briciole

formaggio cremoso fatto in casa

homemade cream cheese
[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

This story starts with crème caramel. I had four egg yolks leftover from making a cake and I thought that it was time I tried to make crème caramel. I used the recipe for Classic Crème Caramel from the (recently purchased) book Luscious Creamy Desserts by Lori Longbotham: it is simple to make and the result is quite pleasing.

The translation in Italian is crema al caramello. However, we use the French name to refer to this dessert. The antique ice cream glass in which I served the crème caramel may be objectionable, but I find it irresistible.

The only minor change I made to the recipe was to substitute 1/4 cup of half-and-half with the same quantity of milk. As a result, I ended up with a cup of organic half-and-half leftover from the pint I had purchased. I also had a cup of organic whipping cream that I had bought with ice cream in mind. The half-and-half, the cream and a pint of whole milk all went into making cream cheese according to the recipe in 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes by Debra Amrein-Boyes. The half-and-half was my idea: in the original recipe it is whipping cream — so that the starting mixture is made up of half whipping cream and half whole milk. The recipe also calls for mesophilic culture and liquid rennet¹. As I mentioned previously in posts pertaining my cheese-making adventures, I use pasteurized milk (and in this case, pasteurized half-and-half and cream), never ultra-pasteurized or UHT. To read more about milk with respect to making cheese, consult my page on making cheese at home.

My dictionary translates cream cheese as formaggio fresco e grasso. More than a translation, that is a description of what cream cheese is, a fresh cheese with a high fat content. The name commonly used in Italy to indicate this cheese is Philadelphia, from the brand name. I remember my younger self being attracted to the small silver packages of formaggio Philadelphia and remember also not being impressed by it. The last time I purchased cream cheese was to fulfill this Daring Bakers' challenge in April of last year.

However, the book's declaration that "The typical supermarket variety just cannot compare" sold me on the idea of giving homemade cream cheese a try. The statement fits my experience. I drained my cream cheese for a longer time than indicated in the recipe. It was nice and creamy (can you tell from the photo below?), becoming somewhat stiffer after a sojourn in the fridge.

Part of the reason behind the attempt to make cream cheese, was the Daring Cooks' December challenge. My first batch of cream cheese was used up before I managed to find the time to make the challenge recipe. I then made another batch of crème caramel and another batch of cream cheese: both remakes made the household quite happy.

There is something particularly satisfying in serving some freshly made cream cheese over freshly baked bread. Neither is very complicated to make, both require some patience, but the result is worth every minute of effort.

With such a great cream cheese in the fridge, together with pastured eggs, and a hungry husband wondering about breakfast options, it was not difficult to think about preparing an omelet with a few small dollops of cream cheese as filling. I don't use butter to grease the skillet, due to a deeply rooted habit that makes me always reach for olive oil. That is what my mother does, and that is what I do. Maybe this disqualifies what I make from being called an omelet. Whatever its name, the response from the table ran along these lines: Will you promise me you will make this forever?

¹ I refer you to the book for the details (some apply to cheese making in general, some to the specific cheese).

Hear me pronounce the words on the formaggio cremoso fatto in casa audio file [mp3] or go to the formaggio cremoso fatto in casa audio page for more listening options.

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Per i lettori italiani. Questa storia comincia con del crème caramel. Avevo quattro tuorli rimasti dalla preparazione di una torta e ho deciso che era ora che provassi a fare il crème caramel. Ho seguito la ricetta per Classic Crème Caramel nel libro Luscious Creamy Desserts di Lori Longbotham: facile da fare e risultato gustoso.

L'unica variazione che ho apportato alla ricetta è stata la sostituzione di 60 ml di half-and-half con la stessa quantità di latte. Half-and-half è un prodotto costituito da metà latte e metà panna: per legge, il suo contenuto di grasso deve essere tra il 10,5 e il 18%. Credo che corrisponda alla cosiddetta panna leggera.

Dopo aver preparato il dessert, mi sono rimasti 240 ml di half-and-half (una tazza). Avevo anche 240 ml di panna da montare (35% di grasso) che avevo comprato con l'idea di fare del gelato. A questi due ingredienti ho aggiunto 480 ml di latte intero e ho preparato del cream cheese secondo la ricetta nel libro 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes di Debra Amrein-Boyes. L'utilizzo della half-and-half è stata una mia idea: la ricetta prevede l'utilizzo di metà quantità di latte e metà di panna. La ricetta richiede anche la coltura giusta e caglio in forma liquida¹. Come ho notato in post precedenti, per la preparazione di formaggi io uso sempre prodotti pastorizzati (non ultra-pastorizzati o UHT). Per maggiori informationi sul latte in riferimento alla preparazione di formaggio potete consultare la mia pagina making cheese at home.

In Italia il cream cheese è conosciuto come formaggio philadelphia. A me di fatto non piace e l'ultima volta che l'ho comprato è stato l'anno scorso ad Aprile per fare una cheesecake particolare. Però la dichiarazione del libro che tra il cream cheese fatto in casa e quello comprato al supermercato non c'è paragone, mi ha convinto a provare. La mia esperienca conferma tale dichiarazione. Ho fatto drenare il mio cream cheese più a lungo di quanto indicato nella ricetta. Il risultato, piacevolmente cremoso, si è leggermente rassodato dopo aver trascorso un po' di tempo nel frigorifero.

Parte della ragione per fare il cream cheese era la preparazione del salmone in crosta. Dopo che la prima produzione di cream cheese era stata debitamente spazzolata, ho fatto dell'altro crème caramel e dell'altro cream cheese. Il cream cheese fresco è buonissimo spalmato sul pane fresco fatto in casa. E quando mi sono trovata a preparare una omelette per la colazione di mio marito (con uova bio fresche), ne ho messo un po' come ripieno. La reazione è stata qualcosa del tipo: Mi prometti che me la preparerai sempre?

¹ Vi rimando al libro per i dettagli (alcuni riguardano fare il formaggio in generale, altri il particolare formaggio).

pasticcini da tè per il solstizio d'inverno

tea cookies for the winter solstice
[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

It's that time of the year when Susan of Food Blogga invites us to Eat Christmas Cookies and how can one turn down such a sweet invitation from such a nice person? Last year I contributed offelle di marmellata to the event. I have baked countless batches of offelle since then, and have also managed to mail some in a package. A few months ago, I altered slightly the original recipe for the pasta frolla (sweet shortcrust pastry) used to make offelle and with the new version I made crostata di prugne e fromage blanc and then subsequent batches of offelle.

A year ago, I learned to make butter at home, an enjoyable activity that gives you, as by-product, true buttermilk. I use the "shake the jar" method, which provides good exercise for your arms and also for your patience. After the cream clots, for a while it seems like nothing happens, but by being persistent with your efforts, you reach the point when solid butter (burro) neatly separates from liquid buttermilk (latticello).

