Great Italian Desserts (Hardcover)

by Nicholas Malgieri (Author) "Most of the ingredients needed for preparing Italian desserts and pastries are only as far away as your supermarket..." (more)
Key Phrases: pasta sfogliata, hand mixer set, clean nonreactive bowl, United States, Alto Adige, Santa Margherita (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Gelato and pannetone are only the most popular Italian desserts; they keep company here with more than 100 pastries and cakes, cookies and puddings introduced by Malgieri ( Nick Malgieri's Perfect Pastry ), former executive pastry chef of New York City's Windows on the World. Authoritative and personable, Malgieri takes his cue from his grandmother, including the cinchy with the sophisticated. (Malgieri even includes recipes for ricotta and mascarpone, staples of Italian cream pastry fillings and cakes, "since outside American cities with large Italian populations, these may be hard to find.") Chapters cover yeast-risen pastries, fried pastries, pies and pastries made with sweet dough, puff pastries, plain cakes, layer cakes, biscotti and other cookies, "spoon" desserts such as puddings and custards, and frozen confections such as granita and gelato. Surprises abound, as in Sicilian watermelon pudding made with pistachios and chocolate, and Malgieri's anecdotes and nuggets of historical information make good reading to go along with good eating. Illustrations not seen by PW. Author tour; first serial to Cooks, Chocolatier, Food & Wine.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Malgieri, author of an excellent pastry handbook, Nick Malgieri's Perfect Pastry ( LJ 10/15/89), here explores authentic traditional Italian dessert creations. Many are regional specialties, and many will be unfamiliar to most Americans. Headnotes provide provenance for most recipes, and the procedures are detailed and precise. Malgieri's book does not have the unique charm of Carol Field's The Italian Baker ( LJ 11/15/85), but it includes many more desserts. For most collections.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 276 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1st edition (October 9, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316545198
• ISBN-13: 978-0316545198
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #643,380 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Authentic Italian Desserts, June 23, 2003

By	Marco Cagetti (Charlottesville, VA United States) - See all my reviews

I think Malgieri is by far the best book on Italian desserts. Probably its main strength is that it explains carefully which ingredients have to be used. I had gone through many failures preparing Italian recipes here in the States, usually because the American products are different (for instance, ricotta cheese or marzipan). Most books do not adjust for that, and simply translate the Italian recipe, or, even worse, they Americanize it (use of vegetable shortening, or cream cheese instead of ricotta, and other horrors). Malgieri, instead, explains carefully what to use. In addition, the book contains almost all the famous recipes, in their true Italian form.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Desserts Rediscovered, September 7, 2000

By	"kingsransom" (Como, Italy) - See all my reviews

Italian cuisine is not usually known for its dessert dishes while other cuisines, such as French, are renowned for desserts. This is a shame because Italian desserts are one of the best kept culinary secrets of the world. Finally, I have found a book that has taken these hidden treasures and put them together in a clear and easy to use format. While the book could be more visibly attractive with more pictures, the recipes are nonetheless excellent, some of the best I have found. Being Italian, I can certify that the author has retained the authenticity of the dishes.

Readers from most countries in the world should be able to find the ingredients required. Most are basic kitchen staples such as butter, flour and sugar.

I recommend this book very highly to pastry and dessert lovers or anyone who wants to try a little culinary adventure.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nick Malgieri does it again!, February 18, 1999

By A Customer

being an essex county, n.j. native (non-italian) now living in north carolina and being a professional baker myself, you can imagine my dismay at the lack of great italian pastries in this region. what a treasure this book is with recipes like hard to find sfogliatelle napoletane. my husband was overjoyed when i came back from a visit with my sister in boston and brought back (on the train i might add) this delicious pastry which is his favorite. you don't have to be italian to appreciate this book. my only disappointment was that i wish it had more pictures (i.e. desaulniers) since i'm not real positive about how some of the cakes should look. regardless, nick malgieri is one of the master pastry chefs in the u.s. graci chef malgieri!