Cheddar Taralli
Photography by Kevin Miyazaki
Makes about 60 taralli
Taralli are one of the most popular crackers across Italy. It’s a common sight to see a bowl of them during aperitivo, enjoyed with a spritz or Negroni, as a salty complement to your drink while you rev up your appetite for dinner. When I was thinking of similarly salty and snackable foods in the U.S., I became obsessed with the idea of introducing a taralli inspired by Cheez-Its, loaded with sharp cheddar. I’ll admit, I let out a little squeal as I typed the idea up and I hope you get as much giddy excitement as I did. Because, at the end of the day, aren’t we all just waiting for our next great snack?
500 grams (3 ½ cups) All-purpose flour
350 grams (12 ounces) Sharp yellow Cheddar Cheese, finely grated on a Microplane
8 grams (2 teaspoons) Fine sea salt plus more for salting the cooking water
3 grams (1 teaspoon) Paprika
100 grams (½ cup) Extra-virgin olive oil
150 grams (2/3 cup) Dry Italian white wine, like Sangiovese or Pinot Grigio
Flaky sea salt, for garnish
In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, cheddar, salt and paprika. Mix on low until combined.
In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, return
the mixer to low speed. Very slowly pour a small amount of hot oil into the flour mixture. It might sizzle a little as it is absorbed. Continue pouring a little at time until the oil is incorporated. Stream in the wine, letting it fully mix into the dough, about 2 minutes. Stop to check the dough. If it’s a little dry, mix in more wine, about 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough is hydrated and firm. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is smooth and pliable, about 5 minutes. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and set racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
Unwrap the dough. Break off small walnut-sized pieces (about 15 grams each). On an
unfloured surface, roll each piece into a rope about 4 inches (10 cm) long and 1/2 inch (1 cm)
thick. Loop each rope into a ring shape and pinch the ends together. Repeat until all the dough has been rolled and formed into rings.
Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper. Give the taralli an extra pinch to make sure the ends hold together. Working in batches so as not to crowd the pot, lower a few taralli at a time into the boiling water— the rings will drop to the bottom at first, then float to the top. Use a spider strainer or large slotted spoon to give them a gentle nudge so they don’t stick to the bottom. As soon as they float to the surface, about 2 minutes, lift them out of the water and transfer them to the paper towels to drain. Sprinkle the still- wet taralli with a little flaky salt. Then transfer to the parchment- lined baking sheet, setting the taralli spaced about 1/2 inch (1 cm) apart.
Once the baking sheet is full, transfer to the oven and bake until light golden brown and crisp, 30 to 40 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. Cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer the taralli to a wire rack to cool completely.
Continue boiling and baking the remaining taralli in batches. Cool completely before serving.
The taralli can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Ciambella Della Mattina
Photography by Kevin Miyazaki
Makes 1 Bundt cake
The ciambella is a typical citrus-based breakfast cake served in the morning in bars across the country. It’s pleasantly simple, both in flavor and in effort. Because I couldn’t resist adding some American touches here, blueberries and a wildflower honey glaze bring a little extra sweet zing, making this a breakfast that straddles the best of both worlds.
FOR THE CAKE
390 grams (2 ¾ cups) All-purpose flour, plus more as needed
13 grams (2 ½ teaspoons) Baking powder
4 grams (1 teaspoon) Fine sea salt
400 grams (2 cups) Granulated sugar
10 grams (2 tablespoons) Grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
245 grams (1 ¼ cups) Olive oil
230 grams (1 cup) Sour cream
110 grams (½ cup) Mascarpone
4 Large eggs, at room temperature
280 grams (2 cups) Fresh or frozen blueberries
FOR THE GLAZE
240 grams (2 cups) Powdered sugar
40 grams (2 tablespoons) Wildflower honey
45 grams (3 tablespoons) Fresh lemon juice from 1 large lemon
Pinch of salt
NOTE: If you have a regular-sized tube pan in your possession instead of a Bundt, go ahead and use it! Just adjust your bake time accordingly. We used a standard 12-cup Bundt pan for this recipe, which works in the same fashion, and gives this ciambellone a nicer visual. I also recommend using a simply shaped Bundt pan. The less indentations and curves it has, the better your chances for a flawless knockout!
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and set a rack in the center. Coat a 12-cup (2.8 liters) Bundtor 10-inch (25 cm) tube pan with nonstick spray and lightly dust with flour
In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a stand
mixer, combine the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Massage the zest into the sugar using a pinching motion, evenly incorporating and releasing the oils. Add the olive oil, sour cream, and mascarpone. Snap-on the whisk attachment and beat on medium-low speed until well combined, about 2 minutes.
With the mixer running on low speed, add the eggs one at a time. Add the flour mixture in two parts and beat until fully combined, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the blueberries.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour 25 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 30 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
Once the cake is cool, make the glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, honey, lemon juice, and salt to make a thick glaze. Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it slowly fall down the sides. Let the glaze set for about 20 minutes before slicing and serving. The ciambellone can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.
BUTTER COOKIES
Makes about 30 sandwich cookies
Where would an Italian cookie tray be without these? After the ubiquitous tri-color cookie, these might be the most iconic fixture of Italian American bakeries, found in an array of guises: rounds with a candied cherry in the middle, or dyed pink or green and in the shape of a leaf. This straightforward version has always been my favorite. Two buttery cookies sandwich a raspberry jam filling, then the tip of the cookie gets dipped in chocolate and covered in rainbow sprinkles. (This qualifies as “straightforward” in Italian American baking.) Once you get this cookie base down pat, feel free to play with shapes, colors, fillings, and toppings to load up your own personal cookie tray.
355 grams (2 ½ cups) All-purpose flour
2 grams (½ teaspoon) Fine sea salt
3 grams (½ teaspoon) Baking powder
225 grams (16 tablespoons) Unsalted butter, at room temperature
150 grams (¾ cup) Granulated sugar
2 Large eggs, at room temperature
5 grams (1 teaspoon) Pure Vanilla extract
170 grams (½ cup) Raspberry preserves
225 grams (8 ounces) Dark chocolate, chopped
25 grams (2 tablespoons) Rainbow sprinkles
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and set racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the butter and sugar. Beat on high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla, and mix until incorporated, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. Reduce the speed to medium and continue mixing until well combined and fluffy. Add the flour mixture in two parts and mix, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. Increase the speed to high for 30 seconds for a final mix.
Transfer the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe the dough onto the prepared baking sheets in strips 21/2 inches (6 cm) long with 2 inches (5 cm) between the cookies. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to chill before baking.
Bake until the edges are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes, switching racks and rotating the sheets halfway through. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Reserve the lined baking sheets.
Flip half of the cookies so that the flat sides are facing up. Transfer the raspberry preserves to a small piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe a thin line down the center of the flat-side-up cookies, about 1/2 teaspoon per cookie. Top with the remaining cookies to sandwich, pressing gently so the jam doesn’t spill out.
Fill a medium saucepan with 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Set a medium bowl over the saucepan, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Add the chopped dark chocolate to the bowl and use a silicone spatula to stir occasionally as the chocolate melts. Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Dip one end of the cookie in the chocolate at a 45-degree angle. Immediately sprinkle the chocolate with rainbow sprinkles, then arrange it on the lined baking sheets to set, for about 30 minutes at room temperature or 10 minutes in the refrigerator.
The butter cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Photography by Kevin Miyazaki
From DOLCI! by Renato Poliafito with Casey Elsass. Copyright © 2024 by Renato Poliafito. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.