Italian Dessert Food

Anyone who has taken a vacation in Italy knows that the food is delicious. It's a good idea not to overdo the pasta and keep some room for Italian dessert food. Italian restaurants are popular in many countries but it's also fun to have a go with Italian recipes at home.

Italian cuisine, although a small country, is regional and tastes vary but there are classic Italian dessert food dishes that cross all borders. Ice cream is universally popular and one of the enjoyable activities on an Italian vacation is to go to an ice cream parlor. The only trouble is making up your mind on what to buy. The window display will tempt you in with trays of ice cream of every color in the rainbow. Gelato, as it is called, is served in cones or in bowls and is often accompanied by a waffle biscuit. There is a range of flavors, typically involving chocolate or fruit. There may be chocolate, mint, banana, coconut, pistachio, peach, tiramisu or custard flavor. The store may also sell Gelato, which has been prepared with water instead of dairy products, known as Sorbetto (Sorbet).

A daily activity in caf culture in Italy has exported to other countries. This is dipping Biscotti into a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. Biscottis are crisp cookies and make a tasty Italian dessert food after the main course. They are easily made at home and can be put in the freezer for up to two months. The plain ones taste great but it's also fun to experiment with different flavors, which may include chocolate with pistachio, cherry, peppermint, white chocolate, anise, ginger or grand marnier.

One of the most popular items to appear on an Italian restaurant menu is the Tiramisu coffee flavored liquor cake. This Italian dessert food is almost impossible to resist and its full flavor largely comes from Mascarpone, a cream cheese made from crme fraiche. You can also experiment with making home made Tiramisu and add ingredients such as sweet marsala wine, chocolate, pumpkins or strawberries.

Puddings whose flavors explode in the mouth include Zabaglione, a simple recipe using egg yolks, sugar, and marsala wine. The Italian version of Rum Baba contains raisins and gold rum with a rum syrup made with sugar, vanilla, apricot preserve, whipped cream and more gold rum. Chestnut Tortelli is a traditional Christmas dish that can be made with fresh or canned chestnuts, combined with unsweetened cocoa powder, coffee powder, brandy, chopped semi-sweet chocolate, raisins and sugar.

For a sophisticated end to a dinner party, Italian dessert food comes up trumps with Strawberries in White Wine. The strawberries should be hulled and cut in half and in dry white wine with sugar and lemon zest. Cover and put in the fridge for an hour and serve in stemmed glasses.

Cheesecake is another universal favorite. The Amaretto Cheesecake uses Amaretto di Soronno liquor, which originates in Soronno in Italy. The crust can be made with crushed Graham Crackers and butter and the filling with lemon and orange juice, almonds and the liquor.