Pinolata Italian Pine Nut Cake Food

CREAMY RICOTTA TART WITH PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 3/4 cup of pine nuts, and salt until finely ground. Add the butter. Pulse dough just until it comes together.
• Place the dough into an 11-inch diameter tart pan with a removable bottom and press down to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 30 minutes.
• Line the tart shell with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the tart shell in the lower third of the oven until just set, about 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and pie weights. Bake until the tart shell is lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.
• Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar with the water in a small saucepan over low heat. You don't want to boil the water, you just want to heat it so that the sugar can dissolve thoroughly. Stir until the sugar dissolves and remove from heat.
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the ricotta cheese and cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs and egg yolks, 1 at a time, and process until smooth. With the machine running, add the sugar syrup in a thin steady stream and process until smooth.
• Pour the custard into the tart shell and bake until the filling is almost set, about 20 to 25 minutes. Scatter the remaining 3/4 cup of toasted pine nuts atop the filling. Bake until the custard is set, about 10 minutes longer. Let the tart cool completely before serving.
• The tart can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Return the tart to room temperature before serving.

PIGNOLATTA

Steps:

• In a large ceramic bowl with a wooden spoon or in a mixer with a dough hook mix together the flour, eggs and salt to make a stiff dough that pulls away from the walls of the bowl. You may end up using your hands to finish the job if mixing with a wooden spoon. If the dough is still sticky to the touch add more flour. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and doesn't stick to your fingers. . Quarter the dough and roll the segments into ropes the thickness of 1/2-inch. Cut off knobs of dough 1/2-inch long (some people roll these into balls but I don't).
• In a 3 quart saucepan heat oil for deep-frying to 365 degrees F. Fry the dough pieces until golden brown in batches, a handful at a time and drain on a paper towel. The dough will sink in the oil then come floating to the top. They do expand in the oil so leave them some room. Allow them to cool while you make the caramel.
• In a large saucepan combine the honey and sugar and bring to a boil. Working quickly with a wooden spoon stir in the fried dough pieces to coat them with the honey caramel. Quickly spoon the sticky dough balls onto 2 plates and form into a tall mound resembling a pine cone, then quickly sprinkle pine nuts or confetti sprinkles over the surface so they stick to the honey caramel before it cools and is no longer sticky. If there's a second person around to help with this, get them. It's a bit of a group or family project. You can also place smaller amounts into foil cup cake cups for individual servings. Let cool and serve. Keeps up to 1 week. To eat just pick off dough pieces and enjoy.
• Notes about the recipe: Some spell it Pinolata with one T. It sometimes has pine nuts or "pignolla" stirred into the caramel or is formed into the shape like a pine cone so the name may have come from that. In Sicily they're called Pignolata, in Naples (Italy, not Florida) the same thing is called Struffoli.
• I first had this at the holidays at an Italian friends house and they make them every year. But because they're fried they fit for Hanukah too. They're something you serve after a meal and really need coffee to wash them down. It's a very tactile dessert that you pick apart tiny caramelized nugget by tiny caramelized nugget.

ITALIAN PINE NUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Heat a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir pine nuts in the hot skillet until toasted and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
• Beat white sugar and butter together in a large bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Beat eggs, 1 at a time, into creamed butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Whisk flour and baking powder in a separate bowl; stir into creamed butter mixture until dough is just mixed. Fold pine nuts into dough.
• Spread corn flakes into a shallow baking dish. Form dough into balls, about 1 tablespoon per cookie; roll each in the corn flakes, pressing gently to coat. Arrange cookies, 1-inch apart, on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 23 minutes. Cool cookies on the baking sheets and dust with confectioners' sugar.