Italian dessert

[MinnieMountain]

We’re having friends over for an Italian meal with all the courses.

What would be a good dessert after lots of food? I can only think of tiramisu.

It needs to have no uncooked alcohol.

Affogato is super easy (if you have an Espresso machine).

Last time I went to Italy, as well as the tiramisu, there was a lot of set custard type desserts- Panna cotta, crème brulee etc. Could do that with some shortbread biscuits, can flavour either if you like. Relatively light dessert after a heavy meal!

I think you can also do lemon with Italian meals so I would do lemon posset with some Italian biscuits on the side. But tiramisu is my favourite,

Nigella does a lovely Italian trifle.

Tiramisu is my favourite too, but I’m wondering if it would be a bit heavy.

Lemon posset is a good idea.

Sorbet or gelato if you want something a bit lighter.

Lemon ricotta cake. It’s light and a bit like cheesecake

If tiramisu is heavy you need a different recipe!
Do you have an ice cream maker? Homemade sorbet could be a good alternative too - something quite fresh tasting like lemon and basil

There is a Nigella lemon polenta cake that is plausibly Italian. But affogato is probably easiest!

Can Zabaglioni be any good without the Marsala wine? I love it, but it seems to rarely appear these days. Maybe there is something non alcoholic you could use instead.

Orange polenta cake

Zabaglione is gorgeous, but I have no idea how complicated it is to make

Orange polenta cake with whopped cream with a bit of orange zest in it.

Lemon posset would be nice. You could have some cantuccini and vin santo alongside

Is there a definite tiramisu recipe ? I've read so many. Some with whisked egg/sugar some yolk/sugar (whisked over bain Marie) some marscapone alone ,some with cream .One without the Marsala. Instant coffee or espresso? One or two layers of sponge finger ? Cocoa powder or chocolate?

It should be floaty light ( I think it translates as Pick Me Up ?)

Ciao from Italy! I'd do Nigella's Anglo Italian Trifle, it's bloody amazing, dead easy to make too. It's actually not Italian, but I have made it several for my Italian family here ( including a very particular MIL) and they adore it as it contains Limoncello and Mascarpone. They ask me to make it every Christmas now. The closest they have is Zuppa Inglese ( Translates as English Soup) but it a very distant cousin from Trifle & I'm not keen on it. Other popular desserts here that I can think of here are Lemon sorbet with a shot of vodka in it, Semifreddo, Cannoli, Sacher Torte, Baba with a lots of rum, Cantucci biscotti dipped in Vin Santo. Fruit is a big deal in Italy for dessert, flambé pineapple for example for something impressive.

It does not contain cream. It's made with raw egg yolks mixed with sugar added to mascarpone & then whisked egg whites are added. The coffee is usually espresso from a Moka pot. Some people add Masarla wine or brandy but most of the time there's no booze. Bitter cocoa powder in between each layer. Yes it means Pick me up!

The recipe with cream said "heavy cream" so probably American.i don't drink alcohol but when I've eaten tiramisu I like the alcohol hit so I'd definitely use Marsala . Might give it a try. Thank you .

Love panna cotta and it’s easy to make and goes with any fruit sauce you like best. Love crème brûlée too but I’ve found it a bit harder to make. Gelato also