla pastry cream and the next with chocolate pastry cream. A generous dusting of cocoa powder garnishes the treat.There are several versions and much academic debate surrounding alchermes' origins. According to Giovanni Ballarini of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina, the presence of alchermes suggests that the dessert was born in the Renaissance. At thatRead More →

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To make these cheese-filled tortellone, find a good quality full-fat ricotta. Those labeled “basket-style” will be smooth and especially creamy. If the ricotta seems wet, place it in a colander or cheesecloth-lined strainer for 30 minutes and allow the excess moisture to drain off. Our filling includes parsley and basil too but you could add any chopped fresh herbs or chopped cooked spinach, another traditional filling. Grated lemon zest, which is optional, gives it a bright finish.Like the nonne have taught us, we knead the pasta by hand to get a feel for the dough and how much flour to use. But you can certainly useRead More →

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Crostata is a simple, yet elegant Tuscan jam tart served for dessert or breakfast.Fillings change with the seasons. In a wine growing town, it might be grape jam. Some make it using blackberry jam made from wild berries harvested along the roadside. But any variety works well, from orange marmalade to blueberry preserves. The buttery dough for crostata gains richness from melted butter and egg yolks, which also give it a golden color. Light and crisp, the crust is like eating a cookie cloud. The nonnas in Montefollonico like to make crostata with apricot or wild plum jam. Tuscan Women Cook guests enjoy nonna Donatella's creation, along withRead More →

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This festive dessert surprises many. It’s called salami, it looks like salami but in fact it is pure delicious chocolate studded with crunchy butter cookies. While it is often made with cocoa powder and sugar moistened with eggs, many pasticcere use quality bittersweet chocolate as well as cocoa powder when making salame di cioccolato.  The melted chocolate gives this treat a richness that rivals the best truffle. That’s why our recipe uses bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder. For the butter cookies, choose a brand with a pleasant butter flavor that crumbles easily such as LU Petit Beurre, Lorna Dune or Bahlsen Leibniz Butter Cookies.A splash of fortified wine such asRead More →

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Nonna Siriana Fumi loves sharing her secrets for making a Tuscan feast in her master class for Tuscan Women Cook. The multi-course meal is capped off with these delectable cantucci, a Tuscan twice-cooked almond biscotti. We’ve adapted her way of making them for our friends in the United States where the flour has more protein. Although you can make these using all-purpose flour, we find blending in some cake flour produced a more tender result. They're delicious dipped in chocolate (see "Notes" below).If toasting your own almonds, preheat oven to 325 ℉. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy cleanup.Read More →

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Watching nonna Siriana Fumi roll out pici is a form of mindful meditation al italiano. Our guests focus on her steady hands as she kneads, flattens, and cuts the dough into strips. Her quick, flat palms roll each strip into a long, sinuous snake. It’s obvious she has rolled pici her entire life. It’s second nature to Siriana and to the hundreds of Tuscan home cooks who prepare pici for their families, friends, and dinner guests. Since pici is basically just flour and water, feel free to experiment with different combinations of flour to discover the texture you like best. We use all-purpose, Italian “00” soft flour. Watch your cooking time to make sure your pici comes out al dente.Read More →

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The word carpaccio usually describes thin slices of raw beef or fish, but we think it perfectly describes this dish, which our guests first tasted at La Bandita, a chic osteria in Pienza.Read More →