FFF's Brandy Balls

In our bible, anything that combines dark, bitter chocolate with a warming slosh of alcohol is a match made in heaven. We do love a traditional Christmas Rum Ball, but this year we thought we’d try our own riff on this plump little sphere of gooey goodness …

FFF’s Brandy Balls are much like a truffle and a doddle to whip up. Serve them to guests over the festive season, package up in pretty little confectionary cups and tissue lined boxes for a sweet Christmas gift … or you could channel The Grinch and hide them in your fridge* to gobble as the mood takes you… Enjoy!

FFF’s Brandy Balls
Makes about 25

• 100g butter, chopped
• 150g best quality dark chocolate (70-85% cocoa solids), chopped
• 1 cup icing sugar mixture**
• 1 cup finely ground almond meal
• 2 tablespoons best quality cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
• 1/2 cup desiccated coconut

Combine butter and chocolate in a double boiler pan over simmering water; stir over low heat until melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in sifted icing sugar mixture until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until cool.

Combine the almond meal and cocoa and stir through the mixture. Add brandy and vanilla and mix well. Pop back in the fridge until mixture is cold and able to be handled easily.

Roll heaped teaspoons of mixture into balls, then roll in the coconut and place on a tray. Cover and refrigerate until firm.

*These are best kept in the refrigerator. To serve, remove from refrigerator and allow to sit for 5 minutes.

**Icing sugar mixture is mixed with maize or tapioca starch, which cuts down on the sweetness. Pure icing sugar would be too sweet here.

FFF Guest Cook: author Natasha Lester and her beautifully Braised Chook

FFF contributor, author and chic mother of three, Natasha Lester this month released her first novel, What is Left Over, After. A former brand manager for Maybelline Cosmetics, Natasha would feed her family, tuck them into bed, then throw herself into her writing. The result is a gorgeously written, award winning novel that is deliciously gripping from the very first page. Here is a quick synopsis …

What is Left Over, After
In my defence I can only put forward this disclaimer: I don’t consider myself to be a promiscuous person. Promiscuity implies a degree of carelessness whereas I was always very particular about who I slept with.

When it comes to love, Gaelle is careful. But when it comes to friendship, her heart betrays her in unexpected ways. Gaelle flees her life with little more than her clothes, her camera and her cosmetics. In a tiny seaside town, she meets thirteen year old Selena whose friendship, unlooked for and unwanted, will help Gaelle face the legacy of a vagabond childhood and a charismatic but unreliable mother.

‘…this haunting, wise book heralds the arrival of a remarkable Australian talent.’  The Age

What is Left Over, After, winner of the 2008 TAG Hungerford Award for Fiction, is available from all good bookshops. You can also buy it online here.

Hoping that some of Natasha’s talent (and time management skills) might rub off, here is her quick and easy recipe for Braised Chicken. Enjoy!

Natasha’s Braised Chicken

• 4 free range chicken thigh fillets
• Flour
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1-2 carrots
• 10 mushrooms
• 2 cups stock (chicken or vegie)
• 1 tin of diced tomatoes
• Salt & pepper

Toss the chicken in seasoned flour then place in an oiled pan on medium heat. Brown the chicken on both sides then add the diced carrots and mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes then add the stock and tin of tomatoes. Turn heat to high and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for half an hour. Finish off by simmering uncovered for a further half hour. Delicious served with rice.

FFF Guest Chef: Fleur Wood & her Raspberry Eton Mess

Today designer Fleur Wood, an FFF after our own heart, gives us her recipe for Raspberry Eton Mess. Be sure to slip into your favourite bookstore and pick up a copy of Fleur’s new book, Food Fashion Friends. It’s an FFF Bible!

