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Our group is doing a Progressive Dinner, my draw was dessert (Italian Themed).

The other dessert person is bringing cannolis.
I do not want to do Tirimisu b/c 2 people cannot have the raw eggs, don't even want to do a cooked version is they have to ask or think twice about it.
I love the Lemon Creme Cake that Olive Garden has. Or maybe Italian Creme Cake. Or something chocolatey??
I may make some berry or lemon Granita's (Ice) just to have on the side.
Any recipes or suggestions out there?
Thanks!

What about cannoli pie?!

Similar to the recipe I use except I use a pastry crust, not graham crackers...and I omit the cherries. Chocolate chips and almonds are enough for me. I also did not freeze, I refrigerated the pie. Serve with a dollop of slightly sweetened whipped cream. DELICIOUS!
http://www.food.com/recipe/Cannoli-Pie-273931


With Eagle Brand: http://www.eaglebrand.com/reci...t.aspx?recipeID=5873

Of course, where it calls for "whipped topping," you really should use REAL whipped cream.

I clipped this from a Hershey's e-newsletter a while ago. Haven't made it yet, but I don't think you'd go wrong with it.

http://www.hersheys.com/celebr...edetail.aspx?id=5364

Italian desserts that come to mind are biscotti, pizelles, zabaglione, panna cotta,
gelato, granita, Italian ice, spumoni or Neopolitan ice creams, pannetone. Perhaps some can be purchased locally or you can make at home.
Unfortunately, I can't even buy spumoni where I reside.

Italian Wedding Cake? Link to recipe follows:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/...57169-234207,00.html

The Stella Dora toast version of rum cake is also good. That is just instant chocolate pudding and vanilla all covered with cool whip. You must dip the toast quickly in milk and lay in pan cover with prepared chocolate pudding now the same toast layer again with second bag of toast, dip and lay on top of pudding and cover with vanilla pudding.Cover the whole top with cool whip and refrigerate. It will soften in fridge and it will not be hard toast. You must dip quick so it will not sog before it is set up. I would use 2 large boxes of each instant pudding, mixed ahead and follow directions on box of pudding mix for pie recipe.

Thanks to those that responded!
I think that I may do something cake-like since the other person is bringing cannolis.
The hersey's cake sounds great and may fit the bill...sort of Neopolitan too (especially if I make one of the layers pistachio!) or the Italian Cream cake.

I will defiantely save the Cannoli Pie recipe to make in the near future! As well as the rum cake (I Googled it and sounds like a triffle)yummy!

And sort of on the side and for those that want something light either Berry or Lemon Granita OR Panna Cotta with Berries (in the small cups).
Still a week to decide (and taste!) so thanks for getting the wheels turning!

Gracie, I made the Italian wedding cake yesterday after viewing the recipe. The frosting tastes just like penuche fudge. We have not tasted the cake and frosting together yet because dh's bithday is the end of the week. I put the cake in the freezer, but I will let you know.I plan to serve it with whipped cream. Thanks for the recipe.

Flboy, I will be looking for your reviews!!

quote:

Originally posted by flboy:
Gracie, I made the Italian wedding cake yesterday after viewing the recipe. The frosting tastes just like penuche fudge. We have not tasted the cake and frosting together yet because dh's bithday is the end of the week. I put the cake in the freezer, but I will let you know.I plan to serve it with whipped cream. Thanks for the recipe.

I'll be looking forward to seeing how you like the cake. Happy Birthday to your husband, BTW!

The cake sounds like it would be good, but it can't be Italian. There isn't any region in Italy that grows pineapple that I'm aware of, and it definitely isn't a traditional Italian flavor.

A couple of years ago we were on a trip that included a lunch in Rome.

This was served as a part of our tour from the Queen Mary. We did not order separately but were served.

It was a very ample meal and very good. Think it started with a bowl of pasta and I know we also had a salad and a meat course. Dessert was sort of a fudgy brownie and it was delicious.

Now I can't say if they were trying to accommodate the foreign guests we were (although certainly not all Americans) or if they were serving a traditional Italian lunch. We did have wine as part of the meal. I'm sorry I did not take a pic of the dessert but here is the table setting.

However, with today's quick shipping pineapple could very well be on the Italian table...

Pineapple is not indigenous to the States either, but we have it.

quote:

Originally posted by KeepYouInStitches:
However, with today's quick shipping pineapple could very well be on the Italian table...

