Italian dessert Recipes?

Question

I'm Italian--any Italian dessert will do! I need recipes please!

Answer 1

Italian Lemon Cheesecake

1 1/3 C. part-skim ricotta cheese
4 oz. neufchatel or light cream cheese
1/3 C. sugar
2 eggs - separated
1/2 C. low-fat milk
1/4 C. all-purpose flour
2 T. lemon juice
2 t. grated lemon rind
1 t. vanilla extract
4 sheets phyllo pastry
1 1/2 T. butter or margarine -melted

Apricot Spread
3 oz. dried apricots; roughly-chopped
1/2 C. unsweetened apple juice

1. Preheat the oven to 325F. Generously coat a 9" pie plate with vegetable cooking spray.

2. In a food processor or blender process the cheeses, sugar, egg yolks, milk, flour, lemon juice, lemon rind, and vanilla until smooth. In a bowl whip the egg whites until stiff and gently fold into the mixture.

3. Place the 4 sheets of phyllo pastry into the prepared pan, crisscrossing them on the bottom and brushing each lightly with some of the butter or margarine. Trim the overhanging pastry leaving a 2" border all around.

4. Place the filling in the pan, roll the outer edges of theoverlapping pastry toward the filling, tucking it in and rolling it to create a rim. Brush the edges lightly with the remaining butter or margarine.

5. Place the pan on a cookie sheet, put in the center of the oven. Place a baking pan with 2" of water on the lower rack of the oven. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack. Chill for 6 hours or overnight.

6. Top with the apricot spread, if desired, and serve the pie
chilled, cut into wedges.

*This pie can be baked without the crust as a pudding.

Apricot Spread

1. In a small saucepan bring the apricots and juice to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer very slowly for 45 minutes, or until smooth and softened, stirring occasionally.

2. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then process in a food processor or blender until smooth.

3. Place in a covered container and chill for 4 to 6 hours orovernight. Serve chilled.

*Other dried fruits such as peaches or prunes can be substituted for the apricots.

This can be used as a fruit spread on toast, a topping on pies or as a natural low-sugar flavoring for plain yogurt.

Yield: 10 servings

From Make It Easy, Make It Light by Laurie Burrows Grad

Answer 2

Tiramisu

3 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
1 (8-oz) container mascarpone cheese (1 scant cup)
1/2 cup chilled heavy cream
2 cups very strong brewed coffee or brewed espresso, cooled to room temperature
2 tablespoons sweet Marsala wine
18 savoiardi (crisp Italian ladyfingers, 6 oz)
1/4 cup fine-quality bittersweet chocolate shavings (not unsweetened; made with a vegetable peeler) or 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Beat together yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Beat in mascarpone until just combined.
Beat whites with a pinch of salt in another bowl with cleaned beaters until they just hold soft peaks. Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar a little at a time, beating, then continue to beat whites until they just hold stiff peaks. Beat cream in another bowl with cleaned beaters until it just holds soft peaks. Fold cream into mascarpone mixture gently but thoroughly, then fold in whites.

Stir together coffee and Marsala in a shallow bowl. Dip 1 ladyfinger in coffee mixture, soaking it about 4 seconds on each side, and transfer to an 8-inch glass baking dish (2-quart capacity). Repeat with 8 more ladyfingers and arrange in bottom of dish, trimming as needed to fit snugly. Spread half of mascarpone mixture evenly over ladyfingers. Make another layer in same manner with remaining ladyfingers and mascarpone mixture. Chill tiramisu, covered, at least 6 hours.

Just before serving, sprinkle with chocolate.

Cooks' notes:
• The eggs in this recipe are not cooked, which may be of concern if there is a problem with salmonella in your area.
• Tiramisu can be chilled up to 1 day.

Answer 3

You obviously already got recipes for tiramisu and cannoli, so I skipped that. Here's a recipe I came up with based on other biscotti recipes I had. I also provided a link to another biscotti recipe I use regularly.
Chocolate Pecan Biscotti
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 stick of butter (6 TBS), softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons Instant coffee grinds
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS:
Line an extra-large cookie sheet or 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.
Add granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt; beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.
Beat in eggs, vanilla, and coffee until combined.
Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour along with pecans and chocolate chips.
On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Shape each portion into loaves about 2-1/2 inches wide. Place at least 3 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet(s).
Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes. Allow loaves to cool before transferring to a cutting board.
Cut each loaf diagonally into 1/2-inch slices.
Place slices cut sides down on the same parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake in a 325 degree F oven for an additional 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; cool.