“Food Fashion Friends includes all my favourite recipes, but if I had to pick one that topped my list it would be the Raspberry Eton Mess. I have a real sweet tooth and dessert is one of those things I just can’t resist. I love the way the sugary meringue is balanced out by the tartness of the raspberries; it’s that sweet versus sour flavour that is just so irresistible. This dessert is fresh and light; perfect for after a heavy meal and its messy construction makes it even more enticing to dig in. Not to mention how easy it is to make and you can even cheat by buying the meringues but make sure you buy good quality. I had a lot of fun shooting the Eton Mess for the book as the Cloud 9 dinner party theme was so glamorous and indulgent.” —Fleur Wood

Fleur’s Raspberry Eton Mess

• 500 g raspberries
• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 110g (half cup) caster sugar
• 300 ml thickened cream

Meringue

• 2 egg whites
• 110 g (half cup) caster sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

For the meringue, beat the egg whites in a medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Slowly pour in the sugar, beating continuously, until the mixture is glossy and firm, then beat in the vanilla extract. Place tablespoons of the meringue mixture onto the prepared tray and bake for 1 hour or until crisp.

Turn off the oven, open the door slightly and allow to cool for 3-4 hours.

Place half the raspberries and the vanilla seeds, lemon juice and sugar in a food processor and process until smooth. Refrigerate until required.

Using a balloon whisk, whisk the cream in a large glass bowl until firm peaks form. Crumble the meringue onto the cream and fold through with the processed raspberries and whole raspberries (reserving some to garnish).

To serve, spoon into dessert glasses and garnish with raspberries.

FFF Guest Chef: Jean Brown's Amber Long & her Passionfruit curd and coconut tarts

Luxury retailer (think Lanvin, Louboutin and Celine) Jean Brown’s Amber Long is as keen on baking as she is great design. Throw on your Chloe, add an apron and whip up these sweetly delicious tarts. 

“I am a huge baker and find Women’s Weekly recipes the most reliable to produce results. I have been known to write to cookbook publishers if their recipes consistently don’t work out for me!  These tarts are absolutely delicious and the pastry recipe is the best I have found. I could eat passionfruit curd on toast for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so I recommend making double quantity of the curd for the jam jar (strain seeds for fussy children!).” Amber Long

Passionfruit Curd and Coconut tarts

• 1 3/4 cups plain flour
• 1/4 cup icing sugar
• 1/4 cup desiccated coconut
• 185 g cold unsalted butter, chopped coarsely
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons ice water, approx
• 1 small coconut
• Fresh whipped cream to serve

Passionfruit Curd

• 1/3 cup passionfruit pulp
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten lightly
• 125g unsalted butter, chopped coarsely

Make passionfruit curd: Stir ingredients in medium heatproof bowl over medium saucepan of simmering water about 10 minutes or until mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate overnight.

Process flour, sugar, desiccated coconut and butter until crumbly. With motor operating, add egg yolk and enough of the water to make ingredients come together. Turn dough onto floured surface, knead gently until smooth. Wrap pastry in plastic; refrigerate 30 minutes.

Grease two 12 hole (2 tablespoons) deep flat-based patty pans. Roll out half the pastry between sheets of baking paper until 5 mm thick. Cut out 12 x 7.5cm rounds; press rounds into holes of one pan. Prick bases of cases well with a fork. Repeat with remaining pastry. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200deg c.

Bake cases about 12 minutes or until browned. Stand cases 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool.

Increase oven temp to 240degc. Pierce one eye of the coconut using a sharp knife; drain liquid from coconut.  Place coconut on oven tray; bake about 10 minutes or until cracks appear. Carefully split the coconut open by hitting with hammer; remove flesh. Using vegetable peeler, slice half coconut flesh into curls. Roast coconut on oven tray about 5  minutes or until lightly browned.

Divide passionfruit curd into cases; top with coconut curls and serve with fresh whipped cream.

Chelsea De Luca's Gnocchi with bolognaise sauce

Jewellery designer Chelsea De Luca is as mad for food as she is beautiful bijoux. Today she gives us Monday night dinner, her grandmother’s special Gnocchi with bolognasie sauce. Serve with a side of marinated green beans, bruschetta, a good drop of vino and your very best jewellery. Buon Appetito! 

