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Desserts D’Italia
Treat your taste buds and your sweet tooth! You’ll come back for more of these delicious Italian desserts.
Balsamic Glazed Fruits
5 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 large pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 8 wedges
2 large apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 8 wedges
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Measure two tablespoons lemon juice into a large nonreactive bowl. Add the fruit to the bowl and toss to coat. Melt the butter over medium heat in a nonreactive roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet. Cook until it stops foaming and turns light brown.
Add the rosemary, bay leaves, vinegar, remaining lemon juice, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, stir well until the sugar has melted, and simmer until slightly reduced. Season the cut fruit with a pinch of salt and pepper and pour into the roasting pan. Stir well until evenly coated. Spread the fruit into a single layer and place in the oven. Let cook slowly about six hours, turning the pieces over every hour for at least the first three hours. To test whether the fruit is ready, remove a piece after two hours and let cool for a few minutes.
Taste to see if the flavor is intense enough for your palate. Do not let the fruit get as dry as a fruit leather. It should still be moist and flexible. Remove any pieces that are done before the rest. Remove from the oven, let cool completely, and store in a tightly sealed container. Refrigerate if not consumed within two days. Let come to room temperature or warm gently before serving if refrigerated. The fruit will keep a week or more in the refrigerator.
Italian Lemon Ice
2 cup water
1 cup lemon juice (use juice of 2 lemons plus enough reconstituted juice
to yield 1 cup)
Zest of 2 lemons, cut very fine
2/3 cup sugar
Heat water and sugar to boiling. Simmer for five additional minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice and zest. Cool to room temperature. Divide mixture evenly among three tubs. Freezer until firm. Shave; scoop into small cups and serve with a spoon or straw. May wish to garnish with a small thin slice of lemon.
Dried Apricot — Pistachio Biscotti
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup roughly chopped dried apricot halves
1 cup shelled natural pistachios
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a large baking sheet. In food processor, combine first five ingredients. Pulse to blend. Add butter and vanilla; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add eggs and pulse three times to blend. Add apricots and pistachios; pulse just until mixture is evenly moistened. Transfer mixture to large bowl; with hands form into dough.
Divide dough in half. On lightly greased baking sheet, shape dough into two (12 inch) logs. With hands flatten each log to a width of two inches. Sprinkle each with remaining sugar. Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove logs to cooling rack for 10 minutes. With a serrated knife, carefully cut logs on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices. Place on baking sheet cut side up; return to oven and bake seven minutes or until very lightly browned. Transfer to rack; cool completely.
Photography credit: Lemon sorbet: ©iStockphoto.com/Elkeflorida; Pistachios: ©iStockphoto.com/jaroon
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