With freshly made butter and buttermilk in the fridge, resting, waiting to be used, the idea started to form in my mind of adding buttermilk and some leavening agent to my pasta frolla variation to make a different type of cookies to accompany a hot cup of tea. In browsing around the web, I stumbled upon a recipe for buttermilk cookies from which I derived the amount of buttermilk and of baking soda to use. From my butter-making session, whose results are portrayed in the photos, I obtained enough buttermilk to bake two batches of cookies, but not enough butter for them, so I supplemented it with store-bought organic unsalted butter.

I also wanted to celebrate the fact that the sun will soon start setting later and therefore I added some grated orange zest to the ingredients. Here's the updated list:

• 1/2 cup regular flour
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup whole-grain barley flour
• a pinch of salt
• a bit of grated orange zest
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup vanilla sugar (or 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 extra-large or large egg
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat the oven to 350 F and place the rack in the middle. Put the first 7 ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well mixed. Beat sugar and butter in another bowl. I used my electric beater for this. Add the egg and beat in. Add part of the flour mix and a bit of the buttermilk and mix well. Repeat a couple more times. At this point I switched to my spatula, added the last of the flour mix and the almond extract and folded them in.

Using a tablespoon and a small spatula, drop dollops of dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Allow 1.5 to 2 inches of space between cookies, as they flatten during baking. The first time I obtained 27 cookies, the second time 30. I used a half sheet lined with a silicone mat and each time I divided the batch into two for baking. Check the cookies after 12 minutes and estimate the remaining baking time. The cookies will be golden around the edges and that is the part you want to check to verify that they are ready. Let the cookies rest briefly then move them onto a rack. Don't they look nice with the red ribbon (nastro rosso)? They are also good, as attested by the head of my quality assurance department (a.k.a. my husband), who's been having them for breakfast with a glass of milk (he is not a tea drinker).

This is my contribution to season 3 of Eat Christmas Cookies, an event mixed and baked by Susan of Food Blogga. She has started gathering a host of delicious recipes from around the world. You can see them all in the running roundup.

The deadline for sending your contribution to Susan is Sunday, December 20.

Hear me pronounce the words on the pasticcini da tè per il solstizio d'inverno audio file [mp3] or go to the pasticcini da tè per il solstizio d'inverno audio page for more listening options.

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Per i lettori italiani. L'anno scorso, all'evento Eat Christmas Cookies creato da Susan di Food Blogga ho contribuito offelle di marmellata. Alcuni mesi fa ho creato una variazione della pasta frolla usata per le offelle e ci ho preparato la crostata di prugne e fromage blanc e successive informate di offelle.

Un anno fa, ho imparato a fare il burro in casa, attività divertente che fornisce come sottoprodotto il latticello vero. Per fare il burro utilizzo il metodo del barattolo da shakerare e panna fresca (pastorizzata). La foto mostra il burro nel barattolo e il latticello che ho separato, prima di procedere a lavare il burro.

Mentre burro e latticello riposavano nel frigo in attesa di essere utilizzati, ho pensato di aggiungere del latticello e del lievito alla variazione della pasta frolla di cui sopra per fare dei biscotti da accompagnare ad una bella tazza di tè fumante. Girovagando sul web, mi sono imbattuta in questa ricetta per biscotti al latticello dalla quale ho derivato la quantità di latticello e di bicarbonato di sodio da usare. Nel fare il burro, ho ottenuto abbastanza latticello per fare i biscotti due volte, ma non abbastanza burro, quindi ho utilizzato anche del burro bio comprato.

Volevo anche celebrare il fatto che il sole comincerà presto a tramontare più tardi e per questo ho aggiunto della buccia grattugiata d'arancia agli ingredienti. Questa è la lista:

• 65 g farina integrale per torte
• 70 g farina bianca
• 30 g farina d'orzo integrale
  
• 25 g farina di mandorle
• un pizzico di sale
• un po' di buccia grattugiata d'arancia
• 1/4 cucchiaino di bicarbonato di sodio
• 85 g burro ammorbidito
• 100 g zucchero aromatizzato alla vaniglia (o 100 g di zucchero e mezzo cucchiaino di estratto di vaniglia)
  
• un uovo
• 75-80 ml latticello
  
• 1/2 cucchiaino di estratto di mandorla

Riscaldate il forno a 180 C e mettete la griglia al centro del forno. Mettere i primi 7 ingredienti in una ciotola e mischiateli con una frusta. In un'altra ciotola sbattete il burro e lo zucchero. Io uso il frullino elettrico. Aggiungere l'uovo e continuare col frullino. Aggiungete una parte degli ingredienti secchi e un po' di latticello e mescolate bene. Ripetete un paio di volte. A questo punto io passo ad utilizzare una spatola, aggiungo il resto degli ingredienti secchi e l'estratto di mandorla e li incorporo.

Usando un cucchiaio e una piccola spatola, lasciare cadere il composto su una teglia da biscotti coperta di carta da forno. Lasciate uno spazio di 4-5 cm tra i biscotti. La prima volta ho ottenuto 27 biscotti, la seconda 30 e ogni volta ho fatto due infornate. Controllate i biscotti dopo 12 minuti e valutate quanto tempo manca: il bordo dei biscotti si scurisce e questa è la parte che volete tenere d'occhio per verificare che siano pronti. Fate intiepidire brevemente e poi mettete i biscotti su una griglia per farli freddare.

Non sono carini col nastro rosso? Sono anche buonini, come conferma il mio fido manager del reparto di controllo qualità (cioè mio marito) che se li gusta a colazione con un bicchiere di latte (non è un bevitore di tè).

Questo è il mio contributo alla terza edizione di Eat Christmas Cookies, evento creato da Susan di Food Blogga. Su questa pagina potete vedere la collezione di ricette da tutto il mondo.

Il termine per contribuire alla raccolta è il 20 Dicembre.

gougères al gouda

gouda gougères (cheese puffs)
[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

The immediate inspiration for making gougères was a mention in Peter Mayle’s French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork and Corkscrew, the book chosen for the current edition of Cook the Books. In the chapter devoted to tasting wine in Burgundy, I read the following:

Our host took pity on us and led us upstairs to the tasting room, where bottles and glasses were laid out next to plates of gougères. These are small, light, delicious nuggets of cheese-flavored puff pastry that have the effect of softening and thus improving the taste of young wine in the mouth. They are also salty enough to encourage a healthy thirst.

Though the "delicious nuggets" Mayle describes are made of puff pastry, gougères are made with choux pastry. Here's the definition of gougère that I found in the online Larousse dictionary: Pâtisserie en pâte à chou salée, additionnée d'œuf et de gruyère et cuite au four.

I don't drink wine (regrettably, I don't have a palate for it) and what came before and after the gougères did not make a lasting impression on me. But the word gougères printed on the page reminded me that I had wanted to try to make them for some time. A while ago, a recipe by David Lebovitz had allowed me to produce very nice bignè (cream puffs), so I looked at the same source for help in the savory realm and I found the desired recipe (thank you, David!), for what in Italian can be described as piccoli bignè salati al formaggio (small, cheese-flavored savory puffs).

