Baked Goods – The Zen Gourmand

Baked Goods, Breads, International, Italian, Recipes

Super Tasty Ciabatta Bread – The Quick And Easy Way

You love bread. You especially love the Italian Ciabatta variety of delicious breads. You'd like to try and bake one yourself but are intimidated by the complex and time consuming process that all of thousands of copy cat recipes found on the…

Baked Goods, Recipes

Almost No Knead Bread

There are a lot of no knead bread recipes out there and most of them are pretty much the same. I call my recipe "Almost No Knead Bread" because no matter what, a bit of kneading is still required although it really is minimal. The real secret…

Baked Goods, Recipes

Preferment, Pâte Fermentée

Preferments, also known as Pâte Fermentée, Poolish, Biga or Sponge, depending on the bread baking culture and country of origin, are preparations of bread dough ingredients left to ferment for a period of time and are then added to the actual…

Baked Goods, Italian, Recipes

Crispy Free Form Amaretti

Crispy Free Form Amaretti Amaretti are an Italian bitter-sweet almond flavored macaron. Amaretti cookies or bisquits are often used as an ingredient in some other recipe ( see notes). They can be hard to find in your local grocery stores…

Baked Goods, International, Italian, Recipes

Rosemary and Pecan Biscotti

Rosemary and Pecan Biscotti A savoury biscotti to serve at cocktails or with a hot bouillon. The aromatic rosemary is supported with a hint of cayenne pepper and the pecans round out the Umami of this unconventional biscotti. 550…

Baked Goods, Dessert, Recipes, Swiss

My “Easy Sunday Cake”

As the name says, the “Easy Sunday Cake” is incredibly easy to make and requires only a few ingredients, very little time to make and yet, is always a great hit with family and guests alike. Credit for the original recipe goes to my mother. Easy…

Baked Goods, Courses, Cuisines, International, Italian, Recipes

Espresso Chocolate Chunk Biscotti

Espresso Chocolate Chunk Biscotti This Biscotti recipe combines the incredibly rich flavours of fresh ground espresso and luxurious chocolate into a most delightful dipper for your early morning coffee. Dough250 ml Sugar…

Baked Goods, Canadian, International, Italian, Recipes

Dried Cherry, Hazelnut and Pecan Biscotti

Dried Cherry, Hazelnut and Pecan Biscotti The flavour sensations of dried cherries, lightly toasted hazelnuts and pecans and with the added zing of lemon zest, make this biscotti an all-time and perennial favourite. Visually appealing…

Baked Goods, Courses, International, Italian, Recipes

Lemon, Vanilla and Almond Biscotti

Lemon, Vanilla and Almond Biscotti This biscotti recipe is probably the most basic one found on my ZenGourmand site. One of the perennial favourites, it is however super delish on its crunchy own or as a dipper with your coffee or…

Baked Goods, Dessert, Italian, Recipes

Pear Crostata

This tart appeals to me because of its fee form and organic shape. It has the look of freedom and spontaneity. It looks artistic and has a certain wow factor. Pear Crostata A Crostata is an Italian baked tart or pie. More specifically,…