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And a good glass of Moscato

Ricotta-stuffed Cannoli
Ingredients:
1 cup white flour
1 tbs. unsweetened cocoa
1 tbs. ground coffee
1 pinch salt
1 cup ricotta
1 tbs. orange-flower water or vanilla liqueur
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs. butter
1 cup white wine
2 tbs. candied orange and citron, diced
1 oz. chocolate
1 tbs. cocoa powder
1 egg white
frying oil
2 tbs. candied cherries
2 tbs. almond oil
1 tbs. confectioner's sugar

Preparation:
Mix 1 cup flour, cocoa, coffee, salt and granulated sugar on a pastry board. Make a fontana, add the butter and enough white wine, and work into moderately firm dough. Knead for a few minutes, and then shape the dough into a ball. Wrap it in a cloth and let stand for one hour in a cool place.

Sift the Ricotta, add 1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar, orange-flower water or liqueur, mix well and add the diced candied fruit and the chocolate in chunks. Divide the resulting cream into two equal portions; add the cocoa to one half. Hold both in a cool place.

Coat a few tin pipes (cornet molds), 5-in. long and 1-in. in diameter, with almond oil. Roll the dough to 1/8-in. thick and cut into 4-in. disks. Fold the dough around the cornet molds, overlapping the two ends and sealing with a bit of egg-white. Enlarge the two ends to give it an hourglass shape.

Fry in hot oil. Gently drain them and place on paper towels. Cool the pastries for a few minutes. Gently remove the molds and let cool thoroughly.
Fill the cannoli with Ricotta cream through one end, and cocoa cream through the other. Cannoli shells can be prepared in advance, but the cream should be added just before serving, or the shell will become soggy. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve.

Cheese Panzerotti
Ingredients:
14 oz. all purpose flour
4 tbsp. butter
10 oz. grated Pecorino Siciliano cheese
5 oz. cubed Cacioavallo Silano cheese
the rinds of an orange and a lemon
extra virgin olive oil
honey

Preparation:
Make a dough mixing the flour, a pinch of salt and the butter cut in small pieces. Add some warm water if the dough is too dry. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile mix the grated Pecorino Siciliano cheese with the orange and lemon rinds.

Roll out the dough into a thin sheet and cut rounds about 4" wide. Place a bit of the Pecorino Siciliano grated cheese-citrus mixture, and a small cube of the Cacioavallo Silano cheese, on each round.

Fold the disc over, creating half moon shapes, and press the edges with a fork.
Fry in plenty of hot olive oil. Serve hot with honey poured over these deliciously sweet panzerotti.

Honey and Fig Dessert
Ingredients:
10 oz. sliced Quartirolo Lombardo cheese
12 fresh ripe figs
2 tbsp. butter
4 tbsp. honey
1/4 cup brandy
4-5 chopped walnuts
juice of half an orange

Preparation:
Wash, peel and halve the figs. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. When it is foaming, add the figs. Cook them on both sides for a few minutes, and then flatten slightly with a spoon. Add the honey diluted with the brandy. If the bottom of the pan dries out, add the orange juice.
Arrange the Quartirolo Lombardo cheese onto individual plates and surround with the cooked figs. Spoon the remaining sauce over the figs and sprinkle with the walnuts.

Almond Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup sweet almonds
1 cup bitter almonds
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups sugar
5 egg whites

Preparation:
Blanch and toast the almonds. Peel and chop them very finely or crush them in a mortar with 1/2 cup sugar.
Add the vanilla, beat egg whites till stiffened, then fold in the almonds. Spoon the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip.

Pipe 2 l/2-in. wide rounds about 1 1/2 apart on a buttered baking sheet and flatten them a bit. Sift the confectioner's sugar over the tops and let stand at room temperature 1-2 hours. Pre-heat the oven to 350lF and bake for about 20 mins. Remove from oven and cool.

Sicilian Cassata
Ingredients:
sponge cake
1 cup sugar
2 cups ricotta
4 oz. chocolate
2 cups mixed candied fruit
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbs. chestnut flour
4 tbs. sugar
1 tsp. powdered cinnamon
1 oz. Maraschino liqueur
1 tbs. pistachio nuts
1/2 cup apricot jelly
1/2 cup fondant
1 oz. orange-flower water
1 tbs. grated orange zest
4 tbs. raisins, soaked and squeezed
1 pinch of salt
2 tbs. pine nuts
3 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. walnuts, coarsely chopped
milk as needed

Preparation:
Line the bottom and sides of a 10-in. diameter cake mold with thin slices of sponge cake.
Dissolve the sugar in a small amount of water on a low heat. Sieve the Ricotta and mix it with the sugar. Cut the chocolate into small chunks and dice half of the candied fruit.

Add them to the Ricotta together with the vanilla, cinnamon, liqueur and pistachio nuts.
Put the Ricotta in the mold, level off the top, cover with slices of sponge cake, and cool for several hours. Unmold on a dish before serving.
Spread the top with apricot jelly, cover with fondant dissolved in a little orange-flower water, and garnish with various types of candied fruit.

Strawberries Baskets with Aceto Balsamico di Reggio Emilia
Ingredients:
For the baskets:
5 oz. butter
5 oz. flour
3 egg whites
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
For the filling:
10 oz. vanilla ice cream
1/2 lb. strawberries (preferably wild)
16 drops Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Reggio Emilia

Preparation:
In a bowl whisk the butter with the sugar and the vanilla extract until frothy. Slowly add the egg whites and then the sifted flour. Put this cream in a pastry bag with a smooth nozzle and form four discs on a buttered cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes on a 425°F oven. Remove and, while still hot, place each disk over an upside down glass. The overlapping edges will turn down, thus creating a basket.

Let cool and then remove from the glasses.
Clean and dry the strawberries and place them in the baskets.

On each dessert plate place a spoon of vanilla ice cream and let it melt for a couple of minutes until soft. Place a basket next to the vanilla ice cream. Drizzle about four drops of balsamic vinegar over each basket. Garnish with strawberry leaves.

Buon appetito!

 

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