Feeling christmasy already?

Boozing up Christmas

Getting closer to Christmas everybody! And no other event has the ability to transform the way we drink. What would Christmas be without cocktails, punch and champagne?! My first natale in Capri I celebrated with my first Sgroppino...so deliciously creamy and boozy! Maybe a nice idea for Christmas dinner... the perfect palate cleanser between courses.

Salute!

Sgroppino

Ingredients for 4

2 glasses chilled Prosecco

1 glass chilled (lemon) vodka

400 gr lemon sorbet

4 champagne flutes

Preperation

Blend the lemon sorbet until creamy, ad the Prosecco and vodka and blend well. You can also use a shaker. Serve in chilled champagne flutes.

PS: Try the version with a splash of limoncello... also very tasty!

Enjoying my third 

Sgroppino (that night)

at Bar Tiberio

Panettone vs Kerststol

It's almost Christmas everyone!  I'm already getting excited... getting all cosy with my family, enjoying great food and good (bubbly) wines. Being married to an Italian, our Christmas is a mix of Dutch and Italian traditions. The first part of the holidays will be celebrated in Holland so the first little treat that comes my way will be a big slice of our famous kerststol. I love the Dutch Christmas loaf bread served for Christmas breakfast. After that we'll be moving on to Capri where we'll enjoy a real traditional (south) Italian Christmas and New Years Eve. A wonderful Christmas tradition having the best of both worlds... I've tried to introduce the kerststol in Capri (I once stuffed a big one in my suitcase) but a real Italian Christmas isn't complete without a big soft and fluffy panettone. Even though the birthplace of this traditional Christmas bread is Milano... Panettoni are quite hard to find in Holland, but I saw some at the Xenos (a Dutch store) yesterday. Obviously not even half as tasty (and fresh) as the ones in Italy, so breaking with Dutch tradition wouldn't make sense. Anyway, for those who are curious to have a taste of Italian tradition without betraying theirs and for our Italian friends that like to try something new with this sweet bread, here's a tasty and very Christmasy suggestion from a real Milanese. Buon Natale Emanuela! 

Hope you're all having a great one too!

Tiramisù di Panettone 


Ingredients for 4

4 slices panettone
250 grams mascarpone
50 grams powdered sugar
1 tablespoon pistachio's
80 grams dark chocolate
100 ml milk


Preparation 

Mix the mascarpone with the powdered sugar until creamy. Melt the chocolate au bain-marie, add the tepid milk and stir well. Divide every slice of Panettone in four even pieces and put one piece on every plate. Put one layer of the mascarpone mix on every piece and built the layers finishing with a layer of mascarpone. Sprinkle the chopped pistachio's on the mascarpone layers and cover with chocolate sauce. Serve immediately. 

Check out my crib

When you think Capri is a no-go during the winter you're wrong... Actually, it was december when I went there for the first time. And it was great!
My trip started in Naples where I got off the plane from Amsterdam. The ride from the airport to the port takes about 20 minutes by taxi from where it takes about 45 minutes by aliscafo (fast boat) to the island.  Of course this doesn't apply to Mariah and Gwyneth, they travel by helicopter. For ordinary people like myself it's a bit of a hustle, but one way or the other you'll get there...
Anyway, being in Naples for the first time - my first time - instead of taking the boat immediately, we decided to act like tourists and went sightseeing. Everybody should do the same, especially during the holiday season. The city is a-ma-zing! Naples is so christmasy and cosy .... I just love it!
Especially the old centre, in Via San Gregorio Armeno. For Neapolitans Christmas is not complete without a visit to this area, "il cuore di Natale" as they say. It's famous for its Christmas cribs, "presepi" in neapolitan dialect. More than half a million people come to see the countless shops selling cribs in all sizes, every color and price range. Besides presepi you can find tons of homeless religious figures which are waiting to move into your crib, like Jesus, holy mary, Padre Pio and Maradona. But also thousands and thousands of accessories to pimp your crib. Like little houses, wells, waterfalls and even miniature pizza ovens... you never know, one of the 3 kings might get hungry. These tiny pieces of art are all hand-made, can you imagine the work? Santa's elfs must be working hard in downtown Napoli. 
The figures that made me laugh the hardest were the miniature Berlusconi's. Imagine him under your tree, standing next to virgin mary. How ironic is that...


Buon Natale a tutti!


P.S. If you can't get enough of Christmas cribs,  visit the Museo Nazionale di San Martino where you can admire an antique presepi collection including the largest one "Il Presepe Cuciniello". It consists of 162 human figures, 80 animals, angels and about 450 miniature objects.