Farina, six and a half ounces
Sugar, three and a half ounces
Pine-seeds, two ounces
Butter, a small piece
Milk, one quart
Four eggs
A pinch of salt
Taste of lemon peel

"Cook the farina in the milk and when it begins to thicken pour the pine-seeds, previously chopped fine and pounded with the sugar, then the butter and the rest, less the eggs which must be put in last when the mixture has completely cooled. Then place the whole well mixed in little molds, greased evenly with butter and sprinkled with bread crumbs ground fine, and bake."

This recipe was taken from "The Italian Cook Book: the Art of Eating Well, Practical Recipes of the Italian Cuisine" by Mrs. Maria Gentile. It was published in the U.S. in 1919. For the entire copyright-free cookbook see www.archive.org.... P.S. This recipe did not work out very well for me. The little cakes looked fine enough, but inside they were very mushy. They tasted more like potato pudding than any Italian cake on the market today. Mrs. Maria Gentile has a number of recipes in her cookbook that call for the baking or frying of creams or puddings -- a process that lead to disasters in my kitchen. Possibly, a pastry chef could create wonderful desserts following Mrs. Maria Gentile's directions, but I could not. Photo and notes: Mary Melfi.

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