Shells

170g flour

2 tbsp of sugar

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 tbsp of cocoa powder

1 tbsp of butter

1 small egg

3 tbsp of Port (if you don’t have Marsala)

Filling

325g ricotta

130g sugar

for 8 cannoli

I don’t like the scent of burnt oil in the house; on the other hand, I was craving cannoli. I’m thinking, ’Could I bake them?’.

I had prepared the filling the previous night, draining ricotta and mixing it with the sugar.

To make the cannoli shells, mix the flour, sugar, cinnamon, cocoa, butter, and egg. To give them their typical flavour, add 3 tablespoons of Port if you lack the classical Marsala.

Knead until you have a compact dough (insist until all the ingredients are fully incorporated!). Let it sit in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Divide the dough into 8 balls. Then, crush them and roll them out. Draw circles using a 12cm-diametre bowl. Cut them out. Wrap them around the cannoli tubes. Use a few drops of water to stick the ends.

Place the cannoli tubes into a baking pan. Then, bake in the preheated oven at 180°C for 15 minutes.

By using a piping bag, fill the shells with the ricotta and sugar mixture.

Tip: I prefer filling the shells every time we have cannoli, keeping the piping bag in a mug in the fridge.

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).

It was by far our favourite dessert during our end-of-spring detox.

What do you need for the ...?

DOUGH

3 tbsp of water

1 tbsp of flax seeds

125g gluten-free oatmeal

25g tapioca flour

60g (melted and cooled) butter

a dash of vanilla bean

1 tbsp of apple vinegar

a pinch of salt

FILLING

3 big apples (chopped or grated)

some nutmeg

some (grounded) cinnamon

4 teaspoons of date sugar

15g butter

How to bake it?

First, let the flax seeds sit in water for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, clean the apples, cut them, and chop them in a blender or grate them.

Add the apples to a pan and let them simmer with the nutmeg, cinnamon, date sugar, and butter. Mix when the butter melts and remove from heat. You’ll know when they’re ready because they’ll smell divinely.

In a medium bowl, mix the gluten-free oatmeal, the tapioca flour, the melted and cooled butter, the dash of vanilla bean, the apple vinegar, and the salt. Mix in the flax seeds and the water, too. Knead until the dough is no longer sticky.

Shape the crust in a buttered and floured tart mould. Add the filling.

Bake for 25 minutes at 160°C in the preheated oven.

I served it alongside a cooling sour cherry sorbetto made by Marcel on a torrid day.

As I wrote in the previous recipe, our detox allowed us to eat a single non-vegan ingredient – butter, as long as it was high-quality butter. We had very few desserts to bring joy into those difficult days; this was one of them.

For a 20x20 cm baking pan, you’ll need—

2 tbsp of butter +40g melted butter

2 apples

125g gluten-free oats

a dash of cinnamon

a dash of nutmeg

a pinch of sea salt

4 tbsp of date sugar

How to prepare?

Melt 2 tbsp of butter. Slice 2 apples.

Pour over them a mix of gluten-free oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt, date sugar, and the 40g of melted butter.

Bake at 180°C for 20 minutes.

Munch from a bowl while still warm.

I’ve had many things on my mind. I feel bad I couldn’t go on earlier with my favourite ingredients. I will do it below, though! J

Today: cinnamon

What do I do knowing that not all people are cinnamon lovers? I use about half of what I’d use for a dessert made solely for me.

Where do I select cinnamon from? It is said that the best cinnamon in the world is from Sri Lanka. I don’t know why, but I’ve never tried it. I did test the cinnamon from Colombia, Ghana, and Iran (the one from Golestan Province is special). My favourite cinnamon, though, is the one from India.

Why do I love it? (I am crazy about it!) It is a perfect match for certain cheeses and fruits!

Ingredients:

60g butter

120g yoghurt

120g whole-wheat flour

5g baking powder

a pinch of salt

4 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon powder

for 25 cookies

Method:

Melt the butter.

Meanwhile, mix the flour, baking powder, pinch of salt, sugar, and cinnamon.  

Add the melted butter and the yoghurt.  

In a large baking pan lined with baking parchment, shape the dough as cookies.

Then, bake in the (preheated) oven for 15 minutes at 180⁰C.

How are they? J

500ml milk

100g sugar

1 cinnamon stick

50g butter 

100g semolina

3 eggs

+ cinnamon powder

6 years ago, when I shyly started to understand that I, too, could create desserts – on top of that, delicious ones! –, galatopita was one of the first cakes I made.

