Frutta sotto spirito

The easiest way to preserve fruit, if you like alcoholic fruit, that is! The Cape gooseberries are with whisky, and the cherries and plums with Cognac (I added a bit of sugar to the plums because they were a little sour). I will try them soon!!

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Hazelnut and vanilla verrines with quince jelly, figs and cape gooseberry… or with alpine strawberries

Crema di nocciola e vaniglia con gelatina di cotogne, fichi e alchechengi

A few days ago I was in Christchurch where I bought some hazelnut flour (Hazelz). I love hazelnuts!

For 4 verrines I used:

2 eggs

3 tbps sugar

1 tbsp (level) cornflour

400 ml full cream milk

1 drop real vanilla essence

1 tbsp (heap) hazelnut flour

1 tbsp Frangelico liquor

for the topping

4-8 tbsp quince jelly (see below)

figs and cape gooseberries to decorate

In a pot mix the eggs with sugar and cornflour and add the milk little by little. Simmer stirring constantly until a custard form, then add the vanilla essence. Pour 200 ml of this custard into a measuring jug (I used the same one I used for the milk) and set aside, then put the hazelnut flour and Frangelico into the remaining custard and stir well. Fill four verrines or glasses with the hazelnut cream (this will be quite thick) and then pour the (thinner) vanilla custard on top. Let it cool down then add the quince jelly. I made the quince jelly by cooking the quinces and then straining the juice overnight in a jelly bag (actually, I use a clean pillowcase that I keep just for jellies) hung over a bowl. Don't squeeze the bag or the jelly will be cloudy. Usually for thick jellies I measure the liquid, add the same amount of sugar and bring back to the boil, but here I only used half the quantity of sugar and I got a soft, almost 'liquid' jelly, good to pour over desserts like this. A tbsp or two per glass will give you a nice covering. Refrigerate. Before serving decorate with slices of figs and cape gooseberries.

For this dessert instead I didn't use quince jelly but I just added some alpine strawberries and some Fresh As raspberry powder. For decorations I used some (edible) pansies. While the first verrines were very 'Autumn', this one was more like a 'fruits of the forest', it reminded me of foraging in the mountains in Italy for alpine strawberries, raspberries and hazelnuts. It works really well. 

But who ate what? Max got this one, and we had the other three, all delicious!

I also like to add some photos of the Transitional Christchurch Cathedral of Christchurch, better known as the Cardboard Cathedral. If you live in New Zealand you will know that the Christchurch Cathedral was significantly damaged in the 2011 earthquake. I haven't been to Chch since last August and so much is being rebuilt now (or demolished, to be rebuilt), a long job! 

 I really wanted to visit the Cardboard Cathedral, I heard so much about it and I wasn't disappointed! Usually I am not a fan of modern churches, but this is truly beautiful, and special. It was designed, for free, but Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, who works in many 'disaster' areas using materials like paper, cardboard and wood.

Why is it call Cardboard Cathedral? Yes, those 86 'tubes' which make the A-frame are cardboard (specially treated, of course). Have a look at this 2 min video to see how it was built. Well done Christchurch, and ありがとう Ban-san.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

This recipe is for Sweet New Zealand #34, the blogging event open to all Kiwi bloggers (living in NZ or overseas) and expats blogging from NZ. May's host is Sue from Couscous and Consciousness. Sue lived in Christchurch and her house was destroyed by the earthquake, so I hope that she will find the images of the Cardboard Cathedral uplifting. Visit her blog and click here to share you sweet creations with her. Also let me know if you are keen to be a host in 2014, and book a month!

Vegan "Cape-pops", and a vegan pie too...

Almost cake-pops because they look like cake-pops, but they are not made from cake! In fact these are Cape Gooseberries (therefore I am calling them Cape-pops :-)), dipped in dark chocolate. I left some plain, while I rolled the others in shredded coconut, ground pistachio nuts, and plum powder (my new discovery, I talked about it already in here). I let them set first at room temperature and then, because it was a warm day, in the fridge.

I am entering this recipe for Sweet New Zealand #9 (April 2012) hosted by Frances of the Bake Club

But I am not finished yet...

I had melted far too much chocolate for the Cape gooseberries, so I made a pie which, I must say, came out better than I had anticipated. But sometimes new discoveries are born out of chance, or leftovers!

I had a few sheets of filo pastry left, I placed them into a 23 cm pie dish lined with baking paper, leaving the corners to spill out. I peeled and cut four pears and placed the slices over the pastry, then drizzled the lot with Frangelico liqueur. I added the melted dark chocolate and closed the four corners of pastry over the filling. I wetted the top pastry with water and I added the rest of the coconut/pistachio stuff on top too (why waste it!). I baked the pie until the pastry was golden, and then I sprinkled a little icing sugar on top (this was the only sugar needed). I pie was perfect! Bittersweet and with an amazing texture, the chocolate had 'melted' into the pear slices... I will need to work on this and make it again, on purpose, and with more filo pastry, but I wanted to share it with you now because to me this was the perfect Vegan pie!!

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©