Apricot Ricotta Torte Food

RICOTTA-APRICOT TART

Steps:

• Crust: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar, salt and vanilla. Beat in the egg and half the flour, then add the remaining flour and mix until evenly blended. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it into a thick disk, wrap it well, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Heavily flour your work surface and the dough. Roll the dough to fit a 10-inch tart pan or a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Place the dough in the pan, and prick it all over with the tines of a fork. (The crust will be blind-baked -- baked without any filling -- but it doesn't need to be weighed down with beans or rice or pie weights, as long as you prick it thoroughly with a fork.).
• Bake the crust in a preheated 425°F oven for 10 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350°F, and bake it until it's golden brown, about another 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and cool it while making the filling.
• Filling: In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, cream, eggs, egg yolk, sugar, vanilla, Fiori di Sicilia or orange oil, and flour. Set aside.
• Peel and slice the apricots. To quickly peel apricots, fill a large pan with hot water. Bring it to a boil, and place the apricots in the pan. Bring back to a boil, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the apricots from the hot water and plunge them into a bowl of ice water. The skins should slip off easily.
• Assembly and Baking: Stone and slice the apricots. Pour the ricotta mixture into the tart shell. Place about 10 slices of apricot over the filling; they'll sink partially -- it's OK. Bake the tart in a preheated 350°F oven for about 45 minutes, until the filling looks mostly set.
• Sauce: Place the remaining sliced apricots into a medium-sized saucepan. Add the brown sugar, water, and brandy, if you're using it. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the apricots are cooked through and the sauce starts to thicken. Remove the sauce from the heat, and transfer it to a serving dish. It can remain at room temperature while the tart cools.
• Let the ricotta tart cool for several hours before cutting it into wedges. Spoon the sauce over each piece before serving, or serve it on the side. Refrigerate any leftover tart.

RICOTTA TART: TORTA DI RICOTTA

Steps:

• For the pasta frolla: Combine sugar, butter, egg, milk, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Fold in the flour but do not over mix; make sure that the mixture remains cool and does not become pasty. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes, or until firm.
• For the Ricotta Filling: Place the ricotta in a large bowl stir in the sugar, then the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla being careful not to over mix.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut off 1/2 of the pasta frolla and reserve. Roll 1/2 of the dough into a 14-inch disc and line a 9-inch cake pan with it. Allow the dough to hang over the edge of the pan. Roll out the reserved dough into a 10-inch circle. Reserve. Pour the ricotta filling into the crust base. Lay the reserved 10-inch circle of dough on the top of the filling. Trim the excess so there is a 1/2 to 3/4-inch overhang. Take the flap of dough left on the edge of the ring and roll it on itself so that it rests completely within the pan.
• In a small bowl, beat together the egg with a pinch of salt and a few drops of water to make an egg wash. Brush the surface of the torta with the beaten egg mixture. Place the torta in the lower third of the oven and bake for about 45 minutes until the filling is set and the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

APRICOT RICOTTA TART

Steps:

• For the pastry crust: Mix 1 1/3 sticks softened butter with the granulated sugar, powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, 1 Tbsp. rum, 1 egg, and 1 egg yolk. Combine the ingredients well. Add the flour, the cornstarch, and the lemon zest. Knead to obtain a soft and even dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• For the filling: Mix the ricotta until soft and creamy. Beat the remaining egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar and 2 Tbsp. Disaronno liqueur. Stir in the almonds. Whisk in the ricotta.
• For the caramelized apricots: Cut the apricots in half and remove the pits. Caramelize 1/4 cup sugar in a pan with 1 Tbsp. butter; add the apricots and baste with 2 Tbsp. Disaronno liqueur. Cook for a few minutes; turn off the heat and let rest.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Cover the dough with a sheet of parchment paper, fill the pan with dried beans, and bake at 350°F for around 15 minutes. Remove the beans and parchment paper and bake for another 5 minutes to let the crust dry out. Remove the crust from the oven, fill it with the cream, and bake again at 350°F for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the caramelized apricots and their juice. Let the tart cool and serve.

