Browsing by Category: Sweets & Dessert

Liquid nitrogen aperitif at The Fat Duck.

2011 has come and gone and my 2012 calendar is beginning to fill up with what promise to be exciting culinary adventures. There is something very satisfying about planning meals half a year in advance but before I begin drifting in and out of food comas, it is high time to reflect on the meals, dishes and experiences that enriched (more…)

If my grandmother weren’t gluten intolerant, I doubt macaroons would be such a big part of the Parla/Cipollina holiday dessert tradition. Same goes for ambrosia (don’t even think about dissing this white trash fruit salad–it defined my childhood). For us, Christmas wouldn’t be the same without these super sweet (more…)

It always saddens me to board a US-bound flight before the holidays and see Italians stuffing boxes of industrial panettone into the overhead compartment. Aside from the fact that in the US there are excellent artisanal producers of the stuff (Sullivan Street Bakery and Runner & Stone, to name a pair), the mass produced junk (more…)

Via dei Serpenti, the main traffic artery in Rome’s Monti district, is more happening than ever. On Monday, a new bakery called Antico Forno ai Serpenti opened on the corner of Via dei Serpenti and Via Panisperna. Back in the day there was a bakery in the same storefront and my strongest recollection of the place (more…)

Pistacchio and chocolate

I’ve always been a pretty dedicated gelato eater, but this year I took things to a whole new level. Throughout the spring and summer, I systematically researched the city’s finest and most famous gelaterias and even made a few handy guides for visitors. The unusually warm fall has allowed the gelato free-for-all to (more…)