Chelsea De Luca’s gnocchi with bolognaise sauce
“This is my Nonna’s recipe and it conjures up gorgeous memories of me, as young as five, along with my sisters, sitting around the kitchen table rolling little bits of potato with flour everywhere and her telling us stories of when she was a little girl.” Chelsea De Luca

Gnocchi

• 500g (1lb) desiree potatoes (old and floury are best)
• 1 1/2 cups (200g) self raising flour, plus a little extra (ultra fresh for best results)
• 1 egg
• Pinch Sea Salt

Place peeled and quartered potatoes into a saucepan. Boil until very tender; drain well. Set aside until just cool enough to handle. Push potatoes through fine sieve into bowl.  Add sifted flour and salt, and lightly beaten egg; mix well. Season to taste with salt. Take quarter of mixture out on to lightly floured surface; knead for 2 minutes.

Roll into sausage shape on floured surface. Roll should be 2.5cm in diameter. Repeat with remaining dough.  If mixture is still sticky, add a little more flour (the amount of flour added is crucial — too much flour will make the cooked gnocchi heavy and tough, while too little flour will cause gnocchi to disintegrate during cooking). Cut rolls in 2.5cm lengths.

Roll each ball of gnocchi over the back of a lightly-floured fork, pressing gently with your index finger or thumb underneath as you go, to form a dent in the back of each one and fork marks on the other side, which gives the traditional gnocchi shape (and creates a textured surface, helping sauces to cling to cooked gnocchi).

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add 1/4 of the gnocchi. As they cook, gnocchi will rise to the surface of the water. Continue cooking gnocchi at the surface for about 10 seconds then remove with a large slotted spoon and drain well. Repeat with remaining gnocchi. Serve immediately, tossed together with your favourite sauce.

Serves 6

Bolognaise Sauce

• 60g butter
• Splash of good quality olive oil
• Splash of red wine
• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 500g minced veal
• 470g can whole tomatoes
• 2 tbls tomato paste
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 1 cup water
• 2 chicken stock cubes
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 4 sprigs of rosemary
• Salt, Pepper

Heat butter in frying pan, add peeled and chopped onion, crushed garlic and veal. Fry meat until golden brown. Add undrained mashed tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, water, crumbled stock cubes, sugar, rosemary, salt and pepper; mix well. Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer very slowly uncovered for 1 1/2 hours or until sauce is reduced and of a good thick consistency.

FFF Friday Flashback: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy

Like a tall glass of water, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy was the 90’s ultimate cool blonde. Like her mother-in-law before her, she was a style barometer who had us rethinking headbands, knee high boots and that clean, modern uncluttered style she did so well.

Wearing her favourite designers Calvin Klein, Narciso Rodriguez, Prada and Yohji Yamamoto she stuck to a strong palette of black, white and camel pulling together the same elements regardless of the occasion — tailored white shirt, long pencil skirt, flared and ankle grazing jeans, form fitting tees and sweaters, tailored pants and a myriad of perfectly fitted black and white dresses in silks, laces and wool.  She accented her look not with jewels, but with signature pieces so subtle, simplistic and effortless you almost didn’t see them from her pointy kitten heels and woolen pea coats to that immaculate red lip and always a perfectly maintained sheet of white blonde hair.

Were she alive today we wonder, at 44, how her personal style may have evolved. We would like to think she would be busily pulling together her wardrobe from the collections of Stella McCartney, Celine and Donna Karan(above), all of whom this season have, in some way, channeled her minimal, classic style. The low ponytail, headband, rouge lip, long boot and clean modern tailoring are CBK-chic to a T. 

Carolyn Bessette Kennedy was the ultimate blonde — in a nod to her we give you the ultimate Blondie via smittenkitchen

Blondies
Adapted from How to Cook Everything

• 8 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Butter an 8×8 pan. Mix melted butter with brown sugar – beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla.
Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in any additions (below).

Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350°F 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle. Always err on the side of caution with baking times — nobody ever complained about a gooey-middled cookie. Cool on rack before cutting them.

Further additions, use one or a combination of:

• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts, toasting them first for even better flavor
• 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon mint extract in addition to or in place of the vanilla
• 1/2 cup mashed bananas
• 1/4 cup bourbon, scotch or other whiskey; increase the flour by one tablespoon
• 2 tablespoons of espresso powder with the vanilla
• Stir 1/2 cup dried fruit, especially dried cherries, into the prepared batter
• Top with a vanilla butter cream or chocolate peanut butter cream frosting

Soup & sweaters

With sweater dressing still high on our our fashion priority list and cable knit sweaters strong on the F/W 2010 runways at both Prada (left) and Marc Jacobs, our minds turn to comfort food. The homiest and most comforting in our book is a wonderfully thick and delicious homemade soup. 

