Cucumber surprise

Cucumber surprise is a fresh and delicate recipe that will perfectly suit the summer, during which we generally want to enjoy something refreshing and tasty at the same time.

The cucumbers marry well in many recipes; Cucumber surprise is a surprise! Surprise in the sense that each small bite contains a heart of ricotta cheese, pine nuts and fresh basil.

The presentation of this dish is part of the success of this recipe; it needs to be prepared with patience; you have to compose each little packet and then you have to do the decoration of the plate. So take your time.
You can choose different presentations; the one in the picture has a Zen and geometric touch.
The white plate gives a highlight to the pale green of the cucumber.
I'm sure that your imagination will add something unique and special to your own presentation.

I have chosen the place holder SPIRAL to accompany this recipe.
Spiral is one of my favorites, I already presented it in the recipe Apple and cinnamon cake.

Spiral is a place holder that every guest can easily put next to his plate before going around for some conversation or a walk in the garden!
Spiral is made of copper wire (5 cm - 2" height).
They're inspired by the spin of the clock hands - the passage of time during the day.
They're very useful and at the same time they improve the decoration of your table.

I am planning of doing an episode of my blog where I will show how to make Spiral, so that you can try to prepare them yourself for your table.

If you want to see some of my other creations click here.

Time for preparation: 40 minutes
kcal per person: 60

For 4 persons you will need:
-1 Cucumber (medium)
-100 g ( 4 oz) ricotta cheese
-30 g (1 oz) pine nuts cut into small pieces
-20 fresh basil leaves
-salt and pepper

*cut the cucumber into strips in the vertical sense
*add in a bowl the ricotta cheese, the pine nuts and the fresh basil, chopped.
*add salt and pepper
*place a teaspoon of the mixture on one edge of the cucumber strip.
*roll the strip on itself up to half of its length; at this point bend it to 45 degrees and continue rolling until complete closure of the little packet
*now place the little packets on each plate, sprinkle with pepper

You can add some decorations on the plates, for example I put a little roll made using the strips of cucumber left.

Carrot cake and Pink lady

For so many years I have tried recipes for carrot cakes that left me really disappointed.
After having abandoned the idea to bake a good one, surprise! Stopping by different blogs, I found the good one.

The blog is called El rincon de Bea and her recipe was already a modification of a recipe found in a cook book.
I started my experiments from Bea's modified recipe.

I prepared it four times, making changes until I got a version that at the end, satisfied me.
The main changes I did are the following:
- I replaced the walnuts with almonds
- I doubled the amount of carrots
- I decreased the amount of oil and I chose extra virgin olive oil instead of sunflower oil
-I didn't add the drained pineapple
Here you can see the original recipe and Bea's changes.

Here is my recipe with all my changes:
time for preparation: 20 minutes
time for baking: 35-40 minutes
kcal per person: 270 kcal

preheat the oven to 180C (360 F)
for 10 persons you will need:
-160 g (6 oz) whole wheat flour
-3 eggs
-1 packet of baking powder
-180 g ( 7 oz) raw sugar
-80 ml extra virgin olive oil
-200 g (8oz) grated carrots
-125 (5 oz) grated almonds

*beat the eggs with sugar
*combine the flour and baking powder
*add the oil and carrots
*put in a plum cake mold
*bake at 180 C (360F) for about 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.


I have chosen my napkin ring PINK LADY because it's as simple as this cake.
PINK LADY is made with aluminum galvanized wire and pink pearls.
It gives an happy touch to your everyday table and it's a simple way to decorate a lunch table on a terrace during summer.
If you want to see more of my creations click here to have a look.

Tea Time Apple Cake

Tea Time Apple Cake is very tasty.
Last week I prepared it for the tea time with my friend Michelle who was really exited about it.

I presented the cake with the cinnamon Tea that I bought last year at the Drury shop in London.
The Drury shop is very small and is located near the Covent Garden; no tourists just tea lovers.
I assure you that there I bought the best teas I've ever tried in my life!
They are specialized in coffee too.
When I go to London I really buy a luggage of teas and obviously I'm waiting with impatience the day when Drury will decide to send orders outside the UK.

