Caffe Gilli (Florence)

Caffe Gilli, Florence is the only place in Italy where we tried cappuccino during our 14-day Mediterranean cruise. In Florence (or most of the tourism places in Italy), you will be charged extra if you want to sit in the patio, so we ordered the cappuccino from the bar.
The cappuccino from Gilli was rich and very silky. We enjoyed it and it wasn't expensive at all because we took it from the bar not the patio (I think it was only around €2). It was a nice break from all the walking even though we just had lunch across Gilli in the same piazza =^U^=

The barista who was making our cappuccino (above) and my cup of cappuccino (below).

I really like the picture that I took below because it really showed the Italian relaxed style of living.  By the way (since I show the picture here), this is the patio where we had our lunch in Piazza della Repubblica. The food in this place is not worth talking about and the service was not good either.  We just randomly chose this place (wasn't a good pick).

For more pics of Florence, check them out on flickr.

Gilli
Piazza della Repubblica, 28, 50123 Firenze, Italy

Tel: +39 055 213896

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A Stroll in Sarria, Barcelona

During one of our 4 days in Barcelona, we traveled around using the hop-on/hop-off bus. In our busy day of sight-seeing, we still found time to relax and enjoy some comfy sweet in a quiet neighbourhood, Sarria.

From the hop-on/hop-off bus tour guide, Sarria is described as follows:
Sarria, just like the neighbourhood of Gracia, was also an independent town before it became part of Barcelona in 1921. If you get off at this stop you can discover the old part of Sarrria, whose historic value remains unchanged. Today it is the heart of the neighbourhood, where you will find the market, the church and the town hall. The atmosphere of the squares, where there are weekly book and antiques fairs, the pedestrian streets with their typical shops ... there are a number of important cake shops and the variety of small restaurants, make this area the perfect place for a stroll.

After we got off this stop, we were not able to figure out where the old part of Sarria is located ... hehehee ... and me being love to eat, Hubby and I gave up on sight-seeing and set out to find those cake shops instead for a nice after lunch break. =^U^=

We strolled down the Carrier Major de Sarria, it was a very quiet street, a lot of the shops on the ground floor were closed. Luckily, there were a few cafe and cake shops opened and we decided to go inside Caffe San Marco to take a break. We ordered a regular cappuccino and a mini cappuccino. To our surprise, the mini cappuccino tasted super rich and had a strong chocolate favor. The regular cappuccino was not bad either but we loved the mini one a lot more. It was indeed a very nice find considering the street was super quiet.

 

Across from Caffe San Marco, there is a very attractive pastry shop, Pastisseria Foix de Sarria. Of course, I couldn't resist myself and went inside anyway even after the nice break in Caffe San Marco. Inside, there were so many truffles, chocolate, cakes, gelato and not to mention, freshly baked panettone!!! Unfortunately, I couldn't eat much more sweets as I was already full and my hubby reminded me that we still have a lot more sight-seeing to go ... as a result, we only got a few pastries to go (we did not want to carry too much and we chose the ones that won't melt easily either, since we won't be eating them right away) and a gelato to eat on our way back to the bus stop. I would come back to this place again if I visit Barcelona again.

Check out more pics on flickr.

Caffe San Marco
Calle Pedro de la creu, 15, Barcelona

TEL: 932 802 973

Foix de Sarrià
Calle Major de Sarrià, 57, Barcelona

TEL: 93 203 07 14 - 93 203 00 04
Website: http://www.foixdesarria.com/benvinguts.php

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Lemon Madeleines

In March, I had a Madeleines Madness month such that I tried to make them almost every weekend.  The recipe that I followed is pasted at the end of this blog.  It is very easy to follow because the timing that it provides is quite accurate (very good for a non-pro like me :) ).

I tried on two different madeleines pans, one made of tin and the other one made of non-stick coated aluminum materials. I found the one made of tinplate did not burn as easily and was able to create the golden color that I wanted. The one made of non-stick coated aluminum material cooked too fast and 12 min was too long (10 min was the right time for it).

More photos are posted on flickr.

Lemon Madeleines

ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1⁄3 cup granulated sugar
• 1⁄4 tsp. salt
• 1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1⁄4 tsp. almond extract (I skipped on this)
• 1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 4 Tbs. (1⁄2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• Confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)

preparation

Preheat an oven to 375°F. Using a pastry brush, heavily brush softened butter over each of the 12 molds in a madeleine pan, carefully buttering every ridge. Dust the molds with flour, tilting the pan to coat the surfaces evenly. Turn the pan upside down and tap it gently to dislodge the excess flour.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, granulated sugar and salt. Using a wire whisk or a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat vigorously until pale, thick and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts. Sprinkle the sifted flour over the egg mixture and stir or beat on low speed to incorporate.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the lemon zest and half of the melted butter just until blended. Fold in the remaining melted butter.

Divide the batter among the prepared molds, using a heaping tablespoon of batter for each mold. Bake the madeleines until the tops spring back when lightly touched, 8 to 12 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and invert it over a wire rack, then rap it on the rack to release the madeleines. If any should stick, use your fingers to loosen the edges, being careful not to touch the hot pan, and invert and rap again.

Let the madeleines cool on the rack for 10 minutes. Using a fine-mesh sieve, dust the tops with confectioners sugar and serve. Makes 12.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Foods of the World Series, Paris, by Marlena Spieler (Oxmoor House, 2004).

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