During Carnival in Italy, fried desserts are everywhere—it’s part of the tradition. Occasionally you can find some sweets where you can get away with baking, like these tortellini dolci, yet for other desserts like lattughe, fried crispiness is a crucial factor.
Instead of proposing one of my usual lighten-up recipes, this week I’m spotlighting my mother-in-law’s traditional Carnival recipe. (Thank you Patrizia!) Depending where you are in Italy, READ MORE
It’s 2016! And, with the new year :: nuovo anno a lot of new detox recipes are coming soon, but before I get to those, here is a super delicious whipped mandarin mascarpone recipe to finish off those leftover pies, cakes and, if you’re in Italy, panettone. CONTINUE READING
Foreigners usually hear of tiramisù or pannacotta as traditional Italian desserts, yet, the zuppa inglese, another classic dessert, often flies under the radar. What is it and how is it prepared? Well, I decided to head to the restaurant Rosa dei Venti to find out.
“Whereas many restaurants use ready-made products, we make everything by hand using the highest quality ingredients. This is the trick to making a great zuppa inglese,” explained Angela Pidalà, cook and co-owner with her husband Vincenzo.
Zuppa inglese, or “English soup” is a Italian custard-based dessert typical in the Emilia Romagna region and apparently has been around since the 16th century, and possibly even longer.
To make this beloved dessert, the first thing to do is to bring skim milk to a boil then add the zest of one organic lemon and some vanillin, vanilla extract or vanilla bean. While the milk boils, the custard needs to be made. Only the freshest yolks should be used.
Next, sugar and milk are added.
Followed by sifted flour to produce a bright yellow mixture. Sifting the flour is very important to avoid lumps.
The warm milk is added to the egg mixture and stirred off of the stove until combined then placed back on the stove and stirred constantly until brought to a boil. At this point the custard should be dense, the foam should be gone and the mixture should be pale yellow.
The custard is then removed from the heat to cool and the Savoiardi cookies are cut into three lengthwise pieces, dipped in Alchermes, a scarlet colored Italian liqueur, and placed in individual cups. You could also line the bottom of a bowl if you want to serve it family style.
The custard is spooned into each cup, then cocoa is sifted into the remaining custard and a chocolate layer is added.
After which the sides of the cookies are folded down and the dessert is ready to be eaten or stored in the refrigerator.
And, there you have it: all you need to know on making authentic Italian zuppa inglese. If you’re in Italy and near Reggio Emilia, head to Rosa dei Venti to try this classic dessert. If you’re located far away, you can make this similar zuppa inglese recipe from Jul’s Kitchen, another bilingual food blog written by an Italian woman.
Don’t miss out on this article that will explain how to make italian wood fire pizzas.
This lighter version of the classic Italian tiramisù is perfect for those who want all the delicious taste and less of the calories.
I’ve been wanting to make Tiramisù for over a month now, ever since I had spent the day at SIGEP, an international tradeshow for the artisan production of gelato, pastry, confectionery and bakery sectors. Upon returning home, I had a cravings to showcase a delicious Italian dessert on my blog, but which one? There are so many to choose from. Luckily for me, at the tradeshow I met Enrico Maltoni and Mauro Carli, the authors of the extraordinary book, Coffee Makers. While flipping through this bilingual coffee machine encyclopedia with over 2,700 images and 2,080 technical descriptions, I knew one thing :: una cosa: the recipe needed to contain Italian espresso. The decision to make Tiramisù, was thusly inevitable.
I didn’t want to make the classic recipe with raw eggs :: uova; ask Mr. Italicana I have quite a Salmonella phobia. I also wanted to cut down on some of the fat so I subsequently reduced the amount of sugar, and used half ricotta half mascarpone for the creamy texture (the traditional recipe calls for just mascarpone).
After you have all the ingredients prepared, the assembly begins by dipping the lady fingers in the espresso. I added a bit :: un po’ of bailey’s creme caramel but if you want a stronger coffee flavor you can skip.
Next, pile on some of the whipped cream, ricotta and mascarpone mixture and top with unsweetened cocao :: cacao amaro and salted dark chocolate shavings.
Then repeat the steps and finish off your masterpiece with a small handful of espresso beans covered in creamy dark chocolate :: cioccolato fondente.
The work :: lavoro is finished and all that is left to do is pop the parfaits in the fridge.
I made these parfaits for a dinner party where I cooked up some of my favorite Italian dishes: sun dried tomato, artichoke and olive stuffed mushrooms, roasted kabocha squash fries, lemon and olive oil agretti and spinach lasagne.
A special thanks to Enrico and Mauro for the delicious inspiration and for the gorgeous and informative coffee table book. If you are passionate about the history :: la storia of coffee or know someone who is, then I definitely recommend picking up a copy as it is packed with thousands of photographs, patents, manuals, operating diagrams and technical captions. You can check out their website for local dealers and for information on upcoming temporary exhibitions that will display some of the rarest coffee makers in the world.
Inspired by: misya