To some people, Sicily conjures up images of endless citrus groves and fields of olive trees, blood oranges and golden olive oil galore.  To others, it may be all about the wines (especially dessert wines and fortified ones like Marsala) and the abundance of fresh fish.  To me, as you know, it’s all about the sweets.  I already plan on returning one day to experience those other delicacies too – notably the wines and the island’s king of fish, swordfish… when I’m not 6 months pregnant ! (How’s that for a surprise – and total disclosure ?!)  Thankfully though, gelati, granite and marzipan are not on any lists of foods to avoid.

And Sicily is truly a heavenly place for us sweet lovers.  Let’s put it this way, ice cream sandwiches (literally, ice cream in a sandwich) are a way of life; and brioche dipped in sweet, icy granita is common for breakfast.

And so, without further ado, the highlights of my sweet discoveries in Sicily… Read the rest of this story >>

I’m just returned from Sicily, so you know what that means – there is soon to be a Sweet Sicily post on the blog here !  But before I get to the gelato, granita, cassata and marzipan, first a stroll through a few Sicilian markets, where I spent most of my time.  (When not eating gelato, granita, cassata and marzipan. Not to mention cannoli and torrone and chocolate and…)

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I recently professed my love (again) for Zürich and before that, for one of my favorite regions in France, Alsace (by the German border).  There’s yet another region in France that holds a spot near and dear to my heart, and that’s the Pays Basque (on the very opposite end of the country by the Spanish border).  While living in Clermont-Ferrand (in the Auvergne) from 2001 to 2002, I spent a week in the French Basque country and was beyond charmed by a culture, cuisine, landscape and language (Euskara) all its own.  Ten years later, I finally returned with my husband and parents, overjoyed to share it all with them.  I returned to the villages I have been thinking about all these years, and brought my taste memories back to life.

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Whenever I visit a new town, I’m not only on a mission to discover the sweet scene, but also to spend time at a local market.  It’s a perfect introduction to the culinary landscape, and always so interesting to observe the exchanges between proud vendors and their loyal customers, and most of all, see what people eat there !  What seems completely normal and mundane in one country (like the Swiss’ multicolored hard-boiled eggs) can be exotic and exciting – or just weird – to another.

Right now at the markets in Zürich, bright red strawberries and stalks of rhubarb are in the spotlight, but fat, white asparagus are taking up a lot of prime real estate too. While the latter has become common for me, living here in the German part of Switzerland and making regular visits to Zürich’s Bürkliplatz and Oerlikon markets, white asparagus were once strange and unfamiliar.  For me, asparagus were green, showing again that one person’s apple is another person’s rambutan.

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I went to Rome.  And I visited the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Forum, Campidoglio and Campo dei Fiori.  But I know what you’ve all been asking.  What and where did I eat ?!

Even though my lists only had addresses for gelato, chocolate, torrone, pastries and breads, remember, I wasn’t alone on this trip.  So I did sort of have to eat some savory.  And hey, it’s Italy… land of pasta, pizza, prosciutto, mozzarella and more.  I was okay with that.

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One of the (many) reasons I love living in Zürich is how we are in the center of Europe.  We drive thirty minutes north and we’re in Germany.  Spend just over an hour on the train heading northwest, and we get off in Alsace, France.  Head east for less than an hour and we’re in Austria.  Or go south two and a half hours and it’s pizza and pasta just over the Italian border.  Beyond the car and train, affordable flights make yet more cities an easy visit, even if just for the weekend.  That’s how we found ourselves in Rome, joining friends heading there from Paris.  It was a few days filled to the brim with history, culture and art, a nice dose of blue skies and sun, and countless scoops of gelato.

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I hope 2011 has gotten off to a sweet start for everyone! It is certain to be full of new discoveries and adventures for me, with travels near and far.  We’ll be home in Zürich, bouncing around Switzerland and going beyond the borders to wherever the train may take us.  Perhaps heading to more exotic destinations too.  And let’s not forget all the adventures in the kitchen. Many food bloggers have been compiling their “best of” lists and sharing their favorite travel and food experiences of 2010, which naturally got me thinking too. It’s fun to browse through photos of past trips and recall memorable tastes that demand to be recreated.

What are your travel and food highlights from the past year? Here are some of mine…

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When I try to express to people just how much I love dates, here’s what I say: I might even love them more than chocolate.  That’s certainly a strong statement coming from me.  An apple a day keeps the doctor away (so they say), a square (or two) of dark chocolate keeps it balanced, and 5 dates a day… keeps me happy.

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It has been two weeks since I was in London for Food Blogger Connect, and it’s been such fun reading the various posts by fellow speakers and participants… and tasting all the goodies I brought back with me, of course.  Off I went with my lists of addresses in the capital, categorized by chocolate, ice cream, cupcakes and artisanal British products. (Yes, literally.)  With only a couple of free days, friends to catch up with, fbc preparations, the Tube to master, and realizing London is, simply put, enormous, I didn’t quite get to check off as many spots as usual.  Nary a fairy cake tasted, nor spoonful of ice cream savored.  Not even a meringue from Ottolenghi. But worry not, there were plenty of chocolate stained fingers, and bars added to my chocolate drawer back home in Zürich.

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Many of you may have heard the buzz on the internet and certainly on Twitter about Food Blogger Connect (fbc) in London.  I had the pleasure of speaking at this dynamic, fun and informative conference, that brought food bloggers from the UK and around the world together to share ideas and learn from one another.  I presented with Jeanne of Cook Sister! and Jamie of Life’s a Feast on writing style and how to find your voice; and with Julia of A Slice of Cherry Pie about getting published and finding feature work.  Other talks that had me furiously taking notes were on dissecting my camera by Hilda of Saffron & Blueberry, and on achieving magazine cover-worthy photographs by talented stylists Meeta of What’s for Lunch, Honey? and Mowie of Mowielicious (who revealed “my many faces” on his fbc blog post).  All in all, it was a very successful event, put together by Bethany of Dirty Kitchen Secrets and her little elves.  Keep an eye on the fbc site for updates and blog posts by participants, and be sure to check out the video too.  If you attended fbc10, I’d love to hear what you thought.

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