Notes about Recipes in this book

• Apricot brioche (Brioche alla marmellata)

  • bwhip on March 15, 2026

    These were amazing. So good, ultra flaky. Really not that difficult to make, much easier than croissants. We made some with apricot jam, some with raspberry-chia seed jam. Next time I'll use a lower oven temperature. The recipe called for 435 degrees, and we found that they got quite dark before the inside was fully baked. For the last five or six minutes, after opening the oven to check them and lower the temp a bit, I reduced the temperature to 325 just to minimize further browning while they finished.

• Chocolate, orange, and hazelnut breakfast bread (Putizza)

  • Lepa on November 17, 2018

    I am Slovenian and this doesn't resemble any Potica I have ever eaten. It was good but had a bit too much going on for my taste. I think I prefer the traditional walnut filling. I made this last night, put it in the refrigerator for the second rise and baked it this morning. I haven't done this before and was pleased at how well it worked!

• Fennel seed and candied-peel yogurt cake (Ciambella allo yogurt con semi di finocchio e canditi)

  • Lepa on August 27, 2018

    I've spent years baking and looking for just this kind of cake. It is not too sweet, so it's suitable for breakfast. It has a lovely texture and a complex, interesting flavor. The fennel and candied peel make for such a beguiling combination. I did not ice the cake; I just dusted it with confectioner's sugar. This will certainly become part of my regular rotation. I finally have a good excuse for holding onto that little six cup bundt pan!

  • patioweather on December 29, 2020

    This was perfect for my small bundt. I am still not sure how I feel about the fennel seeds, but the candied orange peel is delightful. I had to cook longer than suggested but the outcome was the most perfectly textured cake.

• Fig and mascarpone cake (Torta di mascarpone e fichi)

  • Lepa on August 30, 2018

    This is another good breakfast cake. It is full of fruit and not too sweet. It was easy to whip together and very nice with my coffee this morning.

  • Nancy402 on August 26, 2019

    Delicious, very moist and very easy prep. Perfect dessert on a warm late summer evening when fresh figs are back in season.

• Olive focaccia bread (Focaccia alle olive)

  • Frogcake on April 21, 2018

    This is one of those back-pocket recipes that you can make anywhere, and adapt it to any ingredients you have on hand. I halved the recipe to enjoy with Mr. Frogcake. Made it to eat with the balsamic buffalo mozzarella app (Food52). Drizzled fine olive oil on top and sprinkled sea salt. Delicious in its simplicity!

  • nicolepellegrini on November 13, 2023

    Husband raved about this (nearly ate a whole loaf on his own the first night). Going to definitely make again/regularly (note to self not to stretch it out too thin to keep it soft and chewy).

• Roasted celery with cherry tomatoes and pancetta (Sedano al forno)

  • molly_03e1uw on March 17, 2026

    The celery was very bitter and stringy and unpleasant to eat. It could have been that my celery was inferior. The bacon and tomatoes were tasty, though.

• Gratin of fennel (Finocchio al latte)

  • Frogcake on January 19, 2019

    A memorable side-dish. Lovely medley of flavours. Served with kabobs and melting potatoes (Samarkand). It was a great dinner!

• Bigoli with creamy walnut sauce (Bigoli in salsa di noci)

  • Frogcake on April 08, 2019

    A unique and tasty pasta dish ,which comes together quickly. I used pecans instead of walnuts as I didn’t have any walnuts. Also added a teaspoon of lemon rind and about three generous pinches of sea salt. Would definitely make this again.

• Tagliolini with shrimp, zucchini, and saffron (Tagliolini con scampi, zucchine, e zafferano)

  • nicolepellegrini on March 06, 2021

    The flavors in this were excellent, but I thought the proportions were somehow off. Needed more oil and finishing cream to make a sauce, and less pasta to balance the amount of shrimp and zucchini. I'd made again because the flavors definitely made me think of Venice but I'd adjust it considerably.

  • ChelseaP on July 07, 2022

    This was a really nice pasta dish. I actually didn't have saffron and so omitted it, which probably made it not as special as it could have been. Next time I would definitely include it.

• Fennel risotto (Risotto di finocchio)

  • Frogcake on April 21, 2018

    A really lovely, tasty risotto. I used beef broth and tomato juice -five cups was sufficient for the arborio I used. I had gorgeous fennel fronds -I chopped up about half a cup and mixed it in with butter just before serving.

  • Pamsy on November 03, 2019

    Mr P suggests adding Pernod as the aniseed flavour in the fennel didn't come through. Perhaps because I blitzed the onion, garlic and fennel in the mini processor? Also added a grated courgette which gave nice little specks of green. Served with pan fried Sea Trout Fillets. Could also do Sea Bass. Worth repeating.

• Boiled eggs and anchovies (Uova e acciughe)

  • Lepa on August 28, 2018

    This is more of a serving suggestion than a recipe but it is a very nice way to dress up a boiled egg and I anticipate eating this frequently.

  • Cobden on September 04, 2021

    Very surprised, very tasty

• Joy the Baker

  ...is a love letter to a beautiful Italian city. The photographs are stunning and the recipes are seaworthy.

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• Eat Your Books

  All the magic of Venice captured in one beautiful volume.

  Full review