Join Ann Maloney for an entertaining afternoon making three of her favorite Sicilian cookies and get a tasty history lesson to boot!
Sicilian sweets are delicious any time of year. Each March, however, Ann Maloney looked forward to sampling traditional fig, sesame and amaretti cookies as she visited St. Joseph’s Altars scattered throughout her hometown of New Orleans.
Each March 19, St. Joseph’s Altars -- traditionally elaborate, three-tiered presentations of seafood, breads, pastry and citrus -- can be found in private homes, churches, community centers and even hotel lobbies, grocery stores and bars in U.S. cities where large Sicilian immigrant populations settled in the early 19th century.
In this immersive class, as you learn the step-by-step, cookie-making process, you’ll also hear the fascinating tale of the la tavola di San Giuseppe that began in the Middle Ages in Sicily, when that island nation prayed to the saint for relief from famine. On the saint's feast day, March 19, Sicilians still build altars in thanks.
We’ll make the cookies that you can then take home to share with family and friends as you regale them with the delectable details about this religious and cultural practice, which is rich in faith, symbolism -- and even superstition. Keep in mind: each of these cookies freezes beautifully as well.