🎄 Join Our Christmas Cook-Alongs and Share the Joy of Italian Traditions!
On December 8th, on a free cook along, we will be baking together two of the most famous Sienese Christmas treats to add to your Christmas cookie box: panforte and cavallucci.
Livia begged us to decorate the Christmas tree earlier than usual this year. So, on Sunday, we embarked on that familiar ritual that marks the true start of the holiday season. Hunched over in the attic, we searched through boxes and bags stashed away with a sigh of relief 11 months ago. Then, with an overexcited 4-year-old in tow, dragging a bag on each side like a seasoned shopaholic, we descended the stairs and entered the world of Christmas once again.
I put on some Christmas music and, for the next hour, we were wrapped in nostalgia. Each ornament brought with it a story: a bright yellow Snoopy bauble bought in Berlin, a delicate glass mushroom found in Antwerp with my friend Regula Ysewijn, a decorated ceramic bell from Siena.
For the first time, Livia seemed to understand the significance of these small treasures, and proudly showed us the ornaments she’d made at daycare two years ago with Tommaso.
And then, as if sensing the moment was complete, she made a simple request: to sit together in front of the glowing tree, a bowl of taralli in hand, just to enjoy the lights. It was such a beautifully ordinary moment. She is, without a doubt, my daughter.
So, if Livia says it’s time, let it be Christmastime! Let’s start the celebrations here at Letters from Tuscany.
This December, I’m thrilled to invite you to not one but two festive cook-alongs!
Whether you cook side by side or simply join for the chat, you’re doing much more than participating in a class—you’re supporting the heart and soul of Letters from Tuscany. Every time you join, you cast a vote of confidence in the value of this project and its ability to bring a little piece of Tuscany into your home.
🗓 Sunday, December 8th | 9:00 pm CET | 3:00 pm EST | 12:00 pm PST
This session is free for all subscribers, my heartfelt gift to you, a taste of a monthly cook along. Together, we’ll bake two beloved Sienese Christmas treats:
Panforte – A dense, spiced, nut-filled specialty bread, the symbol of the Sienese Christmas.
Cavallucci – Rustic, spiced cookies with candied fruit, perfect for your Christmas cookie box.
There’s no Christmas in Siena and in my family without these treats. They are all easy to make, and will last for weeks: make them now, and give them for Christmas as unique, Italian-inspired homemade gifts to your loved ones.
🗓 Sunday, December 15th | 9:00 pm CET | 3:00 pm EST | 12:00 pm PST
This exclusive event for paid subscribers will be an intimate Christmas cook-along where we’ll prepare a festive menu:
Roasted stuffed pork loin, with chestnuts and apples. My signature dish dressed up for the holidays.
Baked fennels, with lemon, garlic, and pecorino. A versatile side dish that can easily take center stage with some crusty bread.
Raw fennel salad, with oranges and black olives. A bright, refreshing winter salad, perfect served along pork loin.
Keep your eyes peeled for the recipes and the link to join the cook-along next week. And, as you requested in the chat, I’ll also share a Tuscan-inspired Yule Log recipe, which nearly became our feature for the subscribers-only cook-along. Keep an eye out for this festive dessert inspiration!
Let me know in the comments if you will be there!
Give the Gift of Tuscany
Before diving into the details of our first December cook-along, let me share a little idea for this Christmas: what if you gifted yourself, or someone you love, a subscription to Letters from Tuscany?
I often dream of welcoming you all to my Tuscan kitchen. Picture this: a cup of espresso and a slice of warm apple cake waiting for you, hands dusted with flour as we knead pasta dough together, the comforting scent of something delicious bubbling away on the stove. We’d linger at the table, sharing a hearty meal, swapping favorite cookbook titles, and talking about life, food, and everything in between.
While I know it’s not always possible to meet in person, a subscription to Letters from Tuscany is the next best thing. It’s an invitation to bring a little piece of Tuscany into your home—a year filled with the joy of cooking, insider glimpses into the culture and traditions of this land, and plenty of opportunities to cook together during our monthly live sessions.
Here’s a 20% discount on the yearly membership, valid until December 9th.
And here’s something I’m truly excited to share: starting in January, I’ll be launching a brand-new column called A Year in a Tuscan Cooking School.
Every month, I’ll take you behind the scenes of my cooking school, offering a glimpse of the beauty and rhythms of life here in Tuscany. I’ll share the treasures I find at the local market, the unforgettable stories of the people I meet during classes, and recipes inspired by the freshest seasonal ingredients.
This column will be more than a monthly update—it will have the breath, time, and space of a cookbook. Each story and recipe will unfold at its own pace, allowing me to dig deeper into the essence of Tuscan cuisine, culture, and the rhythms of the seasons.
As we approach the final stages of our next cookbook, I can already feel the familiar tingle of anticipation—the urge to dive into a new adventure, to craft something meaningful. This column feels like the beginning of a book I’ll be writing with you, and for you.
This Christmas, why not gift a year of good food, shared moments, and Tuscan inspiration? It’s a way to celebrate the art of cooking and the beauty of connection, one recipe and story at a time.
If you’d like to buy a year’s Letters from Tuscany membership as a gift for friends or family, remember that you can schedule the gift to reach them on the day you choose, making it a surprise Christmas gift.
How to join our free December Cook-Along.
🗓 Sunday, December 8th | 9:00 pm CET | 3:00 pm EST | 12:00 pm PST
Click on this here to join us on Zoom, for free.
Meeting ID: 853 3668 9440
Passcode: 814262
Make ahead of our Cook-Along:
Read the recipes thoroughly to ensure you have all the ingredients and equipment you’ll need.
Prepare your mise-en-place: measure and organize all the ingredients into separate bowls and have them ready at your workspace.
Invite your friends and family to enjoy the Christmas treats, or have ready bags and ribbons to gift-wrap them.
What we will be baking together:
Panforte
This dense, spiced, nut-filled specialty bread is now the symbol of the Sienese Christmas. You can purchase artisanal panforte from local pastry shops. My favourites are those at Buti, Pasticceria delle Campane, and Manganelli in Siena.
You can find the recipe and the ingredients here (the recipe is usually paywalled, but I opened it for everyone until the Cook Along). I’ll be making half a dose of panforte and adjust the pan accordingly (I will use a 10cmx10 cm springform pan).
Cavallucci
Among Siena’s most traditional Christmas cookies, cavallucci are not elegant or photogenic, lacking the bright colours, icing, and sparkling sugar we expect from a Christmas cookie. Nor do they come in Christmas shapes: they’re round and rustic, lightly flattened on the ends, floury and a bit lumpy. And yet, with that first bite full of warm spices, rich nuttiness, and sweet candied fruit, you’ll forget all about the presentation.
You can find the recipe and the ingredients here (the recipe is usually paywalled, but I opened it for everyone until the Cook Along). I’ll be making half a dose, but this is easily scalable.
Buongiorno! Yes, I hope to join you this Sunday for your spectacular sounding cook along. I’m currently in Toronto with family. Though we have an olive grove in the hills of Monte San Savino where we have launched a small
Artists residency. Maybe we can collaborate next year. If you’d like to learn more: www.tuscancreativelab.com
Buon Natale!
Did I miss how to join today’s cooking class?