Best desserts in Geneva - 4th Quarter 2016

This post normally celebrates my favourite desserts from a cafe/bakery/pastry shop in Geneva. I have only documented delicacies here that I have tried personally (and many times).

For this quarter, the choice of cakes is small but equally fabulous. The cakes in Siciliani are to eat and cry for more. As its name indicates, Siciliani is an Italian pastry shop. Since its opened more than a year ago, this cake shop met with great success and is full of people day and night. They also have a restaurant area in case you want to dine.

Here are a few Italian cakes from the vast selection they offer.

Are you ready for the show???

Siciliani

Rue Caroline 8

1227 Les Acacias - Geneva

Tram 15 stop Acacias

Tél.: +4122 342 3854

Cannolo is a pastry of the Sicily region. Cannoli consist of tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling usually containing ricotta. Other variants are flavoured with vanilla orange flower water. Chopped pistachios are used to decorate the cream at the open ends of the pastries.

Cassata Siciliana is a traditional cake from Sicily. Cassata consists of a round sponge cake moistened with liqueur and layered with ricotta cheese, candied peel, and a chocolate or vanilla filling. It is covered with a shell of marzipan and green pastel coloured icing. Then it is topped with candied fruit depicting cherries.

Rum Baba is a small yeast cake soaked in strong alcohol, usually rum, and sometimes filled with whipped cream or pastry cream. It is most typically made in individual servings (in a small tapered cylinder shape). The batter for baba is even richer than brioche batter, and includes eggs, milk and butter.

Bignè alla crema is a delicious choux pastry filled with Italian vanilla cream or a simple whipped cream, with a fresh raspberry on top.

Italian biscuits

 

These are my genuine personal opinions and favourites, otherwise I would not have written about these cakes. As always with all my posts, this is not sponsored.

Winter Wonderland

On Sunday, we went for a brisk stroll in the countryside near Loex. As you can see, the trees were wearing their winter coat of frost.

These snapshots were taken with my smartphone.

Have a great week

Christmas Gift Idea - Apple Chutney

For Christmas I always add a DIY gift that I have made to the main present that I offer. In the middle of November, when I saw this recipe, I knew it would be a spectacular Christmas gift idea. You see, in my entourage, we all love exotic things and Indian food. As luck was on my side, there was a huge promotion on Swiss apples here in the area. So, I prepared this recipe on a Saturday afternoon. I hope you like it as much as we do.

Ingredients (Makes 6 small jars)

1.5kg apples (Golden apples if you prefer a sweeter chutney, Belle de Boskoop apples if you want it more tangy/acidulous)

1 onion

250g of yellow sugar

1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon clove powder

1 teaspoon ginger powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

250ml of cider vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Peel the apples, remove the cores, and cut them into not too large cubes. Finely chop the onion.

2. Put the apples, chopped onion, all the spices, sugar and vinegar in a pan and season with a little salt and pepper. Stir well to mix together all the ingredients and bring to the boil.

3. Reduce the heat to minimum and cook about 30 to 40 minutes until it is a soft, very aromatic mixture.

4. Place chutney, while still hot, in previously sterilised jars, close and store in a dry place.

5. Decorate with a pretty sticker and write down the serving suggestions.

To sterilise jars, wash and thoroughly rinse them in hot water. Place wet jars in a low oven to dry off and keep warm. Fill with hot chutney and cover with a waxed disc (waxed side down). Leave to cool, place a cellophane disc over the top and seal with an elastic band.

Et  voilà one thing done!

Basel Christmas Market

Hello ladies and gents!

Those who have been following my blog for some time now know that I absolutely love this time of year, even the long and dark evenings! It is so beautiful to walk in the richly decorated streets; the only thing missing is snow to make the scene magical.

Christmas markets are undoubtedly one of the events that bring me the greatest pleasure. This comes from my childhood. I grew up in a home where the Christmas season was VERY important; the tree was put up at the end of November and was taken down at the end of January. Around the Christmas tree there were gifts for everyone. Each gift had different wrapping paper and was accompanied by a beautiful Christmas gift tag. I have kept to this day all of these Christmas gift tags, as well as the Christmas cards I received by mail. Our table was a feast for the eyes (and the tummy!) that lasted from Christmas Eve to Saint-Silvestre (New Year’s Eve).

We  often used to go out after dinner to see the city lights, that is to say, the beautiful Christmas decorations that adorned the whole city centre. I really loved doing this, despite the cold. I also adored Christmas fairs and markets - all the craft stuff, the culinary specialties, the goodies, the toys and the fairground rides. This is what excites me every Christmas. I love to find that magic each time. Last year, I shared our getaway to the famous Montreux Christmas Market with you. A couple of days ago, we went to the Basel Christmas Market which is considered the most beautiful Christmas market in Switzerland.

The Basel Christmas Market started on 24 November and lasts until 23 December. Here you can find trees, snow globes, baubles, Christmas figurines, perfumed candles, pine cones, Christmas wreaths, socks and pullovers and mugs with cheeky reindeer on them with large smiles on their faces…all the ridiculous, wonderful things one needs to create a magical Christmas. This is heaven for Christmas addicts.

Tempting food is on offer everywhere you turn…Sometimes you cannot resist. Look at this tasty “Flammlachs im Weizenbrötli mit Salat und Sosse” (Flame grilled salmon sandwich with salad and sauce).

Before our evening dinner we went for a traditional mug of mulled wine, like all the locals do!

Apart from the Christmas Market, Basel is also famous for its Baselworld, the World Watch and Jewellery Show, which usually takes place in the last week of March. Basel has the most charming old town in Europe. The local people are very welcoming. I remember an American expatriate saying “here you find the most gentle and friendly people in Switzerland”. Knowing the city quite well, I couldn’t agree with him more.

If  I don’t keep myself under control, this would be a very long post. Instead I will put together a second episode in January, in which I will tell you more about this beautiful city which I love a lot.