Dolci Toscani

Critically acclaimed cookbook author Anne Bianchi teams up with her Tuscan cooking school partner, Sandra Lotti, for an enticing book of recipes from Italy's most creative gastronomic region. Desserts are the feature attraction, with tempting Tuscan specialities such as Fig Crepes, Chestnut Timbale, Pear Fritters with Rum Cream, and Apple and Frangipane Pie. Bianchi and Lotti reveal how to recreate the wonderful desserts that you thought could only be found in Italian bakeries or cafes-biscotti, gelati, tiramisu and many other traditional Tuscan treats. Beginning with the basics, the authors offer technical information on tools, sugars, liqueurs, yeast, how to beat egg whites, and how to whip cream. They follow with nine chapters full of mouth-watering recipes for Cookies; Cakes and Tarts, Fruit Desserts and Preserves; Ice Creams and Sorbets; Brittles, Fritters, and Crepes; Custards and Mousses; Sweet Breads; Pies and Pastries; and Traditional Holiday Desserts.To start off each chapter, Lotti, Bianchi, and their Tuscan friends muse over topical subjects in spirited essays that capture the essence of the region. Topics include Thinness, Italian Men and Their Mothers, The Definition of Art, and Carnival in Viareggio.With recipes and stories that indulge and delight, Dolci Toscani is a wonderful addition to any cooking library.

This unique guide to one of today’s hottest tourist destinations combines fascinating articles by a wide variety of writers, woven throughout with the editor’s own indispensable advice and opinions—providing in one package an unparalleled experience of an extraordinary place. This edition on Tuscany and Umbria features: ● Articles, interviews, recipes, and quotes from writers, visitors, residents, and experts on the region, including Frances Mayes, Mario Batali, Erica Jong, Barbara Ohrbach, Faith Willinger, and David Leavitt. ● In-depth pieces about Florence and the hill towns of Tuscany and Umbria that illuminate the simple pleasures of local cuisine, the dazzling art treasures of the Uffizi, the civilized wilderness of Tuscan back roads, the many varieties of olive oil, the endearing quirks of the Italian character, and much more. ● Enticing recommendations for further reading, including novels, histories, memoirs, coookbooks, and guidebooks. ● An A–Z Miscellany of concise and entertaining information on everything from biscotti to Super-Tuscan wine, from the history of the Medicis to traveling with children. ● Spotlights on unusual shops, restaurants, hotels, and experiences not to be missed. ● More than a hundred black-and-white photographs and illustrations.

In this delicious book, noted food scholar Carole M. Counihan presents a compelling and artfully told narrative about family and food in late 20th-century Florence. Based on solid research, Counihan examines how family, and especially gender have changed in Florence since the end of World War II to the present, giving us a portrait of the changing nature of modern life as exemplified through food and foodways.

Cooking in Paradise is a rich, definitive guide to hands-on gourmet cooking vacations around the world. Ever dream of sauteing in Sicily? Or having a master divulge the secrets of perfect patisserie in Paris? How about mincing in Morocco? Cooking in Paradise will show you how to get there, and scores of other places, with over 150 listings for cooking-vacation programs around the world (and a handful right here in the United States, too). Joel and Lee Naftali give details about famous courses--like Patricia Wells's "at home" in her eighteenth-century Provencal farmhouse--but have also unearthed truly unusual fare, from a kosher-cooking course in Tuscany to an Australian country house gourmet retreat to a Mexican cuisine class held at a working hillside farm in Oaxaca. Cooking in Paradise provides all the information you need to book a cooking vacation today, but with its evocation of far-flung locales and over 50 unusual recipes from the schools included, it's perfect for the stay-at-home chef as well.

“I know of no other book that offers its readers the opportunity to learn how to remain healthy without giving up the pleasure that dining out brings.” —Monty Preiser, veteran food & wine writer This is the ultimate guide for people who want to dine out guilt-free! In The Restaurant Diet, author Fred Bollaci, who lost 150 pounds from 330: • Teaches readers how to read a menu • Explains how to ask important questions of the restaurant staff • Gives guidance on how to have food customized to your dietary needs • Provides insights into converting this into healthy eating at home As Fred teaches readers how to eat out and lose weight, he reveals the real secret: It’s not about preparing “clean” food at home, or going “whole” and excluding wheat, sugar, and dairy. Nor is it about counting calories or grams. It’s about WHY one overeats in the first place. After trying every fad diet, Fred devised a four-phase eating and exercise plan with the help of his doctor, a nutritionist, a trainer, and a psychologist. Featuring recipes from America’s most noted restaurant chefs, as well as original recipes from Fred’s own kitchen, The Restaurant Diet is for the nineteen million Americans who love to eat out on a regular basis—and the 38 percent who are overweight. “The Restaurant Diet, with its smart, educated choices, will revolutionize the world of dieting. As a chef and restaurant owner, I am excited to be part of this game-changing book and way of life—where fine-dining restaurants are a conscious dieter’s friend.” Gabriel Kreuther, Michelin star chef and James Beard Award winner