Sicilian Christmas Ricotta Cookie Cuddureddi Di Ricotta Food

TORTA DI RICOTTA

Steps:

• First prepare pastry dough: In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat flour, margarine or butter, sugar, Marsala, salt, and egg yolks just until mixed. Shape dough into a ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Into 10 inch by 2 1/2 inch springform pan, press three-fourths of dough onto bottom and up side of pan to within 3/4 inch of top; keep remaining dough refrigerated. Bake crust 15 minutes or until golden; cool in pan on wire rack.
• While crust is cooling, prepare filling: Into large bowl, press ricotta through fine sieve. With mixer at medium speed, beat ricotta just until smooth; slowly beat in sugar, scraping bowl often with rubber spatula. Add heavy or whipping cream, flour, vanilla extract, salt, eggs, orange and lemon peel; beat until well blended, occasionally scraping bowl. Pour cheese mixture into crust.
• On lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll out remaining dough into 10 inch by 5 inch rectangle. Cut dough lengthwise into ten 1/2 inch wide strips. Place 5 dough strips about 1 inch apart across filling. Arrange remaining strips at right angles to make a lattice. Trim ends of strips even with crust.
• Bake cheesecake 1 1/4 hours. Turn off oven; let cheesecake remain in oven 1 hour. Remove cheesecake from oven; cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or until well chilled.
• When cheesecake is firm, with spatula, loosen pan side from cheesecake and remove; loosen cake from pan bottom; slide onto plate.
• Sprinkle cheesecake with confectioners' sugar. Arrange orange twists around cake.
• 16 servings. Begin early in day or day ahead to make this recipe.
• The Good Housekeeping Desserts.

TORTA DI RICOTTA

Steps:

• In a small bowl soak the raisins for at least an hour.
• Pre heat oven to 375f& grease two deep 9 1/2" x 1 1/2" cake pans.
• Fit a circle of parchment paper on the bottom of each and grease the paper then dust with flour, shake out excess.
• Toast the pine nuts in the oven for 3-4 minutes, watch closely they burn easily.
• Beat eggs until pale yellow.
• Gradually add sugar and continue beating until thick.
• Add ricotta& milk (cream)& continue beating until the mixture is smooth.
• Sprinkle in the orange zest and fold in with a spatula.
• Sift 3 cups of flour with the baking powder.
• Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg/cheese mixture, beating at a slow speed until the mixture is smooth.
• Drain& dry the raisins, reserve the brandy.
• Toss raisins with the remaining flour, add to the batter.
• Gently fold in the the brandy, nuts& chocolate.
• Divide between the two pans, Bake on middle rake for about 40-50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
• If the cakes start to brown too quickly place a loose sheet of aluminium foil on top.
• Cool cakes on wire racks.
• Remove from cake pans and discard the parchment paper.
• You may now freeze the cakes,Well wrapped for up to 3 months OR Sprinkle a generous coating of confectioner's sugar.

BUDINO DI RICOTTA (CREAM CHEESE CUSTARD)

Steps:

• Cream the ricotta, add the chocolateand nuts and blend thoroughly, add cream as needed for desire consistency. Serve in small glasses.
• Note:.
• I would be tempted to try a darker chocolate and to add a little Amaretto or walnut liquor.

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.

TORTA DI LIMONE E RICOTTA

Steps:

• Grease a 9 inch round cake or springform pan. Line the bottom with parchment or waxed paper. Grease the paper. Dust with flour. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. Beat in the ricotta.
• Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Ass 2 Tbl of the flour, and the lemon zest and juice. Sift the baking powder into the ramaining flour and beat into the batter until well blended only.
• Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Fold them carefully into the batter.
• Turn the mixture into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a rack to cool. Dust the cake generously with confectioner's sugar before serving.

SICILIAN CHRISTMAS RICOTTA COOKIE (CUDDUREDDI DI RICOTTA)

Steps:

• Directions:.
• Mix the flour, egg yolks, ricotta, sugar and grated orange peel (do not use water).
• Roll the dough and cut into 3 inch pieces (thickness of a finger).
• Fry the pieces in olive oil and let cool.
• Strew with melted honey or chocolate and sprinkle with cinnamon. Serves 6.
• That's it!