Dolce

Pera Cotta Nel Chianti con Gelato

Dolce, Truffle Lunch

Ingredients for 4 people:

  • 4 Abate Pears:

(Note) Look for pears that are firm but ripe. They need to hold their shape during cooking! If you can’t find Abate, Bosc or Anjou pears work well too.

  • 10 oz (approx. 300g)

(Note) Good Red Wine: We highly recommend a Chianti. Simone’s tip: Never cook with a wine you wouldn’t gladly drink from a glass! The quality of the wine is the backbone of your syrup.

  • 7 oz (approx. 200g) Water
  • 1 cup (approx. 200g) Granulated Sugar
  • 1 Whole Star Anise
  • 1 Vanilla Bean, split down the middle
  • 4 Whole Cloves

Method

  1. Prepare the Fruit. First, we need to peel the pears. Carefully peel all four Abate pears, keeping the stems for an aesthetically pleasing and rustic presentation on the plate.

(Note) If you want to elevate your dish, use a melon baller or a small spoon to gently core the pears from the bottom. This creates a flat base, allowing them to stand upright when served.

  1. Flash-Boil the Wine (A Crucial Step!) In a wide, deep saucepan, pour in your Chianti Classico and bring it to a rolling boil. Let it bubble away for about 2 minutes. This step is a secret to achieving great flavor: it evaporates the harsh alcohol taste, leaving behind only the concentrated grape flavors, deep color, and delightful aromas.
  2. Prepare the Poaching Liquid. Reduce the heat slightly and add the water, sugar, star anise, split vanilla bean, and whole cloves to the wine. Stir gently until the sugar completely dissolves.
  3. Poach the Pears. Gently put your peeled pears into the spiced wine liquid. Ensure they are submerged at least halfway (if necessary, add a splash more water or wine). Lower the heat to a gentle simmer, cover the pan with a lid (or a circle of parchment paper resting directly on top of the liquid), and let them cook for about 15 minutes. The pears should be tender when pierced with a knife but still maintain their shape.
  4. Reduce the Syrup.  Using a slotted spoon, carefully lift the pears out of the liquid and place them on a plate to cool. Strain the remaining liquid into a bowl to capture the spices, then pour the clean liquid back into the saucepan. Bring it to a boil and let it reduce until it thickens into a glossy, rich syrup. You’ll know it’s ready when it coats the back of a spoon easily.
  5. To serve, place one poached pear proudly upright in the center of a dessert plate. Generously drizzle the warm, ruby-red Chianti syrup over the top, allowing it to pool beautifully around the base.

Note: To truly elevate the dish, serve it alongside a generous scoop of vanilla bean gelato or high-quality vanilla ice cream. The delightful contrast between the warm, spiced pear and the cold, creamy gelato creates an absolutely heavenly experience. Garnish with a fresh sprig of mint, and savor the flavors!

Watch the video on YouTube.

Follow along for more authentic recipes straight from our Italian kitchen to yours! Buon Appetito!

Grape cake

Torta con L’Uva

Dolce, Personal Chef, Seasonal, Truffle Lunch

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 7 Tbsp. Sugar (175 gr)
  • 7 Tbsp. Milk (140 gr)
  • 7 Tbsp. Sunflower oil (100g)
  • 16 Tbsp. Flour “00” (400 gr)
  • 1/2 baking powder (8 g)
  • Nuts (100 gr)
  • Black Grapes (500 gr)

Method:

  1. Carefully combine all ingredients in a bowl. Transfer the mixture to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  2. Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F). Bake the cake for 30 minutes.
  3. During the last 15 minutes of baking, brush the cake with sunflower oil and sprinkle the top with granulated sugar. Continue baking until the cake is fully cooked. Serve the cake with powdered sugar.

 

ENJOY 🙂

If you missed our best photos from this article you can find them here on the Cooking Family Instagram

Cantuccini Toscani

Cooking lessons, Dolce, Truffle Lunch

Ingredients for 40 cookies:

  • 500g All-purpose flour
  • 400g Sugar
  • 250g Toasted almonds
  • 3 whole eggs + 3 yolks (save one for brushing)
  • 50g Softened butter
  • ½ packet (approx. 8g) Baking powder
  • 1 small cup Vin Santo
  • A generous pinch of salt

Method:

  1. On a wooden board, make a “fountain” (a mound with a well in the center) with the flour and baking powder.
  2. Place the eggs, 2 yolks, softened butter, sugar, salt, and Vin Santo in the middle. Mix well until you have a smooth, uniform dough.
  3. Fold in the toasted almonds and continue kneading until evenly distributed. Form the dough into long “sticks” (about 2 fingers wide and 1 finger high).
  4. Place them on a baking pan, leaving at least 2 fingers of space between each log, as they will expand! Brush the tops with your remaining egg yolk for that signature golden color.
  5. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 20 minutes.
  6. While still warm, move the logs to a cutting board. Slice them diagonally into cookies about one finger wide.
  7. Lay the slices flat on the baking pan and return to the oven for 7–8 minutes per side to dry them out.

