Lemon Ricotta Cookies

by Heather Harris Brady

First off let me note that I have not fallen off the wagon and gone whole-hog on the food coloring – that bright fuschia icing is from freeze-dried raspberries! I know, right? Perfect for upcoming holiday cookies! But I digress.

This cookie story starts with a trip my little slice of heaven on Earth – Whole Foods. I could wander that store for hours. In the bakery of the Whole Foods in question is a display of international cookies, including a lemon ricotta coated in pale pink raspberry icing. They are delicious.

So the quest began. Finding a recipe for the cookie was easy enough, and while I tinkered with it a bit they are basically the same. But the icing was going to be the hard part. I finally hit paydirt when I read a piece on a pastry chef who uses pulverized freeze-dried fruit for macarons.

I got this bag at Target for $3.99 and only used about a third of it for this recipe. The color is spectacular and I’m going to experiment with this idea more in the future. I touched up the flavor with a bit of raspberry bakery emulsion and voila! These cookies are delicate, cakey and while you could use a lemon glaze if you want I think the raspberry really sets them off.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Raspberry Glaze, Makes about 30 3″ cookies

• 1 stick of salted butter
• 1 container of part-skim ricotta (15 oz.)
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/2 c. granulataed sugar
• Zest of two lemons, finely grated
• 2 T. fresh lemon juice
• 1 t. lemon bakery emulsion
• 2-1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• For the glaze:
• 2 c. powdered sugar
• 1/3 c. freeze-dried raspberries
• 1-2 T. water
• 1/2 t. raspberry bakery emulsion

Preheat the oven to 350. Cream the butter and sugar together well.

Beat in the ricotta, then the eggs one at a time, beating well after addition.

Beat in the flour and baking powder.

Stir in the lemon zest, juice and flavor. You should have a thick, creamy batter.

Drop by tablespoons until a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake about 12-15 minutes, until the edges are light golden brown.

Cool the cookies while you make the glaze. The freeze-dried raspberries are an amazing color, and they taste like raspberry popcorn.

Put the raspberries in a spice grinder and run until finely ground to a powder.

Add the raspberry powder to the powdered sugar.

Drizzle in water until you have the desired consistency.

Spoon the glaze over the cookies. You can do the whole cookie, or just a lacy pattern if you don’t want as much raspberry flavor.

Let the glaze air-dry for about two hours and then store the cookies in an airtight container.

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Four years ago: Apple Pie
Three years ago: Peanut Butter Pie
Two years ago: Ginger-Chocolate Scones
One year ago: Quick Orange Cinnamon Rolls

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Baked Manicotti/World’s Easiest Marinara

by Heather Harris-Brady

There were quite a few new baking likes this morning so I hope that you are all having a lovely time baking your way into spring! I apologize for the single post this week, I’ve got some lingering cold that I’m trying to fight off. Speaking of cold, if it’s still chilly where you are this manicotti is a great way to warm up. You can make the sauce while you’re at work, assemble it and have a nice pan of fresh manicotti for dinner – or, just substitute two jars of your favorite marinara for the sauce.

Baked Manicotti & World’s Easiest Marinara, Makes one 13 x 9 pan (about 10 servings)

Marinara

• Two large cans (28 oz.) San Marzano tomatoes
• 5 T. butter
• 1/2 onion, peeled but still intact

Manicotti

• One package manicotti shells
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1/2 c. grated parmesan
• 3/4 c. ricotta or other soft fresh cheese
• One egg
• 1 T. minced garlic
• 8 oz. mozzarella

Combine all the marinara ingredients in a slow cooker. Turn it on low, cover it and come back six hours later.

Cook the shells according to package directions. While the shells are cooking make the filling.

Put a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and add the turkey. Cook it thoroughly. Add the garlic during the last minute.

Combine it in a bowl with the rest of the filling ingredients except the mozzarella. Stir well.

Preheat the oven to 375. Drain the shells and set up your assembly area. Discard the onion from the marinara sauce and spoon enough sauce into your pan to cover the bottom.

