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Italian Rainbow Cookies

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Italian rainbow cookies arranged into a spiral

Rachel Walton wowed the judges of our cookie table competition with this Italian Rainbow Cookies recipe. Rachel won Judge’s Choice for these beautifully presented and carefully baked treats. For another Italian baked good, try our Italian Love Knots.

Italian rainbow cookies stacked on a tower and topped with chocolate
Photo by Laura Petrilla

Are Italian Rainbow Cookies Actually Italian?

The short answer: yes and no. They are not actually from Italy. But they do come from Italian-American communities in the northeastern United States like in Boston and New York. They are inspired by the traditional Italian dessert called “pasta di mandorle,” which is made from almond paste, and replicate the red, green and white color triad of the Italian flag.

Rachel Walton, a woman with pink hair wearing a brown cardigan, holds her Italian Rainbow cookies
Photo by Laura Petrilla
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Italian rainbow cookies arranged into a spiral

Italian Rainbow Cookies


  • Author: Rachel Walton

Description

Three layers of deliciousness!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 5 ¼ oz almond flour
  • 14.8 oz powdered sugar
  • 2 t almond extract
  • 1 lb butter room temp
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 6 egg whites
  • 2 ½ oz sugar
  • 8 ¾ oz all purpose, sifted

For Assembly

  • Dark chocolate as needed
  • Raspberry jam as needed


Instructions

  1. The recipe yields one quarter-sheet cake for each of the 3 layers. Prepare three quarter-sheet trays by putting parchment down and pan spraying. Set aside.
  2. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add butter, powdered sugar, almond flour and almond extract. Once all ingredients are incorporated, whip on high for 2-3 minutes until light in color.
  3. Pour almond mixture in the largest bowl you have and set aside.
  4. Sift all purpose flour onto a piece of parchment, set aside.
  5. Using a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add whole eggs and egg yolks to the mixing bowl and whip on high until they form a ribbons.
  6. Meanwhile in another mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment whip egg whites to stiff peaks then slowly add in sugar, making a meringue.
  7. Add about a pint of flour to the almond mixture and fold together.
  8. Add half of the whole egg mixture and fold together. Repeat with the rest of the egg mixture.
  9. Add the rest of the flour and half of the egg white meringue to the bowl, fold together.
  10. Add the rest of the egg whites and fold together until combined.
  11. Divide batter evenly between 3 small bowls.
  12. In one bowl add 15 grams of liquid green food dye and fold together, then add to 1 prepared sheet tray and spread evenly across.
  13. In one of the other bowls add 15 grams of liquid red food dye and fold
    together, then add to 1 prepared sheet tray and spread evenly across.
  14. Take the last bowl and add it to 1 prepared sheet tray and spread evenly across.
  15. Bake at 325 for 11 minutes in a convection oven.

For Assembly

  1. Start by lining a cutting board with a piece of parchment paper.
  2. Turn over the green layer onto the cutting board, allowing the cake to lay upside down on the cutting board.
  3. Add raspberry jam to cake and spread evenly across, only add more if needed.
  4. Turn over the white layer onto the layer of raspberry jam, allowing the cake to lay upside down.
  5. Add more of the raspberry jam to the cake and spread evenly across, only add more if needed.
  6. Turn over the red layer onto the layer of raspberry jam, allowing the cake to lay upside down.
  7. Top with another piece of parchment and another cutting board to weight it.
  8. Put it in the fridge overnight.
  9. On the next day, over a double boiler melt a small bowl of dark chocolate and heat to 115 degrees, checking with a temperature gun.
  10. Temper chocolate once it comes to 115 using the seeding method.
  11. Once the chocolate is less than 100 degrees stop adding chocolate, and remove the stacked cakes from the fridge.
  12. Starting with the red layer, add the tempered chocolate, when ready and spread evenly across the entire cake.
  13. Once the tempered chocolate has set, flip the entire thing upside down using cutting boards on each side of the cake until the green side is facing up.
  14. Repeat tempering the chocolate and spreading across evenly on the green side when chocolate is ready.
  15. Once the chocolate has set, grab a container of hot water and a chef’s knife.
  16. Trim the sides of the rainbow cookies.
  17. Cut 1 in x 2 in rectangles to create the finished cookies.