I made the recipe three times, always using my homemade cheese (formaggio fatto in casa). The first time, I used colby cheese, because that was the one I had on hand, and it worked well. The second and third time, I wanted the gougères to go with Roasted Pumpkin-Apple Soup (a bowl of which is featured in the photo), so a sweet Gouda cheese seemed perfect. I think it was a good choice.

Gouda was the first hard cheese I made in early September, after taking a little break from that activity during the summer. (I did make soft cheese, though, like fromage blanc.) Gouda is a washed-curd cheese, meaning that during the period when the curds are slowly heated, some of the whey is removed and substituted with water. I aged my little wheel of Gouda cheese for six weeks. (The photo on the right shows the drying Gouda cheese.)

I made a couple of changes to the original recipe:

• I weighed the grated Gouda cheese after grating it (with my beloved grattugia) and used 2.5 oz. 
• I did not sprinkle cheese on top of the gougères (only added it to the batter).
• I used four (quite long) fresh chives (erba cipollina) from my herb garden, instead of 12, as I was afraid they would provide too strong a taste (as I said above, my Gouda cheese is rather delicate in flavor).

I was very satisfied with both the texture and the special flavor imparted by my homemade cheese to this savory French finger food, so much so that I decided to pair gouda gougères with another dish, but that's a story for another day. 

This is my contribution to the fifth edition of Cook the Books, hosted by Jo of Food Junkie Not Junk Food. You can find the guidelines for participating in the event here, and here is the announcement of the current edition.

You will find the roundup of the event here.

Hear me pronounce the words on the gougères al gouda audio file [mp3] or go to the gougères al gouda audio page for more listening options.

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Per i lettori italiani. L'ispirazione a preparare le gougères è stata la menzione che ne fa Peter Mayle nel suo libro Lezioni di francese. Avventure con coltello, forchetta e flûte (interessante notare come il cavatappi del titolo originale sia diventato flûte in quello della versione italiana), il libro scelto per l'attuale edizione dell'evento Cook the Books. Nel capitolo dedicato all'assaggio di vino in Borgogna, Mayle menziona vassoi di gougères, "piccoli e leggeri bocconcini di pasta sfoglia con formaggio." I "bocconcini" che Mayle descrive sono fatti con la pasta sfoglia, ma di fatto le gougères sono piccoli bignè salati al formaggio e quindi sono fatte con quella che in francese si chiama pâte à chou. Questa è la definizione che ho trovato nel dizionario Larousse online: Pâtisserie en pâte à chou salée, additionnée d'œuf et de gruyère et cuite au four.

Non bevo vino (purtroppo, il mio palato non lo apprezza) e quello che nel capitolo viene prima e dopo le gougères non ha lasciato alcun segno nella mia memoria. Ma la parola gougères stampata sulla pagina mi ha ricordato che da tempo volevo preparare questi bignè salati al formaggio. Qualche tempo fa, una ricetta di David Lebovitz ha dato come risultato degli ottimi bignè che poi ho riempito di crema, così ho consultato lo stesso blog per ottenere aiuto in ambito salato e ho trovato la ricetta che cercavo (grazie infinite, David!).

Ho fatto le gougères tre volte, sempre usando il mio formaggio fatto in casa. La prima volta ho usato del colby, perché era ciò che avevo disponibile, e ha funzionato bene. La seconda e terza volta volevo servire le gougères con Roasted Pumpkin-Apple Soup (crema di zucca e mele cotte al forno, ritratta nella foto a sinistra) e il dolce gouda mi sembrava la scelta giusta. Questa formetta di gouda è il primo formaggio a pasta dura che ho fatto, all'inizio di settembre, dopo aver interrotto brevemente tale attività durante il periodo estivo. (Ho continuato a fare formaggi freschi come fromage blanc.) La mia formetta di gouda l'ho lasciata invecchiare 6 settimane. (Nella foto si vede la forma durante il periodo di asciugatura.)

Ho apportato un paio di piccole modifiche alla ricetta originale:

• Ho pesato il gouda grattugiato e ne ho utilizzato 70 g.
• Non ho messo il formaggio sulla superficie delle gougères, ma solo nell'impasto.
  
• Ho usato 4 fili (piuttosto lunghi) di erba cipollina dal mio orticello, invece di 12, perché temevo un sapore troppo forte insieme al mio gouda delicato.

Sono molto soddisfatta del risultato ottenuto, sia in termini di struttura dei piccoli bignè salati sia del sapore impartito loro dal mio formaggio fatto in casa, tanto è vero che ho scelto le gougères al gouda per accompagnare anche un altro piatto, ma è questa una storia per un altro giorno.

fichi col formaggio

figs with (farmer's) cheese

In a recent post I narrated my adventures in making Farmer's Cheese (literally, formaggio del contadino). My second attempt resulted in a tasty and rather salty cheese that sparked my imagination in the direction of salty and sweet pairings:

"Having a salty cheese (formaggio salato) made me try different pairings, the most interesting ones being with sweet companions. First of all figs... [details to be given in an upcoming post.]" 

The "upcoming post" is the current one. Before I go any further, let me remind you that the singular of fichi is fico (the importance of the final O will become clear when you reach the end of the post). For this dish I used Mission figs, sweet mouthfuls that one can eat without removing the skin. I read that this variety of fig was brought to California "in the eighteenth century by Franciscan friars from Mexico where they had been given it by Spanish missionaries." Most figs I ate as a child in Italy required peeling, though I remember a variety of small, yellow, incredibly sweet ones that I ate whole. I often picked them myself.

I decided to try and warm up both figs and cheese in the oven and see what happened: my husband and I liked the result and so I have made this dish several times in recent days. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Wash carefully, and pat dry however many figs you think you will eat (warning: more than you think). Remove the stem from each fig and cut in half lengthwise. Arrange fig halves in a baking dish, then place over each a small piece of Farmer's Cheese. Put in the oven about 10 minutes before the estimated serving time. After 10 minutes, the figs will be nice and warm, their flesh a bit softened. The cheese will be warm: it does not melt, so the pieces retain their shape and efficiently deliver to the palate their saltiness, which contrasts nicely with the fig's sweetness.

The photo above shows the plate before it went into the oven the last time I prepared the dish. By the time we ate the figs, it was rather dark and I decided not to try and take a photo with the flash.

Fichi col formaggiO del contadino fatto in casa is my small contribution to the 2nd Annual O Foods Contest for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month organized by Michelle of Bleeding Espresso and Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy. Many thanks to Michelle and Sara for doing this.

The two halves of the roundup are here and here.

Hear me pronounce the words on the fichi col formaggio audio file [mp3] or go to the fichi col formaggio audio page for more listening option.

