Basics | Ice Creams and Sherbets | Puddings, Bavarian Creams, and Sformati| Custards, Stewed Fruit, Panna Cotta, and More

Basics

Budini
That's puddings: Cool in summer, and ideal when you're going to be needing the oven for other things.

Bavaresi!
You might not think Bavarian creams particularly Italian, but they are popular, and extremely varied. Some are even savory side dishes. Also, some observations on gelatin.

Conserve
Fruit preserves & jams to carry summer over into winter.

Ice Creams and Sherbets: Gelati & Sorbetti
About ice creams and sherbets, which are wonderful in the summer and perfect year round.
Difficulty: Varies

Sformati
They're similar to soufflés, though not quite as airy, and are amazingly versatile, ranging from hearty comfort food to light vegetarian delights to tasty desserts.

Syrups: Siroppi
Fruit syrups, the foundations of Italian Ices and wonderful ice cream toppings besides.
Difficulty: Easy

Tiramisu!
A collection of more than 20 (!) recipes that Desiree McCrorey has kindly offered to share with us.
Difficulty: Easy-Moderate

Gelato: Ice Creams and Sherbets

Almond Ice Cream: Gelato alle Mandorle
Difficulty: Easy

Amaretto Ice Cream: Gelato di Amaretti
Difficulty: Easy

Apricot Sherbet: Gelato di Albicocche
Difficulty: Easy

Banana Sherbet: Gelato alle Banane
Difficulty: Easy

Cantaloupe Mousse: Mousse al Melone
Cantaloupe mousse, a delightfully refreshing summer treat.
Difficulty: Easy

Cherry Sherbet: Gelato alle Ciliege
Difficulty: Easy

Cheese Ice Cream: Gelato al Grana
The perfect way to serve cheese when it's really hot.
Difficulty: Easy

Chilled Cream: Pezzo in Gelo
Difficulty: Moderate

Chocolate Ice Cream: Gelato alla Cioccolata
Difficulty: Easy

Chocolate and Almond Ice Cream: Gelato di Cioccolata e Mandorle
Difficulty: Easy

Coffee Ice Cream: Gelato al Caffé
Difficulty: Easy

Creamy Orange Ice Cream: Gelato d'Arancia alla Crema
Difficulty: Easy

Cremolata
Similar to a sherbet, but made with fruit pulp as well. Delightful!
Difficulty: Easy

Drunken Watermelon with Ice Cream, Anguria Imbrigà col Gelato
A wonderful way to keep summer heat at bay!
Difficulty: Easy

Fig Ice Cream: Gelato di Fichi
Difficulty: Easy

Lemon Ice
Simpler than a sorbetto, and delicate too.
Difficulty:

Lemon Sherbet: Gelato al Limone
Difficulty: Easy

Roman-Style Punch: Ponce alla Romana
A citrusy sherbet to spur the digestion.
Difficulty: Moderate

Strawberry Sherbet: Gelato di Fragole
Difficulty: Easy

Tea Puffs: Spumoni di The
A tasty iced tea-type bisque.
Difficulty: Moderate

Vanilla Ice Cream: Gelato alla Crema
Difficulty: Easy

Wartemelon Sherbet: Sorbetto all'Anguria
Difficulty: Easy

Yogurt Ice Cream: Gelato allo Yogurt
Difficulty: Easy

Budini: Puddings, Bavarian Creams, and Sformati

Amaretti Sformato with Zabaione: Sformato Cogli Amaretti Coperto Di Zabaione
An elegant, sensual dessert in which the pleasing bitterness of the amaretti is nicely balanced by the richness of the zabaione.
Difficulty: Moderate

Apple and Bread Sformato: Sformato di Mele e Pane
A tasty apple-and-bread sformato, which changes radically depending upon the bread you use.
Difficulty: Moderate

Apple Pudding: Budino Di Mele
A simple, satisfying apple pudding.
Difficulty: Easy

Bonèt
An extraordinarily tasty, thick, Piemontese amaretto and cocoa pudding.
Difficulty: Easy

Chestnut Pudding with Whipped Cream: Dolce di Marroni con Panna Montata
Artusi's recipe for a chestnut puree with whipped cream.
Difficulty: Moderate

Chocolate Pudding: Budino Di Cioccolato
Chocolate pudding, simple and tasty.
Difficulty: Easy

