Grace's Sweet Life: Homemade Italian Desserts from Cannoli, Biscotti, and Tiramisu to Torte, Tartufi, and Struffoli

Grace's Sweet Life: Homemade Italian Desserts from Cannoli, Biscotti, and Tiramisu to Torte, Tartufi, and Struffoli

Author: Grace Massa Langlois

Publisher: Ulysses Press (2012)

I have a stepfamily who is, in no uncertain terms, Italian. Large gatherings of family in our home are commonplace for any and all events, from the most trivial of birthdays and sports team drafts to the all-out Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve (which also happens to correlate with my stepfather’s birthday on the 23^rd). Weeknight meals are almost exclusively Italian fare, although not the “spaghetti and meatballs” and “pizza” so much as rigatoni with rapini and oysters, gnocchi with plain tomato sauce and Parmesan and codfish with spicy peppers and potatoes, Sicilian style. Where my stepfamily hits all the right “traditional” notes in their savoury cooking, sweets and desserts (while definitely enjoyed) are almost exclusively store-bought. From cannoli and cakes to tartufo, if it’s a special event you can bet that somebody paid the local Italian bakery a visit.

While there is nothing wrong with store-bought pastry once in awhile, homemade desserts are almost exclusively better tasting and better for you. The problem arises when tradition comes into play and the old recipes of your nonna’s are either long gone or so outdated that modern appliances and ingredients don’t apply. Enter Grace Massa Langois, with her book Grace's Sweet Life: Homemade Italian Desserts from Cannoli, Biscotti, and Tiramisu to Torte, Tartufi, and Struffoli. The book’s mission is really to build on the passionate blog started by Massa Langois and make those classical Italian treats more approachable for the common cook – and as long as you have the courage of a lion, no dietary restrictions and a large group to feed, it is successful.

This is not simply another “Italian” or “dessert” cookbook. Recipes in Grace’s Sweet Life are complex, multi-step concoctions which, while intended to be as helpful as possible (and the details are, for the more convoluted items) can send the average baker running for the hills. While written in English, the book seems like it’s almost half in Italian thanks to the labelling of each recipe and step in that language first. Quaint, for the first few recipes, but if you’re cooking your way through the multi-page Torta Chiffon all’Arancia con Crema Chantilly all’Arancina e Crema all’Arancia (p. 39) it does get tiresome.  Massa Langois also calls for many specialty ingredients (an entire page as to what they are and what they do, however, is thankfully provided (p. 8)). While our local stores and Italian grocery are relatively well stocked, I have yet to find glucose, “lievito vaniglinato”, “vanillina aroma per dolci”, 00 flour or gelatine sheets save by either going into downtown Toronto or ordering online. There is no “resources” page to point would-be cooks to a store for purchase, and many online retailers require far more in shipping charges or quantity than I’m willing to incur.

Grace’s Sweet Life is also not a book for anyone with restrictions on the amount of dairy, nuts (and especially) eggs. Recipes can call for up to a full dozen, and cheese, cream and other dairy is lavishly used. There is a sizeable portion of the book using deep-frying and sugar-caramelizing techniques, which can also be off-putting to those of us nervous around those types of things (I myself am terrified of hot oil) or who are trying to minimize the amount of crispy-fried items in their diets. Granted, the book is not intended to be health food in the least – and I’m sure that the recipes using those ingredients are divine – but they definitely fall into “special occasion only” fare.

Luckily, because there are so many components to each recipe, even the most restricted diets can enjoy some part of the Italian dolce vita. Massa Langois also has some unique methods of preparing some items that can be a boon to any chef, professional or not. For me, the two stars I tried with great success were Bubble Sugar (part of the Torta al Ciccolato e Ciliega recipe (p.69)) and the Raspberry Jam from Crostatine con Frolla all Nocciola, Marmellata di Lamponi, e Crema Ganache al Cioccolato Bianco (p. 133). The Bubble Sugar was simple to make and impressive on its own as a candy or when used as the decoration it is intended to be – I liked that depending on the liqueur used (the alcohol provides the characteristic texture) the final result maintained just the barest hint of that flavour without becoming a “coffee sugar” from Kahlua or “orange bubbles” from Grand Marnier. The Raspberry Jam used the rather ingenious technique of baking the fruit, sugar and lemon juice together on a tray instead of heating up the whole kitchen by using a pot and the stove. I was able to make two batches of it in one afternoon with little work on my part, and the recipe works with any “berry” fruit such as strawberries, cherries and blueberries (I combined the three in my second batch). The only suggestion I would have is to cut down on the sugar a touch. The recipe doesn’t have a lot of sweetener really, considering jams are notorious for large quantities of sugar, but for our tastes batch #1 was just a bit too candy-like. Reducing the amount from ½ to 1/3 of a cup made a big difference, as did adding the zest of a lemon to the pureed mixture.

