I am always collecting recipes on our travels. I have many favorites. What are some of yours?

I have one I love for carrots gateau - gatto' di carote. Did you want us to write them out? This one is really good.

I'm looking for a dressing pamplemouse (don't you just love that name for grapefruit?) and apple juice...

Otherwise, I make killer risottos

I haven't necessarily obtained the recipes while traveling, I've just loved the dishes and researched recipes when I got back (sometimes right here)

One is sticky toffee pudding, first had it at Rules in London,though the recipe I have isn't theirs.

Another is seafood risotto (Venice) but still haven't found a perfect, and easy enough, recipe. Ditto the sardines in saor from Venice, but I never see fresh sardines in NYC.

Chocolate gelato (again, Venice--Cipriani hotel) but I wish I also had a great recipe for hazelnut gelato
(yes, I have an ice cream maker)

I haven't found a great recipe for it yet, but I've had excellent rhubarb crumble with custard, in England, twice.
And if you think that "excellent" and "rhubarb" don't go together, you're just wrong!

The first, and best, profiteroles I've ever had, best at least in my memory, were at Closerie des Lilas in Paris.
The place came down in quality (and up in price) over the years, but I haven't forgotten that dessert.

Actually, it's spelled "pamplemousse," which might make it a little less amusing..

SeaUrchin, I'm sure people would love to have the recipe if you want to type it out.

Here's one from Rome

Bucatini all'Amatriciana

Serves 4 - 6


1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 oz bacon or pancetta finely diced
3 T butter
2 - 14 1/2 oz (or 1 28 oz) can Italian plum tomatoes, crushed
1/2 chili pepper, broken into small pieces, or 1/4 t chili pepper flakes to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup pecorino cheese
1 lb pasta, bucatini, penne or spaghetti

MELT butter in a large pan over medium heat.

SAUTÉ the onion until transparent - about 5 minutes.

ADD the chili and pancetta and sauté until onion is golden and the pancetta or bacon nice and crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes.

ADD tomatoes and cook over medium-high heat stirring occasionally, making sure sauce does not burn, about 15 minutes.

ADD salt to taste. Make sure it needs salt, as pancetta and or bacon are quite salty. You will also be adding the cheese, which is rather salty, too.

MEANWHILE cook the pasta.

WHEN done to taste, drain and pour into a warm serving bowl or directly into pan with the sauce, mix well adding grated cheese to taste and serve.

SPAGHETTI can be substituted for the bucatini and in a crunch, pennette

Having grilled cheese sandwiches as a favorite for all of these years, I was thrilled to discover the "croque monsieur" in Paris!

SuzieC: To atone for my snidely pedantic response, I spent a half-hour searching for a dressing made with grapefruit and apple juice -- without luck. Would you settle for one made with grapefruit juice and honey?

Elaine: If you understand Italian or have a good Italian-English dictionary, you can type "risotto" and "frutti di mare" into Google, and it will bring up hundreds of recipes.
I have printed at least a dozen recipes for "risotto alla crema di scampi" (I had it at Da Romolo on Burano; to die for!) -- but I admit I've never tried any of them because they ARE very labour intensive...

This is a good carrot and ham dish, it is not a sweet carrot cake.

2 1/2 lbs carrots - cook them until soft and keep them warm and puree them.

Soak 3 oz day old bread in 1 cup milk, then drain and add to carrots.
Cook this in a saucepan, stirring until firm, then let it cool to lukewarm.

Then add 3 egg yolks one at a time, mix in 1 tbsp worchester, 1 oz grated parmesan and a little nutmeg and salt.

Stir this by hand until really mixed up.
Then very gently fold in 3 stiffly whipped egg whites.

Butter a square glass pan and sprinkle with bread crumbs, then pour in half the carrot mixture. Sprinkle over this about 4-5 oz diced ham, some more of the parmesan cheese and a few chips of butter.

Pour the rest of the carrots over this and top with more parmesan cheese, butter and bread crumbs.

Cook at 180 degrees for a little over an hour until a knife comes out clean.

(Now I have made myself hungry! I got this recipe from watching a friend make it one evening)

The first time I had pasta with pesto in Genoa, I was transported. I have tried in vain to replicate the taste and I will never give up trying.

I'm still searching a macaroon recipe. I tried one that was posted here and although they were tasty, I ended up with a big sticky mess. Any recommendations?

MAMC:

You might want to look for Marcella Hazan's "Classical Italian Cook Book" (I've seen it in paper).

She has a long discussion about pesto. The most important thing, evidently, is that you have to use fresh basil. And if there is an Italian community where you live, try to get your fresh basil where the Italians do. Italian varieties of basil -- I'm afraid I don't know the horticultural names, because you can also grow basil from seed on a bright windowsill -- tend to be more flavourful than the ones generally found in North America.

Or, if there is, in fact, an Italian grocery anywhere near you, you can greatly simplify things by buying Italian-made pesto in a jar. It won't be quite the same as the one you had in Genoa but it will come surprisingly close.

It is OK Eloise, it was a typo anyway. As to the recipe, I think I have it now, but by memory and by trial and error. So its proof! I just have to go back to Paris and try it at the restaurant (Le Fumoir)to tweak it!

Mamc-My Italian friend gave me her pesto recipe which is outstanding. It is 80 large basil leaves, 3 garlic cloves chopped, 4 tablespoons pine nuts, 1/2 c freshly grated parm. and enough olive oil to make it liquid but not runny.

Here's a good macaroon recipe too...
?Macaroon? Cookies

? 1 cup sugar
? 1 egg
? 1 stick margarine
? 1 1/2 teaspoons coconut flavoring
? 1 package (1 1/2 cup) instant flake potatoes
? 1 package (1 1/2 cup) biscuit mix

Mix all ingredients. Add two tablespoons of milk if too thick. Spoon onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until very light brown.

It's a short cut recipe but they're very tasty.

P.S. to agree with Eloise, it's absolutely essential that you use the freshest, best quality ingredients in your pesto.

No recipe, since what I do is improvise based on a discovery in a restaurant, but I have been serving saute'd spinach with garlic, pine nuts and currants (or raisins) since falling in love with it in Barcelona. Saute crushed or minced garlic, currants (raisins) and pine nuts (pignoli) either in olive oil or EUROPEAN butter, add spinach and toss together just until spinach willts. Salt if desired but be aware it will hasten mushiness of spinach. Do not overcook.

I know you're all just dying to get your hands on my recipe for goose neck wtuffed with foie gras, walnuts, and figs

I note that this thread is not being inundated with tried and true recipes for rhubarb crumble. Hint, hint.

That should be stuffed, not wtuffed. Ihave yet to wtuff a goose neck...

Limoncello - the recipe appears many times on another thread...

Rock Buns - in Scotland - have long lost the recipe - it is a cross between a muffin and a cookie. does anyone have a goood recipe?

Paella - brought a fabulous recipe from Marbella. I will try to find it if anyone is interested.