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CONTEST RULES

O Foods Contest for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and for the second year in a row, Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy and Michelle of Bleeding Espresso are hosting the O Foods Contest to raise awareness of this important health issue.

There are TWO WAYS to take part in the O Foods Contest:

ONE: Post a recipe to your blog using a food that starts or ends with the letter O (e.g., oatmeal, orange, okra, octopus, olive, onion, potato, tomato); include this entire text box in the post; and send your post url along with a photo (100 x 100) to ofoods[at]gmail[dot]com by 11:59 pm (Italy time) on Monday, September 28, 2009.

PRIZES for recipe posts:

• 1st: Signed copy of Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen by Gina DePalma, Executive Pastry Chef of Babbo Ristorante in NYC, who is currently battling ovarian cancer, inspired this event, and will be choosing her favorite recipe for this prize;

• 2nd: Signed copy of Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home by Mario Batali (winner chosen by Sara);

• 3rd: Signed copy of Vino Italiano: The Regional Italian Wines of Italy by Joseph Bastianich (winner chosen by Michelle).

OR

TWO: If you’re not into the recipe thing, simply post this entire text box in a post on your blog to help spread the word and send your post url to ofoods[at]gmail[dot]com by 11:59 pm (Italy time) on Monday, September 28, 2009.

Awareness posts PRIZE:

• One winner chosen at random will receive a Teal Toes tote bag filled with ovarian cancer awareness goodies that you can spread around amongst your friends and family.

———

From the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund:

• Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States and is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women; a woman’s lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is 1 in 67.
• The symptoms of ovarian cancer are often vague and subtle, making it difficult to diagnose, but include bloating, pelvic and/or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly; and urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency).
• There is no effective screening test for ovarian cancer but there are tests which can detect ovarian cancer when patients are at high risk or have early symptoms.
• In spite of this, patients are usually diagnosed in advanced stages and only 45% survive longer than five years. Only 19% of cases are caught before the cancer has spread beyond the ovary to the pelvic region.
• When ovarian cancer is detected and treated early on, the five-year survival rate is greater than 92%.

And remember, you can also always donate to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund at our page through FirstGiving!

Please help spread the word about ovarian cancer.
Together we can make enough noise to kill this silent killer.

formaggio del contadino

farmer's cheese
This month's choice for the event Kitchen Curds is Farmer's Cheese. Formaggio del contadino is the literal translation of Farmer's Cheese: I don't know whether it is used by farmers anywhere in Italy to describe the same kind of unripened cheese. I suspect that there are regional names for it.

[Nota per i lettori italiani: la prossima volta che vengo in Italia ho in programma di acquistare un paio di volumi sulla produzione casalinga di formaggi e potrò così suggerire ricette simili a quelle che descrivo in inglese.]

The book "The Home Creamery," by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley has a recipe for Farmer's Cheese, and that is where I started, since I own a copy of the book. However, following that specific recipe is not required to participate in the event. I had never tried to make this kind of cheese, and was therefore excited. I had also a plan of adding to it fresh herbs, another thing I had never tried.

After Kirstin, organizer of the event, had problems the recipe for mozzarella in the same book due to an incorrect temperature value, I decided to read carefully the recipe of interest before attempting to realize it, and I found an inconsistency in paragraph 3: should I heat the curds to 120 or to 110 F? In trying to resolve the question, I noticed that the recipe for Farmer's Cheese is basically the same as the one for Large-curd Cottage Cheese on the previous pages. That raised a little red flag in my mind, as the only complete failure I have ever had in my year of making cheese at home happened exactly when I tried to make cottage cheese: I threw away the whole output.

I looked on the web for help and found a recipe for Cheese Curds, which is similar, up to a point, to the one for Farmer's Cheese in the book. It uses thermophilic culture, which I had in my freezer. I followed the recipe until step 5, then drained, salted the curds, added some chopped fresh dragoncello (tarragon) leaves, and pressed lightly as directed in the original recipe for Farmer's Cheese in "The Home Creamery." It all worked as expected, until it was time to taste the cheese. The first bite revealed a definite squeakiness that was rather unexpected (though it reminded me of my failed cottage cheese of yore) and not pleasant.

In trying to figure out why my cheese was squeaky, I learned that squeaky curds are considered a delicacy and are sought after. But what about squeaky cheese? Within two days, the squeakiness was gone (this was expected: squeakiness is a quality of fresh curds). Since the flavor of the cheese was not great, I tried using it as an ingredient, adding small pieces of it to an omelet and a couple of other dishes, but in total honesty, it was un fiasco. Maybe not a whole one, but certainly un mezzo fiasco (half a failure).

Not for me to accept defeat without a battle. Neither of my other two cheese-making books has a recipe for this cheese, so I searched the web and found another recipe for Farmer's Cheese, which uses buttermilk culture to inoculate the milk. I had some, so I could proceed. I decided to use a gallon of reduced-fat (2%) milk. It all went according to the recipe, the only difficult passage was the handling of the curds, which were abundant and furiously dripping whey (siero). I decided to use the press, since it is easier and cleaner, though it required a fairly frequent check of the pressure, because the cheese shrunk considerably and, at the beginning, rapidly. Having just one period of pressing meant that the cloth I used to dress the curds developed folds, and the surface of the final cheese suffered as a consequence.

When I took out of the press and unwrapped the cheese, I realized I had forgotten to add salt to the curds. Salt is a preserver and it is either mixed into the curds before pressing them, or it can be added after the pressing via a brine bath (salamoia). Having missed option 1, I placed the cheese in a brine bath and kept it there 4-5 hours. I fished my little wheel out of the brine, patted it dry, and refrigerated until the evening. When I tasted it, I found it unexpectedly salty, but pleasantly so, with an overall nice texture.

Having a salty cheese (formaggio salato) actually made me try different pairings, the most interesting ones being with sweet companions. First of all figs... [details to be given in an upcoming post.] I then made my tried and true recipe for zucca ripiena (stuffed acorn squash), and put a layer of small pieces of my Farmer's Cheese in the cavity before adding the stuffing: sweet squash and pears and salty cheese paired nicely. Note that the cheese does not melt, so the pieces retain their shape and efficiently deliver their saltiness to the palate.

I have also been able to grate the cheese with my little grattugia (grater) and added it to another squash dish: the possibilities are endless. This cheese recipe is a keeper. Now the question is: can I get the same cheese using cultured buttermilk instead of the direct set culture, of which I used the last dose I had for this cheese? I will try and then let you know, so stay tuned.

For the occasion, I am announcing the publication of a page dedicated to Making Cheese at Home, where I have collected a set of resources, which I hope will grow in time as I find or am suggested new ones.

As mentioned in the opening paragraph, this is my contribution the current edition of Kitchen Curds, created and hosted by Kirstin of It's Not You It's Brie.

