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Eating in Italy - Dolci

You saved room…right?! I always do.

Desert (the hot and dry place) is spelled with one ‘S’. Dessert (that sweet stuff) is spelled with two ‘S’s. My sister helped me with that, saying that Mom used to say, “…dessert has two s’s, because it’s super sweet”. I have to admit that I had problems with that until about 3 years ago. Enough etymology, let’s eat!!!

“Ellen did not eat that soufflé all by herself”

Today’s article is the last of the ‘Eating in Italy’ series, as far as solid food goes. There will be one more surprise article in the next couple of weeks…yes, there is one more oft used course in the Italian meal.

The Dolci (Dessert)

In the gastronomical dessert battle, those Frenchies seem to come out on top time after time. However, their close neighbor has a few tricks up their sleeve, too. Over the last decade, Italian dolci (sweets or desserts) have come a long way…and often right down to my tummy.

Typical of the dolci menu is tiramisu, panna cotta, zabaglione and grandma’s cake (torta di nonna). I’m pleased to say that I have had each of these offerings in during 2022…though sadly, not in Italy, itself.

As this isn’t a cooking class, I will jump right into the typical offerings of the Italian menu itself, rather than handing out recipes. What follows are actual offerings from Italian menus…real Italian menus…from Italy. Sorry, but I wanted you to get the point.

And, those photos you see to the right (or who knows where on a mobile device) are photos of our actual dolci experiences within Italy. Enjoy!

Dolci Menu Offerings

Crostata

A crostata is a baked tart filled with…you’ll see just below…

Cioccolato e Caffe’ (chocolae, crema, and a chocolate streusel)
Mele e Albicocca (apples, apricots)
Mandorla e Amarena (almond, pastry cream, and Fabbri amarena cherries…one of our favorites)

Classics

Tiramisu (espresso soaked biscuits, tiramisu cream and cocoa powder)
Limoncello Profiteroles
Afogato (espresso poured over gelato)
Zabaglione (egg custard and sweet spumoni wine)
Torta di Nonna (sweet crusted tart with custard and a fruit filling)

Other Desserts

Chocolate variation (a variation of exactly what, I know not)

Crunchy puff pastry, pumpkin and chestnut cream, almond milk, pomegranate, sour cream gelato, salted caramel, and kitchen sink…just kidding.
Mountain panna cotta
Caprese cake
A patisserie mignon
Millefeuille with chantilly cream, orange sauce
Warm Zabaglione with De Bartoli reserve marsala and panettone
Babà with rhum and whipped cream
Kiss of cream meringue and dark chocolate flakes
Warm Chocolate cake made with rhum with coconut gramble and blackberries sorbet
Variation of coconut, banana and lime
Rhubarb gel with hazelnut creams and sponges
Ricotta cream with marzipan, soft pistachio and sorbet of candied oranges
Consistencies of dark chocolate, cocoa grué snow and hemp [I have no idea, don’t ask]
Slice of homemade cake
Crêpes à la crème
Fete Biscottate Homemade
Cremoso al Rosmarino
Marmellata di Fragole e Rabarbaro
Honey mousse
chamomile pannacotta
Florus-flavored tiramisu (Florus? Obviously a Banfi menu item…and tasty)
Paffpastry cannolo, custard and plum jam ice cream
Tuscan biscotti parfait with vanilla ice cream
Mascarpone cheese mousse, hazelnuts praline cream, crunchy chocolate, coffee gelato
Rhubarb sphere, vermouth cream, beetroot macaron, raspberry sorbet
The Fregolona (a crumbly dessert made from butter, flour, sugar, almonds and yellow flour)

Fruit as Dessert

Boring? A Little, but then again, it is healthy

Fruit tarts
Sliced fresh fruit
Fruit Plate
Fresh fruit salad with vanilla ice cream

Gelato, Sorbet & Ice Cream

Cassis sorbet, coconut milk-flavored winter salad
Lemon sorbet, apple and celery, first pressed oil, timur berries

Millefouille with vanilla cream
Tofu soft cream, tangerine sorbet, citrus fruits, ginger, kale chips
Lemon sorbet with grated licorice
Vanilla ice cream with gelè of smoked whiskey
Selection of housemade sorbets and ice creams
Gelato al Pane
Pollen ice cream [you didn’t know that bees can make ice cream, did you?]
Homemade crema gelato, raisins and Moscato Romano Levi grappa
An ice cream made with the collaboration of Marco (Ricotta Ice Cream w/ Amarone Grappa)

Cheese As Dessert

Yes, I’ve had cheese for dessert…and then I order an actual, real, traditional, sweet, and pleasing dessert! Listed here are just a few Italian cheeses you might order from the dolci menu:

Caprino
Morlacco
Gorgonzola naturale
And many other Italian cheeses

Other Ways to Get Dolci

Wow, so many tasty sounding variations of dolci. And, I can’t leave off just plain, old gelato…scooped up at that “best gelato in all of Italy” place around the corner from wherever you happen to be in Italy. And, if your friend hears you are going to Italy and says, “You’ve just got to go to this gelato place…it’s the best ever…it’s just a 45 minute walk from the places you will be!”, don’t fall for it…find the one that’s handy and go for it!

