These Italian pastries look like lobster tails and clamshells — they taste even better

Share this Story : These Italian pastries look like lobster tails and clamshells — they taste even better Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Breadcrumb Trail Links Life Food Local Food Reviews These Italian pastries look like lobster tails and clamshells — they taste even better Beneath the extra-crunchy, ribbed exterior lies a not-too-sweet mix of semolina, ricotta and sugar, flavoured with orange zest. Get the latest from Peter Hum straight to your inbox Sign Up Author of the article: Peter Hum Published Nov 12, 2024 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 2 minute read Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here . Or sign-in if you have an account.

Joe Calabro Photo by Jean Levac / POSTMEDIA Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Article content Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana 200 Preston St.



, 613-233-2104, italianpastryshop.ca Lobster tail pastries. Photo by Jean Levac / POSTMEDIA Open: Wednesday to Sunday 9 a.

m. to 9 p.m.

, closed Monday, Tuesday Prices: $6.45 for a sfogliatelle, $7.45 for a lobster tail Access: Steps to front door Joe Calabro knows when his sfogliatelle and lobster tail pastries are at their absolute best.

“Right after it’s out of the oven,” says Calabro, who has owned the venerable Preston Street bakery Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana since 1979. “That’s when it’s nice and crunchy.” Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

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Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Sign In or Create an Account Email Address Continue or View more offers If you are a Home delivery print subscriber, unlimited online access is included in your subscription. Activate your Online Access Now Article content It’s Calabro’s well-earned prerogative if he wants to taste his creations when they’re optimally delicious. The self-taught pastry chef has won more medals for his European treats over the last 45 years than you could shake a whisk at.

He even represented Ontario at a prestigious James Beard Foundation dinner in New York in 2011. Still, a room-temperature lobster tail or sfogliatelle is a pretty snazzy treat if you can snag one of the dozen or so of either pastry made and sold only on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. I’m partial to the sfogliatelle, even if it confounds me to say its name out loud.

Why is “sfol-ya-tel-le” so difficult? Sfogliatelle are only available on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana on Preston Street. Photo by Jean Levac / POSTMEDIA What I like most is that beneath its extra-crunchy, ribbed exterior lies a not-too-sweet mix of semolina, ricotta and sugar, flavoured with orange zest. Sfogliatelle taste like treats with a history behind them, and indeed, internet sources say that while the baked good is associated with Naples, its origins date back to the 1600s and a monastery on Italy’s Amalfi Coast, where the concoction was first called a Santa Rosa.

It has been said that a sfogliatelle resembles a nun’s hood. But I prefer to think of it as clamshell-shaped since its “big brother” pastry is shaped like, and named after a lobster tail. (Its Italian name is aragosta.

) Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content With their incredible pleats, the two pastries are similarly impressive on the outside. But a lobster tail, which must have been inspired by a mammoth crustacean, is filled with pastry cream and surely something that must be shared.

I saw one of Calabro’s customers polish off a lobster tail by himself in the pastry shop’s dining area, and I thought to myself that he had competition-level eating chops. Both the sfogliatelle and lobster tails at Calabro’s shop are generously dusted with powdered sugar. Given that, I leave you with a warning.

Don’t wear black pants to Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana, as I did. [email protected] Do you have a favourite place to get a little treat in Ottawa? Send Peter Hum an e-mail to share your picks.

Other treats of the week: Supreme croissant at Hugo Cafe Smoked salmon croissant at Choux Atelier Apple cider doughnut at Red Door Provisions Maritozzi at Roberto Pizza Romana Sin-Namon churro cookie at Toro Eats & Treats Hazelnut Paris-Brest at Elina Patisserie Want to stay in the know about what’s happening in Ottawa? Sign up for the Ottawa Citizen’s arts and life newsletter — Ottawa, Out of Office — our weekly guide to eating, listening, reading, watching, playing, hanging, learning and living well in the capital. Recommended from Editorial Behind this Italian cream puff in Chelsea is a sweet love story 12 Little Italy restaurants on Preston Street that go beyond standard pasta and pizza Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : These Italian pastries look like lobster tails and clamshells — they taste even better Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Comments You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments. Create an Account Sign in Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion.

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