One of my favourite parts of cookbooks are the seemingly hidden recipes they often contain. Recipes snug into sidebars or at
read more Honey Saffron Custard, Rosé-Poached Apricots, Toasted Pine Nut Meringues
September is usually the month where things slowly return to normality, the emphasis being on slowly. Everyone is back from their annual holidays, schools are starting again and universities are getting busy preparing for the arrival of a new intake of freshers and the return of second and third year students. Yet this year, September is quickly shaping up to be rather busier for me than usual. Work is the busiest it has been since I started my new job in Brussels. After my first day back after my holidays, it pretty much felt like I had never left and I spent part of my first weekend back in Brussels in the office. I also realised the other day that I am away for every single September weekend for one reason or another (various work related events in Switzerland and the Netherlands, a wedding in Copenhagen, a trip home to Germany to visit my family and a weekend in Turin
Alessandro and I have been travelling around Northern Laos and Northern Thailand for just over a week now. We have been getting up early to watch the hustle and bustle of the morning markets, wandered through the grounds of stunning temples, walked along the banks of the Mekong river, travelled on local buses so full people were sitting on rice bags in the middle of the aisles and swam in the turquoise water of one of the most beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen. While every trip comes with its own challenges, whether it be jet-lag, getting sick, over-hyped destinations, missed flights or buses – and this trip has certainly had its fair share of that as well – I am so glad we decided to go on this trip. Time seemed to have stopped while we are taking in our new (and temporary) surroundings with all their new-to-us sights, smells and flavours. Above all, it is so nice to spend
Nigel Slater writes that you have to wait until the clocks go up to buy quinces. He does not say
I have been meaning to make fior di latte gelato for quite some time – it is one of the most delicate flavoured gelatos you can find. Sure, normally I am a pistacchio gelato lover through and through but given that I have had my fair share of this over the past few years (most notably in Noto in Sicily, as close to where the famous Pistacchi di Bronte come from as I have managed so far), I have started to branch out – my favourite Roman gelateria, Fatamorgana, offers all sorts of mouth-watering flavours, a firm favourite being ricotta con agrumi (ricotta gelato mixed with citrus fruit zest) … but sometimes, you just want a classic, something that isn’t too sweet, something that doesn’t challenge your taste buds but promises simple pleasures, the ice cream equivalent of a down comforter, and that is where fior di latte gelato steps into the picture. It is one of the few gelato flavours that does not rely
read more Fior di Latte Gelato with a Fennel-Infused Honey and Pine Nut Swirl
REAL SIMPLE FOOD 