Recipe by Rachel Walton
Styling by Anna Franklin
Photography by Dave Bryce and Laura Petrilla 

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Ube Sweet Soy White Chocolate Cookies

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Ube Cookies surrounded by holiday decorations

These ube cookies tied for the gold for the People’s Choice at our cookie table competition. They’re a winner for sure, with delectable bits of white chocolate for mouthwatering sweetness. But we expect nothing less from Selina Progar of Eleven, who also share with us Chocolate Brownies with Lime Glaze.

Ube cookies on a glass plate
Photo by Laura Petrilla

Why Are These Ube Cookies Purple? 

Ube is purple due to the presence of anthocyanins, which are water-soluble pigments that can appear red, blue, or purple depending on their pH. Ube’s anthocyanins give it its distinctive deep purple color, which in turn gifts these ube cookies with a slight purple hue. The pigment also is known for its antioxidant qualities, so you can feel healthy too!

Selina Progar holds her ube cookies on a tray and bites into one
Photo by Laura Petrilla
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Ube Cookies surrounded by holiday decorations

Ube Sweet Soy White Chocolate Cookies


  • Author: Selina Progar

Description

A twist on classic flavors with a purple hue!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 9 oz Butter, softened
  • 6.7 oz Brown sugar
  • 4 oz Granulated sugar
  • 4 oz Sweet soy
  • 3 Whole eggs (4 oz)
  • 1 oz Ube extract
  • 1 lb All-purpose flour
  • 8.5 g Baking powder
  • 3 g Baking soda
  • 2 oz Ube powder
  • 10 g Salt
  • 10 oz White chocolate

Maldon salt for garnish


Instructions

  1. Chop chocolate.
  2. Cream butter, brown sugar, white sugar, sweet soy, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides as needed.
  3. Add eggs and ube extract. Mix until incorporated. Scrape down as needed.
  4. Mix in chocolates and add flour and ube powder in a few increments. Pulse the mixer rather than letting it run. Once the flour is added, mix thoroughly, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to incorporate all the ingredients evenly. Mix for an additional 4 minutes on medium speed to create a chewy cookie.
  5. Scoop cookies and chill in fridge overnight.
  6. Space evenly on a parchment lined tray.
  7. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes if using a convection oven.

Recipe by Selina Progar
Styling by Anna Franklin
Photography by Dave Bryce and Laura Petrilla

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Cuccidati, Sicilian Fig Cookies

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Cuccidati, Sicilian fig cookies, on a brown background

These Cuccidati, traditional Sicilian Fig Cookies, are both a classic Old World recipe and an inventive baking creation from Alane Lovic. They took home second place at our cookie table competition, and it’s not hard to see why with their deliciously aromatic filling and perfectly baked texture. For another fig recipe, try our Easy Fig and Pumpkin Spice Galette.

Cuccidati, Sicilian fig cookies
Photo by Laura Petrilla

History of Cuccidati, Sicilian Fig Cookies

The history of these delicious cookies is fascinating! They trace back to the Arab influence in Sicily during the 9th to 11th centuries, when figs were cultivated and used extensively in various dishes. The combination of figs with nuts and spices was common in Middle Eastern sweets, and this culinary tradition carried over into Sicilian cuisine. Today, Italian families often associate cuccidati with festive occasions, particularly Christmas.

Alane Lovic with her Sicilian fig cookies
Photo by Laura Petrilla
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Cuccidati, Sicilian fig cookies, on a brown background

Cuccidati, Sicilian Fig Cookies


  • Author: Alane Lovic

Description

Both traditional and inventive.