(Note) Keep them in a sealed tin… if you can resist eating them all at once!

Grab a bottle of Vin Santo, pour a glass, and start dipping!

THE ULTIMATE TUSCAN CRUNCH: CANTUCCINI DI PRATO

There’s nothing quite like ending a traditional Italian meal with Cantuccini di Prato. These twice-baked almond cookies are a beloved treat in Tuscany. They’re crunchy, golden, and packed with toasted almonds, perfect for dipping into a glass of Vin Santo.

Even though I don’t have Vin Santo in my shop, no Cantuccio is complete without it! The sweet, fortified wine helps soften the cookie just enough to bring out all the almond flavor.

MASTER THE ART OF THE COOKIE

Want to master the art of making those perfect “twice-baked” cookies? There’s a special way to shape the dough and cut the cookies while they’re still warm that really makes a difference.

I invite you to join one of my Cooking Classes, where we dive deep into the world of Tuscan pastry. I’ll show you exactly how to handle the dough, tips for toasting your almonds to perfection, and we might even share a glass of Vin Santo together!

[Book Your Cooking Class Here]

Salame Dolce

Cooking lessons, Dolce

Ingredients for 8 people:

  • 200 g of dry cookies
  • 100 g of sugar
  • 150 g of butter softened at room temperature
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 spoonfuls of unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 small cup of Marsala or Vinsanto

Method

  1. First, whisk the sugar with the yolks until you get a smooth, creamy mixture. Then, add the butter, cocoa powder, and liqueur.
  2. Blend everything together until it’s well combined, and then stir in the crushed cookies. Once it’s firm enough, shape it into a log with your hands. Wrap it in parchment paper and put it in the fridge.
  3. You can slice it into pieces that resemble Tuscan salami, which is how it gets its name.

(Note) It should keep well in the fridge for up to a week.

When your kids want to lend a hand in the kitchen, this recipe is perfect! It’s knife-free and doesn’t involve any fire, so everyone can join in. No need to worry, and the end result will still be a delightful treat!

Panna Cotta

Cooking lessons, Dolce, Personal Chef, Truffle Lunch

Ingredients for 6 people:

  • 250ml fresh cream
  • 250 ml whole milk
  • 5 tablespoons of sugar
  • 1 bag (13 g) of gelatine
  • 1/2 vanilla pod
  • Organic lemon juice and zest
  • Strawberries (about 300g)

What you need:

  • Knife
  • Pot
  • Glass jars

Method:

  1. In a pot, combine 3 tablespoons of sugar with the jelly, vanilla seeds, and the pod. Add a little bit of milk and mix thoroughly until you achieve a smooth, lump-free mixture. Gradually add the remaining milk and cream, stirring continuously. Bring the mixture to a boil.
  2. As soon as it begins to thicken, remove the pot from the heat and pour the panna cotta into small containers (glass jars) until they are about half full. Allow the panna cotta to cool at room temperature before refrigerating it.
  3. In the meantime, prepare a fruit salad by combining strawberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar. Gently stir the mixture and refrigerate it.
  4. Before serving, top the panna cotta with strawberries and, if desired, garnish it with a fresh mint leaf.

For our “Chocolate Lovers,” we have a special version of the Pannacotta that we made during our cooking classes. Here’s the recipe for that:

Ingredients for 6 people:

  • Water: 200 g
  • Liquid fresh cream: 80 g
  • A pinch of salt
  • Dark chocolate: 450 g
  • Sugar: 150 g

Method for chocolate topping:

  1. Chop the chocolate.
  2. Pour water and sugar into a saucepan. Bring to a boil. As soon as it starts to boil, add the cream. Let it boil again.
  3. Add half of the dark chocolate and mix continuously with a whisk. After, add the remaining chocolate and stir again.
  4. As soon as it starts to boil again, transfer it to a bowl and add a pinch of salt.
  5. Mix and let it cool at room temperature (30-32°) until thick. This will take approximately 15-20 minutes.

pannacotta al cioccolato

 

pannacotta al cioccolato