Recently we had a special lunch for our favourite minis and my clever friend Monique cooked Donna Hay’s Mushroom and onion soup served with blue cheese toast. As warm and comfy as a Prada cable knit sweater.

Mushroom and Onion Soup with Blue Cheese Toast

• 50g butter
• 200g Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
• 4 red onions, sliced
• 1 litre beef stock

• 8 slices sourdough baguette
• oilve oil, for brushing
• 120g soft blue cheese

Melt the butter in a saucepan over high heat. Add the mushroom and cook for 2 minutes or until browned. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion and cook for 5-8 minutes or until softened. Add the stock and cook for 10 minutes or until thickened slightly.

Place the bread on a baking tray and brush with oil. Grill (broil) under a preheated hot grill for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Spread with the blue cheese and serve with the soup. Serves 4.

Chic treats for your tummy and feet

With pretty ice cream pastels tempting our fashion taste buds this season, we are caving into our craving for anything deliciously icy and sweet. Our choice of treat for our feet? Balenciaga’s F/W colour block platforms. For our tummy, any of these creamy, icy desserts shall do.

From the top… Dulce de leche ice cream (pronounced “DOOL-say day LEY-chay) meaning ‘milky caramel’ in Spanish (NOTE: easy peasy to make — a great recipe via smittenkitchen), Green Apple Sorbet via latartinegourmande, Nigella’s no need for an ice cream machine No Churn Pomegranate Ice cream, divine blueberry ice cream via thedinnerfiles and pretty-as-a-picture pétale de rose et lychee with gaspacho de framboises via foodbeam.

Quick Bites: Rodarte swan (guess who?), the ultimate bag lady, Halle Berry, iced beetroot soup, Stella & paper frocks

• First images of Rodarte’s costumes for Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan (featuring a fiercely beautiful Natalie Portman) have been released. The film will open the Venice Film Festival on September 1. She is one chic bird.  fashionologie

• Check out the new campaign for Longchamp F/W 2010 featuring Kate Moss. Love! fabsugar.de

• Today’s need-it-now — Jill Dupleix’s Iced beetroot soup. Tastes amazing and a great colour to boot.  jilldupleix

• Halle Berry has been cast in the film Shoe Addicts Anonymous, an adaptation of the best-selling novel by Beth Harbison. More First Wives’ Club than Sex and the City, it is about four Chicago women who come together because they’re all obsessed with shoes and wear the same 7.5 size. wwd

• Stella McCartney is one step closer to redesigning the Royal Guards famous bearskin hats worn at Buckingham Palace. The new prototype will be made of plastic fibre.  Go Stella! vogue.uk

• How adorable are these paper dresses? Made by set designer Natalie Ferstendik from bespoke invitations by luxury stationery designer Ruth Kaye, these stylishly dressed mannequins represent Kaye’s new foray into youthful, stylish, everyday party invitations, paper napkins and homewares. vogue.uk

Quick Bites: Nana shoes, Mum & Mini bag, Banana Maple Upside-Down Puddings, Soup Nazi back in business

• Are Worishofers — the cork-soled saviour to the aching feet of grannies — the new cult footwear? Celebrities Maggie Gyllenhaal and Kirsten Dunst seem to think so. These nana style shoes, named after the Bavarian spa town where they are made (Bad Wörishofen), are enjoying an unlikely surge in popularity. Love or loathe them? dailymail

• We are loving this too cute and practical Reisenthel Motherchildbag, with handles for both mum and mini.

• It’s so cold at the moment, we need the kind of warmth and comfort that can only be provided by these delectable little Banana Maple Upside-Down Puddings courtesy of the gorgeous O Pistachio. Bottoms up!