Stuff the shells with the turkey filling. I had a little extra filling left so I put it on top.

Cover the shells with the rest of the sauce.

Slide the pan into the oven and bake about 30 minutes, until bubbly. Put the mozzarella on top for the last few minutes.

Serve hot with a fresh salad. Refrigerate any leftovers. This keeps well and I think it’s actually better the second day.

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Two years ago: Chorizo Burgers
One year ago: Dulce de leche Ice Cream Sundae

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Creamy Tomato Sauce

by Heather Harris Brady

There are lots of creamy tomato pasta sauces on menus out there, but it’s super-easy to make your own, requiring little more than a can of well-balanced tomatoes. I’m using San Marzano tomatoes here, but if you are loyal to another brand or type that’s between you and your saucepan. There’s also room for changing up the meat, adding other veggies, cheeses – it’s all good.

Creamy Tomato Sauce, Makes about four generous servings

• One 28-oz. can plum tomatoes
• 1 T. minced garlic
• 2 T. finely chopped onion
• 1 c. heavy cream
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 c. fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 T. butter
• 8 oz. uncooked fettuccine (fresh or dried)
• Olive oil

Add-ins:

I included two fresh spinach and feta chicken sausages, diced and 2 cups of fresh Italian baby greens.

To make the sauce:

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion.

Stir until fragrant. Add the can of tomatoes. Fill the can half up with water and add that to the pan too.

Simmer on medium, give it a stir every now and then, and break the tomatoes up with a spoon as you go. Let it bubble away until it’s reduced by half.

Turn the heat down to low and stir in the cream.

Simmer for another 10 minutes and adjust the seasoning to taste.

At this point you can refrigerate the sauce if you’re making it ahead. To proceed, cook your pasta according to package directions.

Drain and toss it with the butter and cheese.

Heat up another tablespoon of olive oil and brown the sausage if you’re using it, then add the greens to wilt alongside.

Add the tomato sauce back to the pan.

Heat through and pour the sauce over the pasta. The cheese will melt and mix with the sauce. Serve with lots of freshly cracked black pepper.

Two years ago: Cake Cookies
One year ago: Grandma’s Chocolate Cookies

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Chicken Marsala

by Heather Harris Brady

Hopefully you all had the chance to eat, drink and be merry over the holidays – and now, if you’re anything like me, you’re in a quandry. There’s a part saying “juice, salads, cleanse” – then there’s the part that looks outside at the single digit temps and double-digit snowfall, and says “get real”. The answer, today at least, is chicken marsala.

It’s still rich and hearty enough to stand up to the cold yet it’s low in fat and high in protein. This goes fast once you get started so it’s best to have everything ready and within arm’s reach when you start cooking.

Chicken Marsala, Four servings

• One pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• One 8 oz. package sliced button or portabella mushrooms
• Half a bottle of Marsala
• Flour for dredging
• 2 T. butter
• Olive oil

Pound the chicken breasts to an even 1/2″ thickness between sheets of waxed paper, then dredge them in flour.

Heat the butter along with 2 T. olive oil in a heavy skillet. Brown the chicken well on both sides.

Take the chicken out of the pan and set it aside. It won’t be quite cooked through but that’s okay.

Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and brown them well. Then pour in the marsala.

Turn the heat up and quickly reduce the wine by half. There will be little bits of flour in the pan and they will help thicken the sauce a bit.

When the wine is reduced return the chicken to the pan. Give each piece a turn to coat it with sauce.

Simmer for about five minutes until the chicken is cooked all the way through. I like to use my deep pasta bowls for serving to help keep the chicken and the sauce warm. I served it over spinach with a side of parmesan risotto.

Two years ago: Chocolate YOLO Grenades
One year ago: Cassoulet, Leelanau Style

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Zuccotto

by Heather Harris Brady

Zuccotto, reputed to be a native of Florence Italy, has grown into a somewhat generic term for a dome-shaped cake. It’s typically lined with slices of sponge cake and from there pretty much anything goes. I’ve filled mine with chocolate mousse and an orange-cream cheese filling because I was thinking of cassata alla siciliana. But improvise here – soak the cake layers in liqueur or espresso, switch up the fillings – no matter how you slice it, this is a pretty, surprisingly easy dessert that makes a big impression at the end of a nice dinner. It’s a great way to welcome in the new year with something sweet – the best way to start!

