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Mini Cheesecakes with Mincemeat

Today I have a little re-post from last Christmas. My lovely friend Judith from the amazing blog Joelix wrote this guest post for me after I had hand surgery a few days before Christmas and was unable to do anything for close to six weeks. These Mini Mincemeat Cheesecakes have been a big hit here on Jillian In Italy (and Pinterest) and I’ve heard from several readers that they are absolutely delicious. I have them on my to-do list for this coming week-end. Click on photo for last year’s post and free downloadable recipe.

Many thanks again and gros bisous to you Judith!
(check out Judith’s ABOUT page on her blog…by far the best and most creative photo of any blogger around)

Tags: cheesecake, christmas, dessert, food, JOELIX, mincemeat, mini cheesecakes with mincemeat, photography, recipe

Comments 3 Comments
Categories Creative, guest blog, Recipes

Blackberry Lavender Jelly

19 Sep

The other day I was in my local fruit and vegetable shop and I noticed they had some gorgeous local blackberries available. The deep purple (almost black) berries were fat and plump and perfectly ripe. I knew I had to buy them but wasn’t yet sure what I would do with them.

When I got home I took a little tea break in my garden and noticed my neglected overgrown lavender plants. Usually I’m not a huge fan of using lavender in cooking and baking but I thought the dainty lavender perfume would match perfectly with the tart blackberries without giving it that soapy aftertaste that I’m not so fond of.

So I decided to make some homemade Blackberry Lavender Jelly and I’m so happy I did. It turned out to have the perfect amount of tartness and sweetness paired with a delicate hint of lavender. It’s a quick and easy recipe that is perfect for serving with fresh out of the oven biscuits. We’ve already gone through two of the three bottles so I think I’ll have to whip up one more batch before blackberry season is over. Maybe a Blackberry Lavender Crostata would also be appreciated by friends and family.

Read on for recipe… Continue reading →

Tags: blackberry, blackberry lavender jelly, food, jam, jelly, lavender, photogrpahy

Comments 17 Comments
Categories Living in Italia, Recipes

Scones with Dried Cranberry, Apricot and Tonka Bean

4 Sep

This past summer a friend of mine visited the small Caribbean island of Guadeloupe and brought me back a tiny little plastic bag containing Tonka Beans. Until that moment I had never in my life heard about Tonka Beans and was immediately curious about what they were all about. These little dark brown shrivelled beans have a heady sweet vanilla aroma with a hint of spiciness as well. They’re meant to be grated and used like nutmeg and are quite often added to dishes such as custards, ice creams and cakes (as well as some savoury dishes). And from what I’ve read they boast having impressive herbal and even mythical properties. My kind of ingredient. I’m officially a fan.

Apparently I’ve been living under a rock because the Tonka Bean has almost become a celebrity in the culinary world these past years. Read here for a fascinating article of the bean and the fact it’s technically illegal in the States (thanks to the high amount of coumarin found in the beans). And drool over all sorts of delicious Tonka Bean recipes on Pinterest here.

(photo source)

Being the curious baker that I am I was busy grating these little beans in my kitchen within hours of receiving them. I decided to make some simple scones with dried cranberry and apricot. I thought Tonka paired with the dried fruit would help make it possible to really taste the beans without being overshadowed by other big flavours. And in the end they were perfect. There is definitely a very familiar vanilla flavour that the beans give the scones but with a deeper more delicate flavour underneath that I haven’t managed to pinpoint yet.

I love that there are still wonderful new ingredients out there waiting to be discovered. And I love that I have friends who bring me back these ingredients from their jaunts around the world.

Read on for recipe:

Continue reading →

Tags: apricot, baking, dried cranberry, dried fruit, food, photography, scones, tonka beans

Comments 11 Comments
Categories Recipes

Japanese Sponge Cake (Castella Cake)

7 Aug

Here I am getting ready for a three week vacation to Canada. The bags still aren’t fully packed and the house not ready to be left for almost a month. And I’m feeling really relaxed. Did I mention we leave in an hour? I’m usually one of those people that has everything ironed and packed a week beforehand, the house spotless and in order and the kids cleaned and clothed and ready for the airplane hours before we leave the house. Did I mention the kids are still in their pajamas splayed out on the carpet reading comics as I type this? I blame it on the heat.

So the other day, instead of ironing clothes for five people for three week’s vacation, I decided to make a cake that I’ve been dreaming about since we were in Japan last year. It’s a typical sponge type cake that you find all over Japan and it has this soft and moist spongy consistency that is light and fluffy at the same time. Confusing I know. It’s thought that the cake actually originated in Portugal and was brought over to Japan in the 16th century (to the southern island of Kyushu).

Surprisingly enough there is no butter or oil in this cake. Which means it’s absolutely sin-free and healthy of course. It has a lovely pale yellow colour (thanks to the 6 egg yolks) and is so pretty when served on a plate with a side of peaches (which I saute in butter and brown sugar).