Ingredients

Scale

For the Dough:

  • 4 cups All-purpose flour
  • ¾ cups Sugar
  • 1 ½ tbs Baking powder
  • ¼ tsp Salt
  • 1 large Egg, beaten
  • 1 tbs Vanilla extract
  • 16 tbs Unsalted butter, cut into pieces (2 sticks)
  • ½ to ¾ cup Milk

For the Filling

  • 2 ½ cups Dried figs
  • 1 cup Dried dates
  • 1 cup Raisins
  • 1 cup Chopped walnuts or almonds (I used walnut)
  • ½ cup Apricot jam or marmalade
  • ½ cup Honey
  • 1 tbs Orange zest
  • 1 tsp Ground cinnamon

For the Icing:

  • ½ cup Confectioner’s sugar
  • 1 tbs Milk
  • Nonpareils for decoration (round sprinkles)


Instructions

For the dough:

  1. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
  2. Add the egg and vanilla
  3. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or two knives pulled in opposite directions. The dough should resemble cornmeal consistency.
  4. Slowly, add ½ cup milk, mixing it with your hands. Add additional milk until it just comes together. Be careful not to make the dough too wet.
  5. Once the dough is together, roll it into a long cylinder shape and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 45 minutes to an hour.

For the Filling

  1. In a food processor, fruit grinder or high intensity blender, combine and finely chop figs, dates and raisins. You may need to do this a little at a time.
  2. Add the nuts, jam, honey, orange zest, and cinnamon. Pulse to mix it or combine with fruit in a separate bowl.

For the Icing

  1. Whisk together confectioner’s sugar and milk until it forms a thick glaze. Reserve nonpareils for final decoration.

Assembling the Cuccidati

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Unwrap and cut the dough in half.
  3. Roll out one half at a time on a lightly floured surface into a long rectangle. Use a dough scraper to shape it.
  4. Use half of the filling to make a log down the middle of the dough, then fold one side over it and then the other. Lightly pinch the dough together so it sticks.
  5. Cut cookies to desired size. (I used a ruler and made mine 1-inch per piece in length.) Transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet, seam side down.
  6. Bake for 15 minutes until the cookie is slightly brown on the edges and bottom. They should look slightly dry. Let cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.
  7. Once the cookies are completely cooled, sift the confectioner’s sugar into a bowl and add milk. Mix until smooth. Drizzle the glaze on top of the cookies a few at a time, sprinkling nonpareils on top.
  8. Allow the icing to dry before serving. They can be frozen but the nonpareils may bleed when defrosting. They’re still delicious, though!

 

Recipe by Alane Lovic
Styling by Anna Franklin
Photography by Dave Bryce and Laura Petrilla

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Italian Wedding Cookies

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A tray of Italian wedding cookies

These Italian Wedding Cookies call for a celebration. No one knows how to bring people together like the Italians, with large family gatherings and warm, welcoming feasts for guests. However, these cookies don’t just need to be for a wedding! Make them as a celebration of self-love, too. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did at our cookie table competition. For more Italian recipes, check out our list of Italian Cookbooks for the Serious Cook.

Italian Wedding Cookies stacked on top of each other and frosted with non-pareils
Photo by Laura Petrilla

History of Italian Wedding Cookies

Anginetti (the Italian word for these Italian Wedding Cookies) are believed to have originated in the Campania region of Italy, particularly in the city of Nola. They are often associated with celebrations and special occasions, like weddings. As Italian immigrants brought their culinary traditions to the United States, anginetti cookies gained popularity in Italian-American communities.  Their bright flavor and sweet aroma make them a popular choice for celebrations.

A woman in a pink jacket holds a tray of Italian wedding cookies
Photo by Laura Petrilla
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A tray of Italian wedding cookies

Italian Wedding Cookies


  • Author: Angela Bucco, Baked by Teresa Talkowski

Description

Cookies fit for a celebration.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 eggs
  • 2 sticks of butter
  • 1/2 bottle lemon or orange extract
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 5 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup sugar

For the Icing

  • 1 box powdered sugar
  • 1 /2 stick butter
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • rainbow non-pareils to finish


Instructions

  1. Cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
  2. Add eggs one at a time, then add extract.
  3. In a separate bowl mix together the flour and baking powder. Add to the butter mixture.
  4. Form cookies and bake at 350 degrees for 13 minutes.
  5. Remove from the pan and place in a large pot lined with dish towels and cover pot immediately.
  6. Mix the frosting ingredients until well incorporated. When the cookies have cooled completely, ice and sprinkle with rainbow non-pareils.