Zuccotto, Eight servings

One 12 oz. pound or sponge cake

Chocolate mousse:

• One 3.5 oz. dark chocolate bar (I used Ghiradelli Mango Sunset)
• 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 T. butter
• 2 T. water
• 2 c. whipped cream

Orange mousse:

• Fresh zest from one orange
• 3 oz. cream cheese
• 2 T. powdered sugar
• 2 c. whipped cream
• 1/2 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Chocolate glaze:

• One 3.5 oz. dark chocolate bar
• 1/3 c. heavy cream
• 1 T. butter
• 1 t. vanilla

Pistachios for garnish

If you don’t have a hemisphere mold you can use a large mixing bowl, as I did. Line the bowl with plastic wrap and then cover it with 1/8″ thick slices of cake.

Spiral them around the bottom so you will have a pretty top.

And line the sides. Set aside.

Make the chocolate mousse: Heat the butter and water over medium, when the butter’s melted add the chocolate.

Stir smooth.

When the chocolate’s cool but not set, fold in the whipped cream.

Pour it into the cake-lined mold, and make an indentation in the middle. Cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge.

Combine the cream cheese, zest and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat well for two-three minutes, to get those orange oils mixed in.

Fold in the whipped cream.

Pour it into the mold and smooth it out.

The cover the top with the remaining slices of cake. Put it in the fridge for at least two hours, and preferably overnight.

When you’re ready to finish the cake (at least two hours before serving), make your chocolate glaze. Melt the chocolate over medium with the butter and cream. Stir smooth and add the vanilla. Let the glaze cool to the point where it starts to thicken. Turn the cake out onto a serving plate and trim any overlap off the bottom.

Pour the glaze over the top and sprinkle the pistachios around the bottom.

Once the glaze sets, sprinkle the top with powdered sugar right before serving. It will slice into pretty wedges like so:

And with this recipe we close the book on 2014 and look forward to 2015! Thanks for following!

Two years ago: Frosted Sugar Cookies
One year ago: Chocolate Chestnuts (Bernachon)

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Quick Italian Trifle

by Heather Harris Brady

So you’re probably wondering why I don’t just call this tiramisu because it looks like tiramisu right? Indeed it does my friends, and it tastes very much like it as well. However, I named it something else because, quite frankly, this is a quick and dirty version. Dessert triage if you will, something you turn to when the guests are on their way and the dessert you made is now all over the floor. Or in my case, when a recipe you’re testing didn’t turn out!

Ideally this should chill for about two hours, but if you don’t have that kind of time you’ll see my notes below.

Quick Italian Trifle, Makes about eight 1″ slices

• One sleeve of savoiardi biscuits
• 1 c. semi-sweet mini chips
• 1 cup of fresh, hot, strong coffee
• 1/2 c. whipped cream cheese
• 2-1/2 c. milk
• 2 T. cornstarch
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1 pkg. unflavored gelatin, softened in 1/4 c. cold water
• 1 T. sherry

First, make the filling. Put the milk into a shallow saucepan. Stir together the sugar and cornstarch, whisk them into the milk and put the pan on medium heat. Continue to whisk until thick, about five minutes. Whisk in the gelatin.

Add some of the hot milk to the eggs, stir and whisk the egg mixture. Cook for another two minutes, then whisk in the sherry and the cream cheese.

Set the pan into a larger pan of ice cubes and water to cool it down quickly while you get the next step done.

Line the bottom of a loaf pan with biscuits, breaking them as needed to cover most of the space. Spoon coffee over the biscuits, soaking them well (I used almost half a cup.). Then sprinkle them with chips.

Pour half of the cream over the biscuits, then repeat for the next layer.

You’ll end with a layer of cream, so crush the last two biscuits and sprinkle them over the top.

