“The food that is enjoyed is better digested.” —Italian proverbI needed to revamp traditional recipes to fit into a diabetes-friendly lifestyle. Fortunatley, I came up with some sweet and satisfying recipes that don't require abandoning a healthy eating plan.
During media interviews, journalists always ask me what “new” Italian dessert we should know about. Everyone wants to report a new trend in Italian sweet treats. My answer to the question is always the same: fruit! While it might not sound exciting, fruit really is the unsung hero of the Italian dessert tradition. Home cooked meals are always concluded with fresh, seasonal, local—many times it’s from the trees out back—fruit. Sweet and packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, fruit-based desserts truly are the best of all. Heavier Italian desserts such as cannoli, panna cotta, and tiramisu are eaten on special occasions and holidays in Italy.
Here are three delicious recipes to enjoy all year long.
ESPRESSO PANNA COTTA/(PANNA COTTA AL CAFFÈ)Serves: 4 | Serving Size: 1/2 cup
Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus at least 4 hours refrigeration) | Cooking Time: 0 minutes
Panna cotta, Italian for “cooked cream,” is a specialty of northern Italy’s Piedmont region—an area known for its superior dairy products. Panna cotta, or some version of it, has long been popular throughout most of Europe and in other countries along the Mediterranean.
This creamy, espresso-laced panna cotta is light enough to eat every day but impressive enough to serve to guests. I use yogurt instead of the traditional cream to make the dish lighter.
[Note: You will need four (1/2-cup) ramekins to complete this dish.]
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly made espresso coffee, divided
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup natural sugar
1 1/2 cups low-fat, low-sugar french vanilla yogurt, drained in a fine-mesh strainer
1/8 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
1. Pour 2 tablespoons espresso into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin on top. Whisk to combine, and let stand until thickened.
2. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup hot espresso into a small saucepan and whisk in the sugar until it has dissolved.
3. Stir in the yogurt and salt, and put the saucepan over medium heat.
4. When the mixture begins to bubble a little around the edges, take the pan off the heat.
5. With a fork, whisk the gelatin/espresso mixture and add it into the saucepan. Whisk until well combined, keeping the pan off heat. Allow the mixture to sit for a minute. Carefully divide the mixture into 4 ramekins and allow to come to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
6. To unmold easily, dip the bottom of each ramekin, one at a time, into some just-boiled water and hold there for about 8 seconds. Let each stand out of the water for another few seconds before wiping off the water and putting a small salad plate or saucer on top; then overturn the ramekin and let the panna cotta drop onto the plate. Sprinkle each with cocoa powder, and serve.
•Italian Living Tradition•
Panna cotta dates back to the 10th century, when it’s believed that a woman of Hungarian origin first prepared it in Piedmont’s Langhe area (also noted for its wine and white truffles). Original versions of panna cotta use heavy cream instead of yogurt. You can change the flavor of this recipe by replacing the espresso used in the gelatin mixture with 2 teaspoons of almond or vanilla extract, or by using a flavored yogurt.
IVREA’S POLENTA CAKE/(POLENTINA DI IVREA)
Serves: 12 | Serving Size: 1 (3/4-inch) slice
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 30 minutes
There is a town in the province of Torin (in Piedmont) named Ivrea, which is the home of a famous polenta cake created in 1922 called “La polenta di Ivrea.” This cake is traditionally covered with a drizzle of honey and orange juice. I created this recipe as a diabetes-friendly alternative to the original. Fortunately, everyone who tries it loves it and is surprised to learn that it is diabetes friendly—and naturally gluten-free. You can turn to this easy, straightforward cake for a delicious addition to brunch, teatime, or dessert.
2/3 cup expeller-pressed canola or vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing pan
1 cup natural sugar
1/2 cup almond flour
1 cup fine polenta (or cornmeal)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (use gluten-free, if needed)
3 large eggs
Zest of 2 lemons
1 teaspoon vanilla
Juice of 1 orange, for drizzling (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the base of a 9-inch springform cake pan with baking parchment and grease bottom and sides lightly with canola oil.
2. Combine 2/3 cup canola oil and sugar, either by hand in a bowl with a wooden spoon or using a freestanding mixer, until pale and fully combined.
3. Mix together the almond flour, polenta, and baking powder, and beat part of this dry mixture into the oil/sugar mixture, followed by 1 egg. Then alternate adding the dry ingredients and eggs, beating all the while, until all of the dry mixture and eggs are incorporated. Finally, beat in the lemon zest and vanilla, and pour, spoon, or scrape the mixture into your prepared cake pan.
4. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until lightly golden and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The edges of the cake should have begun to shrink away from sides of the pan.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Release the sides of the pan and invert cake onto a cake platter. Drizzle with orange juice, if desired. Serve immediately, or store at room temperature overnight or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
•Italian Living Tradition•
This cake is the northern Italian answer to popular Mediterranean semolina cakes, which are doused with simple syrup and served as very sweet desserts. Made with just a few pantry ingredients, this is the type of cake that Italian housewives would whip up upon the arrival of unexpected guests or to serve with the Sunday meal.
PEAR, RICOTTA, AND PINE NUT CAKE/(TORTA SOFFICE DI PERE CON RICOTTA E PINOLI)
Serves: 18 | Serving Size: 1 (1/2-inch) slice
Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus raisin-soaking time) | Cooking Time: 40–50 minutes
Sicily’s famed ricotta cheese plays a leading role in the region’s most prized desserts. Everything from cannoli alla Siciliana to cassata cakes highlights this smooth, creamy cheese by-product, which is made from the whey of cow’s milk cheese. Luckily, many organic, gourmet, and Italian grocers now sell high-quality ricotta. Sometimes, you can even find artisan-made, hand-dipped ricotta. If you go to an Italian deli that makes cannolis, ask them for some of their ricotta to use in this cake—they usually keep it in the back.
3/4 pound skim milk ricotta
2/3 cup raw agave nectar
4 large egg whites
1/4 cup natural sugar
1 cup golden raisins, soaked in 3/4 cup orange juice for 20 minutes
6 ounces pine nuts
Grated zest of 2 oranges
6 large egg yolks, whisked until foamy
4 large pears, peeled, diced or grated in a food processor, and drained of excess liquid
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar (for garnish)
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch springform pan.
2. Place the ricotta and agave nectar in a large bowl and mix until ricotta is smooth.
3. Beat the egg whites on high speed with sugar until stiff peaks form.
4. Drain the raisins, pat them dry, and dice them. Add the pine nuts, orange zest, raisins, egg yolks, and pears to the ricotta mixture, and mix with a wooden spoon until incorporated.
5. Fold egg whites into ricotta mixture with a spatula, stirring counterclockwise. (Start at the “3 o’clock” position and turn your wrist counterclockwise until you reach the same point.) Continue folding in the egg whites just until they are incorporated and mixture is smooth.
6. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and hit pan on the counter a few times to release air bubbles. Position a rack in the center of the oven, and bake cake until a knife inserted in the top comes out clean, 40–50 minutes.
7. Cool to room temperature, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, and cut into thin wedges to serve.
•Italian Living Tradition•
The combination of golden raisins, pine nuts, and orange zest gives this cake a uniquely Sicilian flair. Keep in mind that those same flavors make a great addition to savory rice pilafs and cookies as well.
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