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When a winter’s chill threatens to overtake you after a day skiing Cortina or Livigno, consider a Bombardino. It’s the Italian Alpine delight that warms the fingers and restores your energy. This rich, boozy winter drink, part cocktail, part dessert, was invented in 1972 by Aldo Del Bò. He was a ski-lift operator in Livigno who mixed the hot egg custard, zabaione, with whiskey to revive a frostbitten skier. “Accidenti, è una bomba!” the skier reportedly exclaimed. “Accident, it’s a bomb!” and a legend was born.What most visitors don’t realize is that every order of bombardino drops you squarely into one of Italy’s longest-running culinaryRead More →

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A delectable diamond-shaped almond cookie, ricciarelli symbolize the golden age of Siena. Their origin dates to the 14th century when legend has it that knight Ricciardetto della Gherardesca brough the cookies back from the crusades. Today, Tuscans enjoy them at festive occasions, especially Natale when ricciarelli are savored with a glass of Vin Santo. Like marzipan and other medieval Mediterranean sweets, ricciarelli are made from finely ground almonds and only require a few ingredients, the nuts, egg whites, and sugar. The bright flavor of orange zest is their only flavoring although a splash of almond extract may be added.Use finely ground almond flour when making these cookies. And be careful not toRead 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 →