RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : Ruth Heiges Pie: Fresh Cheese w/Strawberries - dairy
This is from the New York Times Magazine of May 9, 1999; just in time for Shavuot. Molly O'Neill (not quite a Jewish name, but who knows nowadays <g>) recommends making one's own ricotta cheese for the recipes she includes. "What's important is how malleable they [dairy desserts] are, and how profoundly affected they become by the aromas around them -- nuts or honey, sugar, flower water or spice. Fresh cheese desserts are simple enough for improvisation and whimsy. Causing milk to clot and thicken requires more from nature than the cook; it almost makes itself. The resulting fresh cheese should be eaten with abandon." Fresh Cheese Pie With Strawberries ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sweet almond pastry dough 2-1/2 cups rich fresh ricotta 4 large eggs 6 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 1-1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest 3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 2 pinches salt 4 ounces marzipan 1 pint strawberries, sliced 1/3 cup marmalade 2 tablespoons ground almonds 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll the dough out to a circle 11 inches in diameter, ease it into a 9-inch tart pan or pie plate and trim the edges. Line the pan with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake 10 minutes. Remove parchment and weights. Bake until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Cool. 2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the cheese, eggs, the 6 tablespoons of sugar, zest, vanilla, ginger and salt and stir until combined. Set aside. 3. Reduce oven heat to 300 degrees. Place the marzipan between two sheets of plastic wrap and roll out to an 8-inch circle. Remove the plastic and place the marzipan in the bottom of the cooled pie shell. Pour the cheese mixture over the marzipan. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the filling is set and very lightly browned. Cool the pan on a wire rack. If using a tart pan, remove the top ring of the pan. 4. Toss the strawberries with the remaining 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar and spread them over the cooled tart. Combine the marmalade and 1 tablespoon water in a small saucepan, place over medium heat, and stir until the mixture just boils. Remove from the heat and use a pastry brush to coat the top of the pie and the crust with marmalade. Sprinkle almonds around the edges of the crust, slice and serve. Yield: 8 servings. Sweet Almond Pastry Dough ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup ground almonds 9 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced 1 large egg, beaten 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt and almonds and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the egg and vanilla and pulse until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl (add water a teaspoon at a time if the dough seems too dry). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour before rolling out. Yield: Dough for a 9-inch tart. Rich Fresh Ricotta ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12 cups (3 quarts) whole milk 1-1/2 cups whole-milk yogurt 1-1/2 cups heavy cream Pinch salt Pinch nutmeg 1. In a large kettle, combine the milk, yogurt and cream and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 2 minutes, or until the milk is very curdled. 2. Line a large mesh strainer with a damp kitchen towel or several layers of damp cheesecloth, making sure the cloth extends well over the sides of the strainer. Place the strainer over a deep bowl and pour the milk through the strainer. Drain 30 minutes, making sure the strainer doesn't rest in liquid. 3. Gather up the loose ends of the cloth and twist gently to extract more liquid. Transfer the curds to a bowl and stir in the salt and nutmeg. The cheese will keep, refrigerated, up to 3 days. Yield: 3 cups.