• No show for you! Al Yeganeh — also known as the Soup Nazi after being immortalised in Seinfeld— reopened his original store on W.55th St NYC this week, but unfortunately for the snaking line of eager soup lovers, Al was a no show. Yeganeh’s Original Soup Man franchise now has stores in nine states, and he still oversees all recipes — but customers won’t see him serving up his famous soup and insults. Company president Bob Bertrand explains “He’s still the heart of the company, but he’s never gonna get back behind the counter and ladle soup, except as a guest.” Luckily his strict rules are still in force … 1. Pick the soup you want, 2. Have your money ready, 3. Move to the extreme left after ordering. Yes Sir! nydailynews

Raspberry and coconut loaf

Sometimes a piece of cake or sweet loaf is a non-negotiable. Exhibit A: when friends drop in for morning tea. You need a slice of home baked, welcoming goodness — that packet of store bought, sickly sweet biscuits is not going to cut it. And that’s where a great standby can step in and take charge.

So we give you Exhibit B: this super moist coconut loaf with a hint of sweetness, combined with the slightly sour kick of raspberries. Dust with a snowy blanket of powdered sugar, pop the kettle on and you’re in business.

Raspberry and coconut loaf

FFF note: We’d like to try this with crushed pineapple (and perhaps a sneaky nip of dark rum) in place of the raspberries, but that’s another tea party…

Ingredients (serves 8)

• 1 3/4 cups desiccated coconut
• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 2/3 cups self-raising flour
• 1 cup frozen raspberries
• pure icing sugar, to serve

Combine coconut and coconut milk in a large bowl. Cover and stand for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 170°C. Line base and sides of a 7cm-deep, 10.5cm x 20.5cm (base) loaf pan with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang at both long ends.

Using a metal spoon, stir sugar, egg and vanilla into coconut mixture. Sift flour over coconut mixture. Gently stir until combined. Fold in raspberries.

Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool loaf in pan for 10 minutes. Lift onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar and slice. Serve toasted, if desired.

Recipe via taste.com.au

Quick Bites: Dior socks it to us, Fresh Blueberry & Jam Tart, house envy, day glo nails, Gucci mini-models, honey truffle popcorn and the original rock chick

• Oh Dior! J’adore your thigh-high ribbed socks with loose devil-may-care bow. Warning: only for the slimmed pinned! browns

• Molly made this wonderful looking Fresh Blueberry and Jam Tart in her family cabin after being startled by a wild buck deer she suspects was nibbling at her wild blueberries (great story, worth a read!). Think fresh berries layered onto a jam-topped graham cracker crust. Easy peasy and crazy tasty. The ginger in the crust is optional, but terribly delicious thedinnerfiles

• Yep we’re green with envy. Check out this chic and fabulous house on Sweden’s largest Island Gotland.  Clean, white, classically modern yet totally livable. LOVE! emmasdesignblogg

• We are craving day glo nails. Particularly YSL nail lacquer in Ultra Orange. Finger licking fabulous. wmag

• Jennifer Lopez’s twins Max and Emme are the “spokes-mini-models’ for Gucci’s childrenswear range graziauk

• Model, mom, and veteran Rolling Stone wife, Patti Hansen saw her cool 50s upended by an unwelcome guest: cancer. Read this great story and drool over the fabulous photography by Annie Leibovitz vogueus

• Warning: One sniff of Red Pandora’s honey truffle popcorn and you’ll tear through the bag like a raccoon at a trash bash. dailycandy

FFF'S most desirable duo....

Arguably one of the most luxurious and delectable combinations in fashion and food must be the very desirable duo of chocolate and raspberry. 

Jean Paul Gauliter’s Fall 2010 Couture collection saw Gloria Swanson-inspired glamour in shades of milk and bitter chocolate. Topped off with this season’s must-wear rouge pout and rabbit ear shaped silk turbans in tones of raspberry and mocha, every piece looked good enough to eat. 

The perfect accompaniment to Gaultier’s culinary-esque couture? Chocolate Pavlova with Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse, Honey Roasted Peaches and Fresh Raspberries courtesy of the very clever
Meeta at whatsforlunchhoney.

Certainly a match made in heaven … cuisine or couture.

