Sweet, Sweeeeet Italia!

[ 0 ] June 22, 2012 |

I’ve always loved everything Italian: the language, the art, the décor, the history, and most importantly, the food. As a previous culinary student, my biased opinion is that nothing is more expressive than Italian dinner & dessert. I recently had the chance to receive Grace’s Sweet Life, a cookbook filled recipes for homemade Italian desserts that range from cannolis, cheesecake, tiramisu, chocolate salami, tarts, pizzelle, and everything in between.

The author of the book, Grace Massa Langlois, was born in Belgium to Italian parents. She started blogging about her love of food and sharing Italian recipes online with others at GracesSweetLife.com. The best thing about her dessert cookbook is that she gives everyone from the novice cook or baker to the skillfully trained chef the opportunity to create restaurant-style desserts in the comfort of their own home with confidence, accessibility, and ease.  If I’ve tempted your taste buds in anyway, stop reading this, go by a copy, and start on the road to being a successful homemade Italian dessert pro in your own right (if you’re not one already).

Even though I wouldn’t call myself that much of a baker, after reading through every recipe in the cookbook, I decided to make the mini chocolate and vanilla Bavarian cakes this week. While my Bavarian cream came out great, my mini cakes did not :-(. There’s a high possibility that I over mixed the batter or stirred when I should have folded. The silver lining is that I can try again this week and use my bridesmaids as guinea pigs when I have my official bridal dinner at home on Friday of next week. Keep your fingers crossed for my cake success! & keep your eyes open for a recipe review and an etiquette post that’s sure to follow.

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Category: Announcements, cultural cooking, Food.Fun.Stuff., Publicity

About the Author ()

Johnna French is a Harlem NY native with deep roots in Panama, Washington, DC and North Carolina. All four places have heavily influenced her life and the foods she loves today. After graduating Howard University School of Law and beginning her life as a young professional in the city she was led to start Johnna Knows Good Food in November 2007 to keep family, friends and colleagues updated on where to go and what to eat while dining in the nation’s capitol. French, who still practices law, leads a team of three writers to cover the ever expanding Washington, DC food scene. French has been featured in print and television, appearing in Washingtonian Magazine and is a regular contributor to various local TV affiliates including WUSA 9, FOX 5 DC and WJLA (ABC Affiliate) News Channel 8. During the 2016-2017 football season, Johnna aired on Comcast Sports Mid-Atlantic (CSN) show, Redskins Life, as the weekly tailgate host. Johnna is currently a regular contributor to the FOX Baltimore Weekend morning show.

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