Only Recipes, by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena goes well with fruit, and there is also a Balsamic cream you can buy which is less expensive and ideal to decorate plates.   Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

This is a super fast dessert: whip some cream and fold in some grated dark chocolate, cannot really see it much as it blends with the cream but the taste will be like a light chocolate mousse. Then top with strawberries and raspberries. So much better than those packaged instant whipped desserts! And now for something that takes a little longer, but taste really good: artichoke risotto. I only had two artichokes and needed a meal for 4 people, and risotto was the ideal solution. Clean the artichokes and remove the outer leaves. Peel the stalks and cut into small pieces. Put everything in water with lemon juice while you work or the artichokes will become black. Finely chop a handful of parsley with a couple of garlic cloves and add salt. Stuff the artichokes with the chopped garlic and parsley and add a drizzle of olive oil. Place in a casserole, together with the stalks, and add 5cm of water. Simmer on low with the lid on for one hour or until cooked (the outer leaves will start...

Fresh pineapple, kiwi, banana, raspberries, mango, mandarin, blueberries and strawberries Nothing better than a colourful fruit plate for breakfast, dessert, or snack!  Berry fruit salad: strawberries, blueberries and raspberries Tropical fruit salads: pineapple, banana, mango and kiwi Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

Agar agar must be the easiest pudding ever, and it is vegan and gluten free. Also, if you don't use too much sugar it will be low in calories (and no fat, I guess…).  For 4 serving I use 500ml of water, half tsp of agar agar powder (usually I use 1 tsp, but I wanted a softer and more wobbly jelly) and 1 tbsp of sugar (here too, personal taste!). For the  Fresh As  fruit powder dosage, it depends on your taste; for most fruit (like  pineapple ) I use 1 tbsp, or 1 and half tbsp (like  passion fruit ), but the raspberry powder is so intense that half tbsp with suffice, using the other half just to sprinkle on the jelly when is set. Bring to boil and pour into 4 jelly moulds. Let it cool down, refrigerate, and serve (with more  Fresh As  powder sprinkled on top).  Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

No raspberries this season, but you can make this pudding with freeze dried raspberry powder! I used  2  free range egg whites (no egg yolks or you will not get a pretty pink colour!), 3 tbsp of sugar, 1 tbsp of flour  500 ml of milk, 20 g butter and 2 tbsp of  Fresh As  Raspberry powder. Stir the first 4 ingredients and then, once the custard is thick, add the following two, stirring well. Turn off the heat and pour into 4 glasses.  Refrigerate before serving.  Top with frozen raspberries if you like. . Photos and recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

I like dried apricots, nuts and other dried fruit dipped in dark chocolate, but this time I used  Fresh As  freeze dried fruit. The flavour is really intense, and the texture completely different, crispy and fresh! I used dried raspberries, dried lychees and dried feijoas. I had friends around and everything disappeared in no time. Most people preferred the raspberries, but I preferred the lychees and Max the feijoas. I did the mandarins already  here , and I am pondering about the next fruit to try! Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  © This recipe is for Sweet New Zealand, this month of April hosted by Monica of Delissimon.  

For the Custard: 3 free range eggs 4 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp flour 1.5 l full cream milk Vanilla essence Mix the eggs with the sugar and flour and add the milk slowly. Simmer until the custard thickens then add the vanilla essence. I pour some in a large bowl, then once cool I topped it with whipped cream, some lime and passion fruit curd (made by Ken) fresh raspberries and cherries, and ground pistachio. I had lots of custard left and I put some in some shot glasses. I added some 72% dark chocolate to the remaining hot custard and made some chocolate mini puddings for more shot glasses. I topped some of the chocolate puddings with pistachio, and other with cream and fruit of blackcurrant powder (from  Fresh As ). Some of the vanilla mini puddings were also topped with cream and fruit, and others with the lime and passion fruit curd.  I had some extra custard so I also made a quick trifle with lots of red fruit! Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini...

I like small things, even when it comes to food: small plates with small tastings, miniature bites, doll houses' type of things...  This is a 'fruit salad' that could be served at the end of a formal 'Japanese' meal, where presentation is important and fruit is often the only dessert, or at the end of a formal Italian meal (we also tend to have fruit rather than 'pudding'). For the dressing I used some  Aceto Tradiozionale Balsamico di Modena , not to be confused with  Aceto Balsamico di Modena  (they are two different products) and it goes well with all the fruit used here, including bananas. And to accompany, no ice-cream or similar, but I dared to be different and went for fresh petals... if you choose them go for pink, cherry or peach, and yes, they can also be dipped in the  ABTM  and eaten,  I did it (but I don't know many other people who regularly eat flowers like I do :-). Ingredients: for each person: 2 slices...

This is not a recipe really, more a nice way to eat mascarpone , which is another typical product of Lombardy, Italy. Mascarpone is mostly know overseas as an ingredient for tiramis ù, but it is so nice and creamy that I could just eat it by itself!!! Here I just spooned some mascarpone into glasses, then I added some raspberries and some chestnut honey (one of my favourite kinds of honey, organic, form Mielizia ). Quick and perfect! Photos by Alessandra Zecchini©