Benvenuto Moscow Italian restaurant

This place I just have to write about. Since Benvenuto Italian restaurant opened next to my parents house in Moscow several years ago it became our all time favorite for a family meal out. And it still is today. There is something about its hospitality, comfortable sofas and food that we just can't let go.
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Polish style szarlotka (apple pie)

I used to think I’m not someone who easily gets provoked. However after this article in NY Times Dining made me cook I’m not that sure any more. The result was that I discovered a delicious apple pie which is very different from whatever I tried before. Given that I’m a complete apple pie freak and try different apple pastry wherever I find it, I feel impressed and simply happy about it.
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Zu cafe - Moscow Asian restaurant

Since I moved closer to my job I see my parents way less often than I'd like to. To compensate for this I started meeting my dad on the weekends. Last time while we were looking for an interesting place to go my colleague suggested Zu cafe. It turned out a relatively recent Asian restaurant on Novy Arbat (there are also more branches, e.g. one in European trade center). Their chef is from Shanghai. The idea was to make a pan-Asian restaurant with healthy food.
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Broccoli and Brie cheese gratin

This broccoli and Brie cheese gratin came to mind spontaneously last weekend. Unlike many "on the go" simple foods I make for myself this I don't want to go unnoticed. It made a beautiful, simple and delicious dinner. Together with a glass of cider it even made me nostalgic about France. You just need to like both broccoli and cheese to enjoy as much as I did.
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My cookbooks shelf

My birthday of this year turned out very happy. I did have to realize I wasn't 25 any more but that didn't matter because when I woke up my inbox was full of warm greetings. I came to work and saw beautiful smiles of my colleagues saying happy birthday. Three red roses appeared on my kitchen table and they are still there getting more and more pretty each next day. And on top of all that my lovely parents presented to me three precious new and shiny cookbooks I kept dreaming about for months.
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My favorite books about food

These are some of the food books I really love. Amazing life stories, food travel guides and fiction books that connect food to people's feelings in a way that I start believing these are not really separable. Be careful with them. You might end up believing it too.
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Half-a-teaspoon: custards and icings class

I was lucky to make it to the custards and icings class at half-a-teaspoon, which turned out the last one Алена Спирина taught this year. I'm so crazy about custards in general that the topic itself turned me on immediately. I enjoyed the class a lot and got deeply sad I'll have to wait till next autumn for more classes.
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Spicy hot cake with sticky toffee sauce

Last weekend I made this Nigella's Spicy hot cake. I knew I'll have to make it once I saw the video of her making it. The batter goes into the baking dish, lots of muscovado sugar goes on top and - oops - all that goes flooded by boiling water from the kettle. But magic! - a great looking pudding in boiling sticky toffee sauce comes out of the oven.
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