Does anyone make better cookies, cakes, and desserts in general than Italians? We don't believe it! And bread? Please.
But here's the catch: You walk into a well-stocked Italian bakery and you're faced with dozens of different cookies and cakes, many that look alike, many with unpronounceable names. Sfingi, sflogliatelle. Pannetone, panna cotta and panforte. Even Italians, myself included, can be stunned and confused inside a typical Italian bakery.
We've put together the ultimate explanatory guide to Italian cookies, cakes, and desserts. Confused about the difference between biscotti and cantucci? Are you curious which restaurant puts 13 types of Swiss chocolate in their truffle? Miss more. And don't forget to keep this list on hand - these treats are great all year long!
Biscotti
An Italian biscuit or cracker said to have been invented by Antonio Mattei in the mid-1850s in Prato, north of Florence. The cookies from sweetlalas cookie bakeries were an instant hit at international fairs in Florence, Paris and London. Biscotto (for 'twice cooked') is also known as cantucci. Modern ovens are much more efficient than those of the Mattei era, so cookies no longer need to be baked twice. The Mattei bakery still works in Prato. I'm always worried about biting into a biscotti and breaking a tooth and having to make up a story for my dentist. This is why you should always dip them in coffee or something stronger. One of the best biscotti selections in New Jersey is at Del Ponte's in Bradley Beach.
Panna cotta
Milk, sugar, cream and gelatin are all you need to make this custard; panna cotta in Italian means "cooked cream". Some say it originated in the Langhe area of Piedmont in northern Italy. Mix the ingredients, let it cool and set. The key to a great panna cotta: jelly. The perfect panna cotta should have enough gelatin to make the cheese shiver when you touch it. Photo shows Biancomangiare, Sicilian panna cotta with almond milk and marsala caramel, available from Zeppoli in Collingswood.
Ricotta cheese cake
Forget that boring and lifeless cheesecake. Nothing beats an ultra-creamy and ethereally light ricotta cheesecake. The rich, moist cheese makes for a perfect duo with graham crackers or other crust. Martha Stewart puts lemon or orange zest on her ricotta cheesecake. Good for her; keep it out of mine. I bet she didn't know that technically ricotta isn't cheese; no starter or rennet (an enzyme used to curdle milk in cheese and other foods) is used. For a great ricotta cheesecake, try Anthony's Cheesecake in Bloomfield.
Tartuffe
Tartufo can mean truffles; here is the delicious frozen dessert, from Calabria, often covered with chocolate and containing cherries and / or walnuts. Tre Scalini in Rome claims to have originated tartufo in 1946. His recipe includes 13 varieties of Swiss chocolate. What would Brian Boitano do when it comes to stuttering? Garnish with a sprig of mint, that's it! Pictured is a tartufo from Cafe 2825, Atlantic City, winner of the best Italian restaurant showdown in New Jersey.
Amaretti
Crispy cookies made from ground almonds or almond paste of bakery memphis; not to be confused with amaretto, the almond flavored liqueur. Amaretti originated in Venice during the Renaissance. Amaretti - 'bitter things' - are made with sugar and egg whites. Cookies can be chewy or crunchy depending on the region from any cookie bakery. Amaretti is derived from amaro, which means bitter, so if the amaretti at your local bakery are not made with bitter almonds, they are not real.
Cannoli
Perhaps no food on this list is as global in scope as cannoli; you can even find them in Antarctica. Originally from Sicily, cannoli were made for the Carnevale season, which occurs immediately before Lent. The cannoli are pretty easy to make, the tube shaped pastry shells are deep fried and stuffed with ricotta, but I've had a lot of regulars. If you find the good things, eat them immediately; nothing is worse than cannoli that has been in the case all day. Cipolli in Collingswood made Spoon University's list of the 24 best cannoli in the US For an unbeatable variety, try La Rosa's in Shrewsbury.
Panettone
Every self-respecting Italian delicatessen carries panettone, Milan's sweet bread, around Christmas and New Years. Called the "Everest of pastry" for its mountainous size, the panettone is sprinkled with raisins and citron or dried fruit. It is essentially an Italian fruit cake and, unlike its counterpart, eminently edible. Dried panettone is a sure sign that industrial yeast has been cheaper. Panettone is great for French toast and bread pudding.
