At times, you’re craving something sweet even if you’re undergoing a detox, you’re fasting, or your diet is vegan. I’ve discovered something tasty, easy to make, and filling!

What did I use?

225g pitted dates

75g Romanian almonds

½ tbsp of cinnamon powder

3 tbsp of cocoa powder

100g coconut flakes

Soak the dates and almonds overnight.

Rinse them and transfer them to a blender with the cinnamon and cocoa powder, pulsing for 1-2 minutes until you get a paste.

Shape 32 bonbons (it helps if your hands are wet). Roll them through the coconut flakes (chop them in the blender if they’re too large).

For 500ml

200g almonds (soaked and peeled)

400ml water

I discovered some delightful Romanian almonds last week. Given our lactose intolerance, we decided to try and make our almond milk. We’ve tried that before, in 2015, upon returning from Sicily, but it turned out even tastier now.

We soaked the almonds and left them overnight in the fridge. We noted that they doubled their size. And then we peeled them.

In our version, A, we added the water and the almonds to the juicer and squeezed them. We also obtained some almond meal, which we dehydrated/dried in the oven.

If you don’t have a juicer, but you have a powerful blender, so version B, blend the water and the almonds and sieve the milk when you’re done.

I like it without added sugar – this way, I can feel the taste of the almonds.

The almond milk is in the fridge now. I bet it’s going to be perfect at breakfast, too, reminding us of a lazy morning in Noto.

110g almonds

90g butter (at room temperature)

90g sugar

2 small eggs

What is frangipane? It is an almond cream resembling crème pâtissière, with an Italian twist.

On my birthday, I wanted to bake a special tart (in the end, it was a frangipane/pear/fig tart). How to make frangipane?

Chop the almonds – I used my blender – and mix the butter (at room temperature) with the sugar. Add the 2 small eggs, stirring slowly, and then mix in the chopped almonds. Cook on medium heat until it thickens.

And it’s ready! You can now use it to fill the tart and tartlet shells... you’ll love the added flavour.  

125g almonds (or walnuts)

150g (melted) butter

150g sugar

1 drop of vanilla extract

250g flour

5g baking powder

4 eggs

150g milk chocolate

I’m back on the road with Marcel (and publishing the recipe as we travel). So I thought... what cake keeps best on the road? A pound cake!

And I ended up testing another recipe of my Mom.

Grind the almonds (walnuts), add the melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract, flour, baking powder, and 4 yolks. Stir well. Beat the 4 egg whites until stiff and slowly mix them into the previously-obtained batter. Finally, add the chocolate chips.

Bake in a pound cake baking pan lined with baking parchment, in the preheated oven at 180°C, for 40 minutes.

Let the pound cake cool well; the chocolate will harden. It is a delight!

120ml water

3 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp cocoa powder

100g biscuits

75g almonds or walnuts

15 sour cherries

Make a syrup using water, sugar, and cocoa powder; mix the ingredients and let them simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.

After removing the pan from the heat, add the chopped biscuits and almonds (or walnuts).

Knead a little to homogenise the dough; then, take bits of it, flatten them, add a sour cherry to the middle, and shape them into bombs.

Let them sit in the fridge for one hour before munching them.

Enjoy them and enjoy every single day!

-        My love, we can’t have cakes every day... even though they’re delicious.

[’of course we can!’ I say to myself, but then I think about it and feel that my man may be right, so I make a healthy dessert]

You can make it, too, and here are the ingredients (and then the method)—

(for 1 portion)

150g blackberries

75g yoghurt

100g raspberries

50g sour cream

30g almonds (soaked)

10g dark chocolate

It’s very easy to make: blend separately, two by two. First off, the blackberries and the yoghurt.

Then, the raspberries and the sour cream.

Last, the almonds and the chocolate.

Pour by layers into a bowl and then mix and savour.

Very healthy, very filling!

For the vegan version, you can use two vegan yoghurts of different flavours.