Chocolate Tiramisu

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Italy, famous for its wonderful cuisine, also boasts thousands of delicious desserts: gelato, cannoli, panforte, panettone and many more. And although this is the country that brought us the "slow food" movement, with pasta sauces that need to simmer for two days, Italy also offers many quick-to-prepare desserts. Part of the secret is to start with basic ready-made Italian cookies or cakes. Two classic cookies in particular -- savoiardi and amaretti -- are the key ingredients in hundreds of recipes. Created in Italy's northern Piedmont region in the 1700s, both cookies are so important to Italian culinary traditions that their recipe is officially regulated and their names protected by Italian law.

AMARETTI

Amaretti ("little bitters") are small, round, crisp almond cookies eaten at the end of a meal with espresso or a glass of red wine, explained Chef Attilio Di Fabrizio of Tuscany's famed Hotel Villa San Michele, a luxury spot known for its fine food and memorable desserts. "Amaretti can be eaten plain, but are mostly used as the base for hundreds of desserts from simple custards, to semifreddo, and even piecrust," Di Fabrizio said.

Available in America in most supermarkets, amaretti can be added to pudding mixes for crunch and taste or used to make simple piecrusts. For an almondy crust, just mix 40 amaretti with two eggs and a stick of butter in a food processor, and then press into a pie pan. You can then fill it with anything you would an ordinary dough crust. Amaretti are also a traditional Italian topping for fruit. Crush a few over grilled peaches or baked apple slices, or mix some into fresh fruit salad.

Mario Batali, the TV personality, cookbook author and chef/owner of NYC's famed Babbo restaurant, serves amaretti on top of his homemade ice cream. He also rolls little balls of ice cream and semifreddo in crushed amaretti crumbs for a riff on ice cream sandwiches. Batali also adds amaretti to more than just desserts, as their familiar deep flavor and crispy texture work well in both sweet and savory dishes. "At Babbo, we grate amaretti cookies atop our pumpkin ravioli as a garnish for just a zing of sweetness and crunch," he noted.

SAVOIARDI

Highly versatile, savoiardi -- also known as ladyfingers -- are the main ingredient in a slew of no-bake desserts like English trifle, but are probably most famous for their starring role in tiramisu, one of Italy's best-known treats.

They make a wonderful instant no-bake "crust" for all sorts of fillings; just Line a pie or cake pan with savoiardi and then fill with ice cream, fruit, jams, custard or pudding. "Italian savoirdi are crisp, not soft, so they absorb liquids nicely, yet keep their shape" noted Remo Vannini, executive chef for L'Incontro in Florence's Hotel Savoy. "If you like, for added flavor, dip them into espresso, wine or your favorite liqueur. At L'Incontro we dip savoiardi in the almond liqueur called Amaretto, to make our own version of tiramisu."

For more information on the wonderful desserts of Italy, visit the Italian Confectioners' Association website, www.dolceitalia.com. You'll find recipes complete with how-to videos, a glossary of sweets and dessert wines, as well as information on travel in Italy.

Chocolate Tiramisu

Traditional tiramisu has only a dash of cocoa powder. This modern Italian update adds a creamy center of rich melted chocolate. Courtesy of Dolce Italia.

Serves 4.

8 savoiardi (Italian-style ladyfingers)

1/2 cup coffee liqueur, plus 2 tablespoons

4 ounces dark chocolate

1/2 cup heavy cream

5 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 ounces mascarpone cheese

Cut the savoiardi in half, place them in a bowl, and pour 1/2 cup of the liqueur over them. Allow them to soak up the liqueur, and then line 4 glasses with the savoiardi.

Melt 3 1/2 ounces of the chocolate in the cream in a glass bowl either over a double boiler or in the microwave. Allow to cool to room temperature and then divide the chocolate sauce between the 4 glasses.

Finely grate or chop the remaining chocolate as garnish. Reserve.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil over medium heat.

Combine the yolks and sugar in a metal or glass heat-resistant bowl and whisk until creamy. Set the bowl over the simmering water, without letting the bottom touch the water, and continue whisking until the mixture thickens. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of liqueur. Continue whisking the custard until it has tripled in volume and is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and cool the custard.

Once the custard is cool, fold in the mascarpone and divide the mixture between the 4 cups. Top with a sprinkle of the reserved chocolate and serve.

Amaretti Chocolate Pear Tart

Even if you think you can't bake, this tart will come out like it was done by a professional! Amaretti cookies help create an effortless, foolproof brownie-like piecrust with a rich almond flavor. Recipe courtesy Dolce Italia.

Serves 8.

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan

40 amaretti (crisp Italian almond cookies)

3 large eggs

3 ounces dark chocolate

2 tablespoons cream or milk

2 Bartlett pears, cored, peeled and sliced

Preheat oven to 350 F. Brush a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan with a little butter and set aside.

In a food processor, process the amaretti until very finely ground (you'll get about 1 cup of crumbs). Add the butter and eggs, and pulse until well combined.

Melt the chocolate with the cream in a small bowl in the microwave or over a double boiler. Add to the crumb mixture and process until smooth and creamy.

Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan and top with the pear slices. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out cleanly, 35 to 40 minutes.

Serve warm.

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