Adri Barr Crocetti

When you have really nice apples you don’t need anything else. Well, except for some butter and flour to make a tart. When I saw the article in the August 11 edition of the Los Angeles Times about the endangered Gravenstein apple and the accompanying recipe, I just had to give it try. I had forgotten about Gravensteins. They were one of my mother’s favorites for baking, along with Jonathans. The Gravenstein apple, once a large crop in California is now in danger of disappearing. There are several reasons, foremost among them, the apples are difficult to harvest, perishable and quite simply, farmers can make more money growing other crops. However the Gravenstein is not without friends. Read the remainder of this entry »

There are good friends and then there are great friends. Anthony and Scott are great friends. A couple of weeks ago I received an email from Anthony. It was brief and to the point: “three words for you torta tre monti ever heard of this” Like I said, brief and to the point. My return email was considerably more verbose. It started with OMG. I knew the cake was all about wafers, known as cialde, and cream filling. I knew it was famous. I knew I had never seen one in any store around here. After that the details were fuzzy. The research began. And the more I learned, the more I knew I had to try one. I also learned I might have to jet to San Marino to do it.

Torta Tre Monti is the famous pastry of The Republic of San Marino, population 31,830. Situated in the hills of central Italy, San Marino, if you are ready for a brief lesson, is the last of Italy’s independent hill towns, the world’s oldest republic, and (this is how Anthony got started with this in the first place) third in the world in life expectancy – 80.3 years for men and 85.9 years for women. Must be the pastry.

As we searched, the days wore on. No Torta Tre Monti in sight. Not even a recipe. We found sources on the internet, but the pastry was always out of stock. We found inquiries from people on the internet looking for recipes, but only inquiries, no answers. Google searches led to the web site for La Serenissima Cake Factory in San Marino, home of the torte. Skillful dolciere make these pastries entirely by hand. First, thin blond wafers are baked on a bank of well seasoned irons. Such irons are rarely seen outside of Italy. We were enticed by gorgeous shots of huge vats of hot cream and fondant. The skill of the women as they fill the pastries and finish them with a crown of fondant left no doubt that we had to have one. We could wait no longer. There was only one thing to do. Anthony called his mother, Rose. Success we knew, must surely be at hand. The woman does not fail. And Rose, upon hearing the pastry lover’s dilemma decided it was time to enlist the considerable resources of her sister Santa. Italian families are like that. One for all and all for one. Don’t think for one second that Dumas came up with that one all by himself. Oh no. He got it from the Italians. Just ask any Italian mom.

The search was on in earnest, and very quickly sweet success was within reach. Enter Petrone’s Pizzelles in Erie, Pennsylvania. Santa drove right over to him in Erie, and there stood the torte in their very unique boxes. Inside – a circular multi-layered wonder composed of five super thin, ultra-crispy wafers filled with thin layers of intensely flavored smooth chocolate, hazelnut and coffee cream. Within a few days a torta arrived on everyone’s doorstep, a group affair start to finish.

The first thing you notice is the packaging. I had to stop and admire it before I went any further. Shades of blue, gold, yellow and green with medieval knights on horseback holding a standard. People walking along side. They do not make packaging like this in America. And yes, I saved the box. I carefully opened the box and there, wrapped in foil and weighing 9.52 ounces, was the disc of pastry. I gave thanks and then I grabbed my scissors and opened it up. This is one heck of a KitKat Bar. It is assembled so perfectly, so neatly that yes, a level says it is level. The wafers are baked to blond perfection and each of the three cream components is spread in a perfectly uniform layer. I just had to stand and admire the art and skill of the folks at La Serenissima Dolciaria. Now it was time to sample. The first thing I noticed is how easily and perfectly it sliced. No ragged edges, no mess. Perfect. And in the eating, the torta is quite neat. It would be a perfect dessert for a summer night at the Hollywood Bowl or other evening under the stars. With each bite your mouth is filled first with crunch as the wafers give way under your teeth. Then come the smooth chocolate, hazelnut and coffee creams. Each layer is filled with a different cream, so the flavors remain distinct, yet complementary to one another. The chocolate and hazelnut creams come first to the fore, followed by the intense and not too sweet coffee cream. The entire torta is finished with a border of dark chocolate fondant. A joy to behold, and a delight to consume.

When I the package arrived I felt very special. So I simply can not end this post without saying thank you Anthony, Scott, Rose and Santa. You made me feel like part of the family. We all enjoyed this Sanmarinese specialty, and even the hunt was fun.

Since 1942 La Serenissima Antica Fabbrica di Torte has made Torta Tre Monti and other pastry delights. Check out their web site to view their entire line and for more information. Be sure to watch the video. I know you will want one too. Open some Prosecco and celebrate the small principality of San Marino. Several styles of torte and other La Serenissima products are available online from Savarozza.com.

Note: You can click on any picture to see a slide show with even more pictures!

I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.