Easy to prepare fries that don’t require the mess and hassle of deep frying. A platter of these with a Turkey Club would make nice lunch on the day after Thanksgiving.  Start with a tablespoon of truffle oil and add more if desired.

It is peak citrus season.  Brighten up a winter’s day with these sunny lemon bars made with a double dose of Villa Manodori Essenziale Lemon Infused Oil.  We use it in the cookie dough and in the topping for extra lemony flavor.  You can treat these as a blank slate. Dust them with powdered sugar, sprinkle with lemon zest, garnish each bar with a slice of dried lemon, a fresh berry or a dollop of whipped cream.

Sicily is the island of sweets, renowned for its pastries and confections, especially those based on almonds and its famous pistachios from Bronte, grown on the volcanic soils of Mt. Etna.  Serving this atop a split brioche roll for breakfast makes it that much more decadent, indulgent and authentic. Purple basil would add to the voluptuousness.

Fennel is in the markets right now. Its subtle anise flavor blends well with saffron and orange to delicately flavor the chicken. If you use a whole chicken, add the breast meat to the pan in the oven 15 minutes after everything else has gone in. This would be a nice dish for Passover Seder.

A Gibson is essentially the same recipe as a martini. The garnish is an earthy pickled onion with a hint of acidity, instead of a briny olive. In our version we play up the flavor of the pickled onion by adding a bit of shallot infused red wine vinegar from France. The vinegar gives the cocktail a slight blush.

This is an excellent meal to celebrate the arrival of fall and cooler weather.  The risotto technique is used with farro (an ancestor to modern wheat) instead of rice and incorporates a dry red wine instead of white.  Use a wine that you will enjoy drinking as you labor in the kitchen.  Serve the same at the table.

Here is a slightly unconventional take on a raspberry bar cookie topped with a buttery, old fashioned streusel topping made with oats.   Instead of raspberry jam, the filling is made with fresh or frozen raspberries cooked down with A L’ Olivier’s Raspberry Vinegar (made with raspberry puree).   This is a nice recipe to make with the kids for Valentine’s Day.  Good for gifting.

This one is for ginger lovers.  The ginger snap base is made even more gingery with the addition of Villa Manodori Essenziale Ginger Infused Oil and powdered ginger.  It is topped off with a tropical coconut- lime cream swirled with a mango topping made with A L’ Olivier Mango Vinegar.  The night before you want to bake pop 3 cans of coconut milk into the refrigerator so that the richer coconut “cream’ firms up and is easier to separate from the milk.  Garnish with lime zest and flakes of toasted coconut.  Lay back and imagine turquoise seas. 

This is a nice choice for New Year’s Day or brunch. In Italy a caffè corretto is a shot of espresso “corrected” with a splash of alcohol say grappa or sambuca. This drink takes the opposite approach by adding espresso to the liquor. Revive yourself with this smooth and bracing blend of espresso, balsamico and vodka.

The recipe calls for chicken stock. Lacking that or having vegetarian convictions, use the cooking liquid from blanching the vegetables or plain water.

This savory pie is native to Liguria and is an Easter tradition. Fresh baby greens and the first eggs of the season herald the onset of spring.  The sweet, native Taggiasca extra virgin olive oil guarantees the success of the pastry.  

Rice pudding is a comfort food that is shared around the world. We are offering two versions; one reminiscent of North Africa or the Middle East with spices and Spanish saffron and another topped with Argentine dulce de leche.

Rice pudding is a comfort food that is shared around the world. We are offering two versions; one reminiscent of North Africa or the Middle East with spices and Spanish saffron and another topped with Argentine dulce de leche.

Fragrant and sweet and very easy to make, especially if you use store-bought biscuit dough. This makes for a great breakfast with strong coffee.

An olive oil cake, made with yogurt and redolent of oranges and spices Sensational for the brunch table.  Perfect at teatime.

Here is an elegant dessert to celebrate the rites of Spring. Tartlet shells that are made with hazelnut flour and oil are baked blind and then filled with a gianduja (chocolate blended with hazelnut paste) ganache. Decorate them with gold leaf, chopped nuts, and fleur de sel.

Here is a spiced sweet bread with fruit that was originally baked in Britain for Good Friday.  They are so popular that now they are made throughout Lent in a large swath of the English-speaking world.

This is a lovely cookie reminiscent of summer days.  In the language of flowers, lavender means devotion.  This is great choice for Valentine’s Day or a Mother’s Day treat.  Serve at an engagement party or bridal or baby shower.   Before refrigerating you can roll the dough into a log to slice. If you want to make cut -out cookies, flatten the dough into a disk.  If you do not want to ice the cookies you can sprinkle them lightly with sanding sugar before baking.

The fruit vinegar lends a bright, tangy flavor of sunny citrus fruits to this very refreshing drink.  Rosemary would make an excellent alternative garnish.

In New England this is served for Thanksgiving.  In the South it is served on Christmas Eve.  We’ve gussied up our version with a pinch of saffron added at the end. Try blending  ½ teaspoon of Spanish Smoke Paprika with 2 tablespoons of hot melted butter to drizzle over the stew when served.

Start your Labor Day festivities off with a preview of fall’s flavors.  There are teetoatler and spiked versions.

Gather some friends and celebrate Bastille Day with this cheese board.  An Aperol Spritz would be an appropriate aperitif, even if it is Italian.

Boneless chicken thighs could receive the same treatment.