There are so many mouthwatering recipes in this book that it is impossible to say which one will next come about in my kitchen. One thing’s for sure, come the next Italian family celebration around here, Grace Massa Langlois’ Grace's Sweet Life: Homemade Italian Desserts from Cannoli, Biscotti, and Tiramisu to Torte, Tartufi, and Struffoli will not be far out of reach.

Available on Amazon

Adventures of an Italian Food Lover

Adventures of an Italian Food Lover

Author: Faith Willinger (http://www.faithwillinger.com/)
Publisher: Clarkson Potter (2007) (http://www.clarksonpotter.com/)

A smiling red-clad chef with a large bowl of pasta greets you at the cover of this engaging story – turned travel guide, wine list and cookbook. Like all the illustrations, he is in the fashion of a watercolour painting, and with the hand-scrawled title on the dust jacket, the reader gains the sensation that this is a book not just about cooking, but a personal story about the true adoration of food and everything it encases and involves.

Paging through the book is like wandering through the picturesque country sides of Piemonte, Veneto, and all the way through the country to Sicily and the islands at the very southern tip of Italy. An entire third of the book is devoted to the wine and food of Tuscany, where Willinger stresses the true importance of the grapes, olives, and their respective products to Tuscan, and in truth Italian, cuisine. Aside from the Tuscan region, Willinger devotes equal time and space to both Northern and Central Italy and Southern Italy, including Sicily and the smaller assorted islands. Without lifting a finger or turning on a flame, the reader can sense the smells, sounds and sights of the kitchens of these 254 friendly and eager-to-teach contributors to the book. Included in the list of recipe authors is none other than her son (with to-die-for sounding Tuscan Brownies [p. 143]) her aunt Enza (Tiramisu [p. 151]) and even the head of the Italian chocolate creator Amedei [p.152].

As if the charming and honest style of Willinger’s writing, and the equally colourful paintings done by her sister Suzanne, weren’t enough to win me over to Italian Food Lover, her detailed descriptions of the featured vineyards, hotels and restaurants would satisfy even the most clueless of travellers to the country. One could easily use this book as a gastronomic travel guide, as it contains detailed information on each contributor’s locale including addresses, telephone numbers, fax numbers and e-mails and websites if applicable. It is a welcome addition and a distinctive feature that sets this book apart from the other Italian cookbooks on the shelf.

Perhaps the greatest joy in reading each story preceding a recipe is being able to see the pride and care that each artisan, restaurateur and winemaker puts into their product. No ingredient is deemed unworthy of precious and proper handling, either in their cooking or description. Nothing is spared, even in her introduction to the book Willinger states that she cooks with “pasta made from heirloom wheat, salt-packed capers, canned tuna in oil, dried and frozen chili peppers, artisan-made salumi and cured meats”[p.8]. Later in the book readers are treated to visuals of “swordfish with swords, crates of silvery-blue anchovies, shrimp with tiny turquoise eggs, gleaming whole fish curved with rigor mortis [and] tubs of gelatinous gray larval fish called ‘sea foam’”[p.203] from Cantania’s Pescheria fish market.

Recipes flow like the pure extra virgin Per Mio Figlio onto the reader’s tongues, forming images of foods like Ricotta-Stuffed Zucchini Flowers, Pacceri Di Gragano with Fish Ragu and Ginger-Apricot Biscotti. Those who are intimidated by the thought of cooking the usual complicated and multi-stepped Italian food they may have encountered in restaurants will be pleasantly surprised by the clear, thorough writing style of the ingredient lists and preparation instructions. Though this book does tend to cater more to the middle-range home cook with additions like Roasted Veal Shank [p. 56] and Pasta with Mussels and Zucchini Flowers [p. 175], it is equally hospitable to all people who frequent their kitchens enough to value good, home-made food. From a simple, hearty bowl of lentil soup made with fine olive oil (written by winemaker Maurizo Castelli [p.101]) to Spaghetti with Spicy Onion-Tomato Sauce by Hotel Cipriani’s director Natale Rusconi [p.50], budding chefs can begin to experience the best of Italian cuisine at home. Those expert chefs among us (or those looking for an impressive dish for their own feast) will appreciate Cesare Giaccone’s more difficult Zabaione [p. 76], made by “whisking the eggs in a copper pot with a rounded bottom and moving it on and off the heat in a graceful ballet of preparation” and Risotto with Almonds and Broccoli [p. 202], prepared by the oldest sister of the Tasca d’Almerita family. If they apply, available substitutions for ingredients are provided in the text preceding each recipe, and in some cases these are necessary changes those who don’t live in the featured town, Italy or in some cases even Europe have to make for sheer availability’s sake. A full list of the recipes, helpfully divided by region as well as listed in a thorough index, is also at the disposal of the readers, though I do strongly recommend reading this book not purely for the recipes but for the joy of the stories attached alongside.

This book is a culinary memoir, In fact, this chef’s tale is probably more at home on your bedside table (like my copy is) than on your cookbook shelf. Just don’t forget to occasionally let your tastebuds in on the feast that awaits you within the pages of Adventures of an Italian Food Lover. It will quickly recruit you as one of its own, and take you along on it’s Mediterranean journey.