Italian delicacies

Italy is famous for fashion, football, Vespas and espresso. But most of all, Italy is famous for its fabulous food. Italian cuisine spans everything from pizza and pasta to sophisticated meat and fish dishes. It also includes classic desserts and baked goods.

Cherry tiramisu

Ingredients

Mix together the coffee and liqueur. Line a mould with the savoiardi biscuits and sprinkle the coffee mixture over them. Leave them to stand to allow the biscuits to soak up the coffee.

Put the egg yolks and sugar in a glass bowl and place the bowl over a saucepan of hot water. Keeping the water at a simmer, whisk constantly until the mixture has thickened. Stand aside to cool.

Rinse and pit the cherries. Dry them on kitchen paper, then stir them into the egg mixture.

Mix together the mascarpone, fromage frais and vanilla sugar.

Spread half of the mascarpone mixture over the biscuits. Spread the egg and cherry mixture on top, then cover with the remaining mascarpone mixture. Dust with cocoa powder.

Orange biscotti

Ingredients

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the liqueur, orange zest, butter or margarine and egg and stir to make a dough. Work in the almonds. Put the dough in a plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into two parts. Sprinkle the work surface with flour and roll each part into lengths about 3 cm in diameter. Put the lengths on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Bake at the centre of the oven at 175°C for approx. 12 minutes. Cut the lengths into pieces 1 ½ cm wide. Return them to the baking sheet, cover with baking parchment and bake for a further 10 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Store in a dry, airtight container.

Basil panna cotta on a chocolate cake base

Ingredients

Line an oven pan (the type that slots into the oven) with greaseproof paper, and grease the paper. Beat the eggs and sugar until white and fluffy. Mix together the plain flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and fold them into the cake mixture along with the water. Pour the cake mixture into the oven pan and bake in the centre of the oven at 250°C for about 5 minutes. Turn the cake out onto a sheet of greaseproof paper sprinkled with caster sugar. Leave to cool. Cut out round discs using the glasses that the panna cotta will be served in.

Combine the double cream, basil and jelly sugar in a saucepan and boil for 30 seconds. Pour into four glasses and refrigerate until serving. Turn the panna cottas out on top of the cake bases. Drizzle syrup over the panna cotta. Decorate with fresh raspberries. Dust some icing sugar over the raspberries.

Italian lemon pie

Ingredients

400 g pastry dough
Flour for the worktop

Filling
250 g ricotta cheese
250 g mascarpone cheese
Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
125 g Dansukker Granulated Sugar
6 egg yolks
6 egg whites 

Roll out the pastry on a floured worktop until it is 5 cm wider than a 25 cm pie dish. Line the pie dish with the pastry, leaving the excess pastry hanging over the side.

Mix together the two cheeses, the lemon juice and zest, half the sugar and five of the egg yolks.

Beat the egg whites until stiff. Add the remaining sugar and beat for another two minutes. Fold the egg white mixture into the cheese mixture.

Pour the filling into the pastry case and fold the surplus pastry edge over the filling. Lightly beat the egg yolk and brush it on the pie crust. Bake in the centre of the oven at 175°C for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 2 hour.

Zabaglione