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* Fruit, Ice Cream, and Spoon Desserts |
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Italian meals typically end with seasonal fruit. In the fall, there might be persimmons, pomegranates, apples, and grapes, while winter brings clementines and all kinds of roasted nuts. The first fresh fruit to ripen in the spring is the nespola, a medlar fruit about the size and color of an apricot, with tart-sweet flesh. Then come the fresh berries, including my favorite, fragoline di bosco, tiny Alpine strawberries with an intensely perfumed aroma, plus raspberries, blackberries, and currants. Summer fruits include a variety of cherries, yellow- and white-fleshed peaches, figs, and all kinds of melons. Italians indulge in fresh fruit plain or with simple sauces or ice cream, and they typically eat them with a knife and fork or spoon.
Though Italians normally purchase pastries, cakes, tarts, and cookies at a bakery, many custards, creams, and other soft desserts, known as dolci di cucchiaio, or "spoon desserts," are prepared at home. This chapter includes recipes for gelatins made with fresh fruit juices or espresso, sophisticated egg custards like zabaglione, and other kinds of creamy desserts that are easy to make at home and always welcome at the table.
Frozen desserts like ice cream and ices are also very popular, though they are typically eaten after the fruit course. In Sicily, where summers are very hot, ice cream and granita are eaten in the morning and throughout the day. The ice cream is usually tucked into a brioscia, a sweet roll, and eaten like a sandwich. In Rome, frozen coffee granita replaces hot coffee in the summer. In the afternoon and evening, Italians like to go for a passaggiata, a stroll, and stop at a favorite cafe for an ice-cream cone. This is also a social event, when adults discuss the day's events with friends and neighbors and young people gather to talk and flirt.
A fruit or chocolate sauce can dress up many kinds of desserts, from ice cream to homemade or store-bought cake. I have included several variations on the theme.
FRUIT DESSERTS
Amaretto Baked Apples
Livia's Apple Cake
Apricots in Lemon Syrup
Berries with Lemon and Sugar
Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar
Raspberries with Mascarpone and Balsamic Vinegar
Cherries in Barolo
Hot Roasted Chestnuts
Fig Preserves
Chocolate-Dipped Figs
Figs in Wine Syrup
Dora's Baked Figs
Honeydew in Mint Syrup
Oranges in Orange Syrup
Oranges Gratinéed with Zabaglione
White Peaches in Asti Spumante
Peaches in Red Wine
Amaretti-Stuffed Peaches
Pears in Orange Sauce
Pears with Marsala and Cream
Pears with Warm Chocolate Sauce
Rum-Spiced Pears
Spiced Pears with Pecorino
Poached Pears with Gorgonzola
Pear or Apple Pudding Cake
Warm Fruit Compote
Venetian Caramelized Fruit
Fruit with Honey and Grappa
Winter Fruit Salad
Grilled Summer Fruit
Eat-and-Drink Dessert
SPOON DESSERTS
Warm Ricotta with Honey
Coffee Ricotta
Mascarpone and Peaches
Chocolate Foam with Raspberries
Tiramisù
Strawberry Tiramisù
Italian Trifle
Zabaglione
Chocolate Zabaglione
Chilled Zabaglione with Berries
Lemon Gelatin
Orange Rum Gelatin
Espresso Gelatin
Panna Cotta
Crème Brûlée
Mascarpone and Coffee Cups
Chestnut "Mountain"
Chocolate Pudding
Chocolate Chip Rice Pudding
Coffee Caramel Custard
Chocolate Crème Caramel
Amaretti Caramel Custard
ITALIAN ICES
Simple Syrup for Granita
Lemon Granita
Watermelon Granita
Tangerine Granita
Strawberry Wine Granita
Coffee Granita
Citrus and Campari Granita
White Peach and Prosecco Granita
Chocolate Sorbet
Prosecco Lemon Slush
Pink Prosecco Slush
ICE CREAM (GELATO)
Cream Ice Cream
Lemon Ice Cream
Ricotta Ice Cream
Mascarpone Ice Cream
Cinnamon Ice Cream
Espresso Ice Cream
Walnut Caramel Ice Cream
Honey Ice Cream with Nougat
Amaretti Gelato
Drowned Ice Cream
Ice Cream with Balsamic Vinegar
Ice Cream Truffles
Almond Cream Cups
Orange Spumone
Almond Semifreddo
Florentine Frozen Dome Cake
DESSERT SAUCES
Honeyed Mascarpone Sauce
Fresh Strawberry Sauce
Warm Berry Sauce
Year-Round Raspberry Sauce
Warm Chocolate Sauce
From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
* Fruit, Ice Cream, and Spoon Desserts comes from the Cook'n in Italy collection. Click here to order this CD or download this brand-name recipe set right now!
Amaretto Baked Apples Livia’s Apple Cake Apricots in Lemon Syrup Berries with Lemon and Sugar Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar Raspberries with Mascarpone and Balsamic Vinegar Cherries in Barolo Hot Roasted Chestnuts Fig Preserves Fig Preserves Chocolate-Dipped Figs Figs in Wine Syrup Dora’s Baked Figs Honeydew in Mint Syrup Oranges in Orange Syrup Oranges Gratinéed with Zabaglione White Peaches in Asti Spumante Peaches in Red Wine Amaretti-Stuffed Peaches Pears in Orange Sauce Pears with Marsala and Cream Pears with Warm Chocolate Sauce Rum-Spiced Pears Spiced Pears with Pecorino Poached Pears with Gorgonzola Pear or Apple Pudding Cake Warm Fruit Compote Venetian Caramelized Fruit Fruit with Honey and Grappa Winter Fruit Salad Grilled Summer Fruit Eat-and-Drink Dessert Warm Ricotta with Honey Coffee Ricotta Mascarpone and Peaches Chocolate Foam with Raspberries Tiramisù Strawberry Tiramisù Italian Trifle Zabaglione Chocolate Zabaglione Chilled Zabaglione with Berries Lemon Gelatin Orange Rum Gelatin Espresso Gelatin Panna Cotta Crème Brûlée Mascarpone and Coffee Cups Chestnut "Mountain" Chocolate Pudding Chocolate Chip Rice Pudding Coffee Caramel Custard Chocolate Crème Caramel Amaretti Caramel Custard Simple Syrup for Granita Lemon Granita Watermelon Granita Tangerine Granita Strawberry Wine Granita Coffee Granita Citrus and Campari Granita White Peach and Prosecco Granita Chocolate Sorbet Prosecco Lemon Slush Pink Prosecco Slush Cream Ice Cream Lemon Ice Cream Ricotta Ice Cream Mascarpone Ice Cream Cinnamon Ice Cream Espresso Ice Cream Walnut Caramel Ice Cream Honey Ice Cream with Nougat Amaretti Gelato Drowned Ice Cream Ice Cream with Balsamic Vinegar Ice Cream Truffles Almond Cream Cups Orange Spumone Almond Semifreddo Florentine Frozen Dome Cake Honeyed Mascarpone Sauce Fresh Strawberry Sauce Warm Berry Sauce Year-Round Raspberry Sauce Warm Chocolate Sauce * Fruit, Ice Cream, and Spoon Desserts
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