Read on for recipe…

Continue reading →

Tags: baking, cake, castella japanese cake, food, japan, photography, recipe, sponge cake, travel

Comments 14 Comments
Categories Recipes, Travel

Mascarpone Pots with Fresh Berries

7 Jun

Last week-end we had some friends over for a Sunday morning brunch. Luckily the weather was beautiful so after months of cold and rain we could finally sit outside and eat and chat and enjoy the sunshine. The little kids frolicked in the garden in Gramma-made princess dresses and the parents drank home-made beer and my famous (well not really) rhubarb, lime and prosecco cocktails with fresh mint (see post about those here).

Besides all the normal brunch fare I made these little pots with a cookie bottom, mascarpone cream and fresh berries. I actually invented the recipe on the spot not really knowing if they’d be edible or not. In the end the were definitely edible, I’d even say delicious. They have a cheesecake feel to them without the heaviness (I did add a little cream cheese to the mixture though). And there is absolutely no baking involved in this quick and simple recipe making it perfect for hot summers when the last thing you want to do is put the oven on. I served them in pretty little jam jars with lids and they were devoured within minutes. I’ll take that as compliment.

Read on for recipe:

Mascarpone Pots with Fresh Berries

250 g mascarpone
75 g cream cheese
200 ml fresh cream
1 tsp vanilla
2-4 Tbsp sugar (depending on taste)
tiny pinch of salt

125 g finally ground digestive biscuits
70-80g butter

1. Mix ground cookie crumbs with melted butter until well blended. Press into the bottom of little glasses (or as I did glass jars). You can decide how thick you would like the cookie crumb layer.

2. Whip cream until stiff peaks begin to form. Set aside.

3. In mixer cream together the mascarpone and cream cheese until smooth. Add in vanilla, sugar and salt and mix until just combined. With a spatula gently fold in whipped cream.

4. Drop the mascarpone mixture on top of the cookie crumb bottom (shake glass or bottom to level it out). Sprinkle fresh raspberries and blueberries on top (or any other berries). Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour. Enjoy!

After our brunch guests left we headed out to watch our twin daughters play Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum in their theatre group’s rendition of Alice In Wonderland (Alice Nel Paese delle Meraviglie). In case you’re wondering, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum are translated as Dammelo and Dimmelo in Italian. Over all a really lovely Sunday.

Tags: baking, cheesecake in a jar, cooking, dessert, food, marcarpone pots with fresh berries, photography

Comments 17 Comments
Categories Recipes

Sciroppo di Rabarbaro

8 May

Here in Italy the sun is shining, the flowers are blooming and fragrant and I’m blissfully content to be able to get out in my garden and putter around. I’ve been busy planting all sorts of new plants, trees and bushes. I expect about 25% of them to survive as I have a pretty bad track record in the gardening department. My heart is in the right place but I just don’t have that special touch needed to keep my garden alive and thriving. I’ve been known to even kill lavender which is pretty much impossible in the Italian climate.

One plant that seems resistant to me and my non existent green thumb is rabarbaro (rhubarb). Due to the fact you can’t buy rhubarb in any of the grocery shops or vegetable stalls we planted it a few years ago and it is thriving. I show it off to everyone who comes by our house and apparently it’s known to all to be the fool-proof plant (why didn’t I know this years ago?). Just in the last three weeks our rhubarb has taken over an entire bed and is threatening our beloved strawberry patch.

So to give our strawberries some room to breathe and grow I decided to cut back the rhubarb a bit and make some of my favourite Rhubarb Syrup. I’ve always loved the delicate spiciness it brings to cold summer beverages.

But what I love the most about this syrup is the dainty light peachy rose colour it has. I could design whole summer cottages with that colour as my inspiration and theme. So lovely and reminiscent of warm breezy summer days in Nova Scotia.

Read on for the quick and very simple recipe for Rhubarb Syrup and these delicious cocktails above (which I’m contemplating naming “Jillinis“).

Continue reading →

Tags: cocktail, food, Jillini, photography, rabarbaro, recipe, rhubarb, rhubarb syrup, spring

Comments 14 Comments
Categories Recipes

Peanut Butter Cookies

5 Apr

Oh wow. This has been a week full of white chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate with hazelnuts and even 99% cocoa chocolate. My kids have been eating it on their bread for breakfast (they’re half Belgian), straight up for snacks and even popping a few Easter eggs for bedtime snack. I’ve declared it “chocolate week” and I want them to enjoy it to its fullest. Plus, I want it all out of my house by next week when they return to school and I return to my no-sugar lifestyle.

But it’s not all bad. From what I’ve been reading dark chocolate is the new super food that can help with everything from depression to anemia (my pharmacist told me that the other day). And I recently found out dark chocolate can actually prevent tooth decay.

To put a little protein into their chocolate diet I decided to make them some Peanut Butter Cookies with, you guessed it, chocolate. Usually I don’t make peanut butter cookies due to the extortionate price of peanut butter over here (I pay 6 euro for a tiny jar) but since I was brought a huge jug from America I thought I would use some of it to make these delicious cookies.

