The Beauty of Italy

Last month, I had the time of my life with my husband and friends in Tuscany and Cinque Terre Italy. There were so many great things about this trip that I have had difficulty thinking of a way to bring them to life through my blog. So I decided to to show pictures of what was probably my favorite thing about Italy: the scenery. Never have I traveled anywhere that I was constantly surrounded by a beautiful countryside!

We stayed  in Chiesanouva, a little town about 8 miles from Florence, Italy. Our home away from home was a villa there that was on a beautiful farm and winery. Each morning we woke up to beautiful mountains, olive trees, grapevines, and wildflowers. Daily walks revealed more lovely surprises, including walking trails that looked similar to the Blue Ridge Mountains! As we traveled to other towns, including San Gimignano, Siena, and Lucca, we continued to be awed by the spectacular landscapes.

Our last leg of the trip was traveling to the coast of Italy, in Cinque Terre. We stayed in Monterosso, one of the five towns in Cinque Terre. The coastal views were stunning! We traveled and hiked to other towns in Cinque Terre, and the views were equally awesome.

So the point of my blog today is that a picture is worth a thousand words! There will be more of Italy to come!

A Pie Without a Plate: Lemon Verbena Raspberry Galette

So, it has been awhile since my last blog. A lot has been going on this past month, including a trip to Tuscany with friends. Since that trip, I have had the intention of blogging about my adventures in this wonderful region of Italy.  But my mind has been unable to put into words all of the fun I had in Italy. I will eventually get there, but until that time, I am going to share my latest adventure in the world of pie making. I am continuing to explore recipes in the Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book, by sisters Emily and Melissa Elsen, and the most recent is the "Lemon Verbena Raspberry Galette".

I was always fascinated by the sound of this recipe - I love fresh raspberries. And spring is a great time to find good raspberries in the organic section of the grocery. But I was nervous about making this - "what is a galette anyway?", I rationalized. Basically, a galette is a "free form pastry", according to the Elsen sisters, and is baked on a baking sheet, not a pie plate! The description did not sound that difficult, and was even said to be easier than a regular pie. So I decided to go for it!

The pie book is very good about showing diagrams and pictures so that you can see what the pie is supposed to look like. The ingredients sounded simple but delicious: fresh raspberries, lemon verbena leaves. sugar, arrowroot and lemon juice. The leaves and sugars are ground in the food processor, and then mixed with the raspberries. It can't get any easier than this!

In truth, the hardest part is the pastry itself. Although a regular pie crust, it is rolled out to a 13- inch round, then placed on parchment paper on a baking sheet. The raspberry mixture is placed on top of this crust and the edges of the crust are folded inward to hold the galette together. I chilled the galette for 1 1/2 hours as instructed and baked at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.

I must admit that I had no idea what to expect. Fortunately, the galette I made looked pretty much like the one in the book. I sliced it with a pizza cutter, which worked great. I decided that this dessert would benefit from a scoop of ice cream on it, and this is how I served it. The raspberry/lemon verbena combination was a smashing success! The galette was nicely sweet and tangy. What a perfect way to experience fresh raspberries!

This was my first galette, but will not be my last! I will try this with strawberries as well, and perhaps even blueberries. And although I feared this pastry would be tricky, it was actually easier than a regular pie. My only issue with this delicious treat is that I can't stay away from it, and this is dangerous after eating my way through Tuscany! I guess my next blog will be about exercise after vacation and pies!