Recipe by Angela Bucco
Made by Teresa Talkowski
Styling by Anna Franklin
Photography by Dave Bryce and Laura Petrilla

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Peach Cookies

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Peach cookies that look like peaches set on a Christmas background

This Peach Cookies recipe blends fruit flavors with the sweet richness of a sugar cookie. Lori Willis brought this recipe to our cookie table, and it’s both beautifully presented and a delicious treat! Just check out how much detail she put into making them look like real peaches. That’s true artistry. For another peach treat, try our Peach Donuts with Donut Peaches.

Orange cookies that look like little peaches on a piece of glassware
Photo by Laura Petrilla

Picking the Right Peach Jam for Your Peach Cookies

Peach Cookies get some of their wonderful flavor from the jam used in the filling. So, you want to be intentional about the kind of jam that you choose. If you’re really thinking ahead, you can homemake peach jam. However, no judgment if you don’t have time for that, because there’s plenty of great peach jam out there on the shelves. Sarabeth’s is great for baking, as is Bonne Maman and Stonewall Kitchen.

Lori Willis, a woman with white hair in a red shirt, sits in front of her peach cookies
Photo by Laura Petrilla
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Peach cookies that look like peaches set on a Christmas background

Peach Cookies


  • Author: Lori Willis

Description

They even look like peaches!


Ingredients

Scale

For the Peach Cookies

  • 1 ¾ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 10 ½ tbsp softened butter
  • ¼ cup brown sugar and 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp sour cream
  • ¾ tsp vanilla

For the Filling and Coating

  • peach jam
  • 6 tbsp milk, divided
  • red and yellow food coloring or peach jello
  • ½ cup sugar


Instructions

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar at medium speed for 1 minute. Add sour cream, egg and vanilla and mix until well-blended.
  3. Add dry ingredients.
  4. Scoop 1 tbsp dough into balls, roll, and bake 14-15 minutes.
  5. Allow cookies to cool. Spread 1 tsp of jam across bottom of cookie, and sandwich 2 cookies together.
  6. To decorate, place 3 tbsp milk with red food coloring, and 3 tbsp of milk with yellow food coloring into separate bowls. Brush each cookie with both the red and yellow colored milks, then dip the painted cookie into sugar.

Enjoy your peach cookies!

Recipe by Lori Willis
Styling by Anna Franklin
Photography by Dave Bryce and Laura Petrilla

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Lemon Curd Bars

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Lemon bars on a black tabletop, covered in powdered sugar

It’s easy to see why these Lemon Curd Bars won third place at our cookie table competition. They’re tasty, easy and fun to make, not too sweet, and are an adaptation of a recipe from the classic cookbook Joy of Cooking

Lemon bars topped with confectionary sugar staged for a party
Photo by Laura Petrilla

Where Do Lemon Bars Come From?

The combination of a shortbread crust with a tangy lemon filling became popular in American cookbooks during the 1930s and 1940s. The simplicity and refreshing flavor of lemon bars made them a favorite for home bakers. A traditional lemon bar consists of a buttery shortbread crust. The crust is then topped with a custard-like filling made from lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and flour. Pastry chefs often dust them with powdered sugar before serving them. By the mid-20th century, people had fallen in love with lemon bars. They’re a staple at potlucks, family gatherings, and bake sales, beloved for their balance of sweet and tart flavors.

For some other lemon recipes, try our Aphrodisiac Lemon Saffron Tort or Low-Carb Keto Lemon Quick Bread. You can also adapt the recipe below to have more or less zest in it to your liking!

Gretchen Jenkins, a baker, holds a plate of lemon curd bars
Photo by Laura Petrilla
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Lemon bars on a black tabletop, covered in powdered sugar

Lemon Curd Bars


  • Author: Gretchen Jenkins

Description

A zesty, not-too-sweet confectionary concoction.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/2 cups plus 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 12 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 6 eggs
  • 3 cups sugar
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 cup plus 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (45 lemons, divided)
  • Confectioner’s sugar for dusting


Instructions

  1. Sift together 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour and 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar.
  2. Sprinkle the small pieces of butter over the top. Using a pastry blender, two knives, or your fingertips, cut in the butter until it is the size of peas in the mixture.
  3. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 13 inch x 9 inch baking pan and 3/4 inch up the sides.
  4. Bake in a 325 degrees preheated oven on the center rack until golden brown, 20-30 minutes.
  5. Set aside to cool.
  6. Reduce oven temp to 300 degrees.
  7. Whisk together 6 large eggs and 3 cups sugar until well-blended.
  8. Stir in grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 cup plus 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice.
  9. Sift 1/2 cup all-purpose flour into the mixture and stir until well-blended and smooth.
  10. Pour the batter over the baked crust; bake again until set, about 35 min.
  11. Remove the pan to a rack to cool completely before cutting into bars.
  12. Dust with confectioner’s sugar when cool, if desired.

