Friends are the family you have the privilege of choosing and how blessed we have been. La Famiglia V has been in our lives for nearly 20 years and a celebration was in order; the return from a distinguished internship in Tel Aviv, acceptance to a prestigious university, and a new found path to restoring health – it doesn’t get better than that. Avid Italophiles, La Famiglia V have a deep understanding and appreciation of the flavors of Italy. The challenge – to develop a cake that successfully featured special ingredients and remained dairy free to accommodate the dietary needs of the youngest V….
In anticipation of La Nipote Due’s (Number Two Niece’s) arrival I have been leafing through all of her favorite recipes to help me select the maximum number of dishes that can be crammed into three days; of course restaurant meals will be sandwiched into the weekend as well. It’s so gratifying to cook for La Nipote Due, she savors every mouthful and is so appreciative. I always try to send her favorite baked goodies via the mail, especially for birthdays, holidays and the much coveted CTT summer camp care package. The weekend visit will be an opportunity to prepare a dolce that would not survive priority mail service. I had the perfect idea!… 
The winter days are long and the memories of warm summer afternoons seem so distant. Crostata di Marmellata is the ultimate dolce to prepare during the winter months to recall summers past. Freshly picked berries, cherries, peaches, and apricots are no longer available at the market, but flavorful jams reminiscent of the delights of summer certainly are. Some of my wonderfully talented friends shared their special jams of the season this year: olallieberry, strawberry and apricot. What better way to feature these jams than to make them the centerpiece of a lattice topped crostata. Don’t despair if you are not as fortunate as I in the friends who make jam department, there are many high quality jams on the market to choose from. Pick one to treat family, friends, and yourself to the sweet memories of summer…. 
