Torta Di Ricotta Ricotta Cheesecake Food

TORTA DI RICOTTA

Steps:

• Toast 5 tablespoons of pine nuts in a saute pan just until they start to get color, moving them around constantly so they do not burn. Once they are toasted remove from the pan to cool
• In a small pan add the sugar and water, heat over high neat until mixture begins to boil and all the sugar is dissolved
• Add the pine nuts to the sugar syrup and continue to swirl the pan until the mixture turns amber.
• Place the finished mixture onto an oiled cookie sheet to cool and harden.
• Mix the raisins and rum together and allow them to sit until most of the rum has been absorbed
• In the bowl of a food processor- add the flour, brown sugar, gound almonds, and baking powder, pulse 2 or 3 times
• Add the butter pieces and pulse 4 or 5 times until mixture looks like coarse meal
• Mix the egg and vanilla together and pour the mixture into the food processor while it is running (mix just enough to blend)
• If mixture looks too dry add a little ice water
• The dough will look a little loose, that's ok
• Place the dough onto a work table and form it into 2 balls. Use one-third of the dough to make one dough ball and the remainder of the dough for the second. Do not work the dough, even if it does not come completely together, just do your best to form the balls. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour.
• Mix the ricotta, orange rind, vanilla, sea salt, sugar, raisins and pine nut brittle together until well blended
• Add the chocolate chips.
• Break the pine nut brittle into small pieces and add to the ricotta mixture.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180 C)
• Using a 10 inch springform pan, line the inside with aluminum foil, overlapping slightly on the outside. Use two criss crossing pieces, and make sure foil is tight to the sides of the pan.
• Roll the larger of the two dough balls out between two sheets of parchment paper. Making a large circle.
• Carefully place the rolled-out dough into the springform pan. The dough should go half way up the inside of the pan.
• Spoon the ricotta mixture into the prepared pan
• In between two pieces of parchment paper, roll out the remaining dough ball, just a little bit larger than your springform pan.
• Place this dough onto of the ricotta mixture, and carefully pinch the dough into dough on the sides of the pan.*Don't worry if it cracks slightly, just try not to leave any holes in the dough.
• Place on the center rack of a 350 degree preheated oven and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the top is a nice golden brown.
• Allow cheesecake to cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes, then remove the outer pan and very gently peel back the foil and allow it to continue to cool for an additional 30 minutes.
• Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours before serving to allow it to set up. *There are no eggs in this cake to help bind it, and if you cut it too soon it will run.
• After the cheesecake has set up, remove the bottom of the springform pan and place on serving platter, allow cheesecake to come back to room temperature before serving.

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 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.

CARLA'S TORTA DI RICOTTA

Steps:

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

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.

NEAPOLITAN CHEESECAKE (TORTA DI RICOTTA ALLA NAPOLETANA)

Steps:

• Filling: bring a medium pot of water to a boil; add salt and farro; cook until the farro is tender, about 20 minutes.
• Drain well and set aside to cool.
• Combine the cooled farro, dried cherries, raisins, Marsala, and cinnamon in a bowl; let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Dough: combine the butter and powdered sugar in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice, until well combined, about 2 minutes.
• Add the flour and mix on low speed until combined.
• Turn the mixer to med-high speed and beat until the dough is soft and smooth, about 6 minutes.
• Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375°; butter the bottoms and sides of a 10-inch springform pan.
• Wrap the outside of the pan with 2 squares of heavy-duty foil.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into an 11-inch circle.
• Transfer it to the prepared pan and pat it firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
• Place the pan in the freezer for 5 minutes to allow the dough to firm up.
• Cut a 12-inch circle of parchment and place it on top of the dough; to weigh it down, cover the paper with 2 cups dried beans.
• Bake the crust for 7 minutes.
• Remove the beans and parchment, and bake until the crust is dry and golden brown, about 12 minutes.
• While the crust is baking, combine the ricotta, cream cheese, and mascarpone in a clean mixer bowl and mix on low with the paddle attachment, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice, until well combined.
• Add the sugar and mix for 2 minutes; add the eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and heavy cream, turn the mixer to med and mix for another 2 minutes.
• Bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil in a pot or large kettle.
• Remove the springform pan from the oven and place it in a roasting pan; lower the oven temperature to 275°.
• Spread half the cheese mixture evenly into the crust; spread half of the fruit mixture over the cheese and drizzle the liquid from the bowl over the fruit.
• Spread the remaining cheese mixture evenly over the fruit, and sprinkle with the remaining fruit.
• Place the roasting pan in the oven and pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to came about halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
• Bake for 15 minutes; increase oven temperature to 300° and bake for another 15 minutes.
• Increase heat to 325° and bake until the cake is set around the edges but a little loose in the middle, about 30 minutes.
• Remove the springform pan from the water bath; carefully remove and discard the foil, and set the pan on a wire rack.
• Run a sharp paring knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the sides of the cake, and let cool to room temperature before removing the cake from the pan, slicing, and serving.
• The cheesecake is best served on the day it is made.