Hear me pronounce the words on the formaggio del contadino audio file [mp3] or go to the formaggio del contadino audio page for more listening option.

variazione sul tema tiramisù

variation on a theme of tiramisu
[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

I have been making tiramisù for years, following a recipe derived from the one my mother uses. The inclusion of imported Italian mascarpone among the ingredients came to a halt a bit more than a year ago, when I learned to make mascarpone at home. What I obtain is better than anything I can find in the stores. Since then, the idea of going a step further and bake my own ladyfingers had been in the back of my mind. Francesca's tiramisu-centric event provided the needed nudge and so I spent time last week making the different components and assembling them in my personal variation of the classic recipe.

On Francesca's blog (FrancescaV) and on Facebook, there was a lively discussion on various elements of the recipe. In my humble (and very personal) opinion, in tiramisu there is:

• no Marsala: I think that it has a negative impact on the delicate flavor of mascarpone
• not too much coffee, for the same reason and also because you don't want your ladyfingers to completely lose texture: a quick dip is all you need
• no whipped cream: mascarpone is made with cream; lightness is provided by beaten egg whites.

My tiramisu includes raw eggs, which may not be welcome or advisable for everybody. I always use the freshest eggs I can find, from pasture-raised chicken and locally produced. And I always remind my guests that my tiramisu has raw eggs so that they can make an informed decision about whether to accept a piece.

Instructions on how to make mascarpone at home are in this post. I have recently added to it a few words about the fat content of the cream, or mixture of cream and milk, or cream and half-and-half used to make mascarpone.  

If you are planning to make your own mascarpone for tiramisu, take into account that the process takes a day and a half. Then, it is better to prepare tiramisu the day before serving it, so if your target serving day is, say, Saturday evening, you need to start working on the mascarpone on Thursday morning at the latest. I actually recommend starting on Wednesday evening, so the mascarpone has a change to settle and lose a bit more whey after the actual draining period. Here is a sample schedule:

• Wednesday evening: coagulate the cream for mascarpone
• Thursday morning: start draining mascarpone
• Friday morning: stop draining mascarpone
• Friday evening: prepare tiramisu
• Saturday evening: enjoy!

If you decide to follow my steps and bake your own savoiardi (ladyfingers), plan on doing that some time on the day you are assembling the tiramisu. I followed this recipe, the only small change being the addition of only two tablespoons of sugar to the egg whites. For the occasion, I purchased a ladyfinger mold, though it is not needed: the recipe referenced gives instructions on how to shape the cookies on parchment paper. Because of the need to use a pastry bag (in my case, a Ziploc bag with a corner cut), making ladyfingers is a rather messy process. I actually ended up using both the mold and the free form. The mold certainly makes ladyfingers of a nice and consistent shape, but the free-formed ones were actually better suited to make the bottom layer of tiramisu (as shown in the photo on the right).

Final element of my tiramisu: instead of dipping the ladyfingers into coffee (unsweetened and free from alcohol, prepared with my stovetop coffee pot), I spread strawberry purée over them. To make it, a couple of hours before it's needed, put a basketful of organic strawberries (fragole), washed, cut in half and hulled, in the food processor, together with a teaspoon of sugar and a few drops of balsamic vinegar and purée, then set aside in the fridge. The strawberry purée smells heavenly.

To make the crema al mascarpone:

• Break three extra-large eggs (see above for requirements) and divide yolks (tuorli) from whites (albumi).
• Beat the yolks with a quarter cup of granulated sugar until pale and bubbly.
• Add 9 oz. of mascarpone  and beat at low speed until well incorporated.
• Wash the beaters and then beat the whites until rather stiff, but not dry.
• Fold the whites into the mascarpone very delicately.
• Let the crema rest while you prepare the base layer.

I use a 2qt. pyrex to hold the tiramisu, because my crema al mascarpone is rather soft. Cover the bottom with ladyfingers and then distribute some strawberry purée over it (I did not use it all). This is not liquid (like coffee), so dipping did not seem useful. In time, the ladyfingers soften. I think that the thin layer of strawberries goes well with mascarpone. Wait a few minutes, then spread crema al mascarpone on top of the base layer. Since my ladyfingers were rather thin and delicate in texture, I held back some of the crema al mascarpone and used it to prepare three mono-portions of tiramisu in crème brûlée molds (I recently broke my fourth mold).

Finally, grate some extra dark chocolate over the top. I don't like the taste of cocoa powder in my mouth, and prefer chocolate (which also pairs well with strawberries). Refrigerate until ready to serve. My variation on a theme of tiramisu obtained excellent reviews from the tasters, which was the best reward for my efforts.

As mentioned above, this is my contribution to the event FrancescaV Tiramisù, launched by Francesca of FrancescaV. The deadline for submitting your variation on a theme of tiramisu is October 2 (update: the deadline has been extended to October 18).

The important rule is the exclusion of what is considered the classic recipe, the one with coffee and possibly Marsala, an element I substituted with strawberry purée. I also considered part of the classic recipe the use of store-bought mascarpone and ladyfingers: in my variation, they are substituted by homemade mascarpone and ladyfingers.

Here is the scrumptious roundup.

Hear me pronounce the words on the variazione sul tema tiramisù audio file [mp3] or go to the variazione sul tema tiramisù audio page for more listening options.

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Per i lettori italiani. Da anni preparo il tiramisù secondo una ricetta derivata da quella di mia madre. L'anno scorso ho imparato a fare il mascarpone in casa e ottengo un prodotto superiore a quelli che trovo nei negozi (anche di importazione). Da allora, avevo l'idea di fare un altro passo e preparare anche i savoiardi e l'evento di Francesca mi ha fornito la scusa buona. Perciò la scorsa settimana ho trascorso un po' di tempo a preparare i vari ingredienti e poi a metterli insieme nella mia variazione personale della ricetta classica.

Sul blog di Francesca (FrancescaV) e su Facebook c'è stata una vivace discussion su vari elementi della ricetta. Secondo me (e certamente non sono un'autorità in materia) il tiramisù non contiene:

• Marsala: credo che abbia un effetto negativo sul sapore delicato del mascarpone
• troppo caffè per lo stesso motivo e anche perché non voglio che i savoiardi si spappolino: io li intingo rapidamente, il che è sufficiente
• panna montata: il mascarpone è fatto con la panna e si possono usare gli albumi montati per dare leggerezza al composto.

Il tiramisù io lo faccio con le uova crude, il che può non essere accettabile ad alcune persone. Uso le uova più fresche che trovo, da galline che razzolano all'aperto e prodotte localmente. E rammento sempre ai miei ospiti che il tiramisù contiene uova crude, così possono decidere se assaggiarlo o astenersi.

Le istruzioni per fare il mascarpone a casa le trovate in questo post (in italiano). Di recente, ho aggiunto al post una nota sul contenuto di grasso della panna o del misto panna e latte che si utilizza per fare il mascarpone e anche la conferma della validià del metodo alternativo che avevo citato in precedenza.

