Cassata (The Cassata Affair)
The Cassata Affair There are ice creams, and then there’s Cassata — the diva of the dessert world in the glorious 80s. Not the dainty slices you find in today’s frozen aisles, no. We were introduced to the real deal — the original, glamorous, football-sized Cassata — thanks to none other than Akka , my aaji, my dad’s mom, the true OG dessert curator of the family. I must’ve been barely tall enough to see over the dining table, but that evening is etched in Technicolor in my memory. The occasion? I don’t quite remember. A cousin’s birthday? An anniversary? Honestly, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was the dessert. There it stood — in all its chilled, tri-colored glory. A Cassata so large, it could’ve needed its own seat at the party. Vanilla, strawberry, and pistachio stacked like royalty, with crushed nuts gleaming on top like a crown, and that soft sponge cake base soaking up all the goodness like a secret treasure. People gathered around it like it was a celebrity. Aaji...
