Southern Italian Desserts

We were much charmed by Costantino’s earlier My Calabria; here she steps outside her native region to feature desserts collected from Basilicata, Campania, Puglia, and Sicily as well. Most are traditional, but she also includes innovations from local restaurants which have caught on and begun to spread. Each region has its own chapter, and Costantino clearly enjoys researching and sharing whatever history she can find about the origins of each dessert. You can try almond-filled spiral cookies from Siracusa in Sicily; a pear and ricotta and hazelnut cake that originated with a pastry chef in Minori, Campania; or calzoncelli, a fried pastry from Basilicata stuffed with a chickpea-chocolate filling. Delightful and appealing. Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.