My Italian grandmother introduced me to sfogliatelle, among other Italian sweets. I also loved her braided cookies with rainbow sprinkles on top. With coffee they are the best!
Sfogliatelle, I’ve found, are not something easily picked up at a local bakery and definitely not at the market. Bleeker Street has a couple of Italian pastry shops that sell them, and there is Bruno’s on the Upper Westside in the 70s that periodically has one or two among its cookie/pastry shelf in the window. I’ve had sfogliatelle from Bruno’s many times and they are always fresh and well made.
Down on Mulberry Street in the heart of what’s left of
Little Italythere are a couple of pastry shops that will also sell this special treat. I’m not a fan of the famous Ferrara’s on Grand Street for sfogliatelle. I’ve found them to be too dry. However, there is another pastry shop with the same name, La Bella Ferrara, that always has the most delicious sfogliatelle – with powdered sugar on top, please!
The word "sfogliatelle" means "many leaves/layers" and in the U.S. is pronounced ‘shfooyadell’. This time-consuming delicacy originated in Naples and will delight you with its not too sweet filling of orange-flavored ricotta.
