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- CHEESE PIE {Crostata di Ricotta}
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- PASTRY CRUST-PASTA FROLLA
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- INGREDIENTS:
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- 1.2 cups unsifted all purpose flour.
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- 2.12 tablespoons lard or butter,at room temperature but not soft.
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- 3.4 egg yolks.
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- 4.1/4 cup sugar.
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- 5.3 tablespoons dry marsala wine.
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- 6.1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel.
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- 7.1/2 teaspoon salt.
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- RICOTTA FILLING
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- INGREDIENTS:
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- 1.5 cups ricotta cheese.
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- 2.1/2 cup sugar.
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- 3.1 tablespoon flour.
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- 4.1/2 teaspoon salt.
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- 5.1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
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- 6.1 teaspoon freshly grated orange peel.
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- 7.4 egg yolks.
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- 8.1 tablespoon white raisins,rinsed and drained.
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- 9.1 tablespoon diced candied citron.
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- 10.2 tablespoons slivered blanched almonds or pine nuts.
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- 11.1 egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon water.
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- INSTRUCTIONS:PASTRY CRUST-In a large mixing bowl,make a well in the center
- of two cups of flour.Drop into it the butter {or lard} ,egg
- yolks,sugar,Marsala,lemon peel and salt.With your fingertips mix the
- ingredients together,incorporating as much flour as you can.With the heels of
- your hands,work in the rest of the flour until the dough is smooth and can be
- gathered into a ball.Do not,however,knead the dough or work it any more than
- necessary.{If you have an electric mixer with a paddle attachment,all of the
- ingredients can be placed in the bowl at once and mixed at low speed until they
- are just combined.}The dough can be rolled out at once,but if it seems at all
- oily,refrigerate it for about 1 hour,or until it is firm but not hard.
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- Pre-heat the oven to 350^.Break off about 1/4 of the dough,dust lightly with
- flour and cover with wax paper or plastic wrap ;set aside in the
- refrigerator.Reshape the rest of the dough into a ball and place on a lightly
- floured board or pastry cloth.With the heel of your hand,flatten the ball into a
- disc about 1 inch thick.Dust a little flour over both sides of the disc to prevent
- the dough from sticking,and begin rolling it out---starting from the center and
- rolling to within an inch of the far edge.Gently lift the dough,turn clockwise,and
- roll out again from the center to the far edge.Repeat lifting,turning and rolling
- until the disc is about 1/8 inch thick and at least 11 inches across.If the dough
- sticks to the board or cloth while you are rolling it out,lift it gently with a wide
- metal spatula and sprinkle a little flour under it.
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- Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-11/2-inch spring-form or
- false-bottom cake pan.Then,starting at the nearest edge of the circle,lift the
- pastry and drape it over the rolling pin. Place the pin in the middle of the
- buttered pan,and unfold the pastry over it,leaving some slack in the
- center.Gently press the pastry into the bottom and around the sides of the
- pan,taking care not to stretch it.Roll the pin over the edge of the pan,pressing
- down hard to trim off the excess pastry around the top.
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- Unwrap the remaining pastry,place it on a lightly floured board or cloth,flatten
- it with the heel of your hand and roll it into a rectangle about 12 inches
- long.With a pastry wheel or sharp knife,cut the rectangle into long,even strips
- about 1/2 inch wide.
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- INSTRUCTIONS:RICOTTA FILLING -Combine the ricotta cheese with 1/2 cup of
- sugar,1 tablespoon flour,1/2 teaspoon salt,the vanilla,grated orange peel and
- egg yolks,and beat until they are thoroughly mixed.Stir in the raisins and the
- candied orange peel and citron.Spoon this filling into the partially baked pastry
- shell,spreading it evenly with a rubber spatula.Sprinkle the top with slivered
- almonds or pine nuts,then weave or crisscross the pastry strips across the pie
- to make a lattice design.Brush the strips lightly with the egg-white -and-water
- mixture.Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 1 to 1&1/4 hours,or until the
- crust is golden and the filling is firm.
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- Remove the pie from the oven and slide off the outside the outside rim of the
- pan.Cool the pie on a wire rack,leaving the bottom disc in place.If you would
- prefer to remove the disc before serving the pie,wait until the pie is cool,loosen
- the bottom crust with a wide metal spatula, and carefully slide the pie off the
- disc onto a round serving plate.
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- Fresh fruits like white grapes,served with crostata di ricotta,make a tangy,
- sweet contrast to the richness of the pie. Crostata di ricotta is one of the oldest
- Roman dishes.
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