Madeleines are delicious with a cup of coffee, or we can dip them in tea while indulging in the Proustian search of lost time.

Even though I have reservations about new materials, I do use silicone bakeware and moulds sometimes. The advantage being that there’s no need to grease them, and they provide a nice design – such as the ribbed shell imprints, typical for madeleines. As the silicone is soft and cools right after being removed from the oven, the cakes can be taken out of the moulds in one peace easily. Still, tin moulds have their own charm.

Gelu di muluna, a jellied watermelon pudding, is a summer dessert traditionally made on the 15. of August to celebrate Ferragosto, and is also popular during the Saint Rosalia – the patron saint of Palermo – celebrations a month earlier. The chilled dessert is garnished with small chunks of dark chocolate resembling the watermelon seeds, and with chopped pistachios representing the green watermelon rind.

This pastry helped us win over the husband of our good friend – with it, we can still ‘bribe’ him for many a favour. In return for a tin of the poppy cakes, he will take care of anything in the house – while us girls engage in our chats, saving the world. We used the poppy from their garden, and for the first time in my life I got the chance to see how it ripens. A lot of grey poppy heads had to be emptied for the 200 grams of poppy seeds!