Sweets From Siena
Ricciarelli Cookies
Ingredients
- 200 gr of peeled almonds
- 20 gr of bitter almonds
- 200 gr of sugar
- 1 tsp of orange essence
- 1 egg white
- Flour (as much as is needed)
- The tip of a teaspoon of baking soda
- 50 gr of powdered sugar
Method
- Grind the almonds well, add the orange essence, the baking soda, the sugar and then finally add the egg white and as much flour as you need to obtain a soft dough, consistent but not too tough. Sprinkle the powdered sugar on a table and form a log with the dough, then cut it into small pieces (about 30 grams each), roll it in your hands as if it were a meatball that you then elongate pressing it forward. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the balls spread apart on the sheet. With the rest of the powdered sugar, dust the cookies well: if you have enough time, cover with a clean cloth and leave to rest overnight. Bake them in a 180 degree Celsius oven for 6-7 minutes if you like them soft, otherwise bake them for 10-12 minutes.
Gabriella’s Tiramisù
Ingredients
- 1 Pack Savoiardi cookies (or lady fingers)
- 4 eggs, separated
- 300 grams of sugar, plus 1 tbsp extra
- Handful of hazelnuts, roughly crushed
- Small glass Maraschino liqueur
- 50g Butter
- 500g Mascarpone cheese
Method
- Prepare a simple syrup with 100 grams of sugar and 100 grams of water. Let it cool and add the Maraschino. Spread the cookies in one layer in a large flat dish and wet them with the prepared syrup. Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Beat the yolks with the remaining sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the mascarpone cheese and mix well, then fold in the whites that have been whisked until they form soft peaks. Spread the cream on top of the soaked cookies. After having melted the butter with the tablespoon of sugar in a small pan, carmelize the hazelnuts and scatter them on top of the mascarpone cream. Chill and serve.
Gabriella’s Chocolate Cake
Number of servings (yield): 4
Ingredients
- 100 g plus 4 squares of dark chocolate
- 3 eggs
- 50 g sugar
- 30 g flour
- 40 g of butter
- Butter and sugar for molds
- Cocoa powder and icing sugar
Method
- Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Beat one whole egg and 2 egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy; sieve in the flour, mix gently, then fold in the warm chocolate mixture. Meanwhile whisk the egg whites until they are stiff then gently fold into the chocolate mixture. Butter 4 baking tins or disposable aluminum cases with butter and dust with icing sugar. Fill each case just over half way with the cake batter, place a square of chocolate in each serving and leave in the refrigerator for 3 hours. After this, heat the oven to 180 degrees and cook the cakes in a bain marie for 20 – 25 minutes. Turn the cakes out of the tins and onto a serving plate. Serve immediately with a dusting of cocoa and powdered sugar.
Vin Brulé
Ingredients
- One bottle of full-bodied Red Wine
- 1 4” Cinnamon stick
- 8 Cloves, whole
- Peel of 1 untreated Orange
- Peel of half an untreated Lemon
- 6 oz Brown Sugar
- Pinch freshly ground nutmeg
Method
- Place all ingredients in a pan and bring slowly to the boil, stirring constantly so the sugar dissolves. Simmer for a couple of minutes, then take off the heat. Brave souls can now attempt to set the surface of the wine alight to burn off the alcohol, but the wine is also perfectly good without this last step. Strain off spices and peel and serve hot in tall glasses.
- Let cool before cutting.