Chocolate and Bread Pudding: Budino Di Pane e Cioccolato
A chocolate-and-bread pudding from Artusi.
Difficulty: Easy

Figgy Bavarian Cream: Bavarese ai Fichi
A tasty, figgy, cinnamon-laced Bavarian cream.
Difficulty: Easy

Firm Ricotta Pudding: Budino Di Ricotta
Ricotta is astonishingly versatile. Here it stars in a dessert.
Difficulty: Easy

Firm Rice Pudding: Budino Di Riso
One of the classic North Italian desserts, and rightly so.
Difficulty: Easy

Fruity Bavarian Cream: Bavarese alla Frutta
A basic Bavarian Cream that can be made with many kinds of fruit, and therefore in any season.
Difficulty: Moderate

Harlequin Bavarian Cream: Bavarese Arlecchino
Harlequin in the sense of many colored, like the robes of the court jester. A happy, elegant dessert.
Difficulty: Moderate

Hazelnut Pudding: Budino Di Nocciuole
A delicate hazelnut pudding that will delight family or guests.
Difficulty: Easy

Mandarine Orange Bavarian Cream: Bavarese al Mandarancio
A Mandarin orange Bavarian Cream; the recipe will also work with other citrus fruit, and should you have a bottle of Limoncello...
Difficulty: Moderate

Semolina Pudding: Budino Di Semolino
A quick, easy pudding well suited to a family meal.
Difficulty: Easy

Semolina and Jam Pudding: Budino Di Semolina e Conserve
An elegant dessert that will surprise and delight.
Difficulty: Moderate

Spicy Bavarian Cream: Bavarese alle Spezie
A gingery marvel that will work well in the winter holidays!
Difficulty: Moderate

Strawberry Sformato: Sformato di Fragole
Wild strawberries are a delight!
Difficulty: Moderate

Zuppa Inglese: English Trifle
This really is a trifle, in the sense of layers of cake and cream, and though it is most Italian it is called English because it was a favorite of English expats.
Difficulty: Moderate

Zuppa Inglese alla Napoletana: Neapolitan English Trifle
A variation on the classic Zuppa Inglese, made with ricotta instead of pastry cream.
Difficulty: Moderate

Custards, Stewed Fruit, Panna Cotta, and More

A Dessert to Die For: Un Dolce da Andarne Matti
A rich almond-and-hazelnut pudding from the first issue of La Cucina Italiana
Difficulty: Moderate.

Almond Cream with Amaretti: Scodelline con Amaretti
A delicate almond cream with Amaretti.
Difficulty: Moderate

Apple Charlotte: Ciaroltta alle Mele
A warm, tasty dessert made with stewed apples.
Difficulty: Moderate

Apple Cream with Ice Cream: Crema di Mele con Gelato
Creamed apples go wonderfully with ice cream.
Difficulty: Easy

Apples and Pears in a Spicy Cream: Mele e Pere in Crema Speziata
Apples and pears, cooked and served with a delicately spiced cream sauce - a wonderful dessert for a romantic dinner in winter.
Difficulty: Easy

Apples Stewed in Wine: Mele Cotte col Vino
Apples simmered in wine, a tremendously satisfying way to end a meal.
Difficulty: Easy

Apricot Custard: Albicocche nelle Chicchere
An interesting apricot custard, and a variation on the theme made with peaches.
Difficulty: Easy

Baked Apples: Mele al Forno
Baked apples are simple, but can be quite satisfying.
Difficulty: Easy

Black Easter Rice: Riso Nero di Pasqua
A rich chocolaty Sicilian rice pudding for Easter dessert.
Difficulty: Easy

Blancmanger
A close relative of Piemonte's panna cotta, but made with almonds too.
Difficulty: Moderate

Blanc Manger: Bianco Mangiare
A delicate pudding made from almond milk.
Difficulty: Moderate

Boozy Cherries: Ciliegie sotto Spirito
Cherries in spirits will warm the heart!
Difficulty: Easy

Buttered Chestnuts: Castagne al Burro
A simple Piemontese winter dessert, sugary boiled chestnuts with butter.
Difficulty: Easy

Caramelized Figs with Mascarpone Cheese: Fichi Caramellati al Mascarpone
A rich, tasty late summer dessert.
Difficulty: Easy