All of my Italian and European friends aren’t familiar with Peanut Butter cookies and even look slightly disturbed by the thought of them. But once they try them they usually can’t get enough. These cookies are rich, buttery and have a slight saltiness to them. I love them to no end. And you will to.

Read on for recipe… Continue reading →

Tags: baking, cookies, food, peanut butter, peanut butter cookies, photography, recipe

Comments 5 Comments
Categories Recipes

Hot Cross Buns

26 Mar

It has been pretty silent around here on this blog the last week. I have my (wonderful) in-laws here at the moment and we’ve been busy doing all sorts of things together. Lots of walks, trips to Milan, delicious meals together and board game playing. The kids are in heaven with the non-stop playmates (and chocolate givers).

This past week-end the weather was rainy and miserable so we ended up spending the entire Sunday inside the house. For vieruurtje (Dutch for afternoon-snack and literally translated as “little 4 o’clock”) I made the clan some good ol’ Easter Hot Cross Buns.

This is a basic recipe and much simpler than the traditional recipes that seem to include a ton of steps. Usually I would also add some candied citrus peel or currents to the dough but unfortunately my kids would disown me for life and run out the door and never come back if they found such things in their buns.

I took a basic white bread recipe and added some extra sugar and cinnamon (similar to the Cinnamon Swirl Bread from last week). These buns come out really soft and spongy and actually keep fresh for a day or two. Before putting them in the oven I take a sharp knife and slash a cross on the tops. That way there is a perfect indentation for the ever important icing to settle into (after cooled).

Nothing really gives me that Easter feeling more than a pan of fresh-out-of-the-oven Hot Cross Buns (and a sunny garden full of blooming flowers of course). Throw in some kids wearing pastel coloured spring dresses and straw hats and it’s absolutely perfect.

Read on for recipe.

Continue reading →

Tags: baking, bread, delicious, easter, food, hot cross buns, photography, recipe

Comments 8 Comments
Categories Recipes

Vanilla Bean Pudding

6 Nov

Since I’ve been off sugar for 2 1/2 weeks my baking has come to almost a full stop. It’s sad really. I miss all that mixing, kneading, stirring and blending. Not to mention the eating of all those glorious sweets that I used to bake on a daily basis. More than anything else I’ve been craving the Italian jam pie crostata. I wouldn’t even try it for the first decade of living in Italy because it looked so dry but in the end it has become one of my favourite desserts. I will be trying to make one this coming week-end (because I’m allowing myself the odd treat on Saturday or Sunday). I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Because I was feeling so bad for my kids and the fact they haven’t been able to enjoy some good home-baking I decided to make them something special for when they got off the school bus today. I was thinking of making a fancy fruit mousse or trifle but in the end I opted for the most basic of desserts. Pudding. Vanilla pudding. I had never made my kids pudding in their little lives so I thought it was time to give it a try. Plus, my mom bought me the most lovely little glasses that were crying to be filled with something delicious and creamy.

My kids liked the pudding but asked why there were little pieces of dirt floating in it. I explained to them about vanilla beans and how wonderful they are. They looked at me like they still thought there was dirt in their pudding.

It’s a simple and quick recipe and I’m amazed at how it turned out so smoothly and lump-less. Read on to get the recipe…

Continue reading →

Tags: baking, dessert, food, photography, sweet, vanilla bean pudding

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Recipes

Apricot Rosemary Jam

20 Jun

I’ve officially become a jammer (oh geez). I spend my days planning my next jam-making session and scour the local fresh fruit and vegetable stands for the best in-season fruits.

I’ve slowly acquired all sorts of different sized jam jars and bottles and I’m slowly becoming more comfortable with the whole sterilizing process that goes into canning and preserving jams. I’m still terrified of poisoning my family or friends with botulism but my fear is waning slightly.

Last week I bought some delicious looking apricots from the local produce truck and decided to make Apricot Jam with Rosemary (found on my all-time favorite preserving site Food in Jars).

Seeing as I almost didn’t survive after making the Cherry Rhubarb Lavender Jam a few weeks ago I had to enlist the help of my husband to do the initial cleaning, pitting and chopping of the fresh apricots. But once they were safely in the Le Creuset and I was gloved, I was ready to start the whole process ( I was even tempted to don some swimming goggles but was terrified of some of the locals catching a glimpse of the crazy Canadian making jam WITH GOGGLES!).

This is a quick jam recipe and I have to say it has such a unique end result with the addition of rosemary. It’s sweet with a distinctive savoury background that really makes for a new experience for your taste buds. It might even initially confuse them. But that’s a good thing.

For lunch today I made this sandwich above. Rustic raisin bread with thinly sliced Gruyere cheese, salame di Parma and a good layer of the Apricot Rosemary Jam. It was more than delicious (although I’m pretty sure the kids would bolt from the table if I tried to serve them this). This past week-end I marinated magret de canard (duck breast) with this jam and some garlic and barbecued it and it turned out to be an absolutely delicious combination.