Just in time for Christmas, we’re coming to you with some news about
chocolate
,
hazelnuts
and an
amazing flour-less cake
recipe to knock your Christmas stockings off!
Is there anyone who can resist the wonderful combination of dark chocolate and hazelnuts?!
The origins of this delicious combo are rooted in Piedmont, the elegant region in the northwest of Italy and one of our favorite places to visit. Groves of deep green hazelnut trees cover the hills of the Langhe south of Torino, which has a long history of making chocolate.
The Savoy family ruled Piedmont for several hundred years and their alliance with Spain brought cocoa from the new world. The first license to produce chocolate was granted in the 17
th
century in Torino, and since then chocolate makers from all over Europe, but especially Belgium and France, have come to Italy to learn the art.
It was a pastry chef for the royal family of Savoy who first hit on the idea of mixing ground hazelnuts together with chocolate when he was short of cocoa, and the marriage of the two made history! From the classic pyramids of Italian
gianduia
to the finest Belgian chocolates and industrially made Nutella, the combination of hazelnuts and chocolate is a winner.
Every spring on our tour of Piedmont,
we begin the week in Turin (Torino) with a visit to an artisan chocolate maker, a behind-the-scene look of how chocolate goes from raw cocoa beans to finished
gianduia
for sale in the shop.
Lots of chocolate
tasting is involved! Another classic chocolate specialty in Torino is the
bicerin
, a hot drink of melted chocolate, espresso and cream, best enjoyed in one of the beautiful historic cafes that this elegant city is famous for.
We are taking a group to
Piedmont May 21-28, 2020
and we have some open spots. Sign up before January 15th and we’ll give you a discount of $400/person! The spots will go quickly, and you'll have to wait until 2021 to travel with us there. We'd love it if you joined us!
We wish you the
best this season has to offer
, filled with
friends and family, great wine
and something
yummy cooking on the stove
!
Buon appetito!
Gina and Mary