Tuscan Dessert?

[annadev]

I have been charged with making dessert(s) for a Tuscan dinner. I'm thinking cantucci with vin santo. I've found a recipe for a very simple apple cake that might also work. Anyone have any other suggestions?.

[emsny]

Pignolata. There are several desserts by that name, but one that's served in Tuscany/Umbria, as I remember it (I'm not near cookbooks - you can look it up) is: line a tart pan with pasta frolla; fill with pastry cream and pignoli; top with another layer of pastry; bake. I have also had it with additional pine nuts embedded in the top crust, and have made it that way. Serve no colder than room temperature - blood temperature is about right.

[chezcherie]

there's a cornmeal and olive oil cake with lemon that is very nice, and seems the soul of tuscany. if only i could remember whose it was---maybe michael chiarello? but any riff with those ingredients would qualify, i'd think.

[whisks]

torta di zucca is the best tuscan dessert i've had - everytime my friend makes it we are all killing each other for another slice. served with thick rich cream, it is heaven.

[Carrot Top]

There is a magnificent Torta di Riso (rice custard cake) in the Williams-Sonoma cookbook series. Served with a cherry-vin santo compote, to me it is the epitome of the soul of Tuscan cooking. Simple and evocative of the warm pleasures of hearth and home - no hints of pretension yet pure, strong, proud. Almost naive yet imbued with a canny instinctual intelligence.

If it sounds like something you would like to try, PM me and I'll send along the recipe.

Edited January 31, 2006 by Carrot Top (log)

[ludja]

I just recommend Emily Luchetti's "Tuscan Cream Cake" on another thread. It is a wonderful cake; 5 layers of spongecake filled with zabaglione. It is iced with whipped cream, the top is covered with dark chocolate curls (or grated chocolate) and the sides are covered with crumbled amaretti cookies. It is a big cake and is very delicious.

Here is a link to the recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/recipe...X5-CARD,00.html

[therese]

Schiacciata all'uva. Easy, you can make it ahead, no last minute assembly or storage issues.

[Carrot Top]

whisks, I got your PM so here is the recipe. . .simply rewritten in different form than the book, but altogether the same.

Torta di Riso (serves 6)

......................................

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190C)

.......................................

1 lb. cherries

1 Tbs. butter

1 Tbs. sugar

1/4 C vin santo

1 tsp. almond extract

1. Put cleaned and halved cherries, butter, sugar in pan over high heat for three minutes till beginning to soften. Take off heat, add vin santo and almond extract. Over medium heat, cook till alcohol has evaporated (several moments). Set aside.

.........................................

Semolina flour and butter to dust pan

1/2 C short-grain white rice

2 C milk

7 eggs

1 C plus 2 Tbs. sugar

1 tsp. rum

1/2 tsp. lemon zest

1/2 tsp. lime zest

1. Lightly butter a 9" round cake pan -dust with semolina flour.

2. Bring enough lightly salted water to a boil over high heat to allow rice to cook "freely". Add rice, reduce heat to medium high, boil ten minutes. (Test to be sure rice is not too underdone before draining.) Drain well, then spread evenly over the bottom of the cake pan. Set aside.

3. Warm milk in saucepan till small bubbles appear along edge of pot.

Meanwhile, beat eggs and sugar together with electric mixer till thick and pale yellow (about 5 minutes). Add rum and zests and mix well.

4. While constantly stirring, slowly pour 1/2 C of the warm milk into the egg mix.

Stir in remaining milk, then pour entire mix into saucepan. Over low heat, stir constantly till custard forms thick enough to coat a spoon (about ten minutes). Do not allow to boil.

5. Remove from heat, pour over rice in cakepan.

6. Bake 45 minutes to an hour, till toothpick will come out clean. Put pan on wire rack to cool for half an hour, then invert onto plate to remove. Allow to cool to room temp.

7. Serve with compote, cut into slices.

...........................................................................

Probably good quality jarred cherries would work in a pinch if fresh are not to be found.

Karen

[sazji]

Would these be sweet or sour cherries? I imagine both would be very good, but morellos would give it a very different character.

[Carrot Top]

The recipe calls for "dark sweet cherries".

Of course, what a "dark sweet cherry" is to one person may be different than what a "dark sweet cherry" is to another person, in another place or from another background.

Given the quality of the only cherries that I can generally find at my market, honestly if I were making the torte I might use the jar of sour cherries (a good brand) in light syrup that is in my kitchen cupboard that I keep on hand to use in chocolate-cherry torte (and of course, not cook them for so long but barely heat etc etc. . .)

But then I love desserts that are not utterly weeping happy tears of sugar glee.

[whisks]

thanks for posting karen. and luckily for me, cherries are in season now (i'm in sydney) and it has been a very good season in terms of the quality of the fruit. but having read the recipe thru, i think i'll love the rice custard even without the cherries.

one question, does the finished product have a quite distinct rice layer, or does it just become distributed throughout the custard during baking? however it turns out, i can't wait to give it a go - hopefully sometime this week.

thanks again.

[Carrot Top]

whisks, it looks like a gentle yet firm rice pudding of sorts. No heaviness at the base unless either the rice was packed down too firmly or if the oven is off-temp.

ruthcooks asked me to add it to RecipeGullet, so here is the link:

Torta di Riso

Buona fortuna!

[whisks]

thanks

[Swisskaese]

You could also make Il castagnaccio (Chestnut Cake) which is also a Tuscan dessert.