My fascination for Greek cuisine was the reason for trying this dessert out. It seemed easy and fast, with a spectacular result!

Pour the milk into a pan and place it on low heat, with the sugar and the cinnamon stick, until it starts boiling. At that point, remove the cinnamon stick by adding the butter and the semolina, mixing thoroughly. When bubbles form, remove the pan from the heat.

Add the whole eggs, one by one, mixing well.

When the final mix – a creamy one – is ready, pour it into a round mould. Mine is a silicone mould, so buttering and flouring it was not necessary.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes at 180⁰C. Then, open the oven door and let the cake cool for 10 minutes without removing it from the oven.

Cut triangular slices and serve them with cinnamon powder on top. That is if you like it. I am crazy about it!

 

My Dad loves dates, too, so I wanted to surprise him—

For the batter, you’ll need—

170g pitted dates

200ml (hot) water

a teaspoon of baking powder

*

2 eggs

100g sugar

150g flour

a pinch of salt

a teaspoon of (ground) cinnamon

a teaspoon of (ground) coffee

a teaspoon of baking powder

80g sour cream

70g (melted) butter

First off, place the dates in a bowl. Pour hot water over them. Mix in the baking powder and let it sit for 30 minutes.

Then, mix the eggs and the sugar until fluffy.

Add the flour, salt, plus the grounded cinnamon and coffee, and the baking powder.

After folding them in, add the date, baking powder, and water mixture and keep mixing. In the end, add the sour cream and the melted butter.

Pour the batter into a round mould (21 cm); mine is made of silicone, so I won’t butter and flour it. If necessary in your case, do it.

Bake the cake in the preheated oven, at 175⁰C, for 30 minutes.

When there are 10 minutes left, start making the caramel sauce, using half of the ingredients listed in this recipe, but with the same technique—

100g sugar

a pinch of salt

30ml water

40g sour cream  

2 tbsp butter

In the end, makes holes in the cake as soon as you take it out of the oven. Pour the caramel sauce over it.

Let it cool for 30 minutes at room temperature, then for 30 minutes more in the fridge.

You’ll be surprised by the taste and by... how easily you’ll finish one slice!

Baking pan: 34 x 24 cm | 12 slices

3-4 quinces

160ml water

100g sugar

20g butter

cinnamon

4 eggs

a pinch of salt

4 tbsp of sugar

4 teaspoons of walnut oil

6 tbsp of flour

5g baking powder

+60g whipping cream, 10g sugar -> 2 slices

There was a large crop of quinces this season. Extremely large. I still have quinces, go figure. :P

I am grateful for them, but they get spoiled too easily. Consequently, this cake was the solution!

Wash and clean the quinces; then, cut them into small pieces (Marcel helped me a lot to this end).

Add the pieces into a pan, together with the water and sugar. Let the mix boil on low heat. After 10 minutes, add the butter. 10 minutes later, add the cinnamon, and only remove the pan from the heat 5 minutes later.

Then, place the quinces in the baking pan lined with baking paper. This way, they will cool faster.

Separately, beat the egg whites and the salt until stiff. Add the sugar and the yolks – one by one – and continue mixing. In the end, add the walnut oil, the flour, and the baking powder.

Pour this mixture carefully over the quinces, to cover all the quince pieces.

Bake in the preheated oven, at 180⁰C, for 20 minutes.

Only a few minutes after taking the cake out of the oven, turn it upside-down.

You can serve the cake as such or with whipped cream – be careful, as it is truly addictive!

THE CRUST

150g flour

70g (melted and cooled) butter

1 yolk

1 sachet vanilla sugar

1 tbsp of vinegar

2 tbsp of water

a pinch of salt

+2 tbsp of semolina

+butter and flour -> your baking pan

THE FILLING

3 quinces

1 apple

100ml water

50g sugar

30g butter

cinnamon

Here’s a very quick and tasty pie for the end of fall/beginning of winter and for all those who still have quinces. J

Make the crust based on this recipe. Sprinkle the semolina onto the crust, to absorb the juice of the fruit pieces.

To make the filling, clean the quinces and the apple and cut them into cubes. Pour them into a pan, together with the water, sugar, and cinnamon, and place it on low-medium heat. Let the butter melt slowly on top of all the ingredients.

After the mix boils, the water level drops, and the fruit pieces are caramelised, you can transfer them to the crust.

Bake in the preheated oven, at 170ºC, for 15 minutes.  

One slice won’t be enough.