Ricotta And Cherry Focaccia Pizza Food

RICOTTA CHEESECAKE WITH WARMED CHERRIES

Steps:

• Cheesecake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly butter or oil a 4-cup glass loaf pan. Line the bottom and ends of the pan with a long piece of parchment paper.
• Blend the ricotta, milk, sour cream, eggs, yolks, sugar, flour, salt and lemon zest in the blender or food processor, until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until just set and barely golden, about 40 minutes. Turn the oven off and let cool in the oven for 10 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Cherries: Toss the cherries, sugar and salt in a bowl and set aside for 30 minutes. Cook cherry mixture over medium-high heat until they soften and the juice gets syrupy, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the rum and lemon juice.
• Lift cheesecake out of the pan by the paper and transfer to a cutting board. Slice into serving pieces and place on a platter. Spoon the warm or room temperature cherries on top. Serve.
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FOCACCIA PIZZA

Steps:

• For the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, yeast and salt. Make a small well in the center and then add 2 tablespoons oil and the water. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low until combined. Remove the dough to a flour-dusted work surface and knead for a few minutes until shiny and smooth.
• Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Remove the dough from the bowl and gently punch it down. Coat a 10-inch cake pan with 3 tablespoons oil. Place the dough in the pan and poke it all over with your fingers. Cover again with plastic wrap and set aside in warm place until puffy, about 45 minutes.
• For the pizza: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spread the focaccia with the marinara sauce, then scatter with the meatballs. Tear the mozzarella slices and scatter them over the meatballs. Sprinkle with the Parmesan. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 5 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling and the crust is golden.

FOCACCIA PIZZA

Steps:

• Add the flour, salt and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk to combine. Add the water, honey and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil to a 2-cup measuring cup. Whisk to combine. Add the water mixture to the mixer bowl and use a rubber spatula to incorporate the ingredients slightly. Attach the bowl to the stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and mix on low speed until the mixture forms into a ball and no loose flour is left at the base of the bowl, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and knead for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Pour the remaining olive oil into a 18-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet. Turn the dough out onto the baking sheet. Turn it once to coat all the sides of the dough in the olive oil. Cover the pan with an inverted baking sheet of the same size and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• After 2 hours, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Remove the top baking sheet and, using the tips of your fingers, delicately stretch the dough until it almost reaches the edges of the pan. Cover again with the rimmed baking sheet and let the dough rest while you make the Sauce (see recipe below).
• Uncover the dough and delicately stretch the dough to reach all the edges of the pan again. If the dough springs back too much, let the dough sit for another 5 to 10 minutes before trying to stretch it further. Once the dough is stretched to fit the pan, top it with the sauce. Cover the sauce completely with the pepperoni, then top the pepperoni with the sliced cheese. Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the cheese is lightly browned in spots and the crust is golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove the pizza from the oven and use a large spatula to transfer it to a cutting board. Top with dried oregano, red pepper flakes and Parmesan. Cut into 16 squares and serve immediately.
• Add the tomatoes, olive oil, salt, sugar and garlic to a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.

GRILLED PIZZA WITH PROSCIUTTO, RICOTTA AND ARUGULA

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for medium-high heat. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Finely grate the zest of the lemon; cut the lemon in half and reserve. Stir together the ricotta, lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Set aside.
• Divide the pizza dough into 2 balls. Sprinkle the flour on a clean flat surface and roll each ball into an oval about 14 inches long, 6 or 7 inches across and between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the crusts to the prepared baking sheet. Brush both sides of each crust with olive oil, about 1 tablespoon per side, and lightly sprinkle with salt.
• Lightly oil the grill grates. Grill the crusts until they start to puff and distinct grill marks appear, about 1 minute. Flip and cook until just cooked through, an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Discard the used parchment paper and put the finished crusts on the baking sheet.
• Immediately top each crust evenly with prosciutto. Place small dollops of the ricotta mixture over the prosciutto. Toss the arugula in a bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and the juice of one of the lemon halves (reserve the other half for another use). Season with salt and pepper. Divide the arugula between the pizzas and serve.

CHERRY RICOTTA TURNOVERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, fold together the ricotta, confectioners' sugar, egg yolk, vanilla, cinnamon, and cloves.
• Cut the 16 phyllo sheets lengthwise into 4 1/2-inch-wide strips. Cover with a barely damp towel while you work.
• Set a strip on a work surface, with the long side facing you, and brush the entire strip with melted butter. Sprinkle evenly with granulated sugar, then top with another strip.
• Brush the top with butter. Top with 1 tablespoon of the ricotta filling and 1 tablespoon of the cherries in the center about 1 inch from the left-side end. Gently pull the top left corner down, over the filling, to meet the bottom edge and form a triangle. Butter the top of the triangle.
• Now, gently grab the bottom left corner and lift it up to meet the top edge and wrap the triangle one more time.
• Brush the top with butter. Continue to fold the corners, as you would fold a flag, buttering every dry surface, until the sheet is completely folded into a large triangle. Transfer to 1 of the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining phyllo, butter, sugar and filling.
• Sprinkle the turnovers with granulated sugar. With a sharp paring knife, cut a small slit in the top of each turnover, taking care not to pierce through to the other side. Bake until puffed and deep golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before serving. Drizzle with honey to serve, if you like.

FAST AND EASY RICOTTA CHEESE PIZZA WITH MUSHROOMS, BROCCOLI, AND CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken in the butter until no longer pink and the juices run clear, 7 to 10 minutes; remove from heat and set aside.
• Combine the ricotta cheese, 1 tablespoon butter, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave for 1 minute; stir to combine. Spread the mixture over the pizza crust. Scatter the mozzarella cheese evenly over the pizza. Arrange the cooked chicken, broccoli, and mushrooms evenly on top of the pizza.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.