Amaretto

Unlike many crumbly cookies, these biscotti are sturdy enough to mail. For a holiday gift, send a batch along with a pound of your favorite coffee beans.

Caffè latte is classic Italian, and for a Sunday brunch it would be the obvious choice over a regular pot of coffee. And while vanilla whipped cream is a small departure from the way you would find it served in any Italian café, it’s a nice way to make the jolt of caffeine a little richer and more special.

Compared to American Christmas cookies, Italian cookies are a bit less sweet. They bake up nice and buttery, and the dried apricots make them moist and chewy rather than crisp and crunchy. The dough freezes well, so I like to make a double batch and store some to bake when unexpected guests drop by (just be sure to increase the baking time by two minutes if baking from frozen). The cookies will fill the whole house with an alluring fragrance and make you look like a superstar, even if you don’t have time to make the glaze.

This make-ahead dessert is a great choice for dinner parties—the individual servings take very little time to plate and garnish, so you can enjoy yourself while still wowing your dinner guests with an elegant, delicious finale. The recipe’s first step calls for infusing its liquid ingredients with chopped pistachios; though the nuts themselves are later strained and removed, their fresh, delicate sweetness flavors every creamy spoonful of the rich custard. Prepared pistachio paste (available online; see Sources) adds more nuttiness and body.

I love a dramatic dessert at a cocktail party, but I also want a pick-up dessert that doesn’t need plates and utensils. A deep, dark-chocolate mousse that’s piped onto a choice of two very different kinds of cookies fits the bill. Although I like to make both cookie bases and serve them together, you may want to save a little time by choosing to make only one. (Pictured page 204, center and top.)

This ice cream is fabulous drizzled with hot fudge sauce—a decidedly sophisticated treat for adults.

This is a delectably creamy vegan pie with a deep, rich chocolate almond flavor. I love it topped with soy whipped cream. This dessert will satisfy the most discerning chocoholic—guaranteed.

So this, my finale, is the ultimate in Everyday Italian cooking. Sure, there’s some cheating involved—I’m not asking you to bake a pound cake. But this distinct combination of Italian flavors will transport you to a piazza-side café, nibbling this great dessert, sipping espressos, and people-watching, instead of struggling in the kitchen for hours upon end. That’s been my goal in this book. I hope I’ve succeeded

One word: easy. Make that two: delicious.

Pound cakes are perennially popular because they are such good keepers; this one will keep in the freezer for up to six months if it’s tightly wrapped. Pull it out and dress it up or dress it down; it’s great either way.

This is the chocolate lover’s answer to panna cotta. It’s quite similar to a mousse but the gelatin makes it a bit firmer.

As thick and creamy as the richest milkshake, this can also do double duty as a dessert. Serve half portions in pretty stemmed glasses with the cookie crumbles sprinkled on top. Be sure to make this in two batches, because the ingredients will overflow your blender container.

Chocolate crust cradles a bevy of “superfoods,” including almonds, cherries, and eggs. Inspired by the French classic clafoutis, this tart is “choc full” of cherries. They float jewel-like inside a sweet, vanilla-scented custard. By the way, here are three good ways to pit a cherry: (1) Use an old-fashioned vegetable peeler that has a curved edge on top to scratch around the top of the cherry pit, then dig around the stone, scoop under it, and it will pop right out; (2) use a paring knife as above (but watch out—it’s easy to slice your fingertips); (3) use a cherry-pitter carried by some gourmet kitchen stores—a special tool invented just for this job! This recipe requires only half a batch of the Chocolate Sugar Dough—make a full batch and freeze half for future crust or cookie needs.

This simple preparation for fresh strawberries has long been a favorite of mine. The almond flavor of amaretto melds perfectly with the sweetness and aroma of lush, ripe strawberries.

This sweet-tart relish has 7 fewer grams of sugar than the canned kind, and it supplies disease-fighting antioxidants.

A cool treat inspired by spumoni, the classic Italian frozen dessert of ice cream, whipped cream, rum, nuts, and candied fruit.