the hungry expats

Last year, one of my coworkers came back from Naples, Italy with an original dessert created on the island of Capri. It is a flourless cake, both rich in flavor and light in texture. It is normally enjoyed "as is", but a little bit of Chantilly cream on the side never hurt anybody! CAKE 6 oz. (170 g) dark chocolate (I used 64% cocoa) 3/4 cup (160 g) unsalted butter, cut in dice 3 large eggs 1/2 cup white sugar 1 1/4 cup ground almond meal (I used 125 g) 1 tablespoon amaretto (or any other almond liquor) Confectioner's (icing) sugar to sprinkle Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Butter and line an 8-inch wide ( 20 cm) springform pan  with baking paper. In a double boiler (or in a microwave oven) , melt the chocolate and butter together. Let cool. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar with electric beaters until the mixture turns a pale yelllow and triples in volume. Using a spatula, gently fold the choc olate mixture, alternating with the grou...

Yes, you read it right: zucchini in a dessert. Since I just got fresh blueberries from the produce market in Ventimiglia, I just had to try. And I couldn't be more pleased with the result! The cake comes out incredibly moist, with a good balance between the tartness of the blueberries and the sweetness of the frosting.  CAKE 3 large eggs 1 cup vegetable oil 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 2 cups sugar 2 cups shredded zucchini (1 medium-sized zucchini) 3 cups all purpose flour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda   2 cups blueberries (tossed in 1 tbsp flour) FROSTING 1/2 cup butter, unsalted, at room temperature 11 oz. (300 grams) of cream cheese 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups confectioner's sugar Set oven to 350...

There is this bakery where my parents live that makes delicious breads and viennoiseries . I'm not so crazy about their desserts, but they've created this unique brioche, made of homemade puff pastry rolls, laced with a sugary syrup, which we just have to have whenever we visit. I've looked up their recipe everywhere online for a very long time, without success, until someone posted the following recipe by Philippe Conticini on their blog and instagram profile. It turns out to be extremely similar to what I was looking for. It is a little bit time-consuming to make but the result is worth every effort you put into this! It does taste as good as it looks, so why not give it a try!     DOUGH 510 grams (about 4 cups) all-purpose flour  1 teaspoon salt 40 grams sugar 15 cl. milk (about 2/3 cup) 20 grams fresh baker's yeast 3 eggs 50 grams butter, room temperature (3 and 1/2 tablespoons) 300 grams butter for layering (2 and 2/3 sticks) SYRUP 50...

I discovered Thanksgiving when I spent my first year in Louisiana. There is nothing more reminiscent of Thanksgiving to me than a pecan pie. One bite into the buttery crust, the gooey custard, and the crunchy nuts, and I'm transported back in time, around a table filled with mashed sweet potatoes, sausage and oyster stuffing, and home-baked sourdough bread. 2019 Update: I now use Mary Berry's rough puff pastry recipe as my go-to crust for most pies I make, and it works especially well with this filling! PASTRY DOUGH (MARY BERRY's ROUGH PUFF) 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt cold water (between 1/2 and 2/3 cup) 50 grams of unsalted butter, chilled (about 3 tablespoons) 120 grams of unsalted butter, frozen (about 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon) F ILLING 5 tablespoons butter 1 cup light brown sugar 3/4 cup corn syrup 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups pecan halves 2 teaspoons vanilla 3 eggs DIRECTIONS Make the crust. Don't forget to freeze 120 gram...

The following recipe makes 2 bundt cakes, or one large round cake. I only made half the recipe today and used a loaf pan. This is definitely not your average pound cake, but its texture is both dense and moist. The apple is completely optional. I dice it very finely so that the pieces almost melt into the batter. The crumble on top (streusel) is also optional. I just love the crunchy layer it adds this dessert.  CAKE 1 cup butter, softened 3 cups white sugar 1 cup plain yogurt 3 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 large eggs 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 lemon, zest and juice 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 apple, peeled, cored and finely diced (optional) STREUSEL 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup butter 1 teaspoon cinnamon Preheat oven at 325°F. Butter and flour two loaf or bundt cake pans. For the cake batter, cream together sugar and butter. Then add yogurt (I used a Greek yogurt) and oil. Sift flour, b...

Here's my take on the classic Black Forest cake. Instead of the typical chocolate sponge though, I used my dark chocolate cake recipe as a base, because it always comes out so moist and flavorful. I didn't have any cherry liquor (Kirsch) in my pantry, but I did have a jar of my mom's delicious dark cherries in syrup. And I made the chantilly cream a bit denser, as I usually do, by adding cream cheese to the mix. So, like I said, not the purest form of Black Forest out there, but my own version, and it seems to please others as well! DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups granulated sugar 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1 cup strong black coffee 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract FILLING AND TOPPING 1 jar of dark cherries (preferably stoned) in syrup ...

This one's for the dark chocolate lovers out there who really want to indulge. It doesn't get better than this. CRUST   1 stick unsalted butter, melted   1/4 cup sugar   1 teaspoon fine sea salt   1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour FILLING   2 1/4 cups whole milk, divided   5 large egg yolks   2/3 cup white sugar   1 teaspoon vanilla extract   6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 4 teaspoons cornstarch   4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (at least 55% cocoa), chopped   3 tablespoons unsalted butter TOPPING   2/3 cup heavy cream 5 oz. cream cheese 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract      Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Mix melted butter, sugar, and salt in ...