Ginger Chews

By Julie

One thing I love about being on vacation is scouring a foreign market or supermarket for interesting foods. This time, we spent our vacations only two hours away from home, yet in another country, France, so most of the available foods were somehow familiar. I found more variety, which is either due to French people being less conservative about cooking than Spanish or simply, more holidaying foreigners. Eventually, I picked up some candied ginger and took an oath in front of my husband to use it for some cookies. And this is the result - divine and chewy crunchiness!

© Diana Chaccour

Barley Salad with Parmesan Cheese

By Diana

For this week I decided to try out barley, an ingredient that I have never used before but that it has been repetitively recommended by one of my vegetarian friends -the only one with decent taste, I have to say-. So thanks to her, here I am again, fighting my prejudices and tasting my cooking boundaries. I tried to bear in mind that barley is nothing but just another grain.. a vegetarian harmless grain that could not do anything to hurt my appetite or to jeopardize the reputation of the blog -if we have one at all-. I compared its colour and consistency to the one of wheat or giant couscous, and from those premises I opened the fridge and improvised the following recipe. The results, as you will see, turned out surprisingly well: a refreshing salad with a diversity of textures and a slightly Mediterranean flavour that can be served warm or cold and can be eaten as complement of your main meal or as a dish in itself. 

I hope you like this week's simple recipe and as Da Vinci said -or Google affirms- "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication". Enjoy!

© Diana Chaccour

Lemon Cream Sponge Cake

By Diana

As I promised a few posts ago, the results of my Tuscany holidays will be progressively published here in The Teaspoon. One of the souvenirs that I brought with me in my suitcase -and as a present for my beloved husband who had the misfortune to stay in rainy London while I enjoyed myself abroad- was a delicious and very Italian, Note di Limone. 

I selected this particular cake from the supermarket shelves for the only reason that I recognized the brand: Mulino Bianco. I remember that a few Decembers ago, one of my mum's patients gave her as a present a Panetonne of this brand and its flavour remains as one of the most exquisite Christmas experiences we had. So I knew that the Note di Limone in the Florence supermarket was not going to be anything but another exceptional case.   

This is a simple sponge cake, cut in half and filled with lemon cream or crema al limone -similar to British lemon curd I believe-. Although I was hoping the results to be the same as my souvenir, the truth is that any home-made recipe could ever equal the magic and enchanting touch of food preservatives -even the most pathetic well elaborated attempts like mine-. Anyway, I tried modestly to recreate it here for you guys, so you can enjoy it in one of the last outdoor picnics of the "summer", picturing yourself in one of those traditional little towns in the lovely region of Tuscany. 

© Diana Chaccour