Title: CHEESE PIE {CROSTATA DI RICOTTA}
Categories: Italian, Pasta
Yield: 1 servings
-PASTRY CRUST-PASTA FROLLA
2 c Unsifted all purpose
-flour.
12 tb Lard or butter,at room
-temperature but not soft.
4 Egg yolks.
1/4 c Sugar.
3 tb Dry marsala wine.
1 ts Freshly grated lemon peel.
1/2 ts Salt.
-RICOTTA FILLING
5 c Ricotta cheese.
1/2 c Sugar.
1 tb Flour.
1/2 ts Salt.
1 ts Vanilla extract.
1 ts Freshly grated orange
-peel.
4 Egg yolks.
1 tb White raisins,rinsed and
-drained.
1 tb Diced candied citron.
2 tb Slivered blanched almonds
-or pine nuts.
1 Egg white mixed with 1
-tablespoon water.
PASTRY CRUST
In a large mixing bowl,make a well in the center of two cups of
flour. Drop into it the butter {or lard}, egg yolks, sugar,
Marsala, lemon peel and salt. With your fingertips mix the
ingredients together, incorporating as much flour as you can. With
the heels of your hands, work in the rest of the flour until the
dough is smooth and can be gathered into a ball. Do not, however,
knead the dough or work it any more than necessary. {If you have an
electric mixer with a paddle attachment, all of the ingredients can
be placed in the bowl at once and mixed at low speed until they are
just combined.} The dough can be rolled out at once, but if it
seems at all oily, refrigerate it for about 1 hour, or until it is
firm but not hard.
Pre-heat the oven to 350°. Break off about 1/4 of the dough, dust
lightly with flour and cover with wax paper or plastic wrap; set
aside in the refrigerator. Reshape the rest of the dough into a
ball and place on a lightly floured board or pastry cloth. With the
heel of your hand, flatten the ball into a disc about 1 inch
thick. Dust a little flour over both sides of the disc to prevent
the dough from sticking,and begin rolling it out--starting from the
center and rolling to within an inch of the far edge. Gently lift
the dough, turn clockwise, and roll out again from the center to
the far edge. Repeat lifting,turning and rolling until the disc is
about 1/8 inch thick and at least 11 inches across. If the dough
sticks to the board or cloth while you are rolling it out, lift it
gently with a wide metal spatula and sprinkle a little flour under
it.
Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-11/2-inch spring-form
or false-bottom cake pan. Then,starting at the nearest edge of the
circle, lift the pastry and drape it over the rolling pin. Place
the pin in the middle of the buttered pan, and unfold the pastry
over it, leaving some slack in the center. Gently press the pastry
into the bottom and around the sides of the pan, taking care not to
stretch it. Roll the pin over the edge of the pan, pressing down
hard to trim off the excess pastry around the top.
Unwrap the remaining pastry, place it on a lightly floured board or
cloth, flatten it with the heel of your hand and roll it into a
rectangle about 12 inches long. With a pastry wheel or sharp
knife, cut the rectangle into long, even strips about 12 inch wide.
RICOTTA FILLING
Combine the ricotta cheese with 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon
flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, the vanilla, grated orange peel and egg
yolks, and beat until they are thoroughly mixed. Stir in the
raisins and the candied orange peel and citron. Spoon this filling
into the partially baked pastry shell, spreading it evenly with a
rubber spatula. Sprinkle the top with slivered almonds or pine
nuts, then weave or crisscross the pastry strips across the pie to
make a lattice design. Brush the strips lightly with the
egg-white-and-water mixture. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven
for 1 to 1-1/4 hours, or until the crust is golden and the filling
is firm.
Remove the pie from the oven and slide off the outside the outside
rim of the pan. Cool the pie on a wire rack, leaving the bottom
disc in place. If you would prefer to remove the disc before
serving the pie, wait until the pie is cool, loosen the bottom
crust with a wide metal spatula, and carefully slide the pie off
the disc onto a round serving plate.
Fresh fruits like white grapes, served with crostata di ricotta,
make a tangy, sweet contrast to the richness of the pie. Crostata
di ricotta is one of the oldest Roman dishes.
From the files of Al Rice, North Pole Alaska. Feb 1994
