Cherry-Ricotta Doughnut Holes with Chocolate Sauce

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This is a crazy recipe for a great little treat — give it a try with all sorts of fruit! How about banana slices?

Ingredients
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
1/2 Tbsp. kirsch (cherry brandy)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
12 cups canola oil, for deep-frying
20 candied cherries, (available in gourmet shops, or you can make your own)
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened chocolate coarsely chopped

Procedure
In a bowl, whisk ricotta, eggs, and kirsch. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold flour mixture into ricotta mixture to form a batter. In a separate bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Meanwhile, heat oil in an 8-quart heavy-bottomed soup pot (the pot should not be more than 1/3 full) over medium heat until it reaches 350° on a deep-fat thermometer.

Divide batter into 2 batches. Take a spoonful of batter (about 2 teaspoons), stuff a candied cherry in its center, and drop it into hot oil; repeat for the rest of first batch. Fry until golden on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove doughnuts from oil with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Repeat process for second batch. When doughnuts are cool enough to handle yet still hot, roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until well coated.

To make chocolate sauce: In a saucepan, combine cream with 1/3 cup water; simmer over medium heat about 5 minutes. Add sugar, cocoa powder, and chocolate. Remove from heat; stir until smooth. Transfer doughnut holes to a platter and serve immediately, with 3/4 cup chocolate sauce on the side for dipping. Refrigerate extra chocolate sauce (about 1 1/4 cups) for up to 1 week.

Fast-candied cherries

Ingredients
1 pound fresh cherries, rinsed, stemmed and pitted
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 lemon
1 cup apple juice

Procedure
In a non-reactive saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Add the cherries and the lemon half. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the syrup is red and slightly thick, about 20 minutes. Cover and let stand 2-3 hours, or overnight. Strain the cherries, reserving the syrup, and set cherries aside. Discard the lemon half and add the apple juice to the syrup. Bring the syrup to a hard boil and cook for 5 minutes. Return the cherries to the syrup, reduce the heat and cook slowly until the syrup is thick, to about 220 degrees if you are using a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and cool. The cherries can be stored for at least six months covered in the refrigerator.

Chocolate-Ricotta Pie

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This is a nice little tart made with chocolate and ricotta —sort of like a chocolate cheese cake in a super yummy crust.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornmeal
3/4 cup pine nuts, plus 3/4 cup, toasted (about 8 ounces in total)
1/4 cup sugar, plus 3/4 cup
Pinch salt
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup water
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 1/3 cups)
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg
3 large egg yolks

Procedure
Blend the flour, cornmeal, 3/4 cup pine nuts, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt in a food processor until finely ground. Add the butter and pulse, just until the dough forms. Press the dough over the bottom and about 2 inches up the sides of an 11-inch-diameter tart pan with a removable bottom. Refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the tart dough with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the tart shell in the lower third of the oven until just set, about 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and pie weights. Bake the shell until golden, about 10 minutes longer. Cool completely.

Combine the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar with 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Cool the sugar syrup slightly. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate over very softly simmering water. Pulse the ricotta cheese and cream cheese in a food processor until smooth. Add the egg and egg yolks, 1 at a time, and process until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and process until combined. With the machine running, add the sugar syrup in a thin steady stream and process until smooth.

Pour the custard into the tart shell and bake until the filling is almost set, about 30 minutes or until the custard has set. Scatter the remaining 3/4 cup toasted pine nuts on top of the filling. Let the tart cool completely before serving. The tart can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Return the tart to room temperature before serving.

Double Blue Pancakes and Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
First, a repeat of the double blue pancake recipe which I have been trying to get on the site for the past two weeks! Second, a new and interesting recipe for a savory Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake.

Double Blue Pancakes

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups blue corn meal, coarse cut
3/4 cups AP flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
2 Large eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
melted butter
1 cup fresh blueberries
real maple syrup

Procedure
Whisk first 6 dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, and oil. Now add wet to dry and let batter stand 20 minutes. Preheat griddle and lightly butter then ladle in pancakes, sprinkle top with blueberries and when bubbles form, flip over and cook the other side. Serve hot with warm maple syrup. If you preheat your oven to 200 you can hold the pancakes on a sheet pan and then everyone can eat together.

Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake

This is a delicious, unusual item that makes a great lunch with mixed greens and maybe a bowl of soup. Or try it as a special treat on a bed on lettuce at dinner time. I made up this recipe last week so if you have any ideas to make it better let me know!

Ingredients
1 cup graham crackers
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup black and white sesame seeds, mixed
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup butter melted
2 cups zucchini, unpeeled & grated
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups full fat ricotta cheese (you can drain if you have the time)
1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
2 shallots and 2 teaspoons garlic, chopped and lightly sautéed
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
zest of one lemon
2 large eggs, well beaten
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled
drizzle of olive oil for garnish

Procedure
Preheat oven to 325F degrees, put rack in the middle of the oven. Butter or spray a 7-inch springform pan and set aside. Combine cracker crumbs, sesame seeds, panko, and melted butter and press into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15 minutes and let cool while making the batter.

To shred the zucchini use a box grater — most microplane-type graters are too fine, you want shredded zucchini, not mush. If you want, I think you can get creative with the herbs and add-ins. Try anything from chopped olives, sun-dried tomatoes, or chives, to spices, chopped spinach. In a strainer, toss the shredded zucchini with the salt and let sit for ten minutes. Now aggressively squeeze and press out as much moisture as you can. Set aside.

While the zucchini drains, combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, goat cheese, shallots, garlic, dill, and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Stir in the eggs and continue mixing until well combined. Now stir in the shredded zucchini. Fill the springform pan with the ricotta mixture and place on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for sixty minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool five minutes, run a thin knife around the edges of the cake then release the cake from its pan. Cool completely, serve at room temperature drizzled with a bit of olive oil and a few sprigs of dill.

Ricotta fritters

The Altitude Adjustment Section
Here is a great recipe from Nancy Silverstone of La Brea bakery fame for a simple, tasty Ricotta fritter. Nice to serve dusted with powdered sugar and a side of homemade jam.

Ingredients
1 cup(8 ounces) Ricotta cheese
3/4 cup pastry flour
2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons mild honey (clover is nice)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Procedure
Fill a deep, heavy-duty sauce pan halfway with oil and heat to 375 degrees. Place the ricotta in a mixing bowl and lightly stir to break up lumps. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and nutmeg. Make a well in the center and add the eggs honey and vanilla extract. Whisk the liquids in the center and slowly start to add in the dry ingredients. The mixture should be fairly smooth before you add in more of the dry ingredients. Now add the ricotta and barely combine, you want some cheese bits to remain intact. Scoop 1 tablespoon at a time and gently drop into the hot oil. Fry until the outside is golden brown and the inside is still a little runny — about 20-30 seconds on each side. Pile on a nice platter and sift some powdered sugar over the top. Now get out your jam and you are ready to party!

Cannoli

The Altitude Adjustment Section
Cannoli are a great treat which really must be assembled at the last minute. But you can make the shells ahead of time and then fill them to order like they used to do in Little Italy in New York. This recipe is from my latest acquisition, The Talisman Cookbook compliments of one of my faithful listeners.

Ingredients for shells
1 1/3 cups flour
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
Pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
sweet wine

Procedure
Mix flour, shortening, salt and sugar. Add enough wine to make stiff but workable dough. Roll into a ball, wrap in plastic and let stand 1 hour. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut into 5-inch squares. Form around a special metal cannoli tube, roll dough on the diagonal to make a tube with pointed ends. Press together. Deep fry one at a time until dark brown. Carefully remove tube and repeat. This can be done hours in advance. Now prepare the filing.

Ingredients for filling
1 pound Ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons chocolate chips
1 tablespoon candied orange rind, diced fine
1 ounce liquor, Crème de cacao or rum
2 tablespoons sugar

Procedure
Just mix everything together well and tube into prepared shells. I like to dip the ends in extra chocolate chips or chopped pistachio. I’m sure my friend Irene will have something to say about that!