After making a Grasshopper Pie from a family recipe for a vintage affair a few weeks back, I was inspired to pull out my Grandmother’s recipe box which is filled with her hand written recipes, and those from her friends as well as my Great Grandmother. It was a time before canned soup casseroles with three ingredients were in vogue and everything was a whole food for the most part.
I was thumbing through the dessert sections and landed on a few that felt unique or seasonal I wanted to try and pass along. My first choice proved that in the ‘60’s (my guess at the recipe vintage) cocktail hour was clearly NOT just for before dinner. The dessert named ‘Angela Pia’ or translated from Italian to be ‘Pious Angel’ was not something I could pass up. I had scanned the ingredients before making but it was not until I was putting it together that the strong waft of the liquor gave way to suggestions on serving sizes! It was the name that caught my attention but I won’t be ‘desserting and driving’ (actually in the tasting it was much more mild, really producing flavor from the brandy and rum but no teetering!)
My grandparents would have lived in San Francisco at the time. Anyone who has lived in Northern California in the last century would have heard of famous newspaper columnist Herb Caen. His columns in the San Francisco chronicle began in the late 1930’s and spanned almost 60 years, always the talk of the breakfast or dinner table in my grandparents’ household. When I saw his recommendation on this recipe slip I was sure it must have been a hit at the time.
I did some sleuthing on the pre-printed recipe I found that had seemingly been torn from a larger document. What I pieced together with some internet help is that the original dessert was served at a restaurant named Pietro 311 on Washington Street in San Francisco. At the time this would have been in the Produce District, I suspect leaving the clearly adored restaurant a surprise due to its unlikely location combined with its quality cuisine. The area where it stood is now the Embarcadero Center for those knowledgeable to the Bay Area.
I found a few references to the restaurant in chat sessions from the past decade. They all shared a common palpable nostalgia and fondness for how ‘special’ the restaurant and its cuisine were. This dessert was always mentioned so must have really something in the era (before Jello Pudding Parfaits hit the shelves!).
ANGELA PIA (Pious Angel)
I moved the preparation steps around from the original recipe not wanting the whipped egg whites or cream to sit and deflate. This all came together easily though I’d suggest reading all instructions and preparing every step ready before beginning.
Serves: 6-8
· 3 eggs, separated
· ½ cup granulated sugar
· 1 ounce brandy
· 1 ounce rum
· 1 cup whipping cream
· 1 package Knox gelatin
· 1 teaspoon vanilla
1. Set a saucepan filled with water over medium high heat on the stove to come to a low boil.
2. Add the packet of gelatin to ¼ cup of water in a metal bowl (which will go over the saucepan of hot water) for 5 minutes.
3. While the water is coming to a low boil and gelatin is soaking, add egg yolks to a different bowl and whisk or beat with a mixer until fully mixed. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until fully mixed into a light yellow, thick mixture. Add the brandy and rum and mix thoroughly.
4. If 5 minutes has elapsed, place the bowl with gelatin over the hot water and whisk until it is fully dissolved. Remove from heat to cool for a few minutes. Pour into yolk mixture and stir to fully combine.
5. Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Note: I did this step during the time the gelatin was processing.
6. Beat whipping cream until it forms peaks and add the vanilla.
7. Fold together the egg whites and whipping cream mixture. Fold those into the yolk mixture until all are fully combined. Put into small cocktail glasses or sherbet cups to chill or freeze at least two hours before serving (I froze mine longer and they were light and easy to eat).
This dessert is light with a texture of frozen whipped topping and a lovely flavor of the vanilla and brandy. To me it looked ‘naked’ in the freezer and I thought about adding a sour cherry sauce or something to it but in the tasting it does not require a thing; it is angelic on its own. Maybe a garnish…..!
Another thing of the time that jumped out at me is that this recipe uses raw eggs. Salmonella was present in the 1960’s and I did NOT get the impression that dessert was made famous by causing deaths. However we live in a more cautious time so I also did research about using the raw eggs, contacting farmers and chefs I know as well. To be the most cautious I would recommend using pasteurized eggs which should remove any risk from eating raw eggs. The statistics on contracting Salmonella are pretty slight but of course follow your own judgment.
Post Script. Following the posting of this article I received two emails that I could not resist sharing. After my research travels on the internet and encountering many misty nostalgic references to Pietro 311, I felt there are others who would relish this background history as I do. My great thanks to Francis for taking the time to write….