Se decidete di fare il mascarpone in casa per il vostro tiramisù, tenete presente che ci vuole un giorno e mezzo e poi è meglio preparare il tiramisù la sera prima di servirlo. Quindi, se il vostro obiettivo è, diciamo, sabato sera, dovete cominciare il lavoro giovedì mattina al più tardi, ma io vi consiglio di cominciare il mercoledì sera, cosi il mascarpone ha tempo di riposare e perdere un altro po' di siero, dopo che avete finito di farlo drenare.

Se decidete di preparare i savoiardi, fatelo il giorno stesso che preparate il tiramisù (la ricetta che ho usato io è in inglese, ma penso che non avrete problemi a trovarne una buona in italiano). Per l'occasione, ho acquistato uno stampino per savoiardi, che non è necessario, dal momento che si possono formare sulla carta da forno usando la tasca da pasticciere (o, come ho fatto io, una busta di plastica Ziploc a cui ho tagliato un angolo). Usando gli stampini vengono dei savoiardi carini e di dimensioni costanti. ma quelli che ho formato a mano libera di fatto erano meglio per creare uno strato compatto come base per il tiramisù (vedi foto).

Elemento finale del mio tiramisù: invece di bagnare i savoiardi nel caffè (non zuccherato), ho distribuito su di essi un purè di fragole, che ho preparato un paio d'ore prima dell'utilizzo frullando un cestino di fragole bio (lavate, tagliate a metà e mondate) con un cucchiaino di zucchero e poche gocce di aceto balsamico. Il purè di fragole ha un profumo delizioso.

Per fare la crema al mascarpone:

• Rompete tre uova (vedi sopra per i requisiti) e separate tuorli e albumi. 
• Sbattete i tuorli con 50 g di zucchero fino a quando sono pallidi e fanno le bolle.
• Aggiungete 250 g di mascarpone e mescolate fino ad incorporarlo.
• Sbattete gli albumi a neve ferma.
• Incorporate delicatamente gli albumi nel mascarpone.
• Fate riposare la crema mentre preparate la base.
  

Io uso un pyrex rettangolare (capienza 2 l) per il tiramisù. Coprite il fondo con i savoiardi e distribuite sopra del purè di fragole, che non è liquido, quindi intingerci i savoiardi non mi è sembrata una buona idea (non l'ho usato tutto). Credo che lo strato di fragole si sposi bene con il mascarpone. Dal momento che i miei savoiardi erano sottile e delicati, non ho versato tutta la crema di mascarpone, ma ne ho usata un po' per preparare tre tiramisù mono-porzione in stampini da crème brûlée (il quarto che avevo l'ho rotto di recente).

Per finire, ho grattugiato del cioccolato extra amaro sulla superficie. La polvere di cacao non mi piace e preferisco il cioccolato, che si accompagna anche bene alle fragole. Ho poi messo in frigorifero fino al momento di servire. La mia variazione sul tema tiramisù è stata ben accolta dagli assaggiatori reclutati per l'occasione, il che è sempre la miglior ricompensa per il proprio impegno.

Come ho detto sopra, questo è il mio contributo all'evento FrancescaV Tiramisù, di FrancescaV. La scadenza per presentare la vostra variazione sul tema è il 2 Ottobre (aggiornamento: la scadenza è stata spostata al 18 Ottobre).

La regola importante è l'esclusione della ricetta classica, quella col caffè e, per alcuni, del Marsala, che io ho sostituito con purè di fragole. Ho anche considerato parte della ricetta classica l'utilizzo di mascarpone e savoiardi comprati: nella mia variazione, tali ingredienti sono sostituiti da mascarpone e savoiardi fatti in casa.

Su questo pagina c'è il sommario delle ricette partecipanti all'evento.

crostata di prugne e fromage blanc

plum (or pluot) tart with fromage blanc
[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

In a recent post, I talked about making fromage blanc according to the recipe in the book 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes by Debra Amrein-Boyes, and listed a few ideas for using it. Among them there is a plum tart, a variation on what in Italy we call crostata.

My idea was to have a three-layered dessert: pasta frolla (sweet shortcrust pastry) at the bottom, fruit in the middle and fromage blanc as cover. For the crust, I added a variation to the pasta frolla recipe that I use to make offelle di marmellata. The variation entails the substitution of 1/4 cup of white flour with the same amount of whole-grain barley flour and of another 1/4 cup of white flour with the same amount of almond meal, of which I recently received a bag as a gift. Instructions on how to prepare pasta frolla are given in the post about offelle di marmellata. The only difference is that in this case, I use all the flours when mixing the dough, then I use some additional white flour when I roll it. The amount of pasta frolla I get is enough to cover my 9-inch fluted round tart pan (with removable bottom) and have a bit leftover to make a small cookie or two. Make sure you prepare the pasta frolla in advance so that it has time to chill.

Wash and slice a pound or so of rather large plums or pluots (complex hybrids of plum and apricot with predominantly plum parentage and smooth skin like plums) and macerate them with a tablespoon of Marsala or other liqueur of choice for a couple of hours. I chose larger fruits because they are easier to slice and make a nicer layer. When you are ready to bake the tart, preheat the oven to 350 F. Cut a circle of parchment paper to cover the bottom of the pie pan. Roll the dough into a rough circle 1/8-inch thick. Make sure the working surface and the rolling pin are well floured. I use plastic wrap, well-floured, as a rolling surface, which makes the subsequent move onto the tart pan easier. Cover the pie pan with the dough, making sure it comes up to the edge all around, and pierce it in a few places with a fork. Distribute the plum slices over the surface. Reserve the juice. Bake for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, in a food processor, mix 12 oz. of fromage blanc, 1/3 cup of granulated white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of good quality vanilla extract, the reserved plum juice and one egg, slightly beaten. Blend until smooth. The consistency was such that I did not think it necessary to add a thickener. [If you use a softer cheese and/or obtain a more liquid cream, you may consider adding to it 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch.] Pour over the plums and distribute evenly. If the consistency is right, you will not have any spilling over the edges. Bake for another 20 minutes and then check, baking a bit longer if needed (I usually need another 5 minutes). The crostata is ready when the crust is light golden and the topping is set. Take the crostata out of the pan, let cool and enjoy it. I think that the combination of flavors works well.

Since first publishing the post, I have made this tart several times. On one occasion, I used organic pears from the new crop (unpeeled). I liked the result, which is a special take on the all-time favorite combination of cheese and pears.

Hear me pronounce the words on the crostata di prugne e fromage blanc audio file [mp3] or go to the crostata di prugne e fromage blanc audio page for more listening options.

