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Almond Biscotti
Crisp, nutty, and perfect for dunking. This Italian classic belongs in your cookie jar. These almond biscotti strike the perfect balance between traditional Italian crispness and American tenderness. After testing various butter amounts, I’ve landed on a half-stick, just enough to create a biscotti that’s satisfyingly crunchy on the outside while maintaining a pleasant bite…
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Chocolate Zabaglione
Part mousse, part custard, all romance. This is the Valentine’s dessert your date will actually remember. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and I wanted to make a special dessert so I decided on a twist on an Italian classic, Zabaglione. Zabaglione is a traditional Italian custard made by whipping Marsala wine with sugar…
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Homemade Sicilian Cannoli
Every year for Christmas I get pastries and biscotti from Del Prete pastry shop in Bridgeport. Everything there is great, but they make the best cannoli in Connecticut. So you can imagine my disappointment to find out they had a fire and are temporarily closed, so I need to get my cannoli for the holidays…
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Ricotta Zeppole
How do you make Zeppole, the classic fried dough treat served at Italian Festivals even better? Add Ricotta Cheese of course! Growing up I was always used to seeing the plain flour based zeppole at festivals, your traditional fried dough, which I still love. But I find myself making ricotta zeppole more often lately. I…
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Granita di Caffè con Panna
Summer is flying by and I am feeling a little self-imposed pressure to get in all of the great Summer recipes I had planned on. I may not get them all in but it really would have been a shame if I didn’t make this espresso granita with whipped cream. This is a really great…
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Granita di Limone
Some of my fondest memories of my (too few) visits to Sicily are of sitting in the café in the morning and having a Granita di Limone (Italian Lemon Ice) and brioche for breakfast. That’s right, I said for breakfast. In the summer in Sicily, granita and gelato are breakfast foods. That’s what I call…
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Chocolate Gelato
What is gelato? Some might say gelato is just the Italian word for Ice Cream. While close, that wouldn’t be exactly accurate. There are two big differences between Italian gelato and American ice cream. The first is that gelato contains less butterfat; it is typically made with whole milk rather than cream (in some rare cases…
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Zeppole
You don’t have to wait for the next Italian festival or carnival to enjoy some fried dough. With this recipe you can make delicious Zeppole right at at home. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, and let the memories of eating them out of the bag while enjoying the sites and sounds of the feast come right…
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Pistachio Gelato
We had a bit of a heat wave here in Connecticut last week. I figured what better way to fight the heat than to try out a new flavor of gelato. Since I was sticking with Sicilian style gelato, I decided to go with a very popular flavor in Sicily, pistachio. Serves 6 to 8…
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Gianduja Gelato
From The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments (Ten Speed Press, 2007) On my first visit to Torino, I arrived in rabid pursuit of qianduja, a confection made from local hazelnuts ground with milk chocolate that is a specialty of the Piedmont region. I’d also never had gianduja gelato at the source. I did…
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Custard Gelato
From Gelato!: Italian Ice Creams, Sorbetti, and Granite by Pamela Sheldon Johns (Ten Speed Press, 2008)One of the most popular flavors in gelaterie in Italy is crema, a simple frozen custard unenhanced by any flavoring. It has a rich yellow color due to the brightness of the yolks of Italian corn-fed chickens. Makes 1-1/2 quarts; serves…
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Zabaglione Gelato
From The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments (Ten Speed Press, 2007) True zabaglione?a foamy custard of egg yolks, wine, and sugar?is often made to order in Italian restaurants. Moments after the waiter takes your order, you’ll hear the frenetic “clang-clack-clang” of the whisk hitting the copper bowl in the kitchen. Once it’s reached…
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Tiramisu
Tiramisu literally translates to “pick me up.” We have had many requests for this classic Italian dessert and I’m sure my mother’s recipe which is presented here will pick up anybody who tries it. Serves 6-8 1 Package of Savoiardi (Italian Lady Fingers) 4 egg yolks 1/2 cup of sugar 1 lb of Marscapone cheese…
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Caffè Latte Gelato
From Gelato!: Italian Ice Creams, Sorbetti, and Granite by Pamela Sheldon Johns (Ten Speed Press, 2008)Hardcore coffee-lovers can intensify the flavor of this coffee gelato by doubling the amount of ground coffee. It is essential to grind the coffee fresh and as fine as possible to extract the most flavor. Makes 1-1/2 quarts; serves 6 2…
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Vanilla Gelato and Affogato
This week I had a strong craving for Affogato, a simple but delicious Italian dessert that is made by pouring a shot of hot espresso over a scoop of vanilla gelato. Naturally, to make this I needed vanilla gelato. So, this was as good a time as ever to break out my ice cream machine,…
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Biscotti
There is an Italian bakery in Bridgeport, CT called Del Prete, and they make these great mini biscotti. They are the perfect size for dunking in an espresso or a glass of vin santo. I usually get the chocolate and the almond from Del Prete, but have been making butterscotch biscotti off and on for…
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Stracciatella Gelato
Stracciatella Gelato is kind of like American chocolate chip ice cream, except completely different. Instead of the chips and sometimes chunks you find in American product, Stracciattella has fine bits of chocolate throughout, which results in a smooth texture with just the slightest crunch in every bite. This is achieved by drizzling in a thin stream of melted…