”Hello. My cousin, Stephanie Alioto, was married to Pietro Pinoni, who owned and operated Pietro’s 311 restaurant at 311 Washington Street in San Francisco, where I was a frequent diner. I loved the Angela Pia desert, which means “pious angel” but which was named after his sister-in-law, Angelina Alioto Figone. And the reason the restaurant was in the produce district at the time was because Pietro’s father-in-law, my Grand Uncle Ignatius Alioto’s fish processing plant, Consolidated Fish Co., was just up the street, and my Grandfather’s plant, San Francisco International Fish Co., was a couple of blocks away where what is now the redwood grove of the Transamerica building at the corner of Washington and Montgomery Streets.
Pietro started his restaurant in the late 50s at 311 Washington St., then when that lease was not renewed, he moved up a block, but kept the 311 name until redevelopment took that building for the new apartments and high-rise buildings sometime in the mid- to late ’60s. Pietro then moved the restaurant across to Marin County, but that was short-lived. He “retired” to make wine, write a book on wine making, and travel.
How long did you all live in SF? Do you remember the Tortola on Polk Street? The predecessor, Garabaldi’s Tamale Parlor, was started by my Great-grandfather; operated by my grandparents, and then by my father until about 1978, when it closed, as none of us wanted to go into the restaurant business.
At one time, a group of us made a list of t he old SF restaurants (and businesses) that were such a part of the city and are now gone – e.g., Maye’s Oyster House, The Old Poodle Dog, Jack’s, Paoli’s, The Temple Bar, El Matador, Original Joe’s on Broadway, Vanessi’s, Veneto’s, The White House, J. Magnin, Roos Brothers, etc. I am sure you remember all of them.
Regards,
Francis Scarpulla”
)
That looks so good! I love coming across old recipes like that. Your photo styling is perfect for this dish too.
Great job!
This is such a beautiful post! Your photos and staging are just beautiful! This light frothy dessert IS special! Love your sleuthing too – it brings so much to the post!
This looks fantastic. I love that you did all the research about this dish, it's very cool to know where it came from and the nostalgia behind it.
If it weren't so early in the morning, I'd give it a go! Thank you for your thorough research, particularly on the eggs. And thank you for bringing San Francisco a little closer!
I just love how you styled this! Minimal yet festive, it looks like it belongs on a Christmas dessert table.
This sounds delicious! I love going through my Grandmother's recipes! You seem to have found some delicious gems in the process!
Yum! Will defo be trying this out!
I love heirloom recipes, especially one like this with such history behind it. I love your cocktail napkins!
Looks so tempting, love the way its presented.
Ok, where do I begin with this? First of all, love the street car napkin… nice touch. Really nice photos Toni. I have hand written recipes from the late 40's and early 50's and those dreaded canned soups do appear. And how fun to research and piece together the history of this recipe. Great post Toni.
What a kick! When I was at Cal in the 50's, I had a “beat” friend who was writing the great American novel. Sadly, it was lost in the mail when he sent it to a publisher (way before computers and copiers) and disappeared into eternity. His name was Dave Pinoni and his father was Pietro who owned Pietro's restaurant. That's where I got the recipe for Angela Pia and I still remember Pietro who was not happy with son Dave who wanted to write the great American novel rather than work in the restaurant. Talk about bringing back memories!! I actually looked for Pietros a few times when we were in the city, but it's gone and I remember that Dave Pinoni decided to become a postman so he could relate to the common man!
I love this recipe and the great American Novel Story, both classic 50's drama. As someone who cannot afford to mess with my immune system, I have a tip if you choose to use pasteurized eggs to avoid any chance of salmonella: Add 1/8 tsp of cream of tartar per egg white, 1 Tablespoon of sugar and whip for twice as long (something about the heated proteins during pasteurization makes then less likely to whip) OR use powdered egg whites. For the yolks, either heat the sugar with very little water, bring to a boil, and slowly stream into the egg yolks, while beating them furiously OR here is microwave option (microwave times vary, mine uses much less time to reach a bubble stage. I've had to experiment but my dog loves the rejections):
In a small heatproof cup, such as a custard cup, mix together :
2 large egg yolks with
1 1/2 teaspoons, water – and
1 teaspoon, fresh lemon juice
Cover with plastic wrap. Cook in microwave on high (100 percent) power, until mixture bubbles – about 25-45 seconds.
Remove the cup from the microwave, stir the mixture with an impeccably clean fork.
Replace the plastic wrap. Microwave again on high power until the mixture bubbles again – this time it will take about 10-20 seconds to bubble. Allow the mixture to bubble (still microwaving on “high”) for 5-10 additional seconds.
Remove the cup from the microwave, remove the plastic wrap once more, stir the egg yolks thoroughly with another clean fork, and allow the mixture to cool before using.