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Per i lettori italiani. In un recente post ho parlato di fromage blanc e ho indicato che l'ho usato per una crostata di prugne. L'idea era quella di un dolce a tre strati: pasta frolla sotto, frutta nel mezzo e sopra una crema a base di fromage blanc. Per la pasta frolla ho utilizzato una variante della ricetta che uso per fare le offelle di marmellata (tratta dall'Artusi), dove ho sostituito parte della farina di frumento con farina integrale di orzo e farina di mandorle. Preparare la pasta frolla con i seguenti ingredienti e metterla in frigorifero:

• 85 g burro freddo
• 65-70 g zucchero
• 65 g farina integrale per torte
• 70 g farina bianca
• 30 g farina d'orzo integrale o la stessa quantità di farina di frumento
• 25 g farina di mandorle o la stessa quantità di farina di frumento
• un uovo

La ricetta mi dà abbastanza pasta frolla da coprire la mia teglia di 23 cm di diametro e alta 2.5 cm, e me ne rimane magari un po' per fare uno o due biscotti. Preparate la pasta frolla in anticipo, cosi' ha tempo di freddarsi. Lavate e tagliate a fettine mezzo chilo di prugne piuttosto grosse o pluots (un incrocio tra prugna e albicocca con prugna prevalente: non so se si trovi in Italia). Mescolatele con un cucchiaio di Marsala o altro liquore per un paio d'ore.

Quando siete pronti a completare la preparazione, riscaldate il forno a 180 C. Foderate il fondo della teglia con carta da forno. Stendete la pasta frolla in un circolo di 3 mm di spessore e foderateci la teglia fino a coprire il bordo, aiutandovi con della farina bianca per evitare che si attacchi al piano di lavoro o al matterello. Bucherellate il fondo in alcuni punti con una forchetta. Distribuite le fettine di prugna in uno strato compatto. Conservate il loro sugo. Mettete la crostata in forno e cuocete per 20 minuti.

Nel frattempo, mettete nel robot da cucina: 350 g di fromage blanc, 65-70 g di zucchero, mezzo cucchiaino di estratto di vaniglia di ottima qualità, il sugo delle prunge e un uovo leggermente sbattuto. Fate andare il robot fino ad ottenere una cremo omogenea. La consistenza della crema che ho ottenuto io era tale da non richiedere l'uso di un addensante. Se usate un formaggio più liquido, potete aggiungere mezzo cucchiaio (7.5 ml) di amido per dolci. Versate la crema sopra le prugne e distribuite in modo uniforme. Se la consistenza è giusta, la crema non deborda. Mettete in forno per 20 minuti e poi controllate. Se necessario, tenete in forno più a lungo. La crostata è pronta quando la crosta è dorata e la crema di copertura si è rappresa. Togliete la crostata dalla teglia, lasciatela freddare e gustatela.

Aggiornamento: Da quanto ho pubblicato il post, ho fatto questa crostata diverse volte. In un'occasione ho usato pere bio del nuovo raccolto (non sbucciate). Ho gradito il risultato, che è una variazione speciale del tema formaggio con le pere.

fromage blanc fatto in casa

homemade fromage blanc
[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

When I read here of a recently-published book on making cheese, I had to get a copy. I spent some time getting acquainted with 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes by Debra Amrein-Boyes, and then jumped into the realization of the recipe for fromage blanc, a fresh, creamy cheese (formaggio fresco e cremoso). The Cook's Thesaurus says that it "usually has the consistency of thick yogurt. It's expensive and hard to find, but very tasty and relatively low in fat. It makes a great topping for desserts." A set of very good reasons to make it at home, don't you think?

The original recipe in the book gives a choice of percent fat in the milk to be used: whole, 1% or 2%. I opted for a quart of fresh goat milk (latte di capra) plus two quarts of organic non-fat cow milk (latte di mucca). [The latter must not be ultra-pasteurized.] Making soft cheese is quite easy, once you have the ingredients. For this recipe, besides milk, I used mesophilic culture and liquid rennet. Having been into cheese making for almost a year, I have a supply of both. Once you prepare the milk according to the recipe (details are important: some apply to making cheese in general, some to the specific recipe), you wait 12 hours, during which time the ingredients added to the milk do their job. After the stated period, you will find the curd ready to be ladled and drained.

This process still fascinates and excites me. You start with liquid milk and end with a firm gel. You control the creaminess of the end product by allowing more or less draining time. In this case, draining occurs in a cotton-lined colander suspended over a bowl to catch the dripping whey. After the addition of salt, the book instructed me to apply to the cheese the power of an electric egg beater. This was something I had never done before and the result was a beautiful mound of smooth, creamy cheese. The photo shows what you get: it looks good, smells good and tastes delicious.

The recipe yielded about 20 oz of cheese from 3 quarts of milk after about 5 hours of draining (the photo shows almost all the cheese I obtained). As of this writing, I have made the recipe twice, and used fromage blanc in several recipes, besides spread on bread together with my red beet spread. A few ideas:

• add it to roasted red beets cur into bite-size pieces and season as you like: salt and freshly ground black pepper, a bit of olive oil and anything else you fancy (or nothing else)
• use it instead of mayonnaise (maionese) in a potato salad: the recipe that inspired me is here, but my rendition cut down the number of ingredients substantially; I used salt, freshly ground black pepper and white wine, then fromage blanc, some fruity vinegar, a fresh herb mix (dill, chives, parsley), and, of course, new potatoes (patate) from the farmers' market [photo on the right]
• this is a sweet option: I have not yet tried, but it looks interesting
• plum tart: this will be covered in a post on its own
• added to fruit spread as a filling for offelle di marmellata [photo below].

Basically, a very versatile ingredient that will inspire you to try different applications. What's not to love?

Hear me pronounce the words on the fromage blanc audio file [mp3] or go to the fromage blanc audio page for more listening options.

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Per i lettori italiani. Ho comprato un libro pubblicato di recente che si intitola 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes di Debra Amrein-Boyes e la prima ricetta che ho realizzato è quella del fromage blanc, un tipo di formaggio fresco, cremoso. Il sito Cook's Thesaurus dice che il fromage blanc "di solito ha la consistenza di yogurt denso. È caro è difficile da trovare, ma molto gustoso e relativamente povero di grassi." Tutte buone ragioni per farlo in casa, non credete?

La ricetta originale da la possibilita di usare latte intero, o all'1% o al 2% di grassi. Io ho usato un litro di latte di capra fresco e due litri di latte di mucca scremato e biologico (di produzione locale). [Non usate latte ultra-pastorizzato.] Fare il formaggio fresco è relativamente facile, una volta che si hanno gli ingredienti. Per questa ricetta, a parte il latte, la coltura giusta e caglio in forma liquida. Dal momento che faccio formaggio in casa da quasi un anno, ho entrambi a portata di mano. Una volta che si prepara il latte come detta la ricetta (i dettagli sono importanti: alcuni si applicano alla preparazione dei formaggi in generale, altri alla particolare ricetta), si aspettano 12 ore, durante le quali gli ingredienti aggiunti al latte fanno il loro dovere. Al termine del periodo di attesa, la cagliata pronta per essere raccolta e drenata.