Recipe by Gretchen Jenkins (adapted from Lemon Curd Bars Cockaigne recipe from Joy of Cooking)
Styling by Anna Franklin
Photography by Dave Bryce and Laura Petrilla

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AAAA Co-op Supports Artists in Mali Through Mudcloth

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A man with dark dreadlocks and white clay paint on his cheek, partially obscured by a piece of black and white checkered bògòlanfini (Malian mudcloth), showcasing the traditional textile craft.

In July 2018, three women sat down together in Paris. Haram Sidide, an officer at the Ethical Fashion Initiative of the United Nations, housed at the International Trade Center in Geneva; world-renowned trend forecaster and educator, Lidewij Edelkoort; and artist, photographer and designer Birgitta de Vos. They began to cook up a new visual vocabulary for bogolanfini, also known as mudcloth – an ancient symbiosis of the leaves of the nglama bush; iron-rich mud pigments from the Niger River; and African cotton farmed, harvested, cleaned, spun, and woven entirely by hand. These dreamers saw contemporary possibilities in the ancient craft.

AAAA Co-op Supports Artists in Mali

The framework they developed that day became AAAA Co-op, a line of heritage textiles that fits perfectly into modern interiors. A bit later, social entrepreneurs Irene Mertens and Sam Ijsbrandy, from Amsterdam’s Atelier Sukha, joined the team in order to create a reliable connection with international markets. Now, because of AAAA, artisans in Mali are introduced to customers in Europe and the United States. Talented people in West Africa are earning decent wages. Customers are enjoying fantastic handmade heritage textiles. A craft with deep history has a path into the future.

AAAA stands for Atelier Autodidacts Anti-Algorithms (AAAA). The name is a comment on how traditional artistry stands apart from the algorithmic rules that seem to govern much of our online experience. Therefore it’s much of what we see and think about. AAAA is supported by the Ethical Fashion Initiative as one of a series of programs helping to create fairly paid and sustainable jobs in Mali, which in turn helps address the problem of emigration, especially among youth. Due to recent political instability, Mali has lost much of its tourism, with devastating effects on income.

More on Mudcloth in Mali

In Mali, the word for mudcloth is bògòlanfini. Its beauty is the result of a chain of skilled spinners, weavers, and dyers still in touch with the skills of their ancestors. Once on the verge of disappearing, AAAA has, in under two years, become ‘the place’ to be for the young, creative, and lover of textiles. Every week, new people knock on the door to ask if they can join in this creative adventure. It is today a hub where young and old, master and also apprentice, work side by side.

Creating bògòlanfini is a labor-intensive affair that can’t be rushed, a true example of slow textiles. All stages are done by hand, from farming the cotton, spinning, weaving, dyeing, painting, as well as sewing. Locally grown, tannin-rich leaves are boiled with the fabric as a mordant – a substance which prepares the fibers to receive dyes. Then mud from the Niger River, which has fermented for a year in a clay jar, is used to paint symbolically protective patterns. Traditionally the cloth is believed to have the power to absorb dangerous forces released during life-threatening circumstances. That is why a bogolan is also referred to as ‘medicine cloth,’ and was traditionally worn by hunters.

Creating a Lasting Effect

Birgitta de Vos describes working with AAAA artisans in Mali as “a true treasure. It roots you again in what it is to be human — away from digital screens and life in the fast lane, where time is money. The artisans share not only their laughter, food and creativity with you, but also their patience, willingness and openness. It is truly a two-way exchange, without hierarchy, where we are all brothers and sisters again. This exchange is food for the soul.”

Follow AAAA Co-op on Instagram: @aaaacoop.

Read more about Mali’s mudcloth in Keith Recker’s book, True Colors: World Masters of Natural Dyes and Pigments (Thrums Books, 2019).

