Top 4 Italian Sweet Pies

This Italian dessert consists of cheese or cream and fruit in a crusty pastry, similar to fruit-filled pies. The most commonly-used fruit in crostata are cherries, berries, apricots, or peaches. It can be prepared as an open-faced dessert or covered with a top crust, usually in the form of a lattice. Its name is derived from the Latin crustata, which means crust. The earliest mentions of crostata in print can be found in cookbooks such as Libro de Arte Coquinaria by Martino da Como and Cuoco Napolitano, both from the 15th century. The most popular variety of crostata in the south of Italy is crostata di ricotta, while northern Italy favors the creamy, fruity crostata that originated in Rome. There are other varieties of crostata as well, such as crostata al limone (with lemon) and crostata di marmelata (with fruit jam). Crostata can be served without toppings, with a dollop of whipped cream, or even with a scoop of ice cream.Expand

Grandma's cake—as translated in English—is actually a soft pastry pie filled with a rich, delicate custard cream, topped with toasted pine nuts, and lastly dusted with powdered sugar. This delicious cream pie is considered to be a traditional Tuscan dessert, although it is equally popular across the country and supposedly everyone's nonna makes a slightly different version: while some flavor the cream with vanilla and lemon zest, others use ricotta cheese for the filling.Expand

La pèca del Salbaneo is a traditional dessert from the Vicenza foothills region, created to showcase three ingredients of the area: Marostica cherries (Ciliegia di Marostica I.G.P.), Torcolato wine (D.O.C. Breganze), and extra virgin olive oil from the Cooperativa Pedemontana del Grappa. The pie is made up of multiple layers. It starts with a delicate pastry base infused with olive oil. The next layer is a soft cherry puree, followed by a fragrant crumble made with corn flour and Torcolato wine. The top of the pie is adorned with semi-candied cherries and sugar crystals, creating a beautiful and delicious dessert. The dessert not only showcases local agricultural excellence but also tells a romantic tale from Venetian folklore.Expand

Crostata al torrone is an Italian dessert that hails from Sarnano, Marche. The crostata is made with a pastry shell and a sweet filling that resembles nougat. The filling usually combines various nuts, such as walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, and pine nuts, along with candied fruit, fruit jam, honey, sugar, milk, and eggs. The origin of this dessert is not known, but it has been long associated with Sarnano, and many believe it dates to the Middle Ages. The dessert's name highlights its association with nougat as torrone is Italian nougat. Expand