Spain - Lunch - Tortilla Española

When I went to Madrid, we went to this little café called Emma's. It was about 12:00, so we were the only ones there since the Spanish eat lunch so much later than Americans. The café had just opened, and the waiters seemed a little weirded out that we were there, but we ordered anyways. After our meal, the owner, whom we befriended, gave us free Tortilla Española. I didn't know what it was at the time, but it was delicious and I ate every bite. Recently, I went to a café in Cambridge with some friends and one of them got Tortilla Española. As soon as I saw it, I knew that's what I was served in Spain! Here is my recreation, using this recipe. 

Japan - Breakfast - Japanese Pancakes

Before researching recipes for this project, I had never heard of Japanese pancakes before in my life. I was skeptical at first, but was blown away by how good they taste. Japanese pancakes are very different from traditional American pancakes. They are taller, sweeter and have a texture very similar to a crumpet. Even without the egg rings the recipe calls for, the pancakes are still very thick and need to be cooked all the way through, but I highly recommend the egg rings, or cookie cutters in my case, they make the pancakes so cute and stackable!

Spain - Dessert - Flan de Café

I've never had flan before, but I've always wanted to try it, so my senior project provided the perfect opportunity. After following this recipe, I had coffee flan! Coffee is one of my favorite flavors to incorporate into baking, and it's so easy. Just add a little bit of instant coffee or espresso, or Kahlua, and your final product will have a little kick to it.

Spain - Breakfast - Chocolate con Churros

When I first went to Spain, everyone in our group got churros! They're so crispy and delicious, especially when dunked in chocolate sauce. Unfortunately, they are not very healthy because they are fried in oil. I found a great recipe for baked churros here, which take out the frying step and instead have you put them in the oven to bake. It took me a few tries to perfect, but the end result was incredible. If you want to have traditional churros, just follow the same steps but instead of baking them, fry them at 350 degrees in oil until they turn golden brown and crispy!

France - Dinner - French Onion Soup

When I had dinner at the oldest restaurant in Paris, À La Petite Chaise, they served me French onion soup as a starter. I had had Panera's French onion soup before, but nothing compares to the warm, gooey goodness that I ate that night! Since then, I have sampled French onion soups whenever I can, so it was a no brainer to include it as a part of my senior project. This recipe was so simple to follow and turned out very well. If you have extra at the end, I love to put the onions in between a French baguette with extra cheese and a little bit of the broth for a French onion soup sandwich!

France - Breakfast - Croissants

When I went to France for the first time, I had croissants every morning for breakfast! They, along with crêpes, coffee and macarons, are available virtually on every street corner in Paris. Even though nothing can compare to an authentic Parisian croissant, homemade ones are a perfect substitute and a lot cheaper than a plane ticket to Paris. I've always wanted to try and make croissants myself, but the meticulous preparation French food requires always scared me off; however, this recipe I am following breaks down the process very well, and even though it still takes a long time (give the whole process a full day and the next morning), the end product is so worth it. Bon chance et bon appetit!

France - Breakfast - Spinach and Gruyère Quiche

When I first went to Paris and had my first dinner, I had quiche as my first course. Since then, it's been one of my favorite meals. I get it every time I see it on a restaurant menu, and really enjoyed making my own for my family. You can put whatever you want in your quiche, but personally I love to put cheese, onions and spinach in mine. Quiche can be for breakfast, lunch, brunch or dinner depending on what you put in it, so you can just use the egg mixture as a base. I used this recipe, which made the whole process very simple, but if you wanted to have quiche spur of the moment, just use a ready made pie crust.

Italy - Dessert - Chocolate Gelato / Affogato al Caffè

In my hometown in Connecticut, there used to be this little gelato shop right next to our favorite Italian restaurant. When I was little, I went there and had gelato for the first time! Needless to say, my life was changed forever. Being a chocoholic (it runs in the family), I got chocolate gelato. I've always wanted to make my own, but having no ice cream maker discouraged me to try. I found this recipe from food.com and decided to give it a try for my senior project. To finish, I made my gelato into affogato al caffè, which is espresso poured over a scoop of gelato. When I was in Washington D.C. this fall, I had affogato for the first time and fell in love. I hope you do too!

France - Dessert - Chocolate Meringue Cookies

I added this recipe to my repertoire after making the gelato. I had 5 eggs worth left of egg whites, and my mom said I could make meringue cookies. Growing up, we always had coffee meringue cookies lying around the house, and once in a while my mom would give me one as a treat. You can make any flavor out of the meringue base, but because I am a chocoholic, I decided to do chocolate (adapted from this recipe). If you want, add some espresso powder for mocha, chocolate chips or just have them as plain vanilla! I'm sure lemon juice would make a nice lemon meringue, along with other fruit extracts. Meringue cookies are so, so easy to make and super fun to. I love whipping them up and seeing the peaks form. The photos don't do them justice!

Italy - Dinner - Mushroom Three Cheese Quinoa Risotto

Pasta is by far my favorite thing to eat, but it's full of carbs and not very healthy (I still have it every friday night religiously with my family, often with my mom's homemade red sauce). But on other nights, quinoa is a nice substitute for pasta, including risotto. If you don't know, quinoa is the only grain that has protein and can be used in a variety of ways. It's also very high in fiber, is gluten free and is loaded with good antioxidants and minerals. I followed this recipe by Mark Bittman from The New York Times for a very yummy dinner!

France - Lunch - Brie Apple Honey Crêpes

I've always loved French food, especially crêpes. My friends and I are constantly scouting the greater Boston area for crêpe places, and we haven't been disappointed. The only problem is, they aren't the healthiest option. Several years ago, I discovered this recipe from the fitness blogger Blogilates that makes the crêpe batter so much healthier and cheaper! I love this recipe for breakfast and lunch, and you can fill it with anything you like. For lunch, we're going to fill it with brie and apples, one of my favorite combinations.

Italy - Lunch - Pomodoro alla Maresi

One summer in New Jersey, my mom and I were inspired by a family friend's use of burrata in a dinner we had together. If you've never heard of burrata, you're not alone. That dinner was the first time I had it! Burrata is essentially mozzarella balls stuffed with ricotta cheese. Our friend put the burrata on tomato slices with balsamic and basil, and it was delicious! We decided to take her recipe and give it a Maresi twist. My mom (whose name is Estella Maresi, hence Pomodoro alla Maresi) invented this recipe off the top of her head the next day, and it has become one of our summer favorites. This recipe tastes best when using fresh produce, but those are hard to find at this time of year.

Italy - Breakfast - Espresso Biscotti & Honey Vanilla Latté

To kick off my senior project, I'm cooking for the culture that inspires my family cooking the most: Italy. 

Italian cuisine is characterized by its simplicity, valuing the quality of the ingredients over elaborate preparation. In the summer, my mom and I would always go to an Italian grocer called Joe Leone's in New Jersey. We would sample everything and go home with bags of cheese, wine, chocolate, vegetables and various meats. The one food that I loved to sample the most were the sweets, including biscotti. Combined with my favorite drink and a key Italian ingredient, coffee, biscotti is an amazing breakfast option! Though it may not be the healthiest, it's a great morning pick me up, especially since this recipe stuffs it with extra espresso powder and chocolate colored espresso beans.