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Pick up the edges of the towel and gently slide the roll onto the buttered baking sheet, with the seam facing up. Brush the top and sides of the roll with the beaten egg and bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until dough is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

BAKED STUFFED PEACHES

Pesche Ripiene al Forno

Amaretto di Saronno cookies are found in Italian specialty stores.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

6 firm ripe peaches

½ cup sugar

½ cup sliced blanched almonds

6 large Amaretto di Saronno cookies or almond macaroons, broken

1 egg yolk

⅓ cup Amaretto di Saronno liqueur or other liqueur

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Butter a large shallow baking dish.Wash and dry peaches and cut into halves. Remove pits and scoop out not more than 1 tablespoon pulp from each half.

In a blender or food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine peach pulp, sugar, almonds, cookies, egg yolk and liqueur. Blend to a fine paste. Divide mixture between peach halves. Arrange peaches in a single layer in buttered baking dish. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

PEARS POACHED IN RED WINE

Pere al Vino Rosso

In Italy, wine and fruit are often combined into desserts like this one.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

8 firm ripe pears, preferably Bosc

4 cups good dry red wine

1 cup Marsala wine or sherry

¾ cup sugar

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 lemon

Peel pears leaving stems attached. Flatten the pear bottoms by cutting off a thin slice from each. Stand pears close together in a large saucepan or casserole. Add red wine, Marsala or sherry, ½ cup sugar and lemon zest. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cover pan. Cook pears 25 to 30 minutes or until tender, basting several times during cooking.

Place pears in a glass bowl or platter. Let stand at room temperature until ready to serve. Add ¼ cup sugar and lemon juice to liquid in pan. Boil until it has the consistency of syrup, 15 to 20 minutes. Spoon hot sauce over pears and serve.

JAM TART

Crostata di Marmellata

White wine adds a subtle flavor to this pastry.

MAKES 10 SERVINGS

Sweet Pie Pastry

2 cups all-purpose flour

⅔ cup butter, at room temperature for hand mixing, or cold and in small pieces for food processor

1 egg

2 tablespoons sugar

3 to 4 tablespoons chilled white wine

1 (12-ounce) jar strawberry or other jam

1 egg, lightly beaten

Prepare Sweet Pie Pastry: In a medium bowl using a pastry blender or in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, mix flour and butter until crumbly. Add egg, sugar and wine; mix until dough is completely moistened. Place dough on a flat surface and work into a ball. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Butter a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Reserve one-third of pastry dough for lattice decoration.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out remaining dough to a 12-inch circle. Carefully place dough in buttered tart pan. Trim edges of dough by gently pressing the rolling pin over top of pan. Prick bottom of pastry shell several times with a fork.

Spread jam in pastry shell. Roll out reserved dough ⅛ inch thick. Using a pastry cutter or sharp knife, cut dough into ¾-inch strips. Lay strips across tart to make a lattice, joining strips where necessary. Brush dough with beaten egg.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let stand at least 30 minutes before removing from pan. Cut into thin slices.

ALMOND CAKE

Torta di Mandorle

This cake will keep several days without refrigeration.

MAKES 10 SERVINGS

1 pkg. active dry yeast

⅓ cup warm water (110F, 43C)

1 cup blanched almonds

3 eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup butter, at room temperature

Grated zest of 1 lemon

¾ cup granulated sugar

1½ cups self-rising flour

Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Butter an 8-inch-round cake pan with a removable bottom. Stir yeast into warm water until dissolved.