APRICOT ALMOND TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla on high speed until thick and lemon-colored. Combine flour, almonds, baking powder and salt; gradually fold into egg mixture alternately with the whipped cream., Transfer to two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake 22-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and salt until smooth. Beat in extract. Fold in whipped cream., Cut each cake horizontally into two layers. Place bottom layer on a serving plate; spread with 1 cup frosting. Top with another cake layer; spread with half the preserves. Repeat layers. Frost sides of cake; decorate the top edge with remaining frosting. Sprinkle with almonds.

APRICOT TORTE

Steps:

• preheat oven to 350 degrees, and butter a 9inch spring form pan.
• Prepare crust by mixing the ingredients together.
• Bake crust for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, half the apricots and fill each half with 1/2 teaspoon.
• Place apricots face up on top of the hot crust right out of the oven.
• Return torte to oven, and bake until sugar inside apricots is melted.
• meanwhile, begin preparing the cream.
• separate eggs.
• Beat the whites with the sugar and beat until stiff, fold in the egg yolks.
• Fold in flour.
• Pour the mixture over the cake, place back into the oven for 15- 20 more minutes, until slightly browned.

APRICOT TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place whole nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and sliced nuts in a single layer on another sheet. Toast until golden and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes. Shake the pans halfway through toasting to make sure nuts brown evenly. Set aside to cool.
• Grease a 10-inch springform pan with margarine, sprinkle with sugar, and tap out excess; set aside. Place 1/4 cup sugar, whole almonds, and the apricots in the bowl of a food processor; process until finely chopped, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl, add lemon zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, and stir to combine; set aside. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer batter to large bowl; set aside.
• Clean and dry the mixer bowl and whisk; use to beat the egg whites with salt and lemon juice until frothy. Slowly add 1/4 cup sugar, and continue whisking on medium until peaks are stiff but not dry. Fold beaten whites into beaten egg yolks. Add the apricot-and-almond mixture, and fold in until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake until torte is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. It may be necessary to cover the torte lightly with foil to stop the top from burning. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the torte, and release from pan. Allow to cool completely on the wire rack.
• Place the apricot jam in a small saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and strain. Brush glaze onto cooled torte. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and Passover Powdered Sugar.

RICOTTA TORTE

Steps:

• Position oven rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°; grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 3 inch springform pan; sprinkle the bottom of the pan with 1/3 cup cookie crumbs.
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the ricotta and sour cream; process until smooth.
• Add in the egg yolks and ½ cup of sugar; process until well blended.
• Add in the flour, vanilla extract, amaretto, orange zest, and salt; process until blended.
• Transfer mixture to a bowl.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar at med-high speed until soft peaks begin to form.
• Gradually add in teh remaining ¼ cup sugar and beat at high speed until the whites form stiff, shiny peaks.
• Gently fold 1/3 of the whites into the ricotta mixture; then fold in the remaining whites in two more additions.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup cookie crumbs over the top.
• Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake the cake for 35-45 minutes, until the top is browned and cracked and the center jiggles but is not liquid.
• Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes.
• Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake; remove the side of the pan and cool cake until just slightly warm.
• To serve, slice cake using a thin-bladed sharp knife; store in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days.

DAVID ROCCO'S TORTA DI RICOTTA

Steps:

• Refrigerate ricotta cheese in a strainer over night so that excess moisture is removed. In a mixing bowl, blend ricotta cheese and 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar with a hand mixer until it becomes a velvety consistency. In a separate bowl, whip 35% whipping cream with 1/2 tablespoon of sugar. Gently fold whipped cream into ricotta mixture along with bittersweet chocolate. Spread filling into piecrust.
• In a saucepan, heat sugar and 2 cups of water. Once the sugar has dissolved, add pears and let cook until soft and caramelized. Remove pears from pan and let cool. Cut pears into slices and fan the slices on top of the pie filling until the surface of the pie is covered. Fill in gaps with extra pieces of pear if necessary.
• In another saucepan, heat remaining water and apricot jelly. Stir and cook until jelly is liquefied so that it can be used as a glaze. Spread apricot glaze over pears and let pie rest in fridge for 4 hours before serving.