Sweet Sicily: The Story of an Island and Her Pastries

by Victoria Granof

Book Overview

There's nothing subtle about Sicily.

From the towering cake known as the Triumph of Gluttony to the pert cherry-topped pastries called Virgin's Breasts to puckery, palate-tingling ices made from the island's luscious lemons and tangerines, Sicily is known for its audacious -- and delicious -- desserts. Pastry chef and food stylist Victoria Granof has traveled throughout Sicily learning sweet secrets and local lore from the island's pastry chefs...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060393238
• ISBN13: 9780060393236
• Release Date: August 2001
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 2.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 8.2" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Italian Sweets

Fun Book!!Nice colorful book with beautiful pictures of Sicilian desserts and demonstrations. Lots of fun good recipes. Received book promptly and was in good condition. (new) Makes a good gift.

Sweet Sicily

A picture is worth a thousand words & this book says it all! Sweet Sicily: The Story of an Island and Her Pastries Even if you do not make many of the pastries, the book is worth reading for its enjoyment. If you love to make pastries, as I do, you will find there are many steps to make the more elaborate confections, e.g, cannoli. Read the recipes through well. I purchased this book for gifts for multiple people & everybody loved it.

Excellent Book and A Must-Have

I can tell you from experience that this cookbook is much more than just a cookbook. It's a manual for creating authentic Sicilian pastries and desserts. I learned many guarded secrets working for an Italian Bakery in my youth, and can say that this book should have never been published. Now all the secrets are out. Some reviewers have complained of typos in the book. If there are any typos, I believe contacting the publisher and author could easily clear the air and correct any mistakes. The author went through a lot of trouble flattering her interviewers and humbling herself before others to obtain these recipes, I'm sure she would want purchasers of her book to be successful creating these masterpieces. She even went so far as to list suppliers for hard to find items. Personally, I've noticed NO TYPOS! Buy this book, you'll never put it down.

Beautiful book

This is a fantastic book! The recipes are great and the photography is really beautiful. The history of the island is so fascinating and is covered well in this book. It is a nice set up to the recipes... its wonderful to get some background on why Sicilian pastries are the way they are. I also enjoyed learning which pastries are associated with religious observences. This book also brought back great memories. The Ricotta Turnovers in the book are very similar to the "Cassateddi" that my Sicilian grandmother loves. The author does an excellent job of providing mail order resources for some hard to get ingredients and provides infomation on how to make a reasonable approximation of other components yourself. (like Fresh Ricotta) I would also like to clear up a misconception. Two previous reviewers indicated that there was a typo on the Chewy Pistachio cookie recipe just because flour was not listed. It is NOT an ingredient in the cookie. If you read further and pay attention to the instructions, flour is not called for. Not every cookie has flour and not every cookie is made like Americans make things. As for the person who said that the picture showed flour... rest assured, the cookie is dusted with powdered sugar which is in the recipe (and much tastier than dusting it with flour). No typo there, just a different (and delicious)type of cookie.

Sweet Sicily: The Story of an Island and Her Pastries

This book contains authenticity throughout--the photographs, the history, and the recipes. Beautifully written and photographed, the book will warm the heart of Sicilians and non-Sicilians alike. Every recipe I attempted resulted in a delicious pastry reminding me of my childhood surrounded by Sicilian family and friends. The writing is eloquent and heartwarming, and the history is fascinating and authentic. I would wholeheartedly recommend Sweet Sicily: The Story of an Island and Her Pastries.