Well... the cake was delicious and if you prefer a more caloric touch, you can add a filling of jam (I suggest apricot)! or you can cover the slice with a hot chocolate sauce.

If you are planning to do a tea time party in the garden or on the terrace you will find STONE very very useful. Your guests could place their plate everywhere, and they will be sure to find them after their go around and around.

STONE is a name holder made with sea stones from the Antibes beach, copper wire and pearls (imitation).
It is inspired by the calm and zen atmosphere that I can find during a winter day on the beach in the place where I live (south of France).
STONE can give a design and zen touch to your table, you can use it to place a card or as name holder for your friends.
If you like it or want to check out other models shop here.

Time to prepare: 30 minutes
Time to bake: about 50 minutes
kcal per person: 330 kcal

Preheat the oven to 180 C (360 F)
For 12 persons you will need:
-175 g (6 oz) butter
-175 g (6 oz) raw sugar
-350 g (12 oz) whole wheat flour
-3 eggs
-2 teaspoons of cinnamon
-4 medium apples unpeeled and cored
-100 g (4 oz) hazelnuts roughly chopped
-1 packet of baking powder

*Beat the eggs into the melted butter
*In a separate bowl mix the flour, the baking powder, the cinnamon and the sugar
*Cut 3 of the apples into chunks; stir the chunks into the flour with half of the hazelnuts
*Pour the eggs and butter mixture into the flour mixture and stir gently
*Spoon into the lined tin
*Cut the remaining apple into thin pieces and arrange over the cake; sprinkle with the remaining hazelnuts over the apple
*Bake for about 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

If you want to put the jam in the middle of the cake, you must wait until the cake is cold.

Mediterranean cake

A few days ago I had lunch with my friend Helene: she prepared, among other things, a delicious salted cake which she has served cold.

I returned at home and inspired by her cake I prepared the Mediterranean cake; it was a long time I didn't prepare it and I had forgotten its flavored taste!

You can serve this cake warm or cold, so in summer it's ideal for a picnic on the beach or a cold dinner and also cut into cubes as an accompaniment of an aperitif.

This recipe is fast to prepare but still requires 45 minutes of baking so you may want to prepare a double dose and freeze one of the two cakes.

Mediterranean cake gives free space to your imagination; in the photo I have chosen a blue plate to improve the colors of the cake and the tablespoon of chopped black olives adds a fancy touch.

I think that the Mediterranean cake matches well with my napkin ring MY FLOWER: both have a good smell!!!

MY FLOWER is a set of 6 napkin rings that you can use as flower-holder; it's made of copper wire.
This is the ideal set for a spring or summer table when it's easy to have wonderful flowers in the garden.

You can choose them for the decoration of your daily table putting a different flower for each person. A flower puts a smile on each face and turns a person in a good mood.
If you like them you can shop here.

time for preparation: 20 minutes
time for baking: 45 minutes
kcal per person: 300 kcal

For this recipe you will need for 6 persons:
-preheat the oven at 200C = 400F

-200 g (8 oz) whole wheat flour
-3 eggs
-50 g ( 2 oz) black olives
-1 grated zucchini
-200 g ( 8 oz) of feta cheese
-10 dried tomatoes
-10 cl milk
- 2 teaspoons of herbs de Provence (a mixture of dried herbs from Provence, a French region. In the mixture you generally find rosemary, marjoram, basil, thyme, lavender and other herbs).
- 1 packet of baking powder
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-salt and pepper

*combine in a bowl the flour, the baking powder, the salt and pepper.
*add the eggs, the milk (warm), and the oil.
*add the olives, the feta cheese cut into cubes, the dried tomatoes chopped, the grated zucchini and the herbs de Provence.
*pour the mixture into a rectangular baking dish and bake about 45 minutes at 200 C ( 400F), or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Apple and cinnamon cake

Last weekend we had a picnic on the beach, I prepared this Apple and cinnamon cake that we really enjoyed with the spicy tea we bought on our last holiday in Edinburgh.

It's a very tasty cake that you can enjoy for breakfast too.
I love cinnamon, its taste and its flavor is ... so amazing!

If you are planning to organize a small tea time on the terrace or in the garden, you can use this small SPIRAL.

