The Italian-American pastry case
A few items define the genre. Cannoli are fried pastry tubes filled with sweetened ricotta, sometimes studded with chocolate chips or candied citron and dipped in pistachio at the ends. Sfogliatelle come in two forms: riccia, the shell-shaped pastry of crackling, fan-like layers, and frolla, a smoother shortcrust version. Both are filled with semolina and ricotta scented with orange. The lobster tail, a larger riccia-style shell filled with whipped cream and pastry cream, is an Italian-American invention. Add rum baba, pasticciotti (custard-filled shortcrust tarts) and cassata (ricotta cake with marzipan and candied fruit) and you have the core of the case.
Cookies by the pound
Italian bakeries usually sell cookies by weight. Point to what you want, and staff will mix them into a box or tray. Common choices:
- Rainbow cookies: three almond-sponge layers in green, white and red, with apricot or raspberry jam and a chocolate coating.
- Pignoli: chewy almond-paste cookies covered in pine nuts.
- Biscotti: twice-baked almond or anise cookies for dunking.
- Amaretti: crackly almond macaroons.
- Sesame cookies (reginelle) and butter cookies piped into rosettes, often with jam or sprinkles.
Pignoli and rainbow cookies are labor-intensive, so they usually cost more per pound. In parts of Pennsylvania and Ohio, mixed trays like these are the centerpiece of the wedding cookie table tradition, and bakeries take large orders weeks in advance.
Breads and savory bakes
Many Italian bakeries also run a bread oven. Look for seeded semolina loaves, crusty Italian bread for hoagies and heroes, focaccia, tomato pie (thick, room-temperature sheet pizza in Philadelphia and Rhode Island style), and prosciutto bread studded with cured meat and black pepper.
Bread at these shops tends to follow the neighborhood's needs rather than artisan trends. Loaves are often softer-crusted than a French baguette so they slice cleanly for sandwiches, and many bakeries supply local delis and restaurants in the early morning before the retail counter opens. If you are buying rolls for a party, ask about wholesale-size bags; the price per roll is usually lower, and a day's notice helps the bakery set aside enough from the morning bake. Semolina loaves keep a little better than plain white Italian bread, staying good into the next day if wrapped in paper.
The holiday calendar
- Christmas: panettone and pandoro, struffoli (honey-glazed fried dough balls) and extra cookie trays.
- March 19, St. Joseph's Day: zeppole, choux or fried dough filled with cream and topped with a cherry.
- Easter: pastiera, a Neapolitan wheat-berry and ricotta tart, plus dove-shaped colomba and sweet Easter breads with eggs baked in.
These items are made in limited batches, so call ahead the week before.