And then there is what you find along the way as you stroll the calle of Italy, like cookies, candies, and such. It’s hard not to run across these hand-held treats…except when you are actively looking for them, of course.

Below are photos of tasty treats you might find whilst in Italy.

A Short Anecdote

When we were in Amalfi, we had a nice meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant called Ristorante La Caravella. It was a lovely dining experience.

On the menu for dolci, we eyed an item called Soufflè al limone d'Amalfi, or lemon soufflé, made with those huge Amalfi lemons.

I’ll forgo telling you more about the dessert…I’ll let you see what happened to it. Ellen will demonstrate. Nough said, right?

If you need to catch up on the earlier installments of Eating in Italy, here are the links:

Eating in Italy — The Courses and Apertivo [the types of dining establishments, the menu, and a sip of an apertivo — a good place to start your dining journey]
Eating in Italy — Antipasto
Eating in Italy — Primi
Eating in Italy — Secondi

Thank you for joining me today as we discover that sweetest of Italian meal courses, the dolci course. If your sweet tooth has been activated, get yourself to Italy. If we are there with you, we will help you get your just desserts! Until that happens, I say…

Ciao for now,

Steve

p.s. Before you ask, I’ll answer your question: No, Ellen did not eat that soufflé all by herself. I had a hand in that task, also.

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Eating in Italy - The Courses & Apertivo

Index of Articles

Today we begin a journey into the the world’s most popular food — Italian food. We’ll start with the courses one might expect to see on a menu in Italy.

Oh the Places You’ll Eat…

First, let’s recognize that there are several types of eating establishments in Italy. In the U.S., ours are not as distinctly recognized. For instance, we subjectively use the words “café” to describe a restaurant of a certain style, as there is not really much of an objective definition. And we use the word “restaurant” to describe almost any place we eat. It’s a bit different in Italia.

Here are some of the types of eating establishments in Italy:

Bar or Caffé — These are open for breakfast, lunch, afternoon snacks and dinner. You will have the opportunity to order coffee (caffé), soft drinks (analcolico), wine (vino), and cocktails (cocktail or apertivo). So, let’s not think of an Italian stand-alone “bar” as we usually do in the US, where it is typically just a place for beer, wine and cocktails. An Italian bar is where you go in the morning to get your coffee, say good morning (buon giorno) to neighbors and sit to sip and read a newspaper (giornale)…ahem, or look at your phone (telefonino), I guess.

Osteria — A bit more formal than a bar. Often family owned serving simple wines and a limited food menu of pasta and a couple of meat dishes. The menu may be printed, on a blackboard, or recited by the server. Your wine glass may be filled from a spigot.

Trattoria — Generally much less formal than a ristorante, but more formal than an osteria. Think of a trattoria as a diner or café. Expect casual, modest, low priced, wine by the decanter, and regional foods.

Ristorante — We are now getting into more of a fine-dining category. Expect a tablecloth, extensive menus, upscale waitstaff, and finer wines. Oh, and don’t forget that you’ll be paying more.

Pizzeria — As it sounds, it’s an Italian pizza joint. Hopefully, you will find a wood-fired oven. We like an inexpensive Chianti with our pizza…no need for an expensive bottle of wine here.

Paninoteca — If you want a quick bite for lunch, the sandwich shops of Italy are excellent. Great bread? Yep. Great meats and cheeses? Yep. Expensive? Nope. Maybe accompanied by a Coca-Cola Lite (aka Diet Coke).

Gelateria — Man oh man…do we love a good gelato…and Italy has the best…obviously. Expect flavors that you will not get in American ice cream selections. Exotic berries, hard-to-find nuts, yum. Not open for breakfast, but do expect them to be open late into the evening.

So, those are the places you will eat. Now, what’s on the menu?

What’s on the Menu?

In the U.S. we usually see appetizers, soups & salads, entrées, and desserts. We expect to have access to a pre-dinner cocktail, and wine or beer during dinner. Coffee? Sure, either with or without dessert.

Understand that the Italian menu may not display each of the words below, but they are there in the minds of the Italians as they go about dining. For example, does the U.S. dinner menu at your favorite restaurant with a bar even mention that cocktails are available? Probably not, though there may be a separate, special drink menu available. Yet, you know that the predinner cocktails are available, and that the bartender will know how to make what you want. So, here are the typical ‘courses’ you might expect, either on a menu or just in the head of the Italian diner.

The apertivo (plural is apertivi, and please note that it’s not an appetizer, but a drink), antipasto (plural is antipasti), primo (plural is primi, which is usually what will be on a menu), secondo (plural is secondi, which is usually what will be on the menu), contorno (plural contorni), and dolci (the singular of dolco or ‘sweet’, is not generally used).

Today’s article will focus on just the apertivo. You’ll have to wait in sweet anticipation for the dolci!