Spiral is a placeholder that every guest can easily put next to his plate before going around for some conversation or a walk in the garden!
Spiral is made of copper wire (height 5 cm - 2").
They're inspired by the spin of the clock hands -- the passage of time during the day.
They're very useful and at the same time they improve the decoration of your table.
If you need them click here to shop.

If you prefer a different model, maybe with a more zen style I suggest STONE.

Time for preparation: around 1 hour
Kcal per person: 300

If you want to prepare the Apple and cinnamon cake for 10 persons you will need:

preheat the oven to 180 C (360 F)

-250 g (9 oz) whole wheat flour
-2 tsp of cinnamon
-1 packet of baking powder
-100 g (4 0z) raw sugar
-100 g ( 4 oz) dried raisins
-80 ml extra virgin olive oil
-2 eggs
-150 ml apple juice
-3 apples not peeled , grated
-25 g (1 oz) flaked almonds

* Sift the flour, the cinnamon and the baking powder into a bowl
* stir in the sugar and the raisins
* stir in the oil, the eggs, the apple juice and the grated apples until well mixed
* pour the mixture into a tin and scatter with the almonds
* bake for 40-45 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean

Little baskets with eggplant and zucchini cream

Finally the first eggplants have arrived!
I wanted to celebrate preparing an eggplant and zucchini cream that I generally serve warm in a basket made of brick dough (a thin sheet of dough of north African origin; it is used in many ways to prepare salted or sweet specialties; it's more crunchy than fillo).
The brick dough may be replaced by the fillo dough (a rectangular sheet of dough used in Greece and Turkey to prepare different dishes salted or sweet; it's more light than brick).

Personally I prefer brick dough for salted dishes and fillo dough for sweet recipes.

Little baskets with eggplant and zucchini cream take some time for the preparation of the baskets; since they are fragile and tend to break easily I usually prepare an extra one just in case...
I serve them as a starter, but if you double the quantity you can serve them as a main course.

The round shape and its fragility reminds me of the napkin ring LOLLIPOP.

LOLLIPOP is romantic and fresh, it's handmade with copper wire and pearls (imitation); you can use it as an original decoration for your table and for a special dinner with your friends.
LOLLIPOP is inspired by the shape of lollipops and by the fresh sound of the song "lollipop" by MIKA.
If you want to shop for them click here.

About the presentation: take a breath when you compose the baskets with the cream.
The little baskets with eggplant and zucchini cream fit really easily into all types of plates: coloured, white, striped and also with flowers that I usually find so beautiful to see when they are ... EMPTY!

time for preparation: 40 minutes
kcal per person: 180 kcal.

For 4 persons you will need:
-4 sheets of brick dough (or fillo)

-1 large eggplant
-2 small zucchini
-100 g ( 3,5 oz) Comté cheese (very tasty french cheese)
-30 g ( 4 tablespoons) pine nuts

Baskets:
*Take 4 medium cups, put them upside down on a baking tray
*put on each cup a piece of baking sheet and over it a sheet of brick dough; fold the dough around the cup trying to create a little basket
*bake at 180 C (360 F) for 8 minutes or until golden
*remove from the oven and cool down before detaching the baskets from the cups

Cream:
*cut in small pieces the eggplant and the zucchini and cook them in the oven at 200 C (400F) for 20 minutes
*mix the vegetables in a mixer with salt and the Comté diced
*pour the cream in each basket and sprinckle with the pine nuts; serve warm or hot.

Banana bread

Whenever I prepare the Banana bread, I remember the rainy year I spent working in Paris in a restoration studio of ancient paintings. There I met Karin, a French-Norwegian girl with whom I spent many late afternoons in Parisian cafes talking about cooking and recipes.

Unfortunately we are not anymore in touch; I think she is around the world, probably in India, her preferred country.

She introduced me to this recipe of her father (a chef); I have slightly modified it since it's almost impossible to resist to make any change!

This cake is truly fantastic accompanied with coffee because all its spicy aromas are highlighted; starting the day with a breakfast like this just puts me in a good mood!

I associated the banana bread to the napkin ring WEDDING HEARTS, since I think that both contain many details in their simplicity, they are delicate, and evoke something sweet.
WEDDING HEARTS is a napkin ring with the possibility to use it as a name holder too; it's made with copper wire. If you want to shop for them click here.

