cover image Solo Dolci: The Italian Dessert Cookbook

Solo Dolci: The Italian Dessert Cookbook

Anna Bruni Benson. Fithian Press, $19.95 (205pp) ISBN 978-1-56474-185-1

The Venetian-born Benson (La Dolce Cucina, 1974) collects sweet Italian comfort food. Although the recipes here are occasionally confusing (e.g., some readers may wonder about the difference between a ""tbsp."" and a ""full tbsp."") and the subheads often clunky (""During apricot season there comes a time when the markets have large quantities of this excellent fruit at a very cheap price""), there is an appealingly authentic and open quality to this cookbook. Many of the desserts, served in Italian homes rather than in restaurants, will be unfamiliar to Americans. Two chapters on fruit desserts brim with clever ideas for produce: Stuffed Oranges with Strawberries, Baked Stuffed Peaches with Zabaione, and a quick Banana-Hazelnut Cake. There are also plenty of quirky, simple treats like Benson's Apple Tart Country Style (apples, corn meal and flour dotted with butter and baked), which the author invented during the postwar years when eggs and sugar were scarce, and a Peach and Rice Pie from Lombardy. A utilitarian introduction includes a list of helpful utensils. (Nov.)