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 >>

Friday night at sundown, September 18th, is the start to a new year on the Jewish (lunar) calendar.  It marks the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, meaning “Head of the Year.” It also means I’ll be dipping apples in honey, wishing my friends and family a sweet new year.  As I have shared here before, I am definitely one for traditions and simply love all holidays – annual get-togethers, celebratory atmosphere and tables filled with recipes that show up year after year.

But for the year 5770, I wanted to bake something a bit different, stray from the typical (even if delicious) honey cake and babka.  Yet I still wanted to keep the message the same.  A sweet new year.  I pictured our beautiful holiday table set year after year with a round challah, piles of sliced apples and honey and new seasonal fruits – pomegranates, persimmons and fresh figs.  And that’s when it clicked – I knew what I would make… a recipe I told my readers they would see here on the blog one day.  And this was the perfect occasion… nougat (or torrone)!  I would make a honey-based nougat and add dried figs as a second nod to the new year.  After all, is there anything sweeter than nougat?!

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A quick detour to the rapeseed fields of the French countryside, and now back to Venice we go… for a few sweet addresses to put away in your travel files. And a sweet announcement to go with: this is MyKugelhopf’s 101st post! I hope along the way, your sweet tooth has been satisfied, travel plans have been made, and perhaps out have come the baking pans too! Here’s to the next 100! A big thank you for joining in the adventures here and for your comments, which I love! (So please do keep them coming!)

To mark the occasion, I thought of sharing my 101 favorite Venetian sweets with you – but I don’t want you all to go in to sugar shock. Just a few highlights instead. My travels serendipitously led me to these places below…

My mother had brought me back bags of delicious meringue-like cookies and treats from her trip to Venice years ago, and I could still picture the label.  It had a round, brown or red flower on it, as I recalled.  While I didn’t know the name of the pasticceria, I knew I wanted to find it!  And there it was, in one of Venice’s most renowned pastry shops, no surprise to find the label there.  Marchini, I said to myself, but of course!

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I knew I’d see gelato all over the place.  Trattorias and pizzerias left and right.  I was told about the carnival masks I’d be confronted with too, in every size and color.  And forget about “I love Venice” souvenirs – there’s no shortage of those either.  But I can’t believe no one ever told me about the omnipresence of… torrone !  That soft, chewy, white as snow confection, also known as nougat.  Yes, roughly 80% sugar and dotted with almonds, hazelnuts and/or pistachios.  It’s everywhere in Venice, and I could not have been more happy about that.  Not only nougat, but sugar in all different forms.  A true sweet tooth heaven.  Who knew?!

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