What better way to start the new year than with a TIP for what pasta to pair with your winter game or mushroom based sauces. We are lucky to have a hunter friend who provides us with wild boar from Abruzzo every december. Once Pino has prepared the meat and created a sauce, it is up to me to come up with a pasta that will tie it all together. Whether you are meat eater or a vegetarian, this tip for 'winterizing' your pasta is not only fun but delicious and will surprise anyon

This easy crumble is very versatile. It can be used to add a texture element to your mousses, as a base for a cheesecake or as a crunchy surprise in a home-made chocolate bar. Once cooked and completely cooled it can be frozen in an air-tight container and it remains fragrant for months. The addition of sea salt makes this crumble particularly good with dark chocolate and citrus flavoured desserts. [pictured - Tarte au citron déstructurée with this 'riced' crumble layer in th

[ Yule Log or Buche de Noel à la Noisette, crème de Marron ] STEP 1 - Crème de Marron 250g of chestnut spread. If you don’t find it or you don’t like it, use instead a batch of coffee flavoured pastry cream. Transfer cream into a piping bag, no tip necessary, it’s a just a tool to quickly spread the cream onto the cooked sponge cake. STEP 2 - Hazelnut Sponge Cake Ingredients 6 large eggs, separated 4oz (120g) light brown sugar 8oz (320g) hazelnut (other nuts can be used,

(Grandma’s Bundt Cake) For most Italians, this recipe is a classic breakfast or afternoon snack. Still very popular these days, you can find a ciambellone in many bars and restaurants, sometimes served with fresh fruit for a healthy dessert. Each nonna (grandmother) has a different version. Some prefer yoghurt to full butter, others like the spiciness of olive oil. The recipe below was my mom’s and it calls for butter and a bit of cornstarch for a super light texture. If you