Quick Bites: Spatterware, chick-lit, Miu Miu replay, tropical punch earrings, Diane Kruger off-duty & Mango Slaw

• Anthropologie’s spatterware plates take their cue from the enamel-coated steel dishes traditionally associated with camping. Mix with silver and fine linens or with chunky vintage wood cutting boards and old linen dish towels used as napkins for a more rustic effect. voguedaily
• The ultimate chick-lit trifecta took place this week when Candace Bushnell, Cecily von Ziegesar and J. Courtney Sullivan convened at the Union Square Barnes & Noble to discuss their newest fiction books. Check out the fabulous Candace signing away copies of The Carrie Diary in Miu Miu. wmag
• Speaking of Miu Miu, which 3 magazines next month feature the same frock on their cover.  A fashion faux pas if ever we saw one!  dailymail
• We want these Erickson Beamon’s Tropical Punch Swarovski crystal earrings. So troppo and so delicious! net-a-porter
• Always divine and ever-inspiring, check out Diane Kruger’s off-duty wear. Loving the shrunken blazer, wide legged cuffed and cropped pants, fedora, downsized red bag and touch of animal print. So relaxed yet so chic. people 
• Can you think of a salad more refreshing than this? Mango slaw with cashews and mint. Think strips of mango, slivers of red pepper, red onion and mint, large toasted cashews and a spicy dressing with a lot of lime in it. Easy-peasy and totally fantastic. Check out the recipe at smittenkitchen

Quick Bites: Mad Man, GP in the kitchen, thought for the day, stylish Rice Pudd, Pop Culture & Chanel you can eat..

• Our favourite Mad Man Jon Hamm and Vicky Cristina Barcelona’s Rebecca Hall star in a gorgeously styled pictorial promoting the new Ben Affleck directed movie The Town. See the full story at wmag

• Meanwhile over at Vogue we are salivating over Gwyneth Paltrow’s chic Tribeca kitchen. Click the link for a behind-the-scenes interview with our ultimate FFF and Vogue’s August cover girl vogueus

• Thought for the day: “Applying makeup without a great brush is like trying to eat a meal without cutlery.” Christian Guglietta, Sisley international Makeup Artist. Amen to that. Click here for Christian’s FFF Last Supper. We want an invite!

• We are delightfully in love with this different take on a classic dessert favourite: Roasted Plum and Creamy Chai Rice Pudding. Tiny, tart and totally delicious, this is stylish comfort food if ever we saw it. Thank you mytartette

• The Dairy Godmotherhas launched a new line of artisanal popsicles — Pop Culture. Think icy cold treats in flavours like Vietnamese coffee, grilled pineapple pink peppercorn, and cantaloupe with mint chiffonade.  Lip smacking delicious and cool-to-boot!  dailycandy

• When fashion meets food. Marvel at graphic designer Fulvio Bonavia’s super clever photography in his new book “A Matter of Taste”.  Mulberry Chanel bag anyone? stylefrizz

Quick Bites: Madge the housewife, Papperdelle Alle Vongole, the next supermodel

• In the latest campaign for Dolce & Gabbana, Madonna plays a character inspired by her icon, Italian actress Anna Magnani. The campaign is supposed to take place in an unspecified city in Italy and “describe the beauty and simple family life of an ordinary woman with her different roles as mother, daughter, granddaughter, cousin, and sister.” nytimes

• Speaking of all things Italian, we are craving this Pappardelle Alle Vongole thanks to the talented Sommer at aspicyperspective. Check out her step-by-step instructions to a great version of this ultimate dish.

• The search is on for the next supermodel. The next Super-Soccer-Model that is … Beckham beware! The world cup has made anything with a ball hot hot hot, so get ready for an onslaught of smokin’ hot players gracing glossies and luxury ad campaigns soon. We’re quite partial to Gerard Pique of Spain, but you can pick your own dreamy team here. huffpost

Oh nuts!

My clever niece Pascale whipped up Nigella’s Union Square Cafe Nuts … and literally had us eating out of her hands! Whilst we may nibble nuts daily to keep hunger pains at bay, these hot, spicy-sweet treats are naughtier and absolutely addictive so do indulge on a less regular basis. 

