Hello,
I hope this finds you well and in good spirits.
Over the past two months, we were in good company here in Tuscany. ‘Caronte’ paid us another long visit, leaving us all sweltering. If you’re wondering who Caronte is, let me explain. Caronte is the name given to the relentless heat wave that lingered with us for about six weeks. In Greek mythology, Charon (or Kharon) is the ferryman of the underworld, his role is to escort the souls of the deceased across the rivers Acheron, from the world of the living to the afterlife.
Since 2012, Italy has often used the name Caronte to describe particularly intense summer heat waves, symbolizing the journey into the heart of a scorching summer.
I first learned about Caronte when I was in school, and his image—a rough old man with wild, white hair and beard, carrying such a heavy task—always scared me.
We studied him in some of the most significant works like Virgil’s Aeneid and Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. His role as the ferryman of the underworld, guiding souls to their final destination, left a lasting impression on me!
We tried to survive the hottest hours by escaping to the beach, to our favorite spot where even during peak season there are few tourists. Sometimes, there was only one solution: ice cream. Summer is ice cream season, although, for Arnaud, it’s a year-round treat, even at 7:00 am in winter.
We hosted some wonderful in-person cooking classes, and I could virtually travel from the US to Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand and across Europe. It’s always so interesting to hear other people’s stories while cooking with them and making new connections.
One of the highlights of the past months was also having dinner with friends, under the Tuscan stars. Arnaud added a touch of magic by spreading little lights around the garden, making those peaceful, cool hours with friends and good wine all the more special.
Class replay video on demand. Do you want to give it a try?
Speaking of ice cream season, I taught live via Zoom, how to make one of my favorite Italian classic desserts, Semifreddo al cioccolato, or frozen chocolate mousse. It’s a rich and decadent treat to make when it’s hot and you don’t feel like turning on your oven. Between a gelato and a mousse, in this class, I’ll show you a very simple method to make semifreddo without eggs or an ice cream machine.
Key Ingredients
- dark chocolate bars
- heavy cream
- sweetened condensed milk
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- chocolate in strips, ribbons or curls, strawberries or other red fruit
- caramelized nuts
▶︎ Sign up now and cook with me for only $10
If you want to cook this recipe with me, you can sign up here to watch this class on demand. We strive to keep things as free as possible, and your contribution will support our small business. In today’s challenging world, every bit of help makes a big difference for people like us. Grazie!
When you sign up, you will get:
- List of ingredients and tools, and a very detailed recipe.
- Lifetime access to a 1-hour instructional video replay with my tips and tricks to cook anytime later.
Want to try a live class? Access the rest of our live classes from this season here.
Let me tell you a story…
In the first class of Season 15, I taught a summer eggplant pesto pasta recipe live from under the Tuscan sky. During class, we also shared an interesting story about pasta and Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States. Jefferson was a well-known foodie and wine enthusiast. During his time as the U.S. ambassador to France and on his travels to Italy, he developed a deep appreciation for European cuisine, especially Italian pasta, influencing American cuisine with European culinary traditions.
During a trip to Naples (my hometown) in 1787, Jefferson was fascinated by the pasta-making process, especially the “bronze man” press. He was so impressed that he brought a copy of the press back to the U.S. and documented the macaroni-making process in his notebook, which is now preserved in the Library of Congress (see the photo above). He noted that ”the best macaroni in Italy is made with a special flour called semola in Naples.”
After this trip, he imported the first pasta-making machine to America, likely the first of its kind in the U.S. His enthusiasm for pasta was so great that he often served it at official White House dinners during his presidency.
Jefferson was firmly convinced that macaroni could become an economical, democratic, and healthy food for the American people. I totally agree with him and we can place him among the great testimonials of pasta!
That’s all from now, my dear friend. Stay tuned for more updates, and please feel free to reach out with any questions, feedback, or suggestions for the future.
Love from Tuscany,
Chicca