What a charming tale and I so appreciate the discovery of recipes from our relatives (I almost said ancestors but that seemed to infer beyond my grandparents generation).
My cousin has a recipe book from the church my grandmother attended and has shared some of those with me. That she, a non cook, has that special book is so wrong…but I try console myself by looking at Grandma's rolling pin!
Love the simple garnish…beautiful.
hi Toni
what a wonderful dessert! I think we have forgotten too many wonderful dishes, vintage recipes still have a lot going for them, not just in flavor but in history. Thanks for making this delicious treat and sharing it with us. I still do use raw eggs at home but I do only use free range organic eggs, I don't think you have the problems that you do with storage eggs.
Cheers
Dennis
Oh Toni, you continually amaze me with your sense of history and how much love and time you put into your posts.I just love your blog so much and you, well I love you too. Can't wait until we're sharing a glass and a meal together.
Another treasure from your family! Such a gorgeous dessert…and I love all the history you've uncovered
Thanks SO much for the congratulatory tweet, my friend…I DO think I forgot to reply, but I truly appreciate your thoughtful good wishes! Hope you've had a great weekend, Toni~
My grandparents lived in San Francisco too!
This dessert is just gorgeous and your photos are sooo beautiful. I really want to try this dessert out! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.
By the way, I love the napkin!
Lovely clicks! Its looks so beautiful and am sure tastes delicious too!
Wonderful post! I've never lived in California, but I've certainly heard of Herb Caen. I loved reading the history of Angela Pia!
Very cool recipe and beautiful photos. Love the story behind it, too
rich and creamy writing with the apt amount of nostalgia!
loved the recipe, your pic and the sweet oh so fresh garnish!
Hi
My son Alex found your blog & sent it to me. Pietro Pinoni was my father and I know the “Angela Pia” dessert well – although I never ate it as a child because of the idea of raw eggs! (the rum was OK!)
Thanks, Francis for your story. There are a few points that need correction, though.
The dessert was not named after my Auntie Angie ( whose married name was Figara not Figone…)It was names after the originator of the dish – Pia Lazzareschi, who was a friend of our family having grown up very close to my mother, Stephanie & all the “double cousins” in North Beach.
“Pia” by itself wasn't much of a name, so my father added the “Angela” because the dessert was angelic and light.
The Wine making book – How to Make Wine like my Grandfather Did in Italy – co-written with Robert E. Burger with illustrations by the cartoonist Sandy Heckinger and me (!) came out just before the second SF restaurant closed. He did not reopen in Marin, just enjoyed his retirement hiking with the Sierra Club, tending his large vegetable garden, cooking and enjoying good wine for 10 years or so before passing away suddenly just after his 79th birthday.
Pietro 311 was a great little restaurant where the waiting staff would parade around singing – long before TGIF or others did anything like that. Mostly they sang in Italian, but Louis Foo, a busyboy from China, taught them a song in Chinese. He sang along in Italian, as well.
PS – I like the garnish!
My friend and I used to take dates to Pietro's and the dessert “Angela Pia” was the highlight of the meal, that and the waiters balancing drinks on their heads. The food was fabulous and its been 50 years since we went, but the meal was probably less that $10.00. Thanks for the memories.
Pietro and his wife Stephanie were two of my very favorite cousins. When I was a kid, I'd spend some time in the summer at their house in Marin, playing with my cousin who just posted above as Helidoni, going here and there, walking with Pietro around his beautiful garden and generally having a wonderful time. I remember visiting Pia Lazzareschi's house. I didn't get to go to the restaurant often, but when I did it was a special treat – all the singing, balancing drinks and such. Pietro worked in the late afternoon and evening, and he would often be gone by the time we returned from our daily outings. I fondly remember he would place a flower on his daughter's and on my pillow before he left for work. He was such a lovely, interesting man and I truly miss him and Stephanie. Both had a strong impact on my life.
I happened to be going through an old cookbook and I found a piece of newspaper, quite brown and quite old with the Recipe on it, I rmemebered it from my own days of going to Pietros…Wwe all loved the Restauranr and that was a favorite Dessert…I am having guests for dinner tonight and I had decided to make it using the old Recipe I found ..just for fun I went to the Internet and WOW there it was…I could not remember the name of the Restaurant and I am so happy now to have found it…I grew up in S.F. and have many fond memories. When I was in High School our Jounalism Class was taken to the newspaper and we met Herb Cain this would have been in 1938-39 era….I also met Joseph Alioto in my later years of working when he was the Mayor oiof san Francisco…LOVE all the notes to be shares….