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7. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then fold them gently into the bread mixture.

8. Transfer the bread mixture to the caramelized pan, level it off, and place the pan on the middle rack of the preheated oven. After 1 hour, turn the thermostat down to 300° and bake for 15 more minutes.

9. As soon as you take the pan out of the oven, while the pudding is still hot, pierce it in several places with a fork, and pour 2 tablespoons of rum over it. When the rum has been absorbed, turn the pan over onto a serving platter and shake or tap it against the counter to work the pudding loose. Lift the pan, unmolding the pudding onto the platter, pierce the pudding in several places, and pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of rum over it. Allow the pudding to mature for at least a day before serving it. You can refrigerate it for several days, but allow it to come to room temperature before bringing to the table.

Sbricciolona—Ferrara’s Crumbly Cake

Sbricciolona—literal meaning of which is “she that crumbles”—is a dry, biscuity cake that is delicious after dinner with a glass of vin santo or Port, and it is equally welcome between meals, as a mid-morning nibble for example, or with an afternoon cup of tea or coffee.

It really does crumble and part of its charm is the irregularity of the pieces it breaks into. If you prefer to serve it in neat wedge-shaped sections, however, cut it while it is warm, before it hardens. Sbricciolona keeps beautifully for days and days, wrapped in foil or kept in a tin biscuit box.

My first acquaintance with sbricciolona took place in Ferrara, whose university I was attending. But when you travel in northern Italy you will find sbricciolona elsewhere, particularly in Mantua, and also in Piedmont’s Langhe wine country, where they make it with hazelnuts instead of almonds.

For 6 servings

¼ pound almonds, blanched and skinned as described

1½ cups all-purpose flour

⅔ cup cornmeal

⅝ cup granulated sugar

The peel of 1 lemon grated without digging into the white pith beneath

2 egg yolks

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened to room temperature, plus more for smearing the cake pan

A 12-inch round cake pan

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Grind the skinned almonds to powder in the food processor, turning the motor on and off.

3. Put the flour, cornmeal, granulated sugar, grated lemon peel, and powdered almonds in a bowl, and mix well. Add the 2 egg yolks, and work the mixture with your hands until it breaks up into little pellets. Add the softened butter, kneading it in with your fingers until it is completely incorporated into the mixture. (At first it may seem improbable that all the ingredients can ever be combined, but after working them for a few minutes, you will find they do hang together, forming a dry, crumbly dough.)

4. Smear the bottom of the cake pan with butter. Crumble the dough through your fingers into the pan until it is all uniformly distributed. Place the pan in the upper third of the preheated oven, and bake for 40 minutes. Serve when completely cold and hard (see prefatory note above).

Sweet Pastry Fritters

KNOWN BY a variety of names—chiacchiere della nonna, “grandmother’s small talk,” and frappe are the most common—these fritters are ribbons of dough twisted into bows and fried. The flavor and the fine, crisp texture of traditional versions depend on the use of lard, both in the dough and for frying.

If you have insurmountable objections to lard, butter and vegetable oil can be substituted, as indicated below.

For 4 to 6 servings

1⅔ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup lard OR butter

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons dry white wine

¼ teaspoon salt

Lard or vegetable oil for frying

Confectioners’ sugar

1. Combine the flour with ¼ cup of either lard or butter and the granulated sugar, egg, white wine, and salt, kneading them into a smooth, soft dough. Put the dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest for at least 15 minutes.