I copied this recipe, but it's something my family makes all the same, something between an Italian cheesecake and a regular cake. We use marble cake mix as opposed to chocolate, however.
Italian Love Cake
INGREDIENTS:
1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix
2 pints part-skim ricotta cheese
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup milk
1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
DIRECTIONS:
Prepare cake mix as directed on box. Pour batter into 9 x 13 x 2 inch greased baking dish. Set aside.
Combine ricotta cheese, sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Blend well. Spread mixture evenly over the top of the cake batter.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 75 minutes if using a glass baking dish, 90 minutes if using a metal pan.
Blend pudding mix and milk until thickened. Blend in whipped topping. Spread over cooled cake.

This is a more traditional recipe from Tuscany, as opposed to an Italian-American dessert:
Torta ai 7 cucchiai (seven spoon cake)
INGREDIENTS
3 2/3 cups flour
7 tbs. olive oil
7 tbs. sugar
7 tbs. milk
3 eggs
pinch of baking powder
1 orange
knob of butter
DIRECTIONS:
In a bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, and milk, gradually adding the eggs and the grated orange zest. Then, still whisking, sprinkle in the flour and finally the baking powder. Lightly butter and flour a deep, round cake tin. Bake for 45 minutes in a moderate oven and test to see if it is cooked by inserting a toothpick into the cake, which should come out dry. Remove from the oven and let stand for a few minutes before turning out onto a plate.
Zuppa Dolce Fiorentina (a trifle made with a 7-spoon cake)
INGREDIENTS:
1 seven spoon cake
The confectioners' custard: 2 eggs, separated, 1/3 cup plain flour, grated lemon zest, 1/4 cup granulated sugar
The chocolate sauce: 1/2 bitter cocoa, 3 tbs. flour, 2 1/4 cups milk, 6 1/2 tbs. granulated sugar
Other ingredients:
knob of butter
glass of sweet Marsala
DIRECTIONS:
Make the confectioners' custard by whisking the egg yolks with the sugar and sprinkling in the flour and milk. Bring to simmering over a low flame, stirring constantly. Draw off the heat and dust with confectioners' sugar so a crust does not form on the surface. Make the chocolate sauce in another sauce pan, working all ingredients together over the heat. Cook very gently for 15 minutes. Lastly, add the butter and allow to cool.
Take a deep glass dish and line it with inch-thick slices of the cake. Brush with Marsala. Pour a little custard into the bottom. cover with 1- 2 slices of cake steeped in Marsala, then some chocolate sauce and so on until the dish is filled. Refrigerate two hours before serving.

Answer 4

Panna Cotta
INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup skim milk
1 (.25 ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

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DIRECTIONS:
Pour milk into a small bowl, and stir in the gelatin powder. Set aside.
In a saucepan, stir together the heavy cream and sugar, and set over medium heat. Bring to a full boil, watching carefully, as the cream will quickly rise to the top of the pan. Pour the gelatin and milk into the cream, stirring until completely dissolved. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and pour into six individual ramekin dishes.
Cool the ramekins uncovered at room temperature. When cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight before serving.

Tiramisu
INGREDIENTS:
6 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 pound mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups strong brewed coffee, room temperature
30 ladyfinger cookies
8 ounces finely chopped bittersweet chocolate

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DIRECTIONS:
In large mixing bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar with electric mixer until light yellow, 1 minute. Beat in mascarpone, brandy and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Fold egg whites into mascarpone mixture.
Quickly dip ladyfingers, one at a time, in cooled coffee and arrange them in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Use 15 cookies to cover the bottom of the dish. Spread half the mascarpone mixture over the cookie crust and sprinkle the chocolate on top. Repeat the soaked cookie and cheese layers.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight before serving.

Gelato
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar

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DIRECTIONS:
In a medium saucepan, mix milk and cream. Warm until foam forms around the edges. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until frothy. Gradually pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture gels slightly and coats the back of the spoon. If small egg lumps begin to show, remove from heat immediately.
Pour the mixture through a sieve or fine strainer into a bowl. Cover, and chill for several hours or overnight.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a sealed container, and freeze until firm. If the gelato is too firm, place it in the refrigerator until it reaches the desired consistency.

Cannoli
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons shortening
1 egg white
3/4 cup red wine
1 1/2 quarts oil for deep frying

1 1/2 pounds ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons chopped candied orange peel

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DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Blend in the shortening and egg white. Add the red wine one tablespoon at a time until the mixture forms a ball. Knead the dough enough to bring it together. Cover and let rest for half an hour.
Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Divide dough into 2 parts. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 4 inch long ovals. Place a cannoli tube onto the oval lengthwise and roll up with edges overlapping; seal with a dab of egg white.
Fry cannoli shells 2 or 3 at a time in the hot oil. When golden brown, remove from the oil to drain on paper towels. Remove tubes.
To make the filling: In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese and confectioners' sugar. Fold in the vanilla, chocolate chips and candied orange peel. Chill for at least half an hour before filling shells. Drain off any excess liquid. Fill cooled shells and smooth off the filling at the edges. Keep refrigerated until serving.