lunaticsinge.com - Italian Cuisine Desserts

Roasted Pears & Grapes - (serves 6)

Ingredients:

2 cups seedless red grapes

1 cup sugar

Juice of 2 lemons

2/3 cup Moscato wine

1/2 vanilla pod, split lengthwise

2 tablespoons apricot jam

3 firm, but ripe Bosc pears

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place the grapes in a baking dish. Combine the sugar, lemon juice, Moscato, vanilla beans from the pod, and apricot jam in a bowl, and stir until blended. Pour this over the grapes. Cut each pear in half through the core, and remove he cores and seeds. Nestle the pear halves, cut side up, into the grapes.

Bake until the pears are tender and the liquid around the grapes is thick and syrupy, about 50 minutes. Remove the pears, and let stand for about 10 minutes. Serve them with some of the grapes and their liquid spooned around them.

Plum Tart - (serves 8)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup smooth apricot jam

1 (10-inch) tart shell, pre-baked for 15 minutes

14 firm, ripe purple plums, halved & pitted

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 tablespoon water

1/4 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Brush 3 tablespoons of the apricot jam over the bottom of the pre-baked tart shell. Starting from the outside edge of the shell, arrange the plums cut side up in concentric circles until the shell is filled.

3. Bake the tart 10 minutes, sprinkle the sugar over the plums, and return to the oven for an additional 25 to 35 minutes or longer, depending on the texture of the plums, until the pastry is nicely browned and the plums are well cooked. If the pastry gets brown before the plums cook, cover with foil and continue to bake until plums are done. Remove from the oven and cool.

4. Melt the remaining apricot jam in a small saucepan, stirring in the water and lemon juice. (Strain if the jam is lumpy.) When the tart has cooled somewhat, brush the plums with the apricot glaze. Serve at room temperature.

Ricotta Cheesecake - (serves 8)

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups ricotta

1/2 cup raisins

3 tablespoons dark rum

Softened butter & fine dry breadcrumbs for the pan

5 large eggs, separated

3/4 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

Zest of 1 large lemon, grated

Zest of 1 large orange, grated

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup pine nuts

1. Place the ricotta in a cheese-cloth-lined sieve, and place the sieve over a bowl. Cover the ricotta with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.

2. Soak the raisins in run in a small bowl, tossing occasionally, until the raisins are softened and have absorbed most of the rum, about 30 minutes.

3. Brush an 8-inch spring-form pan with enough softened butter to coat it lightly. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the butter to coat generously. Shake out the excess crumbs. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

4. Beat the egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a large bowl with a whisk until pale yellow. Add the drained ricotta and the lemon and orange zest, then beat until blended thoroughly. Beat in the cream. Fold in the pine nuts, and the raisins and rum, with a rubber spatula, blending well. Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl with a hand mixer or wire whisk until they form firm peaks when a beater is lifted from them.

5. Add 1/4 of the egg whites to the ricotta mixture, and gently stir it in. Add the remaining egg whites, and fold them in, using a large rubber spatula to scrape the batter from the bottom of the bowl up and over the whites.

6. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared pan, and bake until the cake is golden brown on top and set in the center, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

7. Cool the cake completely before removing the sides of the pan. Serve the cake at room temperature or chilled.

Cannoli Cream - (Makes enough to fill 6 to 8 cannoli)

Ingredients:

1 lb. (2 cups) fresh ricotta

2/3 cups confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (optional)

1 oz. unsweetened chocolate (or 3 tablespoons bitter-sweet chips)

2 tablespoons candied orange rind

2 tablespoons almonds toasted

1. Put the fresh ricotta in a fine-mesh sieve, and set it inside a bowl to drain for 12 to 24 hours in advance. Cover the ricotta with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

2. Whip the ricotta with the whisk attachment of an electric mixer until smooth. Whip in the confectioners' sugar and Grand Marnier.

3. Chop the chocolate (or chips) into coarse bits, big enough to bite into and be visible. Coarsely chop the candied peel and almonds to the same size, about the size of raisins. Fold the chopped pieces into the cream; refrigerate until ready to assemble a cannoli.