Torta Morbida agli Amaretti, Pere e Cioccolato Fondente (Italian Amaretti, Pear and Dark Chocolate Cake) A full cup of crushed amaretti goes into this batter before a single pear is peeled. The biscuits replace part of the flour and carry almond, sugar and dried egg white into a crumb that stays soft for days. Ripe pears keep it damp, and dark chocolate adds bitter pockets that stop the almond turning cloying. Yield: 10 slices from one 9 inch cake. Prep: 25 minutes. Bake: 50

Cheesecake Italiana agli Amaretti e Mascarpone (Italian Amaretti and Mascarpone Cheesecake) An Italian cheesecake is not a softened New York one. It is built on mascarpone and ricotta, two fresh dairy products that set differently, and the whole method exists to respect that difference. The base is crushed amaretti, the filling is dense and pale, and the finish is a small crown of the same cookies. Cut cold, it tastes of almond, cream and lemon zest. Yield: 10 slices from a 9

Torta di Riso, Pere e Amaretti (Italian Rice Cake with Pears and Amaretti) Torta di riso is a cake without flour. Arborio rice cooked in vanilla milk until it collapses, eggs to bind it, crushed amaretti for bitter almond, and pears caramelized in butter. It bakes dense, moist and faintly sandy, closer to a baked custard than to a sponge, and it is always better the next day. Yield: 12 slices from a 9 inch (23 cm) pan. Prep: 45 minutes. Bake: 50 to 60 minutes at 350°F (175°C)