Only Recipes, by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Instead of filling  Brandy snaps  with cream, I like to fill them with ricotta, like the  Sicilian Cannoli . Today I chopped a few pieces of candied fruit (green melon and papaya, because I didn't have any candied citrus fruit) and mixed it with ricotta. I also added 1 tsp of vanilla icing sugar (icing sugar kept in a tin with a vanilla pod) and then I wanted to add 1 tbsp of orange blossom water, but it was out of date, so I added rose water instead. I will use the old orange blossom water for my bath (why through it away when you can have a sweet smelling bath!). I thinned down the ricotta with a little milk until it was soft, and piped it inside the Brandy snaps. But you don't have to stick to this recipe: add what you like, for example chopped dark chocolate, ground pistachio nuts, a little cinnamon... anything that sounds Mediterranean! I hope that you will like the idea! Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

Rose Turkish Delights (Lokum) Before I start I would like to say that I don't have a sugar thermometer, essential if you are really into confectionery, and that I didn't use much sugar for these Turkish delights. Many recipes use much more sugar, and it is not that I wanted to make a low sugar treat here (it is still pretty sweet), it is just that making it at home really makes me realize how much sugar there is already in my diet, and if I can have something with a little less... well, why not! This method is 'home friendly' i.e. these can be made at home with very little effort and equipment, and the recipe comes from my book  Sweet As...  where I also have the recipe for lavender and orange blossom Turkish Delights. Ingredients 1 l water 300 g sugar 2 tbsp lemon juice 100 g cornflour 1 tbsp frozen raspberries 1 tbsp rose water icing sugar (very little) and cornflour (lots) to dust. In a pot put hal...

This is the last of 4 courses I made for a Twilight menu (inspired by Stephenie Meyer's books) . It was fun to create Twilight recipes, especially with just the few ingredients I had at home at the time. Enjoy! Breaking Dawn Dessert Black Sesame Seed Pudding with Rose Syrup and Red Rose Petals Photos by Alessandra Zecchini © I unashamedly admit that I am very happy with the dessert. In the pantry I found some surigoma, crushed black sesame seeds, and I remember that in Japan I enjoyed many sesame seeds desserts. And in the garden I had some beautiful red roses, not sprayed and therefore edible! Breaking Dawn is all about love..... Ingredients 50 g crushed black sesame seeds (available in Asian shops) 100 ml water 1 tbsp sugar 1/3 (one third) tsp agar agar (available in Asian shops) For the Syrup 100 ml water 2 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp rose water essence Finish with red rose petals Place the first 4 ingredients in a small pot and bring to boil. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring well, and then...

Use the same recipe as One sponge cake, many uses. And a muffin/cupcake tin. Tip the cupcakes. Make a syrup with a little water, sugar, and a tbsp of rose water. Pour over the cupcakes and decorate with rose buds. The rose buds are dried (Chinese Rose Tea) Available in Chinese and Asian shops. Rose Water is available in many Middle Eastern shops. Photos by Alessandra Zecchini©