Story by Keith Recker
Photography by Birgitta De Vos

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Zapotec Barbacoa

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Zapotec Barbacoa de Pollo tacos on corn tortillas, served with spicy Elote street corn, pico de gallo, and dried chile peppers, showcasing the traditional Mexican autumn dish.

Barbacoa de Pollo is a traditional Zapotec dish served in the autumn. Renowned natural dyer and International Folk Art Market veteran Juana Gutiérrez Contreras, a partner in her family’s Teotitlan del Valle-based textile business, Porfirio Gutiérrez y Familia, shares her recipe. Translated via telephone by family friend Robert Sturm. Gracias Juana y Robert!

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Zapotec Barbacoa de Pollo tacos on corn tortillas, served with spicy Elote street corn, pico de gallo, and dried chile peppers, showcasing the traditional Mexican autumn dish.

Zapotec Barbacoa


  • Author: Juana Gutiérrez Contreras

Description

Barbacoa de Pollo is a traditional Zapotec chicken dish slow-cooked with guajillo chiles, garlic, and warm spices. 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 large chicken, cut into pieces (she said 2.53 kilos, if possible)
  • 1 lb dry guajillo chile
  • 3 large cloves of garlic
  • 3 medium or 2 large white onions
  • A few avocado leaves
  • 23 tbsp Thyme
  • 4 cloves
  • 4.5” of cinnamon stick


Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Clean the chile – remove the stems and the seeds.  Soak in hot water.
  3. Grill the onion and garlic on a comal (or grill pan) until they are seared and easy to peal.  Remove from the pan and peel.  Add to the chile.
  4. Toast the thyme and garlic cloves on the comal (or grill) for just a few seconds, until they start to release their aroma.  Process in a food processor or blender with water from the chile bath until smooth.  If the liquid is very thick, add a little more water.
  5. Clean the chicken and cut into serving-size pieces
  6. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in casserole, place the cinnamon strategically and cover with the sauce
  7. Cook until chicken is cooked through, approximately one hour.
  8. If making tacos, shred the chicken in the kitchen, and place in serving dish. Serve with corn tortillas, and with chopped cilantro, lemon wedges and finely chopped romaine or cabbage.  A bit of pico de gallo is never a bad idea.

Recipe by Juana Gutiérrez Contreras
Styling by Ana Kelly
Photography by Adam Milliron

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Chocolate and Spice Dukkah

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Two plates of green salad with romaine, avocado, goat cheese, and radishes, topped with a savory Cacao Dukkah, served on a rustic blue wooden table next to a small wooden boat of the spice blend.

TABLE Magazine’s Dutch correspondent Marian Flint brings us a story of Old World chocolate. The Netherlands is famous for its skill with this most seductive of sweets — here in a savory spice blend perfect to perk up a salad.

Just north of Amsterdam, near the Zaan River in Zaandijk, a bustling cacao industry took root in the first half of the 19th century. The windmills in Zaandijk were used to grind the cacao beans.

This region still processes large amount of the world’s cacao beans. Amsterdam is the world’s biggest transshipment port for cacao beans. Zaandijk attracts visitors from around the globe. Everyone always remarks about the aroma of chocolate in the air.

Chocolate and Spice Dukkah from Smells Like Chocolate

That’s why Smells Like Chocolate is the name of Ingmar and Kinito’s shop. Here you can find craft chocolates from specialty producers from around the world. They recently visited cacao plantations in Kinito’s native country of Angola and made chocolate with cocoa beans of Cabinda, which have a unique and delicious flavor. Their goal is to bring this unknown cacao origin to the market. They would like to share some of their recipes and would love to welcome you at Smells Like Chocolate when you travel next.

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Two plates of green salad with romaine, avocado, goat cheese, and radishes, topped with a savory Cacao Dukkah, served on a rustic blue wooden table next to a small wooden boat of the spice blend.

