I should have heeded the above warning before I gathered ingredients and spent a couple of hours struggling – in the end, unsuccessfully – to duplicate the Apple Torte with Breadcrumb Hazelnut Crust pictured in all its supposed gorgeousity on the cover of October’s issue of Bon Appetit magazine.

This dessert is featured in an article called “Lidia’s Friuli”: a piece about Lidia Bastianich, the New York chef and restaurateur beloved and respected by so many, including me. Its credits attribute the text to Nina Elder – and a well-written text it is – and recipes to Bastianich herself. Read more…