Affogato means drowned in Italian. Sounds ominous, but tastes delicious. It’s basically ice-cream and espresso and what could be better on a hot summer night? When I was little, there was a similar treat in Russia called café glacé – which despite its french name was just coffee and ice cream. I was too young…
{Recipe} Cherry Frangipane Tart
It’s been too long… Way too long… A few months ago I had a lovely dinner at my friend’s place and somewhere between salad and main course her husband asked me how’s my site going. Well, I said, I haven’t really photographed anything lately. And, of course, he asked me why. I spent a few minutes explaining…
{Recipe} Pesto Pull-Apart Bread
This blog is slowly becoming all about baking. Funny, but I actually don’t bake that often. It’s less than once a week on average and I cook something different almost every day. The thing is, baked goods are so much easier to photograph. Bread tastes great both warm and room temperature; and sweets actually need…
{Recipe} Maple-Pecan Biscotti
My weekends are usually not too exciting. We don’t like going out much and after long workdays, sitting at home and relaxing is typically an ideal way to spend a few days. We clean, cook, watch tv and generally do nothing. One thing that our weekends usually involve is lots and lots of coffee. So,…
{Recipe} Focaccia breads
What is your favourite smell in the kitchen? I have a few. Smell of onion and garlic hitting sizzling oil. Smell of cinnamon baking in apple pie. Smell of yeast and freshly baked bread… There’s almost nothing that is better than freshly baked bread. Don’t you think so? Last summer I had a few problems…
{Recipe} Roasted fennel with parmesan
I don’t like liquorice. I mean I really don’t like it. So, knowing that fennel has anise-like taste, I always avoided it. Well, that is until it was part of an antipasto platter at a tiny Italian restaurant. Everything looked so good: beautiful, glistening with oil, roasted peppers, sweet garlic, grilled to perfection eggplant and a…
{Recipe} Spatchcocked and Braise-Roasted Chicken
I have many cookbooks which I love reading and leafing through from time to time, but to be completely honest, I don’t cook from those books too often. I read them, I make a mental note that I’d like to make this or that dish, but I usually don’t have needed ingredients on hand and…
Chocolate Mint Crackle Cookies
These Chocolate-Mint Crackle Cookies are perfect little mint cookies to make during winter holidays. They are soft, intensely chocolatey and refreshingly minty. Back in November, when all stores were full of festive spirit, green and red decor and Christmas carols, I stumbled upon a set of tiny little bottles of various mint oils and flavourings…
{Recipe} Nutella stuffed cupcakes
When I started experimenting in the kitchen, I wasn’t trying to cook, I was trying to bake. Baking is my first love. Surprisingly, I started not with cookies, nor with muffins or cupcakes; I started with fancy layered cakes with different kinds of mousse fillings and homemade lady fingers. Those cakes turned out so great,…
{Recipe} Classic Scones
It’s New Year’s Eve today and I’d like to finish this year on something positive. It’s been a very tough year. I think it’s safe to say that it was the most difficult year for me and I’m glad to leave it behind. And what’s more positive than husband making me scones for breakfast because I…