About presentation, its compact consistency is well suited for cutting into small pieces. Here I have chosen a colorful orange plate that incorporates the warm tones of the cake, decorated with a stick of cinnamon and a nutmeg and accompanied by a small bowl of natural yogurt.
You can try other presentations but avoid the dark colors, they will kill the cake and your breakfast too!

time for preparation: 20 minutes
time for baking: 50 minutes
per person: kcal 320


For 10 persons you will need :
-250 g (8 oz) of whole wheat flour
-50 g (1,7 oz) of raw sugar
-1 packet of baking powder (1 tablespoon)
-1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
-1 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
-50 g (1,7 oz) of honey
-50 g (1,7 oz) of butter
-50 g (1,7 oz) of yogurt
-600 g ( 21 oz) of ripe bananas
-2 eggs
-100 g (3,5 oz) of grated almonds

*Preheat the oven to 200C (400 F)
*Beat together the honey, the butter, the yogurt, the eggs, and the mashed bananas
*Stir the flour, the sugar, the baking powder, the spices and add them to the other ingredients
*Mix well, add the grated almonds and put in a medium pan
*bake until the bread is firm and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean
*Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

Now you are ready to cut it in small pieces and I suggest to serve it with a good coffee and some plain yogurt.

GORGONZOLA SALAD

Finally the sunny weather is arrived on the French Riviera, we began to have our meals on the terrace and the first hot weather gave me the wish to eat something fresh and light.

Gorgonzola salad makes me cheerful: the crunchy vegetables, the strong colors and the
gourmand taste of Gorgonzola cheese are so perfect.

They combine so well with my creation STONE, a name holder for your table made with the pebbles that I find on the beach where I live.
STONE is made with copper thread and pearls.
They are inspired by the calm and the zen atmosphere during a winter day on the beach playing with my son.

They can give a design and fresh touch to your table, you can use them to place a card or as name holder for your special dinner with friends.
If you like them, click here to shop.

I am a great lover of cheese and living in France gives me the chance to have a large choice of different wonderful varieties.

Occasionally my heart goes back to Italy to my favorite ones: mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan) and Gorgonzola dolce.

Gorgonzola dolce (sweet) is something special: creamy, spicy, pungent...
If you leave it at room temperature, it will reach its peak of perfection: the creamy texture envelops the palate and it's a real delight.

You can also use Gorgonzola piccante (hot and spicy): it has a greener colour, a more compact texture and a more strong and decisive taste, but obviously the choise depends on whether you prefer mild or spicy food.

I think that this recipe is a different way to approach gorgonzola. It's usually considered a cheese for winter dishes, but in my opinion it makes wonders with the mixed salad.

About the presentation: I suggest to stay "in color". If you eat in the garden or on the terrace try to use a bright tablecloth that will help to think of sunny days. Increase the impact by adding a bouquet of chives as I have done, or placing a flower in a flower holder like this.

preparation: 15 minutes
kcal per person: 300
about kcal of this salad: Attention the number of kcal can be very different if you put a lot of olive oil!

For 4 people you will need:
- green salad
-16 cherry tomatoes
-some chives
- 1 apple
-100 g (3,5 oz) soy sprouts
-some pine nuts
-4 slices of bread
-200g (7 oz) of gorgonzola dolce cheese
-olive oil and balsamic vinegar
-salt and pepper

Compose carefully your plate: a beautifully looking plate makes the food even better!

*compose the salad in a big bowl or in 4 bowls as I did, adding the green salad, the cherry tomatoes, the apple (peeled and diced), the soy sprouts.
*spread the cheese on the 4 slices of bread
*sprinkle with small pieces of chives and some pine nuts
*place the slices of bread in a corner of the bowl
*add a pinch of salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Strawberry risotto

This recipe is for the strawberries' lovers like myself. During the season (and yes, now it's the season!) I would like to eat them every day.

Strawberry risotto is a good occasion to taste them differently and at the same time it will open your mind to something really particular: at the same time very fragrant and light.

The basic recipe of risotto fits in very different combinations, so why not strawberries!?

I find the napkin ring "DANCING DAYS" to be the perfect match for the presentation of strawberry risotto. Dancing days is handmade with copper thread and pearls (imitation), it's inspired by the dancing beat of the wings of butterflies during summer time. Click here to shop for them.

