From the Chef Plates series.

Maritozzi (plural) are a popular breakfast pastry from Rome.  They date back to the Middle Ages when they were studded with dry fruit and made with drier bread; they've evolved into this sweetened cream filled pastry of today.  The name has a few possible origins  but most popular is the belief they are offered by a woman to her prospective husband (marito) to show their interest.  

Fiore, in Fishtown, is owned and run by the husband-wife team of Justine MacNeil and Ed Crochet.  Justine is an incredible pastry artist who told me that she based hers on the countless Maritozzi they tried in Rome. While traditionally Romans make them as a more elongated shape, she settled on this round shaped soft, fluffy brioche filled with whipped cream. They make their brioche with strong Italian flour to give it a distinctive chew (feather light, tender and heavenly) and they flavor the dough with rum and vanilla. The first time I ever saw one of these, was at Fiore when they moved to my neighborhood.  Everything I've tasted at Fiore has been great but few things in the world look this seductive.  They are as incredible to experience as they look.  

Origin: Philadelphia, PA

Price: $600