Eccomi! Apologies for the recent lull on this blog, but things have been busy around here. The workload for my 9-5 job has suddenly and swiftly picked up, and I’ve been spending evenings focusing on one of the goals I set for myself in 2021, expanding my food writing further and putting together pitches for a few sites (first success here!) All of this, plus the Lazio region has now been categorized as zona gialla, yellow zone, meaning that bars and restaurants are allowed to remain open until 10pm, and seating is allowed (!!!) as long as aforementioned seating is all’aperto, or outside.

And, most exciting of all:

Pancakes & Biscotti is 7!!!

That’s right — in the midst of my hectic schedule, the blog turned 7 years old. If this blog were a person (first name Pancakes, last name Biscotti) she'd be in second grade, and if she were anything like me at that age, would be old enough to pass the swimming test at the pool and start ballet class. She would have also realized that there is something magical about the process of making Sunday morning pancakes, especially the part where you get to stand on a stool and flip them at the stove — an early sign of things to come.

So! A lot has happened in the past 7 years; I’ve left and started a new job, moved twice, been through a break-up or two, entered my 30s, gained a sister-in-law, lost my beloved nonno, traveled to new countries, and adopted a dog, to name just a few. Through all of this change, growth, and at times uncertainty, the blog has remained a constant and a consistently positive force, a project I never tire of. I’m proud of how P&B has grown over the years, not only in its look (Blogger to the more sophisticated Squarespace platform) but also in terms of my writing, cooking, baking, and photography. all of which have improved and developed immensely thanks this blog. I love that I have a place to not only document what I’ve cooked or baked, but also a space to flex my creative brain. Best of all, I love that I can share all of this with you.

But what’s a birthday without cake, right? Cheesecakes were my cavallo di battaglia, my signature when I was starting to bake in high school, (still today I am convinced that there is no more crowd pleasing dessert anywhere, either in Italy or the U.S). Over the years I’ve baked everything from brownie to vanilla bean to tiramisu cheesecake to blueberry cheesecake, and am pleased to add this pistachio variation to my repertoire as well. Pistachio was an ingredient and flavor that I fell hard for with when I moved to Italy — in the form of gelato al pistacchio, or pistachio filled cornetti — and it comes as no surprise then that it does wonders in a cheesecake, too. Here we have a crisp, chocolate cookie crust flecked with crunchy pistachios nuts, the base for a thick, smooth, rich — thank you mascarpone — filling, dotted with toasty, buttery, spring-green pistachios. Chocolate sauce to garnish is optional, but highly recommended.

Here’s to you, Pancakes & Biscotti. And here's to another year of blogging (and another slice or two of cheesecake!)

A note on cheesecakes: Cheesecakes are prone to cracking right down the middle at some point while baking or cooling; this is usually due to drafts or changes in temperature in the oven/when you take it out of the oven. A few tips: don't over whip your filling (especially once the eggs are added) -- more air in the filling means that air bubbles will form, which will expand in the oven causing cracks. Don't open the oven too much, as this will also mess with the temperature inside and cause cracks. You can also put a pan of hot water in the oven so that steam regulates the heat evenly, or bake the cheesecake in a water bath. In my case, I usually let the cheesecake cool in the oven with the oven door slightly open, so that there is no drastic temperature shift and the cheesecake and cool slowly. But honestly speaking -- even if a cheesecake cracks, it tastes just as good, so don’t sweat it!

A note on this cheesecake: Feel free to substitute plain graham crackers or digestive biscuits for the chocolate biscuits I used here. You could also use all cream cheese instead of a mix of cream cheese and mascarpone if that’s all you have on hand. A little orange zest in the filling might be nice if that’s your thing, too. You can also make this a pistachio chocolate cheesecake and add in a handful of mini chocolate chips along with the pistachios. Finally, your cheesecake probably won’t be as dark as mine is in the photos — I may have gotten distracted with work and not covered the top with foil as quickly as I should have! Which reminds me: if you see your cheesecake is browning too quickly on the top, just cover it with a bit of foil and proceed with the baking time.

Looking for other cheesecake recipes? Click here.

Looking for other celebratory cakes? Click here.

PISTACHIO CHEESECAKE

Serves 10-12.

Ingredients for the crust:
2 cups (240 grams) chocolate cookie crumbs
2 tablespoons pistachios
7 tablespoons (98 grams) melted unsalted butter

Ingredients for the filling:
3 (8 ounce, or 24 ounces) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 (8 ounce) container mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 cups (150 grams) sugar
About 1 cup (110 grams) shelled pistachios
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature

Directions:
For the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (170 degrees Celsius). Finely grind the cookie crumbs in a food processor, and then add the 2 tablespoons of pistachios and grind again until they are finely chopped but still visible. Add the melted butter to the cookie/pistachio mix and pulse until everything is well combined. Press the pistachio-cookie mixture onto the bottom of a 9-inch (23 cm) diameter springform pan.

Bake the crust until it is set, about 12 minutes. Set the crust aside to allow it to cool completely.

For the filling: With your oven still on, spread your 105 grams pistachios out on to a baking sheet and toast until fragrant. This will only take a few minutes, so keep an eye on them as they burn quickly. Let the pistachios cool, and then using your food processor again (be sure to clean it out after you’ve used it to make the crust) roughly chop them. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, and sugar in a large bowl until smooth, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Stir in the toasted, chopped pistachios.

Pour the cheesecake batter over the crust in the pan. Bake until the center of the cheesecake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour. Transfer the cake to a rack; cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold (I would suggest chilling overnight). Eat with gusto with a little chocolate sauce on top, if you’d like.