Now slide the pan into the freezer. Take it out after an hour and put it in the refrigerator if you’re not yet ready to serve. To serve, dust your plates with cocoa powder, then slice down and through the dessert with a spatula. The first piece is always the hardest.

There you have it! Store any leftovers in the fridge. You can cut out/back on the gelatin if you prefer a softer set. This might be a quick recipe but I’ve paid a lot more for a lot less-tasty restaurant tiramisu in my time.

One year ago: Saddle of Venison Cake

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Semolina Cake with Fresh Peaches & Goat Cheese

by Heather Harris Brady

I felt like doing an Italian dinner this week so I’m starting off with dessert first, then on Thursday we’ll have the main course. This cake comes in many guises but the premise is always the same, olive oil in place of butter and at least part of the flour is replaced with cornmeal or semolina. Since this cake has a naturally sandy, crumbly texture it would lend itself well to replacing the unbleached flour below with a GF blend.

This cake goes together really quickly. If you want to serve it right away you could skip the glaze. Make sure you use an olive oil that you enjoy, because the flavor really comes through.

It stays moist and keeps well while playing nicely with any berries or other fresh fruit you have on hand for topping. In addition to the peaches here I used a small dollop of fresh goat cheese with honey and lavender, but you could sub in creme fraiche or a greek yogurt too.

Semolina Cake with Fresh Peaches, Makes one 8″ cake

• 1/2 c. olive oil (a citrus flavored oil would be nice as well)
• 2 eggs
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. white wine
• 1-1/4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. semolina pastry flour or fine cornmeal
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1 fresh peach, diced
• Zest of one lemon
• 2 c. powdered sugar
• Juice of one lemon or lime

Preheat the oven to 350. Combine the olive oil, wine, eggs and sugar in a bowl. Beat well.

Add the flour, baking powder and the semolina. Quickly stir together.

Fold in the diced fresh peach.

Spoon the batter into a well-greased 8″ cake pan.

Bake about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Test the center to make sure it’s cooked through.

Turn the cake out onto a cooling rack.

Set the cake rack over a plate while you stir up the glaze.

Stir the powdered sugar and lemon/lime juice together to make a smooth, pourable glaze.

Pour it over the cake. I pour it all in the middle and then coax it to the outside by pushing it with the back of the spoon.

Let the cake stand for an hour or so while the glaze sets.

The cake slices nice and cleanly.

Serve with fresh fruit. As noted, I’ve added a dollop of fresh goat cheese (Idyll Farm with honey and lavender). Slightly sweetened sour cream would work too.

One year ago: Peach Cobbler

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Cudighi, the Ultimate Pizza Sub

by Heather Harris Brady

I’ve lived in Michigan all my life, the wrong parts apparently, because I’d never heard of cudighi until last week when I came across it in its natural habitat – the wilds of Ishpeming in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Ishpeming is in the heart of U.P. mining country, with its long winters and colossal chunks of rock. We have the Italian immigrants to this area to thank for cudighi, a spicy patty of seasoned meat on a hard roll. At Ralph’s Italian Deli you can order it in pork or turkey versions with cheese, ketchup, mustard and onion or with pizza sauce and cheese.  On two different visits I tried both the pork and turkey, then when I got home I set to developing my own. It’s got tailgate and Super Bowl party written all over it!

Cudighi, Makes four large sandwiches

• One one-lb. package of ground turkey (93% lean)
• 2 t. fennel seed, freshly ground
• 1 t. cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• 1 t. Tony Chacere’s Cajun seasoning (other hot seasoning mix)
• One green pepper, diced
• One 8 oz. package of sliced white mushrooms
• ½ lb. provolone cheese
• 8 oz. mozzarella cheese
• One 8 oz. can pizza sauce
• Four oblong hard rolls

Mix the seasonings into the meat well and set aside.

I used one electric griddle for everything, but you could use frying pans if you prefer. Saute the mushrooms and pepper in 1 T. olive oil, until the peppers are soft and the mushrooms are brown.

Remove them from the pan and set aside.

Form the meat into thin (1/2” thick) oblong patties shaped to fit the rolls you’re using. Brown the patties on each side, and then cover until they are cooked through.