Well, sure... They might have sauerkraut shipped in too, but that doesn't make sauerkraut Italian any more than pineapple is Italian.

Have to agree, that Italian Cream Cake probably isn't very authentic.
Was coordinating a Greek luncheon a few years ago and handed off a recipe for a Greek Yoghurt Cake to a staff member. She was befuddled by the type of yoghurt called for (Greek - which wasn't as prevalent then as it is now) so she Googled for a different recipe.
Instead a Greek Carrot Cake was delivered - merely a recipe obviously from a Pan Hellenic cookbook for Carrot Cake.
I was so mad.

LOL

Do a bit of research to find out where pasta originated.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: KeepYouInStitches,

nettlejay, I have grown pineapple right here in Fl. I have a black thumb for gardening but to grow a pineapple here in FL is so easy. You just cut off the top about 3 inches down and plant that top. It takes at least 3 years to get a good sized pineapple but it is the best tasting pineapple you will ever taste. Just saying!

The Italian Cream Cake doesn't have the pineapple, the Italian Wedding Cake does, they are 2 different cakes, though similar.

The Italian Cream Cake recipe I have is sort of a sponge cake (w/ walnut or pecans) with a brushed on liquour syrup, then a pastry cream of sugar, eggs, buttermilk, etc. , then a frosting that is more of a whipped cream, and i believe the flavoring is a vanilla butternut (don't have any on hand right now).
This came from an Italian friend's mother, also called Celebration Cake.

If you search Italian Cream cake, most have coconut in them as well, and that was probably an "addition" that became popular.

Lidia Bastianich has some wonderful-looking authentic recipes on her site - lidiasitaly.com.
Not one contains pineapple.

Jan and I live in St. Louis. It has a large Italian immigrant community known as "The Hill". There is an Italian restaurant on almost every corner. Where there is no restaurant, there is a bakery or import grocery. Italian is by far the favorite St. Louis ethnic cuisine.

I would've just suggested that you stop by Missouri Bakery and pick something up, Jan. But truthfully, I've never gotten anything from there I couldn't have baked better myself.

ETA: Do you grow that pineapple outdoors or in, flboy? I've heard how easy it is to root a pineapple top to make a new plant. But as far as I know, it takes an extended outdoor growing season to actually produce a fruit... Lots longer than we have here in the midwest.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: nettiejay,

quote:

Do a bit of research to find out where pasta originated

Don't have to. It was China wasn't it? And didn't Marco Polo introduce it to Italy?

Actually, I think it was Arabic first. I always thought it was from Marco Polo's trips to China, but read something somewhere awhile back...BRB...

Hmmm...Wikipedia and other sources
...Looks like 1st century - Greek or Roman
3rd-5th centuries - Palestinian
5th century - Arab
7th century - Sicily

BTW The Marco Polo story was supposedly invented as a marketing ploy for Americans. Oh how gullible we are!

Voila!
http://www.academiabarilla.com...ple-melon-salad.aspx

nettiejay, that would be out. We live in Fl. so there isn't a problem with growing it here. I wonder if you could put the pineaplle out in summer in a pot and bring it in through the winter.As I posted, it takes at least three years for that pineapple to grow to picking size. It may even take longer.We just throw it in the ground. We were waiting and waiting for one to be just the right size and it was taken from our front yard where it was growing. After all that time waiting for that yummy pineapple, I was mad. The home grown taste twice as good as the store brought.

Graciepj, We ate the cake last night and it was great. I had said that I would serve it with whip cream and I did, but next time I will skip that. It was very rich. We had ice cream as well because it was my Dh's birthday and that is his favorite. The next time there will not be any icecream either. This cake is a stand alone cake and so good that it doesn't need anything else, just a fork!Thanks for the recipe.It did taste like an upside down cake, a bit sticky on the bottom and be careful not to burn it.

quote:

Originally posted by flboy:
Graciepj, We ate the cake last night and it was great. I had said that I would serve it with whip cream and I did, but next time I will skip that. It was very rich. We had ice cream as well because it was my Dh's birthday and that is his favorite. The next time there will not be any icecream either. This cake is a stand alone cake and so good that it doesn't need anything else, just a fork!Thanks for the recipe.It did taste like an upside down cake, a bit sticky on the bottom and be careful not to burn it.

Thanks for the review. It's been a while since I made it, so I'm happy you enjoyed it.