In Sicily they eat ice cream for breakfast. That fact alone was enough to convince Victoria Granof that she had to go there. Sweet Sicily: The Story of an Island and Her Pastries is the result of a number of Granof's visits to Sicily, during which she confesses she ate more sweets than she ever thought possible. With plenty of humor and great respect, Granof shares what she learned from her experiences in Sicily and the friends she made there. Few of these sweets are fancy, and all are very traditional. Light and crispy Sweet Ricotta Turnovers from the Bar di Noto in Piana degli Albanesi and Chewy Pistachio Cookies shared by Giuseppe Chemi of Pasticceria Etna in Taormina are Sicily personified. All 106 of the recipes, such as the elegant little Engagement Cookies filled with almonds and cinnamon and honey-drenched Rice Fritters, call for the same ingredients the Sicilians have used for centuries. Learn to make homemade ricotta cheese and you won't believe how good your cannoli can be. --Leora Y. Bloom


From Publishers Weekly
Sicilian sweets are more than simply desserts each one has a particular significance in the island's varied and unique culture and history. In this, her debut work, Granof, a New York City chef who trained at Le Cordon Bleu, wonderfully integrates the myth and mysticism of Sicily with solid, easy-to-follow recipes and gorgeous photos. N'zuddi, for example, are orange and almond cookies shaped in a square to honor Messina's patron saint, the Madonna della Lettera, and the letter she brought to the town from Jerusalem in A.D. 43. Minni di Vergine, or virgin's breasts, are small mounds of pudding encased in pastry dough with candied-cherry nipples, which Sicilians eat "with reverence" to honor the martyred Saint Agatha. The Rice Fritters of Siracusa were originally made in the 18th century by Benedictine monks, and Jasmine Gelato uses flowers originally planted by Arabs over 1,000 years ago. Some Sicilian desserts, such as Cannoli, are well-known in the U.S., but Granof presents them in their classic form. Feature pieces on Sicilian bakers, like Franco Ruta of Modica's Antica Dolceria Bonajuto, are great fun, as are the author's recollections of her own experiences eating in Sicily. With inspired confidence, Granof offers an unusual addition to the crowded shelves of Italian cookbooks. (June 1)Forecast: Part history book, part travel memoir, this original, beautiful book seems destined for success and will certainly appeal to fans of Mary Taylor Simeti and Carol Field.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Pastry chef Granof begins her cookbook with a time line and history of Sicily. This chronology is a story not just of political conquest but of culinary influences that makes for enjoyable reading. An overview of Sicilian festivals and lessons on how to stock a Sicilian pantry follow. The recipes are divided according to type (e.g., cookies, fried pastries, cakes, etc.), and most don't require many ingredients and steps. Each is preceded by an amusing anecdote, a brief history, or additional interesting commentary (e.g., what makes the texture airy). Granof also includes a listing of caf s and pastry shops to visit in Palermo. Beautiful photographs of the dishes and of Sicily make this book a treasure to own. Highly recommended for public libraries or for colleges that support culinary arts. Debra Mitts Smith, Jamaica Plain, MA Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
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 and home bakers, and the result is Sweet Sicily, a lushly photographed exploration of authentic Sicilian pastry-making.For more than two thousand years, Sicily has been coveted for its fertile land and unique location in the Mediterranean. The Greeks, Romans, Normans, Austrians, French, Bourbons, and Saracens have all landed on its shores, and in turn left their imprints on its food. Granof's magical tour takes us to Modica, where Franco and Pierpaolo Ruta of the Antica Dolceria Bonajuto create chocolate pastries using a five-hundred-year-old recipe that originated with the island's Bourbon conquerors, and to the Baroque town of Noto, where master pastry chef Corrado uses jasmine blossoms planted by Saracens more than a thousand years ago to flavor his jasmine gelato. Granof goes on a quest to find the most authentic ingredients and recipes, including delectable homemade ricotta made from the milk of sheep that graze on fragrant herbs and pistachios that grow in the shadow of Mount Etna, the island's still active volcano.In Sicily, every holiday and festival has its proper sweet accompaniment: marzipan lambs at Easter, honeyed pastry fritters at Christmas, crunchy, clove-scented cookies called "bones of the dead" for All Soul's Day. Granof explores these customs and festivals, gathering heirloom recipes, along with local anecdotes and advice. In addition to sweets that are already familiar to Americans, such as cannoli, cassata, and lemon ice, she introduces us to dozens of delectable pastries, confections, and cookies that are destined to become favorites as well.With a guide to festivals and pastry shops throughout the island, and nearly one hundred recipes formulated for use in American kitchens, Sweet Sicily is an unforgettable exploration of the desserts of the world's most beguiling island.


About the Author
Victoria Granof is a food stylist who was classically trained at Le Cordon Bleu. She has worked as a cooking instructor and as a chef and pastry chef at several restaurants in Los Angeles and has done recipe development or food styling for numerous cookboods aw well as for Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Vogue, and InStyle and film and television. She lives in New York City and Taormina, Sicily.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Sweet Sicily takes readers on a grand tour of the fascinating island of Sicily—to 26 pastry shops as well as convents, restaurants, and private homes—to discover authentic recipes for desserts and pastries. In this charming cookbook, Victoria Granof serves up 106 dishes that she's redeveloped especially for American kitchens. Along the way, she offers fascinating historical facts about the island of Sicily, its people, customs, and the evolution of the pastry tradition, local festivals involving pastries, advice from the cooks themselves, and American sources for ingredients.

Among the many luscious recipes included are the familiar Cannoli, Biscotti Regina, and Cassata, along with such exotic ancient treats as Jasmine Ice, Virgin's Breasts, and Sesame Brittle. Graced by beautiful photos of the dishes, as well as of the local pastry shops and their proprietors, this book of sweet secrets and local lore is a wonderful addition to every kitchen library.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Sicilian sweets are more than simply desserts-each one has a particular significance in the island's varied and unique culture and history. In this, her debut work, Granof, a New York City chef who trained at Le Cordon Bleu, wonderfully integrates the myth and mysticism of Sicily with solid, easy-to-follow recipes and gorgeous photos. N'zuddi, for example, are orange and almond cookies shared in a square to honor Messina's patron saint, the Madonna della Lettera, and the letter she brought to the town from Jerusalem in A.D. 43. Minni di Vergine, or virgin's breasts, are small mounds of pudding encased in pastry dough with candied-cherry nipples, which Sicilians eat "with reverence" to honor the martyred Saint Agatha. The Rice Fritters of Siracusa were originally made in the 18th century by Benedictine monks, and Jasmine Gelato uses flowers originally planted by Arabs over 1,000 years ago. Some Sicilian desserts, known as Cannoli, are well-known in the U.S., but Granof presents them in their classic form. Feature pieces on Sicilian bakers, like Franco Ruta of Modica's Antica Dolceria Bonajuto, are great fun, as are the author's recollections of her own experiences eating in Sicily. With inspired confidence, Granof offers an unusual addition to the crowded shelves of Italian cookbooks. (June 1). Forecast: Part history book, part travel memoir, this original, beautiful book seems destined for success and will certainly appeal to fans of Mary Taylor Simeti and Carol Field. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal