Pesche Dolci

Thank you for sharing!

Special occasion. Family gatherings. Celebrations. What to make? Do you ever have that dilemma? Or are you the sort of person who is always expected to bring your special dish you are famous for? If you are reading this most likely you’re like me – always on the lookout for the next best recipe, that ultimate dish!
Recently I knew I wanted to bring something special to a family gathering celebrating the engagement of my niece and I knew just where to look. One of my favourite bloggers is Laura at Broxholm Road. Laura is not the most prolific blogger and sometimes I wait anxiously for her next recipe. Instead, when Laura posts a recipe you know it’s worth pursuing. I say pursuing because, as in this recipe, some ingredients are not always readily available and substitutions may need to be made.
Peche Dolci means “sweet peaches” in Italian – so named after the sweet peaches these pastries resemble. A little research on the subject brought to light the fact that they are often made for special occasions such as weddings, at Christmas or Easter. Obviously the reason is that they aren’t whipped up in half an hour. These treats take some time to make as do all good things. A sweet of Northern Italy, they are also traditional in Austria and other Eastern European countries filled with a variety of combinations of jam, chocolate, and pastry cream.
I have slightly adapted Laura’s recipe for Peche Dolce as it called for Alkermes liquor which is not something usually obtainable outside Italy. When I was a child, my dear late mother regularly made a delicious Zuppa Inglese using Cherry brandy-soaked savoiardi biscuits so I followed her example and substituted this for the Alkermes liquor. As a leavening agent use baking powder or self-raising flour if you can’t find the typical Italian leavening. I used my own recipe for vanilla creme patisserie and a chocolate ganache instead of the Nutella suggested in the original recipe. I used dark chocolate but I think next time I would prefer the mild taste of milk chocolate. You can also try them with peach preserves or maybe good raspberry jam. Be sure to not overcook the biscuits as they need to be really soft.
The result is a sugary crusted soft cake-like biscuit filled with a creamy chocolatey centre scented with the Cherry brandy which is a delight to the senses. Do try them! It makes lots!

Thank you for sharing!