Linzer Cookies Austro Italiani (Austro Italian Linzer Cookies) Two rounds of almond and cinnamon shortcrust, one cut with a small window, sandwiched around tart red preserve and dusted with powdered sugar. The Linzer cookie is one of the best known biscuits in Europe, and in the north east of Italy it has been adopted so completely that many bakeries sell it as their own. This version keeps the sandy, buttery snap of the original and adds lemon zest for lift. Yield: 24 sandwi

Traditional Friulian gubana, a spiral yeast cake filled with walnuts, dried fruit, spices and grappa. Gubana is one of the emblematic sweets of the Natisone Valleys and eastern Friuli Venezia Giulia. Its spiral form distinguishes it from an ordinary filled cake: a soft enriched yeast dough is rolled around a dense mixture of walnuts, dried fruit, spices and spirits, then coiled into a round mold. The dessert reflects the border character of Friuli, where Italian, Slavic and C

Gubana Friulana con Grappa (Italian Friulian Nut Swirl Cake with Grappa) The technical challenge is balancing a soft dough with a filling that is moist enough to spread but dry enough to stay inside the spiral. A good Gubana rises without splitting, retains a distinct swirl and remains moist for several days after baking. The Story of the Dish Gubana is one of Friuli-Venezia Giulia's most recognizable celebratory cakes. A soft enriched yeast dough is rolled around a dense fil