Delicious desserts from the heart of Italy

Start by first making the mascarpone cream. Mix egg yolks with sugar in a bowl for 4 minutes at high speed. Add heavy cream and mix for 3 minutes at medium speed. Incorporate mascarpone cheese and mix with a whisk very gently until the cream becomes smooth.

In a large bowl, mix the espresso coffee with the coffee liqueur. Soak each lady finger for a few seconds in the coffee mixture. Then place each one in a 8 x 6-inch rectangular glass terrine, one next to the other, until you cover the bottom of it. Cover with the mascarpone cream mixture and repeat this procedure (two layers total) ending with a layer of cream. Cover and cool in refrigerator for 4 hours. Sprinkle with cocoa powder and serve.

Mix butter, sugar, egg yolks in a bowl and beat for 5 minutes, then add flour and cocoa powder and mix it till the dough becomes soft and smooth.

Heat the oven to 350° F. Roll the dough one-inch thick and cut out your favorite shape cookie. Bake all on buttered parchment lined cookie sheets for 15 minutes. Remove and cool on racks. Once cold, sprinkle cookies with a mix of cocoa powder and sugar.

Beat egg yolks with sugar and place in a double boiler over high heat for 5 minutes. Using an electric hand mixer (or standing mixer or whisk), whip the egg yolk mixture until it is thick and creamy. Reduce the heat to low and gradually whisk in the Marsala until the mixture is thick, pale yellow, has doubled in volume, and registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Always wisk clockwise and quickly (about 5 minutes). Do not stop.

Remove the bowl from the heat. Using a rubber spatula, force the zabaglione through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any bits of cooked egg. Let mixture cool and fold in whipped cream.

Place zabaglione in a glass or a cappuccino cup and serve with cookie or fresh berries.

Mix all purpose flour and almond flour with butter, work a few minutes by hand. Add sugar and eggs and beat for a couple of minutes. Make dough into a ball, cover with Saran wrap and let the dough rest for one hour in the refrigerator. Cut small pieces of the dough, work it with your hands into small round balls and bake them at 350° F for 15 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and let cool.

Melt chocolate and gianduja paste in a double boiler and put a small amount of it on one side of the cookie, then put another one on top and press gently to create a "sandwich."

Beat egg whites at room temperature with sugar for 5 minutes, fold in lemon zest, pine nuts and hazelnuts and with a spoon place a small amount of the dough on a cookie sheet. Bake on buttered parchment lined cookie sheets for 50 minutes at 275° F until crispy. Remove from sheet. Let cool.