Top each patty with some cheese and put a lid on them again until the cheese melts. (At Ralph’s they assemble the sandwiches and put them under the broiler to melt the cheese, but it was too hot to turn the oven on.)

While the cheese is melting, split the rolls and spread pizza sauce on each side (add a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese if you like).

Divide the mushrooms and peppers into four servings and pile them on the bottom side of each roll.

Top the veggies with the cudighi hot from the pan and squish the whole thing together.

Cut into halves. Serve hot with chips and lots of napkins. (PS: The proper pronounciation is COO-dih-gee, if you’re wondering.)

One year ago: Fallen Chocolate Cakes

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Italian Easter Breads

by Heatber Harris Brady

Once when I was very young, maybe six, we visited an Italian family just before the Easter holiday. A huge pane di pasqua, Italian Easter bread, held court on the center of the kitchen table with long rows of colored Easter eggs in the braid. It was the most beautiful pastry I’d ever seen and I’ve never forgotten it although I’ve never come across it in the wild again.

This year I decided to look into this memory. From what I can see the bread itself is a rich, sweetened dough flavored either with orange or lemon zest and anise. One embeds the dyed raw eggs into the dough before baking and then sometimes its glazed and sprinkled with nonpareils.

While I’m still in love with the concept I’m lukewarm on the idea of baking raw eggshells and egg dye into the bread. So I decided to come up with my own recipe, make individual large-roll nests, then glaze and top them with mini chocolate eggs. They’ll be a nice decoration for the dinner table and the eggs will still give the kids a thrill.

Italian Easter Breads, Makes about a dozen

2 c. milk
1/3 c. butter
1 pkg. fast-rising yeast
3/4 c. sugar
3 eggs
5 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
One small boiled potato
Zest of two oranges
2 t. almond extract

Scald the milk. Stir in the butter and sugar. When the milk is lukewarm stir in the yeast. Mash the potato into the eggs and stir it into the milk, then stir in the flour.

Let rise until doubled in bulk.

Punch the dough down and knead in the zest and almond extract.

Knead until soft and smooth. Break off balls just slightly larger than a golf ball.

Divide each ball into thirds and roll it out into a long snake, then braid them together. Bring the braid into a circle and stretch it a bit to make the nest shape in the middle. You have to be pretty extreme here because the dough is going to puff up a lot and you’ll lose the shape.

Preheat the oven to 375. When the rolls have doubled bake them for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown. Brush them with butter while they’re hot.

If you want to glaze them you can use royal icing or an orange glaze. For an orange glaze, stir together 2 T. softened butter, 2 c. confectioners sugar and the juice of two oranges. Adjust the consistency with more or less sugar as need be.

Drizzle the rolls with the glaze and put a few chocolate eggs in the center before serving.

Amaretti (GF Cookies)

by Heather Harris Brady

I like to test out gluten free recipes, so I can get more familiar with handling these types of doughs and batters. I do have one rule that I follow – I don’t use any ingredients not readily available (so no xanthan gum for example). I was happy with the way these cookies came out. They are based on a recipe from Grace’s Sweet Life, I amped up the flavor with almond extract and vanilla sugar.

Amaretti, Makes about Two Dozen

Three eggs, separated

1-1/3 c. superfine granulated sugar

1.1 lb. almond flour

1 t. almond extract

Vanilla sugar for rolling (two cups of powdered sugar stored with a cut vanilla bean for a week)

Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar, then whisk in the almond flour. Beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Fold in 1/3 to lighten the batter, then fold in the remainder.

Refrigerate the batter overnight. (I only chilled it for a few hours, ’cause sometimes I’m in a hurry!)

Preheat the oven to 325 and lightly grease a cookie sheet. Roll teaspoons of the dough in the sugar and put them on the cookie sheet. Bake for about 25 minutes, until lightly brown. (You’ll need to wash the cookie sheet between batches because the extra sugar will burn on it.)

Best eaten within five days. Freeze for longer storage.

One year ago: Hail to the pie!

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