Questo è un processo che tuttora mi affascina. Si comincia con latte liquido e si finisce con un gel compatto. Il livello di cremosita del prodotto finale lo si controlla lasciando drenare la cagliata più o meno tempo (io l'ho fatta drenare per 5 ore). In questo caso, ho messo la cagliata in un colino foderato con un pezzo di tela di cotone e posto sopra un contenitore per raccogliere il siero. Dopo aver aggiunto il sale, la ricetta mi ha diretto ad usare il frullino elettrico sulla cagliata per creare una consistenza omogenea e cremosa, cosa che non avevo mai fatto in precedenza. E il risultato è quello che si vede nella foto in alto a sinistra: la massa bianca è carina da vedere, ha un buon odore e, soprattutto, ha un ottimo sapore.

A questo punto, ho ripetuto la ricetta due volte e ho utilizzato il risultato in diversi contesti, oltre che spalmato sul pane insieme alle mie barbabietole rosse da spalmare. Ecco alcune idee:

• aggiunto a barbabietole rosse arrostite e tagliate a pezzi insieme a sale, pepe macinato fresco, un pochino d'olio d'oliva e quant'altro vi piaccia (o nient'altro)
  
• usato al posto della maionese con le patate in insalata, insieme a sale, pepe macinato fresco, un po' di vino bianco, dell'aceto fruttato e un misto di erbe aromatiche fresche (aneto, erba cipollina, prezzemolo) [foto in alto a destra]
  
• per coprire una crostata di prugne (su questo scriverò un post a parte)
• aggiunto al ripieno delle offelle di marmellata [foto in basso].

Insomma, questo formaggio fresco è un ingrediente versatile che ispira a provare nuovi modi di essere utilizzato: impossibile non amarlo.

gnocchi di ricotta

For the first Daring Cooks challenge, esteemed founders Lis of La Mia Cucina and Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice, of Daring Bakers' fame, have chosen Ricotta Gnocchi, a recipe from The Zuni Café Cookbook by Judy Rodgers. I have had the good fortune of eating at Zuni Café (in San Francisco) a couple of times and have good memories of those occasions. Thanks to our gracious hosts for a great challenge.

I am thrilled to be part of this new enterprise by Lis and Ivonne, which, if history is any guide, will be wildly successful. Last, but not least, I could not miss a chance to use my homemade ricotta (ricotta fatta in casa). You will find the recipe chosen for this challenge here. A while ago I wrote a post on gnocchi, where I mentioned gnocchi di ricotta: it is about time I made some.

Having just come back from a week vacation and being a bit behind on several fronts prevented me from making cheese and from then making my preferred ricotta using the leftover whey as main ingredient. So, for the task at hand, I used a recipe I had tried in the past, as recounted here, from the book The Home Creamery by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley. From one quart of milk (I used 1% fat this time) and one cup of cultured buttermilk I obtained 9 oz. of ricotta, enough to make half the given recipe, or gnocchi per due (for two). I drained the ricotta for two hours the day I made it, then the morning after I placed it on a piece of cotton cloth a few hours before using it for the task at hand.

To flavor my gnocchi I used a hint of grated lemon zest and a hint of nutmeg (noce moscata). For the sauce, I let the farmers' market decide. This time of the year, each week brings new products to the tables. When I visited it, the first zucchini were available and, with them, the first zucchini blossoms (fiori di zucca): I yielded to the temptation of splurging on a nice bouquet of them to be used promptly. While the gnocchi were resting in the fridge, according to the recipe, I cooked a thinly sliced leek in a pan with olive oil and the leaves of two sprigs of thyme (timo) until quite soft (adding some water, as needed, to keep the leek moist), then added nine zucchini blossoms, washed, stem and stamen removed (they were all male) and cut lengthwise into 4-5 pieces. I let them cook for a couple of minutes, then set aside the pan, covered.

I cooked the gnocchi as directed, 8 at a time (I had 24 total, so I made three batches), keeping the cooked gnocchi in a covered bowl until they were all ready. While the last batch was cooking, I added a tablespoon of the cooking water to 1 oz of ricotta that was left over from what I had made and mixed it into a creamy paste, then added it to the leek and zucchini blossom mixture. I adjusted salt and pepper and then added this to the cooked gnocchi.

The whole enterprise was a lot of fun and a resounding success. While my dish met unqualified approval from the quality assurance department of our household (a.k.a. my husband), my photos of the dish were almost all unfit for showing and hence were deleted. You can barely see what my gnocchi looked like, but you'll have plenty of opportunity to admire the beautiful creations of my fellow Daring Cooks. I will definitely make gnocchi di ricotta again soon. 

Hear me pronounce the words on the gnocchi di ricotta audio file [mp3] or go to the gnocchi di ricotta audio page for more listening options.

formaggio e ricotta

cheese and ricotta
For several years and until recently, my usual contribution to a dinner at friends' houses has been gelato or sorbetto. Vanessa of Italy in SF has just published a very informative post on gelato and ice cream. I don't know the fat content and percent of air of my products, though I know that when I adapt a recipe I usually decrease the amount of fat. 

Cheese making has changed this custom. Now, I often bring a piece of my homemade cheese to share. For example, to this birthday party, I brought some Manchego that I had made in early March. After reading of Nocciola (which means hazelnut in Italian), a goat cheese made in Oregon by Tumalo Farms that includes pieces of hazelnuts, I decided to do something similar. I made Manchego, as always according to the recipe in the book Home Cheese Making by Ricki Carroll (which uses cow milk) and added to the curds, as I was putting them into the press, some toasted chopped hazelnuts (I used a mortar and pestle to break the whole toasted hazelnuts into small pieces). I let the cheese age for 40 days. I like the result, which is interesting both to look at (photo on the left) and to taste.

I have also tried adding caraway seeds to Monterey Jack cheese. This is still in the aging phase, so I don't yet know how the experiment turned out.

Besides adding variations to recipes I am already familiar with, I am trying new recipes from my guide book. The most recent new cheese I made is Derby, for which an interesting technique is used to process the curds after heating and before pressing.

I also continue making ricotta using whey (siero di latte) as the main ingredient. With the whey left over from making Derby I made ricotta according to what I called recipe #2 in this post. It coagulated nicely and was easier to drain than in previous occasions. I then used the output to make pane alla ricotta. This time I did not halve the quantities and therefore made two loaves, one of which I froze for later consumption.

In the area of ricotta-making I have recently realized that I need to start measuring the whey's pH. According one of the recipes I follow: "If too much acid is added, the curds will sink to the bottom and the cheese will not be sweet." For the most recent batch of ricotta I made, the curds did not sink to the bottom of the pot, but the result was rather bland in flavor, which may be due to the acidified whey that I used being more acidic than in previous occasions (here you can read the details of how I make ricotta using acidified whey). I need to be more conscientious about taking notes of what I do and about measuring the pH. I take all that happens as part of my learning curve: I still enjoy the process and the results.

Hear me pronounce the words on the formaggio e ricotta audio file [mp3] or go to the formaggio e ricotta audio page for more listening option.