Lately I spent an awesome time with my daughter in Florence. We were strolling around all day long, visiting palazzi, museums and fashion shops, sunbathing on roof terraces, and, as a special challenge, we never ate twice in the same place! I swear to you I hadn’t been served so simple and so delicious meals in a long time… salads, grilled vegetables, carpacci, gelati, BIFTECA A LA FIORENTINA, panini, capuccini….just paradise! So, if you agree, […]
A few months ago I bought an amazing Almwiesenmuesli (= MOUNTAIN PASTURE MUESLI). Beautiful to look at, in a bottle, with dried yellow and blue mountain pasture blossoms between grains and roasted nuts.. I know you understand me, I just had to buy it because it looked fresh and healthy (still colours are reason enough to buy something!…) We all know this: too often nicely coloured food looks better than it tastes. NOT THE ALM […]
Lazy sunny weekend- like the beginning of an amazing holiday on a wooden three-master in the Mediterranean.. or at least in an ancient monastery in Florence.
The first Cocktail to be presented is neither the Margarita, nor the Mojito, nor the Cosmopolitan…. it is the Blue Champagne! If you wonder how I aquired my broad knowledge of cocktail mixing and alike I blush and tell you some invented anecdotes from my past before I admit, that the secret lies in Charles Schumann’s Bar book. I remember a BLUE CHAMPAGNE we tried out once with unexpected consequences. Since then it has become […]
Schlossteich, Moritzburg
Had a cool morning with one of my best friends drinking café au lait, eating English Seed Cake and gossiping.
I hope this recipe comes still in time…. because usually the good quality sicilian blood oranges are sold by the end of February. If nevertheless you decide to have a try in your own kitchen, you should start NOW with the adventure race in search for the last organic blood oranges. I promise it’s worth the effort: this Jam is to die for! “La Marianna” is not organically grown. I bought 1kg of organic oranges […]
From my parents-in-law I got an old Spirits Cart (or Cocktail Trolley ??) which in the 50ies must have been the culmination of stylishness. Brown oakwood with a top side of flowered plastic tiles. Consisting the awful tiles in one single piece integrated in the wood, they couldn’t be removed without destroying the whole cart. So what to do? I decided to risk it all and just rely on the beneficial effects of strong colours […]
The recipe, adapted from my Tuscanian Cookbook by Stephanie Alexander and Maggie Beer: 200g bittersweet chocolate, chopped 200g butter 100g flour 200 g Sugar 5 – 6 eggs, depending on the size Preheat the oven to 180° and butter a 26cm baking form (or two smaller baking forms like in the picture). Melt the butter and the chocolate in a bain-marie (double boiler) stirring often until smooth. Set it aside to cool for 5 minutes. […]
Not quite the famous “Canaletto” view, nevertheless the place I took the photo from was still flooded a week before. The meadows along the river Elbe are conserved as drainage areas, which when flooded make the Elbe look like the Missisippi! You still can see the waterline in the tree… Hope you enjoy a sunny weekend!