Regarding the preparation of risotto I can say that, generally, it's very easy, but its success will depend mostly on the taste of the strawberries and on the type of rice (arborio or carnaroli rice are the two best qualities for risotto. They absorb lots of water and the grains remain firm giving at the same time a creamy consistency).

I like to prepare it for my friends: at first sight they are amazed and show an initial hesitation but after a few bites... they become enthusiastic!

Children fall in love with this risotto: they're excited to have the possibility to eat strawberries in a main dish, not to mention the pink color, that will attract their attention immediately.

Regarding the presentation: to be honest, every time I prepare the risotto I tend to present it in a different way. This time, as you can see from the picture, I have chosen a pale green plate, since I wanted to give an airy and carefree touch. In addition I find the flower shaped plate in perfect harmony with the pink of the risotto.

Time 40 minutes
320 kcal per person

For 4 people you'll need:
-1 basket of strawberries (250 g - 8.5 oz).
-250 g rice (8.5 oz) arborio or carnaroli
-12 cl (1/2 cup) red wine
-1 l (1 quarter) of vegetable broth (prepare it by boiling 1 small carrot, onion and a piece of celery for about 30 minutes)
-50 g (1.8 oz) grated Parmigiano Reggiano (real Parmesan) cheese
-1 teaspoon of butter
-2 tablespoons of ricotta cheese
-salt

* put a pot on the heat, add and melt the butter, add the rice and about 200g (7 oz) of strawberries (washed and diced), mix well and add the red wine
* when the wine is absorbed you can begin to add the broth, and you continue to mix until the complete absorption of all the broth (so after about 20- 25 minutes)
* remove the pot from the heat, add the Parmigiano cheese, a pinch of salt, the remaining strawberries cut into small pieces and ricotta cheese.
* mix well, prepare your presentation and serve immediately!

Isadora and "Antipasto sfizioso"

Bonjour a tous!
I'd like to start with my favourite napkin ring called "ISADORA", ispired by the elegance, lightness and fragility of the great american dancer Isadora Duncan, the mother of modern dance.

It's completely handmade with copper thread and pearl (imitation): it's like a sculpture you can show to your guests during a meal: click here to shop for them.

I think that "Antipasto sfizioso" will be a good association, it's rich in aromas and has a color effect guaranteed.
It's a very fast recipe that can also be served as an accompaniment to a drink (aperitivo).

I generally prepare it using organic products, considering that organic products have much more taste.

Since I'm not sure if all the ingredients that I use are available where you live, I'll try to explain their role so you can find a suitable workaround.

PRESENTATION: for this particular recipe I suggest to use a white plate like in the photo or if you feel more eccentric you can try a black one: in any case avoid multicolor.
Then give an artistic attention and care when you place the cheese and the little sticks.
Last point try to reproduce the same harmonious arrangement for each plate.

time: 20 minutes
kcal for each portion: 200 kcal.

Here's the recipe for 6 persons
-preheat the oven at 200C = 400F

For the sticks you need
-1 ready made dough (roll) -called pate brisee in France-
-sesame seeds
-herbs de Provence ( It's a mixture of dried herbs from Provence a french region: in the mixture you generally find rosemary, marjoram, basil, thyme, lavander and others)

*roll out the dough and cut it into rectangular pieces (2,5 cm x 12,5 cm =1" x 5")
*put sesame seeds on half of the rectangles and herbs de provence on the remaining half
*twist each rectangle like a spiral and place them on a sheet of special oven paper
*bake for about 10 minute or until the dough is golden ( attention: on the dough package is generally written to bake for about 30 minutes or more, but this is the timing for cooking the dough with other ingredients)
*let them settle (serve them warm or cold)

While the sticks are in the oven prepare the cheese, for this you'll need
-12 teaspoon of fresh goat cheese
-red chili powder
-cumin powder

*take 12 teaspoon of cheese and using your fingers (a little bit of water on them will help you, like modeling clay) try to model each one in an half sphere shape
*roll 6 of them in the chili powder
*roll the remaining 6 in the cumin powder

Now take a breath and gently compose your chef d'ouvre (artwork).