When in Italy, be Italian! Tiramisu and Gelato have become Italy’s signature desserts worldwide, but there’s a lot more this country has to offer, especially when it comes to sweet somethings. Navigating the lanes in small villages of Italy, you will discover some of the world’s greatest treasures and we want to make sure you don’t miss them. When it comes to desserts, ignorance is NOT bliss. #DSSCRecommends Italian desserts you need to have.
Sfogliatelle
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One of Italy’s most complex and delicious desserts, Sfogliatelle is a pastry wonder in it’s own. Flaky and filled with custard, the multi-layered dessert is the result of passion and some serious skills. If you manage to take a sneak peek behind the kitchen, let’s just say you will be floored. As a pâtissier fashions the dough into uber thin, leaf-like ridges of shells, you can feel the love that goes into each sfogliatelle. Crunchy on the outside and flawlessly smooth on the inside, these delicate pastries are filled with ricotta and often flavoured with orange.
If you happen to stumble across something similar in United States that puts you in a trance, it’s lobster tail. No, not real lobster tail, the American version of this Italian pastry – aragosta, often referred to as lobster tail and rightly so (thanks to its shape). Same crust but larger in size, they have a sweeter filling, often french cream stuffed inside.
Zeppole
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We at DSSC HQ have a very special love for zeppole. These fried doughnut balls dusted with powdered sugar are sweet clouds ideal to satiate sugar cravings. Served in brown paper bags they are on-the-move street food you shouldn’t miss. But don’t be fooled, these doughnut balls look deceptively simple and while everyone has their own recipe (possibly passed down from nonna) to get the flavour & texture perfect is no simple feat. Each doughnut has its own personality with crunchy bits and soft fluffy dough inside. Often served with custard, chocolate, nutella or anything else you like, it’s best to eat these piping hot.
Cannoli
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Missing out on cannoli when in Italy is a cardinal sin (for the DSSC team). A cannolo perfectly embodies the essence of Sicily – simple yet indulgent. Deep fried, this tube-shaped pastry is traditionally filled with sweet, creamy ricotta and often served sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar. You can find them everywhere from small bakeries to high-end restaurants and each place has their own signature flavours. While we love all, we tend to lean towards key lime (something about citrus desserts). An Italian-American version of cannoli consists of custard filled pastry. While it is still quite ravishing, nothing beats a traditional ricotta filled cannolo.
Cassata Siciliana
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Cassata Siciliana isn’t your usual triple coloured ice cream with candied fruits and a bread base. Consisting of a round sponge cake infused with fruit juices & liqueur, this cake is layered with ricotta and chocolate chips. However, the highlight is pastel coloured marzipan and candied fruits covering this cake that make it as much of a delight to look at as it is to eat. The rich amount of filling and strong flavour of marzipan make it a particularly bold and inimitable dessert, not for everyone’s palate but a fun adventure irrespective. Born in Palermo, it has Arabic roots and traditionally only served in a bowl shape. The other versions including the one from Naples, can be seen as squares and rectangles.
Crostata
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A pie filled with fruits and jam, crostata is either enclosed in a lozenges pattern or closed from the sides to form an open-faced pie. The chunky filling of unevenly cut fruit is what gives this pie an edge with flavour of caramelized fruits enhanced by sweetness of jam. Traditionally the pie was made with clarified fat and butter dough, however nowadays people prefer using a simpler shortcrust pastry (if you find the traditional version, you just struck gold! Pack some for us maybe?). A more modern version of crostata is filled with nutella and even though we love nutella, the original fruit crostata is where our heart lies.
So, all ready for your next trip to Italy?
Featured Image Courtesy: fineartamerica.com
