Everyday Italian (32 page)

Italians love fruit for dessert, and not just in the time-consuming and fattening pies and tarts that are so popular here in the United States. In Italy, fruit—like many ingredients—is often treated more simply: grilled or poached, raw or baked, with drizzles of this or dashes of that. If you can make any generalization about Italian fruit desserts, it’s that their recipes let the fresh flavors of the fruit itself do all the work, instead of relying on butter, sugar, and flour. Of course, this puts a higher burden on the fruit: If you’re not dousing it in sugar and surrounding it with buttery batter, it has to be that much better. So seasonality is key: While you might bake an off-season peach into a cobbler, you’re not going to want to grill it to serve with mascarpone.

Cannoli (“pipes”) are said to be one of the unshakable rocks of Sicilian desserts, and these days they can be found in almost every Italian pastry shop in America. They are crispy fried pastry tubes that are filled with sweetened ricotta cheese or sometimes pastry cream. The tubes are time-consuming to make, but the filling is easy, and dolloped over fresh berries, well, it just brings me home.

4 SERVINGS

In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries, raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice to combine. Let stand until juices form, tossing occasionally, about 20 minutes. Add the kiwi and toss gently.

Spoon the fruit mixture into 4 dessert bowls. Dollop the ricotta cream atop the fruit, sprinkle with the almonds, and serve.

In the summer, I like to buy large bags or baskets of fresh peaches at the farmers’ market. I eat the perfectly ripe ones immediately and use the firmer (but still ripe) specimens for this amazing dessert combo. But do be sure that your peaches are a little firm; if they’re going soft all over, they’ll fall apart on the grill. Add the cheese mixture right before you serve it so it looks fresh.

6 SERVINGS

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for medium-high heat, or preheat a ridged grill pan over a medium-high flame. Lightly brush the grill rack or pan with oil. Grill the peaches until they are heated through and beginning to brown, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes. Immediately transfer the grilled peaches to the brandy mixture, and toss to coat. Set aside for 15 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir the mascarpone and vanilla to blend.

Divide the peach mixture equally among 6 coupe dishes and pour the wine over the peaches. Dollop the mascarpone mixture atop the peaches, and serve.

Amaretti cookies are a must for this recipe; there really isn’t any substitute for that crunchy almond flavor and texture. They’re becoming more and more popular and easier to find, especially in Italian specialty stores, and they last for a long time; so when you find them, stock up.

6 SERVINGS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spread 1 teaspoon of butter over the bottom of an 8-inch baking dish. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the amaretti cookies until finely crumbled. Using a melon baller, scoop out the red flesh from the center of each peach. Arrange the peaches cut side up in the prepared dish. Fill the center of the peaches with the amaretti cookie crumbs. Dot each peach with ½ teaspoon of butter, then sprinkle ½ teaspoon of sugar over each. (The whipped cream and peaches can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Keep the whipped cream refrigerated. Cover and refrigerate the peaches.)

Bake the peaches until they are tender and the filling is crisp on top, about 30 minutes. Serve warm with the whipped cream.

This recipe was born out of leftovers—a half cantaloupe, a handful of strawberries, some grapes—not enough in themselves to feed a family, but combine them and you have a great dessert. Feel free to substitute with your favorite fruit or whatever you happen to have as leftovers. The sweetened wine and the fresh mint meld the fruit flavors together into a wonderfully refreshing, quick, and easy recipe. Perfect for summertime.

4 SERVINGS

In a large bowl, combine the cantaloupe, strawberries, and grapes. Pour the warm wine mixture over and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until cold, stirring occasionally, at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.

Transfer the fruit mixture to serving bowls and serve chilled.

One word: easy. Make that two: delicious.

4 SERVINGS

In a medium bowl, beat the cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Cover and refrigerate the whipped cream until ready to use. (The whipped cream can be made 4 hours ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Place 1 slice of pound cake on each of 4 plates. Brush the amaretto liqueur over the cake slices. Spoon the strawberry mixture over. Top each with a large dollop of whipped cream. Sprinkle the amaretti crumbs over, if desired, and serve.

Pineapple doesn’t quite qualify as Italian, but Nutella (a chocolate-hazelnut spread) is
definitely
an Italian favorite of cult-like proportions, so this can certainly pass as an Italian-American recipe. Grilling the pineapple enhances its sweet flavor, provides the great grill marks, and of course warms it up, bringing a new level of comfort to this incredibly comforting dessert.

6 SERVINGS