29/05/2012

Kristina Gill: Citrus and Rosemary

Kristina Gill: Citrus and Rosemary

Usually by the time I get to the gelato shop down the street at the end of the day, there are only empty holes where full bins used to be. The last time I went there early, and found a panoply of flavors I’d never seen. I settled for the blood orange gelato solely for the color, because otherwise I would only buy hazelnut. Arrived at home, I wanted to have something else to go with it. I sorted through my assortment of cookbooks and found a rosemary loaf cake. Thinking back on a recipe I saw for a loaf cake with citrus and rosemary scented icing, I thought my gelato and the rosemary cake would work quite well together, and I was right. I do still have my doubts about how summery this flavor combo is, but for now I must turn my attention to saving a slice of cake before my husband devours the rest.

Kristina Gill

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27/05/2012

Sunday Breakfast by Love For Breakfast

Sunday Breakfast by Love For Breakfast

Wake up early and just one thought, escape from the city. The first glimpse of a day that taste of new is a dish made of fresh fruits.

Alessia Bossi from Love For Breakfast

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22/05/2012

Kristina Gill: Italians Do It Better

Kristina Gill: Italians Do It Better

I’ve often asked myself why Italian food producers don’t get in to the attractive packaging and labels you see in other places, like Waitrose (UK) or Whole Foods (USA). It would take so little for them to conquer the world if only they made that one per cent effort, I think. But then I realize that Italians are right to think they don’t need any special packaging with a special typeface (no matter how simple) to help draw people in to their foods. Nature’s packaging is the simplest there is, and in Italy’s case, nature has rewarded Italy disproportionately with the conditions to grow exemplary almost anything. Having the best primary ingredients ensures that anything you make thereafter will be great.

I don’t condone the pervasive upturned nose at anything that isn’t Italian cuisine because there is a lot of good food in the world that isn’t Italian. But when you come home from a nearby farm or food market in Italy with local foods like these, can you really blame anyone for thinking Italians do it better?

Kristina Gill

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20/05/2012

Sunday Breakfast by Love For Breakfast

Sunday Breakfast by Love For Breakfast

Relaxing pale color and the scent of flowers inebriates the air. Nothing better than an outdoor breakfast overlooking the wide countryside. Taste and breathe.

Alessia Bossi from Love For Breakfast

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16/05/2012

Kristina Gill: Courgettes

Kristina Gill: Courgettes

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about tomatoes, one of my favorite summer foods. Courgettes (zucchine in Italian) are tied at the top of my list with tomatoes. I like them so much that I eat them year round. I know eating out of season is so 20th century, but I just can’t get over how much I love them, even when they aren’t at the top of their game. My favorite way to have them is lightly sauteed with garlic and onion, and in summer I add some tomatoes – sometimes sauteed together and sometimes fresh. Sometimes I eat them with pasta, sometimes I slice them paper thin and eat them alone. Today I put it all together and it was an early taste of summer.

Kristina Gill

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13/05/2012

Sunday Breakfast by Love For Breakfast

Sunday Breakfast by Love For Breakfast

When the sky is matte, the best choice is to put color on your table. I chose the orange in the hope of getting warmth.

Alessia Bossi from Love For Breakfast

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08/05/2012

Kristina Gill: Carrot Cake

Kristina Gill: Carrot Cake

One of my favorite cakes is definitely the legendary carrot cake. Usually I love the crumb of cakes but not so much the icing. Carrot cake is one of the few cakes, maybe the only one, that I eat gladly with the icing. The cream cheese is a perfect complement to the cake, without adding too much sweetness. The perfect carrot cake to me has a moist crumb, with the right balance of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. The addition of raisins and walnuts, sometimes pineapple, is ok but not necessary to make it good. These things do, however, trick people into thinking that carrot cake is “better” for you than other cakes. It’s not! But if it’s so good, who cares?

Kristina Gill

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06/05/2012

Sunday Breakfast by Love For Breakfast

Sunday Breakfast by Love For Breakfast

A classic flavor takes you back in time. Decorated pottery meets a choice of genuine crisp bread and jam enlivened by the freshness of a fruit. The blueberry color dyes the new day’s a different tone.

Alessia Bossi from Love For Breakfast

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01/05/2012

Kristina Gill: Tomatoes

Kristina Gill: Tomatoes

When I found these perfect tomatoes at the market, from Pachino in Sicily, in a little carton with a toll free customer service number on them to back up their claim “Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back”, I bought them in an instant. They taste every bit as good as they look.

Barring health and palate concerns, I don’t think it’s possible to live in Italy without falling in love with the tomato. Good tomatoes, in my opinion, like good peaches, are one of the simplest and greatest culinary pleasures. I look forward each year to beautiful tomatoes, patiently passing up the lesser offerings in anticipation of the best. Tomatoes this beautiful should never be cooked, but enjoyed as is, even without condiment of any type. However, I rarely resist the temptation to pair tomatoes with the mozzarella from the farm around the corner. It’s our most common Saturday lunch meal when the season is good.

Kristina Gill

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29/04/2012

Sunday Breakfast by Love For Breakfast

Sunday Breakfast by Love For Breakfast

Purity and simplicity are the words I love the most. A white dish goes perfectly with flaky biscuits, while the bright colors of a decorated porcelain plate embrace the tones of fresh fruits.

Alessia Bossi from Love For Breakfast

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