This recipe can be doubled or tripled.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6 to 8

　　8 ounces store-bought crisp ladyfingers (about 26 cookies)

　　1/2 cup Italian dessert wine, preferably vin santo

　　Crema Pasticcera (recipe follows)

　　Salsa di Cioccolato (recipe follows)

　　

Crema Pasticcera

2 cups whole milk

　　Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

　　1 large egg plus 2 large egg yolks

　　1 cup sugar

　　1 cup all-purpose flour

　　1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

　　(makes 3 cups)

　　

Salsa di Cioccolato

2 1/2 ounces good-quality unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

　　2 1/2 tablespoons good-quality Dutch-process cocoa powder

　　1/2 cup sugar

　　1/2 cup heavy cream

　　(makes 1 cup)

　　

Step 1

Arrange half the ladyfingers in the bottom of an 8-inch-square serving dish. Drizzle with half the wine. Spread 1 1/2 cups pastry cream on top. Drizzle 1/2 cup chocolate sauce over the cream. Repeat, adding another layer each of ladyfingers, wine, pastry cream, and chocolate sauce. Refrigerate, covered, 1 to 4 hours.

　　

Crema Pasticcera

Step 2

Stir together the milk and lemon zest in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring, just until small bubbles appear at the edges. Remove the pan from the heat.

　　

Step 3

Put the egg and yolks and the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until pale, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to low. Add the flour and vanilla. Beat until just combined. Beat in the hot milk mixture. Raise the speed to high; beat 1 minute more. Transfer the pastry cream to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture has thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Transfer the warm pastry cream to a bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours, or up to 1 day.

　　

Salsa di Cioccolato

Step 5

Melt the chocolate with the cocoa powder in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and becomes difficult to stir.

　　

Step 6

Remove from the heat; continue to stir, and add the sugar. Return the bowl to the pan of simmering water. Heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce is smooth. Add the cream; stir until smooth. Remove from heat. Let cool completely. The sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 day; before using, warm the sauce in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water until pourable.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics by Martha Stewart Living Magazine, copyright © 2007. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of The Crown Publishing Group.Buy the full book from Amazon.