"Caldofreddo": a MUST when you go to Trapani or nearby

Do you know what "caldofreddo" is? Caldofreddo is a very particular ice cream prepared in the western part of Sicily. Literally in Italian these are two separate adjectives that mean hot (caldo) and cold (freddo), so it would be just like saying "hotcold".

But what is exactly that we are talking about?

It is basically a huge bowl of ice-cream made in layers and served in a traditional Sicilian terracotta bowl that we call "lemmo". You can normally choose two ice cream flavors, I often go with hazelnut and coffee, or hazelnut  and pistaches.

They first put a flavor, than a thin layer of victoria sponge or a soft big cookie that we call savoiardo (similar to the one we use to make tiramisù, but usually made artisanally), then the second flavor, and on top whipped cream covered in melted dark chocolate and a topping of hazelnuts in pieces.

Needless to say that you start getting high as soon as you taste the whole thing! So here it is my suggestion: if you happen to visit the province of Trapani, you definetely want to go inside a Gelateria and ask for a caldofreddo. The best one I had was many years ago in San Vito Lo Capo (pic above), a lovely village with an amazing beach and seaside, but I know for sure they do it also in Trapani and Erice.


So... hurry up folks: Sicily is waiting for you... the sun, the sea, the beach, and... the caldofreddo!!! :-)))

Genovesi from Erice, the perfect marriage between pastry and cream

Do you know what a genovese is in Sicily? It is a pastry filled either with ricotta cream or a very delicate milky-custard cream. The most famous genovesi, at least in the western part of Sicily, are the ones made in the medieval village of Erice, in the province of Trapani. They are delicious, soft and tasty, especially if eaten warm. Here there is the recipe of the genovesi made by the famous Patisserie of Maria Grammatico in Erice.

Ingredients and preparation: 
Pastry

250 g hard wheat flour

250 g flour 00
200 g sugar
200 g butter or margarine cut in pieces
4 yolks
Some table spoons of cold water

icing sugar to sprinkle on top

Filling:

2 yolks
150 g sugar
40 g starch (wheat or corn)
½ lt milk
grated lemon zest

Pastry preparation:

1. Mix both the two flours with the sugar in a large bowl.
2. Add the pieces of butter, then the yolks one after another, stirring slowly with a professional spatula. 3. Add the water until the pastry is soft and elastic. 4. Form a ball without kneading too much otherwise it will get hard. 5. Wrap the pastry in plastic and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. 6. Roll it out giving them an oval shape, like shown in the picture.

Cream preparation and baking

1. Preheat the oven at 200° degrees. 

2. In a bowl beat the yolks with the sugar using a whisk. 

3. In a sauce pan on a low heat melt carefully the starch in a half glass of milk, then add the remaining milk and mix well. 

4. Pour the mix of yolks and sugar into the milk slowly. Keep stirring for 10-15 minutes, until it becomes solid and smooth. Add the grated lemon zest. 

5. Once ready put the cream in a bowl and let it cool down. 

6. Once is cold take a couple of spoons of cream and fill the oval shaped pastries, one after another (about 2 cm in diameter). Then stick together the two parts giving the shape of half moon, like in the picture. 

7. Once they are all filled, place them on an oven tray and bake them for 8-10 minutes (200° C) at the most. You should have about 15 genovesi. 

8. Finally, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve while still warm. Enjoy!