For croccante
Half a pound of almonds, roasted
A quarter pound of lump sugar
A little lemon juice

For decoration
Castor sugar
Pistachio nuts
Preserved fruits or fresh strawberries
Whipped cream

"Blanch half a pound of almonds, cut them into shreds and dry them in a slow oven until they are a light brown color; then put a quarter pound of lump sugar into a saucepan and caramel it lightly; stir well with a wooden spoon. When the sugar is dissolved, throw the hot almonds into it and also a little lemon juice. Take the saucepan off the fire and mix the almonds with the sugar, pour it into a buttered mould and press it against the sides of the mould with a lemon, but remember that the casing of sugar must be very thin. (You may, if you like, spread out the mixture on a flat dish and line the mould with your hands, but the sugar must be kept hot.) Then take it out of the mould and decorate it with Castor sugar, pistachio nuts, and preserved fruits. Fill this case with whipped cream and preserved fruits or fresh strawberries."

This recipe was first published in "The Cook's Decameron: a study in taste, containing over two hundred recipes for Italian dishes," written by Mrs. W.G. Waters and published by William Heineman (1920). For the entire copyright-free cookbook see www.archive.org. P.S. I tried this recipe and followed the directions as best as I could (They are a bit unclear). I found the dessert satisfactory, though not incredibly so. The taste was fine enough, but the texture of the dessert was nothing to crow about. Combining a hard almond cookie base with whipped cream did not work very well, though it did make for a strange and interesting mix.... Photo and notes: Mary Melfi.

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