LA VITA È DOLCE by Letitia Clark — review by Stella

A sweet pastry with morning coffee, a biscotti for a mid-morning snack, or a satisfying panna cotta? All can be found in Letitia Clark’s Italian-inspired dessert cookbook, La Vita è Dolce. Dipping into this warm and delightful book, I was pleasantly surprised to see a wide range of baking, some simple recipes, others more complex, and some that look complicated but aren’t. That is, they look great! Almond biscuits that look like tiny perfect peaches! But Clark reassures us in her introductory paragraphs that she’s not a perfect cook, and that “cooking should never be a drama… Baking is not a divine gift or even a precise science…”, There are sections on biscotti, crostate (tart), torte, dolci al cucchiaio (sweets by spoon), gelato and gifts. Making a cake is often in celebration of a milestone event — a birthday (layer cake please!), wedding, a memorial or an achievement. Making a cake is a gift: generally you make a cake for someone in celebration or to carve out a little time. All the cakes in La Vita è Dolce look and sound delicious. Letitia Clark is a champion of the upside-down cake (as she says in her notes, her dessert recipes are Italian-inspired; she’s a French-trained Englishwoman living in Sardinia). I couldn’t go past the Candied Clementine, Fennel Seed & Polenta Cake. Those citrus and aniseed flavours, served with a good dollop of youghurt — it’s relaxed and aromatic. Need a recipe to impress and prep ahead of an occasion? The Ricotta, Pear & Hazelnut Layer Cake will be your jam! And a spiced pumpkin cake sounds just right for an autumn afternoon.
A sweet mouthful is a small luxury, an indulgence to lift your day or finish a meal. There’s something divine about a silky creamy panna cotta. Choose from Toasted Fig Leaf (yes, the leaves!), Roasted Almond or Cappuccino. Or head to the simpler Green Lemon Posset. The ‘Gifts’ section includes a delicious chocolate salami, playful and colourful marzipan fruits, and of course, classic panforte and truffles!
There’s plenty to keep you baking through wet afternoons and cool evenings here.
And this, along with Wild Figs and Fennel — a seasonal year in Clark’s Italian kitchen — are in our annual cookbook sale.