Mangia Bene Pasta
Easy Summer Desserts
made with Italian Liqueurs
Amaretto Chocolate Pudding
(Serves 6)
2-1/2 cups whole milk
1 (5 ounce) box cook and serve chocolate pudding
1/2 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips
5 tablespoons Amaretto, divided
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
Fresh raspberries
Shaved chocolate
Combine the first 3 ingredients and 4 tablespoons amaretto in a saucepan.
Whisk over medium heat until the chocolate melts and pudding comes to a boil and thickens.
Divide among 6 dessert dishes. Chill until cold, at least 1 hour.
Whip the cream, sugar, and remaining tablespoon amaretto until soft peaks form.
Top each chilled pudding with a dollop of whipped cream.
Top each serving with a few raspberries and some chocolate shavings.
Biscotti Parfaits with Sambuca
(Serves 2)
Try different flavor combinations - chocolate or coffee ice cream with dried cherries, figs, or
apricots. For more liqueur flavor, soak the fruit in the sambuca for an hour before
assembling the parfait.
4 almond biscotti, crushed into crumbs
4 tablespoons Sambuca or other anise-flavored liqueur
1 cup vanilla ice cream
4 tablespoons diced dried fruit
Put one-quarter of the biscotti crumbs in the bottom of 2 wine glasses or parfait glasses.
Drizzle each with a little of the liqueur.
Layer with one-quarter of the ice cream and one-quarter of the dried fruit.
Drizzle with some of the liqueur.
Repeat the ice cream and fruit layers and top with a layer of biscotti crumbs.
Drizzle with remaining liqueur.
Serve immediately or cover and freeze up to an hour.
Strawberry Mascarpone and Marsala Pudding
(Serves 6)
8 ounces of mascarpone
6 tablespoons sweet Marsala, divided
3 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar, divided
3 cups sliced, hulled strawberries
2 cups crushed amaretti cookies (about 4 ounces of cookies)
Combine mascarpone, 3 tablespoons Marsala, cream and 2 tablespoons sugar in a bowl.
Stir the mixture until blended.
In another bowl, combine the strawberries, remaining Marsala, and remaining sugar.
Toss gently to blend.
Cover and refrigerate both bowls for 30 minutes.
To serve: Place 2 tablespoons cookie crumbs in each of 2 wine glasses.
Divide strawberry mixture with juices among the glasses.
Top with mascarpone mixture and top with remaining cookie crumbs.
Cover and chill at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
Peach and Prosecco Ice
(Makes 4 cups)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup hot water
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 pound sliced peaches
1 cup chilled Prosecco or other sparkling white wine
Stir sugar and water in a bowl to dissolve the sugar. Stir in orange juice.
Puree peaches in a food processor or blender until finely chopped.
With the machine running, pour in the sugar mixture. Process until smooth.
Add Prosecco and blend well.
Transfer the mixture to a freezer container and freeze until firm, about 3 hours.
Let soften slightly at room temperature before serving.
Berries with Mascarpone - Limoncello Cream
(Serves 8)
Serve with a small glass of chilled Limoncello
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 ounces mascarpone
3 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons Limoncello
8 cups assorted fresh berries (about 2 pounds)
3/4 cup raspberry preserves
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
Combine cream, mascarpone, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and limoncello in a bowl.
Beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine berries, preserves, lemon zest, and 1/2 cup sugar.
Toss gently to combine.
Divide berry mixture among 8 serving dishes. Top with mascarpone cream.
Serve immediately.
Watermelon Granita with Campari
(Serves 4)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
3-1/2 cups watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 tablespoon Campari
Cook sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves.
Increase heat, bring just to a boil, remove from heat, and cool.
In a food processor or blender, puree the watermelon.
You should have about 2 cups of pulp.
Stir in sugar syrup and lime juice.
Pour into an 8 x 8 x 2-inch metal pan. Freeze 2 hours.
Stir the mixture with a fork and then freeze until solid, about 3 hours.
To serve: Using a fork, scrape the granita on the surface to form ice crystals.
Spoon into serving dishes. Drizzle each serving with a little Campari.
Amaretto Crunch Ice Cream
(2 to 4 servings)
1 pint vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
1/2 cup chopped amaretti cookies
1/4 cup Amaretto
Combine the ingredients in a bowl.
Transfer to a freezer container and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
Serve.
Sicilian Watermelon Pudding
"Gelo di Melon"
(Serves 4 to 6)
3 pounds of ripe watermelon flesh (about a 5 to 6 pound watermelon)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or triple sec (orange liqueur)
3 tablespoons chopped pistachios
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
Sweetened whipped cream (optional)
Ground cinnamon for dusting
Remove the watermelon flesh from the rind. Cut the flesh into large cubes.
Put the watermelon cubes in a blender of food processor and blend until smooth.
Set aside.
Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Whisk in the watermelon puree.
Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Continue cooking for about 5 minutes or until the mixture has thickened.
Remove form the heat and stir in the vanilla or triple sec.
Transfer to a bowl.
Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
Allow to cool to room temperature.
If you want to make the pudding with the pistachios and chocolate stirred in do that now.
Otherwise refrigerate the pudding until well chilled.
To serve, spoon into dessert dishes, top with a dollop of whipped cream and evenly
distribute the pistachios and chocolate over the individual servings.
Sprinkle each with some cinnamon and serve.