It’s no secret that Frank Sinatra was a major foodie. The iconic crooner was known to have a list of his favorite foods that followed him on the road — many prepared and served by his valet, George Jacobs. Given his heritage, he had an affinity for Italian cuisine, with lemon ricotta torte being his favorite dessert.
Sinatra loved the Italian comfort dishes from his childhood and was a frequenter at Patsy’s Italian Restaurant in New York City. Among the Italian dishes he’d get again and again, Sinatra enjoyed veal Milanese and he’d finish his visits with the lemon ricotta torte, a menu staple. In some recipes, lemon ricotta tortes incorporate nuts into either the crust or the filling, to help elevate and enrich the taste and texture. However, Patsy’s opts to leave them out of the Scognamillo family recipe. This likely helps to make the dessert a little less dense while maintaining the ricotta’s richness. Following a savory meal like veal Milanese with lemon ricotta torte makes perfect sense, as the citrus-and-herby flavors of the veal Milanese connect the lemon torte with the overall experience. It also allows the dessert to stand on its own with an enjoyably rich, fluffy, even if dense, texture.
Frank Sinatra isn’t the only celebrity who enjoys lemon ricotta
In addition to Ol’ Blue Eyes, many celebrities enjoy the flavor combination of lemon ricotta. Aside from being a part of Frank Sinatra’s favorite dessert, Ina Garten will incorporate the duo into other dishes like pancakes. Giada De Laurentiis has also fondly posted about lemon ricotta poundcake (via Instagram). Additionally, Valerie Bertinelli combines lemon, ricotta, mascarpone, and a litany of flavors to create her famous Love Cakes. While Jamie Oliver leans more into the cake texture for his recipe, he’ll still incorporate ground almonds and mixes his recipe both in a mixer and by hand to ensure the cake stays airy.
For anyone wanting to see what Sinatra raved about, but also wanting something aside from Patsy’s take on it, there are plenty of homemade varieties to choose from. Just be careful in the search for your favorite, as the words “torte” and “cake” are often used interchangeably, but tortes are meant to be more moist, dense, and closer to a rich, cheesecake consistency. Often, tortes tend to be taller than cake and are finished with a glaze or topping rather than frosting, although that can vary regionally. It’s even more important to remember that, while similar phonetically, a torte is most certainly not a tart — in simplest terms, think open-faced pastry as opposed to a cake-like dessert.
