Editors' Picks: This Just In | Italian ingredients

By Monica F. Forrestall

Our test-kitchen staff raved about Stramondo's Sicilian marzipan: "Superbly fragrant, with a flowery almond flavor; very natural-tasting." The smooth texture makes it ideal for a frangipane-tart filling or for eating right out of the package ($6 for 8.8 ounces at Purely Organic; 877-201-0710).

Antichi Dolci Di Siena's soft Ricciarelli cookies, with almonds and honey, come from a recipe used for weddings in the Middle Ages ($8 for a box of nine; 800-3-GOURMET).

The Catalano family from Viterbo, Italy, has been producing grassy, light-tasting Merlano extra-virgin olive oil for several hundred years. It's finally available in the U.S. ($29 for 16.9 ounces at Balducci's; 212-653-8320).

Published April 2003