Cacao Dukkah


  • Author: Ingmar Niezen
  • Yield: 6.5 ounces 1x

Description

Sprinkled over fresh salads, it adds crunch, depth, and a subtle chocolate aroma to every bite.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1.8 oz sesame seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds crushed
  • 2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
  • 0.4 oz cacao butter
  • 2 tbsp cacao nibs, crushed
  • 1.5 oz roasted mixed nuts, coarsely chopped
  • 1.5 oz peanuts, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tsp cacao
  • ½ tsp chili flakes
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp salt flakes


Instructions

  1. In a skillet, dry-roast the sesame, cumin, and coriander seeds. Melt the cacao butter in a pan and add the cacao nibs, nuts, and seeds mixture. Roast for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add the cacao, chili flakes, and smoked paprika. Add salt to taste.
  2. Save the dukkah in a jar. Sprinkle on a salad made from romaine lettuce, lamb’s lettuce, mint leaves, avocado, fava beans, and goat cheese.

Food Styling and Recipe by Ingmar Niezen
Prop Styling by Marian Flint
Photography by Anna de Leeuw

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Al Suave House is the Summer Vacation Home of Your Winter Dreams

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The doorway to Al Suave House, an El Salvadoran summer vacation home
© Topofilia Studio
If you’re like me, you begin fantasizing about summer before winter has even really begun. This series of posts will highlight dreamy places to travel in warm climates, perfect for a seasonal getaway with friends, a beachy escape, or even somewhere spectacular to visit any time of year. Al Suave House is a deal for a large, extended family or a group of friends—preferably ones who surf or have kids who do—a five bedroom oceanfront villa on Playa El Zonte in El Salvador. The summer vacation home location is an emerging destination with amazing scenery and excellent surf breaks. The home can sleep up to twelve people, and all bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms. There is also an open kitchen, large living area, outdoor showers, media room, and a kids pavilion. 

Al Suave House is the Summer Vacation Home of Your Winter Dreams

“Al Suave House is a particularly chill home that allows its guests to wake up every morning to the sound of the waves and views of the sea from every corner of the house,” says Paula Cabrera Gil, founder of Pepe Cabrera Homes in Spain.

Perhaps the most striking feature of the property is that it splits into two parts. This the architects plan to preserve existing trees and to let water flow unobstructed. In the center is a river-shaped swimming pool that runs the full length of the house. A series of bridges crosses the pool, giving the whole home a sort of private island (or perhaps a tropical treehouse) feel. The shape of the design also draws wind in between the two sections. That provides natural cooling and reduces the need for A/C.

The structure is largely wood—plenty of wood—and concrete, with travertine flooring and clay brick bathrooms. All of the materials sourced from nearby places including Honduras (wood), Costa Rica and Mexico (glass), and El Salvador (bricks.)

The exterior of Al Suave House at night, a rustic pool and wooden slat home

A Rustic-Chic Vibe at Al Suave

The vibe is open, airy, cozy, and rustic-chic. The architects, the Salvadoran firm Cincopatasalgato, drew inspiration from paths to the beach lined with fences plus land that has a natural water flow—a place that was private but also very inviting. Here, tall fences transition between transparent and opaque. It depends on where you’re standing, but the wooden slats blur together to form a solid from certain vantage points.

A spacious outdoor pool at Al Suave House
© Topofilia Studio

The property is meant to be somewhere that people hang out, communicate, and connect. The open kitchen/dining area is the perfect hub where people can touch base and compare plans for the day. There are great many hangout areas both inside and out, with variously larger and small groupings of seats and tables for conversation, playing games, or just chilling and listening to music. Although it is the ultimate indoor-outdoor world, tall accordion glass doors can enclose the spaces should the weather become unpleasant.

A white sheeted bed inside of Al Suave House
© Topofilia Studio

Furnishings are high-end but casual, with pieces from well-known brands including Carl Hansen & Søn, Andreu World, and Gandia Blasco. There are, of course, plenty of custom pieces from local artisans. Some pieces, including the beds and modular sofa, are designed by Ms. Cabrera Gil.

When not being rented out, the home is also a private residence, and the architects were careful to design a place that was both perfect for them but also worked for others. “We really took our time to speak with each member of our client’s family, including the children, to truly grasp what was important to them,” says architect José Roberto Paredes. “The result of this highly personal approach to design is a unique dwelling that resonates with the spirit of Playa El Zonte. It’s a tropical haven where the essence of community, family, and exploration thrives.”

Story by Stephen Treffinger
All photography courtesy of Topofilia Studios

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