Charlotte: Ciarlotta
An elegant chilled dessert from Artusi.
Difficulty: Moderate

Chestnuts and Cream: Castagne con la Panna
A piemontese version, with honey-laced whole chestnuts and no chocolate.
Difficulty: Easy

Chocolate Charlotte: Ciarlotta di Cioccolato
A quick, easy chocolate charlotte mousse in four individual portions.
Difficulty: Moderate

Christmas Dessert: Il Pieno Natale
A desert offered by the nuns of a Benedictine convent to their Christmas guests.
Difficulty: Moderate

Creamy Rice with Forest Berry Fruit: Riso e Latte con Frutti di Bosco
A quick, healthy dessert made with rice and wild fruit. Very easy, too!

Gnocchi in Milk: Gnocchi al Latte
A simple winter dessert..
Difficulty: Easy

Mascarpone Cream with Raspberries: Crema di Mascarpone coi Lamponi
A quick raspberry mascarpone cheese cup for two.
Difficulty: Easy

Milanese Charlotte: Charlotte alla Milanese
A rum-laced apple-and-bread pudding.
Difficulty: Moderate

Montebianco
Sumptuousness in a dessert, and extraordinarily rich too: a chestnut puree mountain!
Difficulty: Moderate

Mother's Buiscuits: Biscotti Puerperali
The perfect thing, according to Artusi, for a new mother to enjoy (with the help of a spoon).
Difficulty: Moderate

Oranges in Marsala: Arance al Marsala
Quick, tasty, and rather racy.
Difficulty: Easy

Panna Cotta
You won't believe how easy this delicious Piemontese standard is!
Difficulty: Moderate

Pastry Cream: Crema Pasticcera
A basic ingredient in innumerable cakes and pastries. If you make it slightly more liquid, it can also be pleasant served in cups.
Difficulty: Moderate; requires care

Peach Charlotte: Charlotte di Pesche
A refreshingly chilled peach Charlotte
Difficulty: Easy

Pears Stewed in Wine: Pere al Vino
Pears simmered in spiced wine are absolutely delightful.
Difficulty: Easy

Rum Soufflé
An elegant way to delight your guests.
Difficulty: Moderate

Soused Peaches: Pesche in Guazzo
Peaches drowned in a cognac-laced syrup.
Difficulty: Easy

Strawberry Gelatin: Gelatina di Fragole
Strawberry gelatin is delightfully refreshing.
Difficulty: Easy

Strawberry Shake: Frullato di Fragole
The combination of yogurt and strawberries is an excellent source of both vitamins and calcium, and is extremely easy to prepare.
Difficulty: Easy

Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar: Fragole all'Aceto Balsamico
Balsamic vinegar is good with all sorts of things. Including strawberries.
Difficulty: Easy

Stuffed Baked Apples: Mele Cotte Ripiene
Baked stuffed apples -- tasty, and though simple elegant enough to serve guests.
Difficulty: Easy

Stuffed Peaches: Pesche Ripiene
Peaches stuffed with candied fruit and more peach. Delightful!
Difficulty: Easy

Sergio's Classic Tiramisu
Another classic, tasty recipe.
Difficulty: Easy

Sergio's Newfangled Pumpkin & Spice Tiramisu
A surprising fall variation on the theme.
Difficulty: Easy

Tiramisu
There are hundreds of recipes for this simplest of desserts. Here's my favorite.
Difficulty: Easy

Tiramisù with Cherries and Red Wine, Tiramisù Con Ciliegie e Vino Rosso
Tiramisù is a simple concept, and though it's usually made with coffee and chocolate, it's just as tasty with cherries.
Difficulty: Easy

Tremarello
A simple custard to celebrate weddings and other happy events.
Difficulty: Easy

Zabaione
Delicate liquid egg custard that's great in a cup, or for dipping things.
Difficulty: Easy

Zuccotto
A delightful combination of chilled cream, chocolate, and cake.
Difficulty: Intermediate

Zuppa Tartara
An elegant, exotic ricotta-based pudding.
Difficulty: Moderate

If you haven't found what you're looking for, please ask!

Cakes
Pies & Tarts
Biscotti & Other Cookies
Frittelle, Cenci and other Fried Delights
Preserves, Frittate, and Other Tasty Treats
Back to Index

Subscribe to the Newsletter
Name	Email