Tiramisu at Midnight.
Happy September! On the original pick-me-up, and eating dessert straight from the box.
This week’s header comes with apologies to food writer , whose wonderful Tortellini at Midnight is on our kitchen bookshelf.
(And more about Emiko, and reading cookbooks like memoirs, in a moment).
But back to tiramisu.
“The name says it all. Tirami-su means “pick me up”. It means that if you’re feeling down, listless … this dessert will lighten your spirits.”
—Sophia Loren, Recipes and Memories.
And so it was that, on Friday night, I found myself standing in front of our open fridge, eating tiramisu at midnight. Straight from the box.
As I explained in my last post, we’ve had a sad, hard few weeks here — and thank you for all your kind thoughts, prayers and messages, we’ve felt them all! But, in true “both/and” tradition, there have been some beautifully timed joys, too - our eldest returning home after years away at university, and a milestone-y wedding anniversary for Will and I.
So, shop-bought tiramisu and New York cheesecake were the order of the weekend, when no one had the energy to bake but the urge to celebrate and be thankful for the good things, too.
Sophia Loren dedicates Recipes and Memories (long out of print, but you can still track down copies) to her Nonna Luisa, “not only for the many things I’ve learned from her, but for her ability to transform even the most ordinary food into something delectable.” Her take on tiramisu, though, came via Sophia’s Italian-American secretary.
Nevertheless, a tray of factory-made tiramisu, with its perfectly uniform peaks, will always remind me of one of the first summers we took our youngest to visit my birth papa and the family in Italy. One evening, papa, with full Tour Guide Mode activated (it always was), insisted on taking us to a friend’s restaurant a few miles along the Ligurian coast from our small town.
On our arrival, the centre seemed pretty quiet (maybe it was a Sunday or public holiday - I don’t remember). Crossing the cobbled street, it was clear that the restaurant, its shutters pulled down, was closed.
Not to be deterred (he never was), papa buzzed the intercom, announced our arrival and got his friend, the owner, to open just for us.
All I remember about the meal was the joy and pride on papa’s face as he watched the granddaughter he adored power through her first tiramusu, which she picked out from the dessert selection in the restaurant’s tall freezer. The original pick-me-up pudding remains her favourite, and she makes a mean one herself.
I can’t get enough of the kind of cookbooks that read like memoirs, illustrated by family stories and photos that transport you to the location that inspired them. Homes with billowing curtains and kitchens with porcelain sinks and bottles of washing up liquid jostling for position next to the extra virgin olive oil.
So I couldn’t be more excited that two of my favourite writers, Tessa Kiros and Emiko Davies have new books coming out this month (links go to their instagrams, because, well, also obsessed).
More about Tessa’s Now and Then: A Collection of Recipes for Always and Emiko’s Gohan: Everyday Japanese Cooking: Memories and stories from my family's kitchen — soon.
Thinking of all things Italy, have you seen the new Blue Zones series on Netflix?
I’ve been following writer and researcher Dan Buettner on Insta for some time now, so was all in to watch his deep-dive into the habits, diets and notably longer lives of those living in the so-called Blue Zones around the world.
What’s striking is how much seems to come down to community, face-to-face connection and faith. I’m just one episode in — we watched the one about Sardinia and also Okinawa, Japan, at the weekend — and I’m hooked. (There’s a cheat sheet here).
If you’re a fan of all things Med-living and Blue Zones, I think you might love
on Substack, by Alki Gerassimou - just reading about her gorgeously photographed travels, feels like a mini-break. Go, soak up some end-of-summer sun!Finally, all of that talk of tiramisu reminded me of something I posted to Insta a couple of summers back, of Bar Italia in Soho — a London landmark where I spent a disproportionate amount of time in my twenties — when my daughter and I got TIRAMISU IN A COFFEE CUP.
What a sweet post! Thank you so much for mentioning The Blue Memo! What a treat 🙏🏻💙 And by the way, I made tiramisu last week after an 8 year break from it! And two nights ago I made Tessa Kiros’ Orange Semolina Cake. Both delicious 🤤
I just finished watching through the Blue Zones series this weekend - fascinating!
And ditto to what Sue shared about a memoir centered around food and family stories sounding right up your alley 💖