Italian Coastal by Amber Guinness
Italian Coastal, by Amber Guinness, is a collection of her favourite recipes and stories—an enchanting journey across the shimmering waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Photography: Saghar Setareh & Amber Guinness
Whole sea bream cooked ‘in parcels’ with lemon, thyme and olives from Italian Coastal.
Blackberry granita from Italian Coastal.
Italian Coastal by Amber Guinness is out now.
‘Some of the recipes in this book have been shared by some wonderful locals I met over the years and so I have tried to stay as true to the original as possible while also making them accessible to the home cook,’ says Amber Guinness. Photo above & main hero image: Amber Guinness
Amber Guinness is an English cook and food writer who lives in Florence, Italy. Amber was born in London but raised at Arniano, in a Tuscan farmhouse her parents restored near Siena.
Amber's first book, A House Party in Tuscany, featured recipes and stories from her internationally acclaimed residential painting school at Arniano. Her latest, and second, cookbook Italian Coastal, is a journey to the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea, via plates of pasta, baked fish and glasses of peach-laced white wine.
In Italian Coastal, Amber travels from the Tuscan coast down through Lazio and Campania via Naples and the Amalfi Coast and on to northern Sicily. Along the way, Amber delves into the history, stories and flavours that have come home to her kitchen and shaped her food philosophy. ‘In this collection of recipes and stories, I hope to transport you to the shimmering waters of the Tyrrhenian,’ shares Amber.
Across its chapters, Amber shares her favourite recipes, inspired by the markets and food of summer holidays by the beach. Her quest for maximum flavour with minimal effort shines through in sixty delicious and achievable recipes focused on authentic coastal Italian cuisine: crostini with ricotta and ‘nduja, zucchini and mint lasagne; tomato linguine with capers; seabass with pistachio and almonds; Neapolitan vinegary fried zucchini; potato and caper salad from Salina; raspberry tiramisu and the ultimate Amalfi lemon cream cake.
Below we share a recipe from the new cookbook: flourless lemon and almond cake with chocolate ganache.
This is an edited extract from Italian Coastal by Amber Guinness—published by Thames & Hudson Australia. Purchase the book online now here.
‘The food of the Tyrrhenian is as varied as the places that make it special. The cuisine of the Maremma differs from that of the Amalfi Coast, just as food in Ponza differs from that in Sicily. There are great distances between these regions but they are united by the same sea, and by their climate and soils, so inevitably many of the same things grow all along Italy’s western coast and its islands.’ Photo: Saghar Setareh
Hasselback ‘hedgehog’ potatoes from Italian Coastal. Photo: Saghar Setareh
“In this collection of recipes and stories, I hope to transport you to the shimmering waters of the Tyrrhenian via plates of pasta, baked fish and glasses of peach-laced white wine.”
‘I was brought up in southern Tuscany, so have always lived close to the Tyrrhenian,’ says Amber Guinness. Photo: Amber Guinness
Flourless lemon and almond cake with chocolate ganache – recipe below. Photo: Saghar Setareh
FLOURLESS LEMON & ALMOND CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE
Torta caprese al limone con ganache al cioccolato
This is a lemon version of the famous chocolate almond tort from the island of Capri. I love its nutty citrusy notes, particularly when paired with the smooth, velvety chocolate ganache. Whenever I see a lemon caprese on a restaurant menu I will order it, but am often downcast if the cake isn’t lemony enough, which is partly why I started making it for myself at home and why this recipe calls for the zest of five lemons. It also just happens to be gluten-free.
Serves 8
Preparation 25 minutes, plus cooling time
Cooking 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
butter, to grease the tin
100 g (3 1/2 oz) blanched hazelnuts
75 g (2 3/4 oz) white chocolate, broken into pieces
25 g (1 oz) cornflour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of sea salt
200 g (7 oz) caster sugar, plus 1 tablespoon, extra
200 g (7 oz) ground almonds
4 organic eggs, separated
grated zest of 5 lemons
juice of 1/2 lemon
90 g (3 oz) unsalted butter, melted
GANACHE
100 g (31/2 oz) dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
150 ml (5 fl oz) double cream
1 tablespoon caster sugar
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) fan-forced. Butter a round 20 cm (8 inch) cake tin and line the base with baking parchment.
In a food processor blitz the hazelnuts, white chocolate, cornflour, baking powder, salt and 1 tablespoon of caster sugar until roughly ground. Tip into a bowl, mix in the ground almonds and set aside.
Using handheld electric beaters, whisk the egg yolks, lemon zest and remaining sugar until thick and pale. Mix in the lemon juice and ground almond mixture. Pour over the melted butter to help the mixture come together more easily.
Whisk the egg whites until medium stiff peaks form, adding the extra tablespoon of sugar halfway through. Using a clean metal spoon, gently fold the egg whites into the almond mixture, bit by bit.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean(ish). If it comes out covered in batter, bake for another 5 minutes and test again. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 45–60 minutes before turning out onto a serving plate.
About 15 minutes before you turn out the cake, make the chocolate ganache. Place the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, gently heat the cream and sugar, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a simmer, then immediately remove from the heat. You don’t want the cream to boil or it will split the ganache.
Pour the hot cream over the chocolate in the bowl and leave to sit for 2 minutes, then whisk thoroughly until thick and glossy. Let the ganache cool for
10 minutes – it should be a loose but spoonable consistency that won’t run down the side of the cake.
Gradually spoon the ganache into the centre of the cake and smooth it out to the side using a spatula or the back of a spoon. Cut into slices and serve. The cake will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.