Apertivo (pl Apertivi)

In Italy, let’s start with an apertivo, or predinner drink. When you think of a predinner drink, you probably think of ‘cocktail’, and you may be envisioning a Whiskey Sour, Martini, Cosmopolitan, Gin & Tonic, Margarita, or one of hundreds of other mixed drinks. The traditional pre-meal apertivi are a bit simpler, with long histories, and with ingredients made with herbs — giving the apertivi a bit of a bitter flavor when imbibed on its own. So, on their own, they are not high in alcohol. Some are sipped, and others are mixed with simple accompaniments.

And, please note that I am not promoting the use of alcohol, but reporting on what those Italians are reportedly doing.

Here are a few apertivi that you will find during your Italian journeys and dining.

CYNAR

How about a Cynar? Made from 13 herbs and plants, predominant among which is the artichoke (What, you say?! Yes! I say — artichoke!), from which the drink derives its name in Latin. It’s dark brown, and reportedly has a bittersweet flavor.

Here’s how an Italian might drink it (From Difford’s Guide)

2 oz Cynar
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
Juice of squeezed lemon wedge
3 dashes Orange Bitters
Lemon peel twist

They are so proud of the artichoke that there is one on the label of the bottle.

CAMPARI

There is no more beautiful Italian drink than a Campari and soda with lime. Brilliant red and sparkling. Go ahead and take a taste. Wow, did your lips stick to your teeth?

Campari is a dry, bitter, beautifully bright red liquor that was invented at the same time Italy became a country, about 85 years after the United States did. Before traveling to Italy, I might take a small sip of Campari now and then “to build up an immunity” to it’s bitter taste. It is usually used as an ingredient of the Negroni cocktail (gin and vermouth with Campari). But even in a cocktail, you won’t forget that you’re drinking a unique apertivo. Campari’s less bitter cousin is Aperol, which is next.

APEROL

A spritz made with Aperol, anyone? Yes, please. One of Italy’s go-to summer drinks…and it’s become popular at our house because of it’s low alcohol content. Oranges are in Aperol’s preparation, though you will also find gentian, rhubarb, and cinchona, among its ingredients. Take a bit of prosecco, add some white wine and Aperol, and now you have a refreshing Aperol spritz!

A spritz was primarily an Austrian and northern Italian drink (Veneto, Friuli and the Trentino-Alto Adige), but it has migrated to all of Italy and now, the world. The term ‘spritz’ came from the Austrian "Gespritzter" (think of a spritzer that spritzes water on your plants). You may remember that prior to Italy becoming Italy, they had a strong affiliation with Austria. To stay alert whilst imbibing, Austrian soldiers would ask for a spritz of water in their wine to dilute its effects. Thus ends our history lesson for today.

GALLIANO

Galliano is a key ingredient to a Harvey Wallbanger, which is pretty much unheard of since the 70s. You’ll notice a hint of anise, along with several other ingredients.

The Harvey Wallbanger of the 70s is made with Vodka, orange juice and Galliano. Here’s the recipe.

I have no idea how an Italian might partake Galliano as an apertivo. If you are an Italian, please weigh in on this.

VERMOUTH

For you martini fans, you’ll be familiar with Vermouth.

I’m told that a very-dry martini is made by pouring gin into a glass whilst looking at the Vermouth bottle.

You need to know that Vermouth was invented right there in Italy in 1786 in Turin.

Before purchasing a Vermouth, you must decide between a sweet Vermouth, or a dry Vermouth (a less-sweet version).

Wine as an Apertivo

Of course you can have a glass of wine as an apertivo. Whether it is vino rosso (red wine), vino bianco (white wine), or the more modern vino rosato (rose wine), you will enjoy most any wine that you are served in Italy. We have had a glass of wine served from a spigot in a simple osteria, a carafe at trattorie, and from the bottle at many other dining places.

You want proof that one can enjoy a glass of wine as an apertivo? Here we are on the island of Isola dei Pescatori on Lake Maggiore. We are dining at Ristorante Verbano, and we are happy. It’s not necessarily because of the wine, but we are definitely happy. We find ourselves that way most of the time whilst we are in Italy. Go figure.

Here’s the thing…and that thing is that in Italy, they take great pride in their wine (amongst other things), and a proprietor will refuse to serve you an inferior wine *. So, other than that one experience where we were forewarned, wine in Italy has been exceptional, wherever we may have been dining.

*Except at one place in Venice…actually one of the premier Venetian ristorante…but the manager did say that we were probably not going to like it…and we didn’t…and after taking a few sips, Leslie said, “Non, we are not drinking this wine”, and the rest of us said, “Thank goodness someone said something!”…and as promised, the manager replaced that bottle of wine with a very pleasant one. The moral of the story: when in Italy, don’t panic…someone will take care of you, as promised.

Bottom line: a glass of wine in Italy makes a great apertivo to start your dining experience!

So, our appetite has been wetted whetted with an apertivo. Let’s get a bite to eat. Next time, we look at the Antipasto. Meanwhile, I may have a sip of Campari, just to build up an immunity for the next time we find ourselves in wonderful Italy.

Once again I say…

Ciao for now,

Steve