Union Square Cafe Nuts

• 500g assorted unsalted nuts, including: peeled peanuts, cashews, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans and whole unpeeled almonds
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary (from 2 8cm sprigs)
• half tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 teasps dark muscavado sugar
• 2 teasps Malden salt
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 180C

Toss the nuts in a large bowl to combine and spread them out on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven till they become light golden brown, about 10 minutes. (Or make like Pascale and buy a bag of pre-roasted nuts).

In a large bowl, combine the rosemary, cayenne, muscavado sugar, salt and melted butter.

Thoroughly toss the toasted nuts with the spiced butter and serve warm.

Be warned: once you eat these, you will never want to stop!

Quick Bites: Miu Miu, Armani couverture, lavender lemonade, cuff love

• The Miu Miu A/W ’10 campaign was shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot … Mmm mm! The shoot took place in swinging London, home of Twiggy, the Beatles (almost) and Carnaby Street which, although they were in a photographers’ studio, has maybe influenced the vibe of the finished product. Delicious. graziauk

• Sweet news! Armani and Venchi, one of Italy’s market leaders in the high quality chocolate sector, are to collaborate on Armani/Dolci - a line of products including chocolate, pates de fruits, ice creams and panettone. Couture couverture is right up FFF’s alley! vogueuk

• We can’t think of a prettier drink to quench our thirst — Lavender Lemonade courtesy of the always delectable sundaysuppers

• We are still feeling fluro and have a bad case of cuff love so this Bex Rox neon cuff bangle is almost all we can think about. matches

Cake couture and dreaming of Dior

My sister-in-law Sadie is one stylish cook. Take a peep at the dreamy creation she made last weekend — chocolate and hazelnut cake iced in a chocolate gananche and crowned with a posy of pretty fushia roses.  Watching her whip it together, I couldn’t help but wistfully reflect on John Galliano’s couture collection for Dior. It too was a mix of rich, luxe, dreamy hues adorned with petals, ruffles and blossoms in the rosiest of shades. 

My only job was to slice and serve this gorgeous dessert and add a generous dollop of Frangelico cream on the side … which I prompty forgot. Luckily it was completely delicious all on it’s own …

Sadie’s Chocolate & Hazlenut Cake with Chocolate Ganache

• 250g butter
• 250g ground hazelnuts
• 250g dark chocolate
• 250g caster sugar
• 8 eggs separated

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C or 160 degrees C fan forced oven.

Melt butter and chocolate together. Beat egg yolks and sugar until creamy then fold in hazelnuts. Stir in melted chocolate mixture then beat egg whites and fold into mixture. Pour into lined tin and bake for 40-50 minutes. When out of the oven allow to cool in tin.

Chocolate Ganache

• 200g dark chocolate
• 150ml pouring cream
• 45g butter

Melt all ingredients together, stirring constantly. Pour over cake, and smooth to finish. 

FFF NOTES…  

This cake can be happily popped in the freezer and pulled out when needed.

This cake is best served with a boozy accompaniment like a thickened cream enhanced with a splash (or many) of Frangelico. Enjoy!

Quick Bites: Valentino misses the mark, ScarJoh sizzles, Chowder me happy

• Valentino finished up the pointy end of Paris Couture Week F/W 2011 with, to be honest, a fairly disappointing show (top). Creative directors’ Pier Paolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri helmed a collection that was classic but lacked inspiration, and judging by the runway pics — much of the finesse, cut and fit that was Mr Valentino’s infamous calling card. They managed to make rake thin models look thick waisted and frumpy, so one must ask … what hope would there be for the mere mortal? style.com

• On a much sexier note, screen siren Scarlett Johansson remains the pouting face of Mango, with some steamy looks for the Fall-Winter 2010-11 campaign. Looking good ScarJoh! mango.com

• We are craving this delicious Mussel, Leek and Bacon Chowder with religious zeal … perfect for chilly southern hemisphere eves snuggled up with the day’s papers, a good Sunday night movie and some Irish Soda Bread for mopping up scant remains. Who would want to leave the house with such warm temptation … thank you dinnerdujour.org