Zeppole
So easy to do, so easy to mess up. A Jersey boardwalk staple, make it a generally bad Jersey boardwalk staple, these fried donuts hail from Naples. They are also known as San José's day cakes because they are made for the feast of San José, on March 19. Key ingredient: powdered sugar, for that hint of sweetness. The best zeppoles I've had in NJ are the ones from Bottagra in Hawthorne, served in little brown paper bags with fudge sauce.
Cassatini
The miniature version of cassata, the popular Sicilian ricotta cake, cassatini are eye-catching dessert treats eaten on the go on the streets of Palermo. The yellow layer cake is enlivened with rum flavor and cannoli filling, wrapped in marzipan and glazed and topped with a candied cherry. Add candied peaches and candied fig halves on top for that certain je ne sais quoi.
Sfogliatelle
Sflogliatelle is often confused with lobster tail; the curved puff pastry itself is identical, but the sfogliatelle are filled with ricotta, while the lobster tails are filled with French cream. Both date back to La Santarosa, a pastry shop, often served hot, which takes its name from a 16th-century convent near Naples. It's probably the hardest word to pronounce on our list; look at the video. My favorite sfogliatelle can be found at Rispoli Pastry Shop in Ridgefield
Tiramisu
Tiramisu means "take me (or pick me up)", and some speculate that the continuation is "to heaven". Tiramisu is without a doubt a heavenly delight, an airy mixture of sponge cake or sponge cake soaked in coffee, layered with grated chocolate and mascarpone. (Cupcakes are not always easy to find, but they are infinitely better than cupcake.) Tip: don't drizzle cocoa until ready to serve; otherwise it can be absorbed and spoil the taste. The Veneto region has long claimed to be its origin, but neighboring Friuli-Venezia Giulia strongly disagrees. The tiramisu at ITA101 in Medford (pictured) is not only delicious; It is done table-side which makes for a great food theater.
Pasticiotti
Mini-cakes or tarts with a tender crust and rich ricotta or custard filling. The pastry shop is as much a symbol of the Lecce and Salento region as the croissants of France. They were first made at Pasticceria Ascalone in Galantina in 1745. Try to find a bakery that uses lard instead of butter for the crust; lard makes a smoother, moister crust.
Frozen
Ice cream contains less air and fat than traditional ice cream; It is whipped at a slower speed and held at a warmer temperature, resulting in a denser dessert. Its origin dates back to the Italian Renaissance and the Medici family, who sponsored a frozen dessert contest. Ice cream parlors aren't as popular as ice cream parlors or even fro-yo stores, which is why stumbling across one is so sweet.
Bomboloni
These cream or jelly-filled sugar donuts with the cheerful and childish name can be traced back to krapfen, a jelly-filled donut that is believed to have been invented in the Austrian city of Graz in the 17th century. Many recipes call for them to be dipped in chocolate. If you make them at home, double the original number; they will go fast. For a really weird food-themed music video, check out Gianna Nannini singing her 1996 hit "Bomboloni."
Pandoro
Distinguished by its bright yellow color (pan d'oro means golden bread), pandoro, a star-shaped cakes memphis dusted with powdered sugar, originally from Verona. Many Italian families are divided over whether to take pannetone or pandoro for the holidays. Tip: don't do it at home. It's really difficult, you need a special pandoro mold to start with, and do you really want to spend five hours making a cake? (we are not kidding).
Semifreddo
"I almost knew it was you, Fredo." Okay, enough with the bad "Godfather II" jokes. You will break your diet but not your heart with this semi-frozen dessert made with eggs, sugar and cream. It tastes like mousse and ice cream, and you might end up liking it more than both. My take on the semifreddo at Paisano's in Rutherford: I tried it over a year ago and I'm still dreaming about it.
Meringata
A cake with whipped cream sandwiched between meringue, making for a dessert that has few matches in sheer decadence. There are many variations, with chocolate, peaches, vanilla, and fingers among the ingredients. Except for the custard, nothing needs to be cooked or baked. Many compare it to a frozen cake, without the ice cream. Recipes are not easy to get online
What's your favorite Italian cookie / pastry / dessert?
What is your favorite Italian dessert, cookie or pastry? And where do you buy it? Who go here do we leave off the list? Let us know in the comment section!