Limoncello Tart with Amaretti Cookie Crust and Blueberry Blackberry Sauce

March 13, 2012 by 40 Comments
I have a fondness for limoncello, that sunny, refreshing, sweet, lemony flavored liqueur from Italy, I love to sip it icy cold straight out of the freezer from a small delicate glass.
I also love it in desserts, like this tart.
Amaretti cookies make the perfect base for this tart and paired with the lemon filling, it’s a match made in heaven! Just whirl a package of amaretti cookies in your food processor and drizzle in some melted butter until it all comes together and you’re able to pat it into a tart pan.
 The cookies are sweet enough so I didn’t add additional sugar, for a 7oz bag I used 6 tablespoons of melted butter which fits nicely into a 9″ tart pan.
Have your oven set to 350 and pre-bake your crust for 5 minutes, then let it cool.
The filling is simply, 2 egg yolks, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, 1/4 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice, 1/4 cup of limoncello liqueur and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest. Blend it with a hand mixer until creamy. Pour mixture into the cooled crust and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, it should be firmed up but not overcooked.
While the tart is baking you can make this quick sauce by warming berries with a little sugar in a saute pan, add lemon zest for an additional boost of flavor. In just a few minutes the berries will break down and yield their precious juice!
After the pie cools down you need to chill it in the fridge! This is very important because the colder it is, the better it is, give it at least a few hours, I promise you it will be worth it!
Don’t be like me, I couldn’t wait!
Luscious!

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Zucchini Tomato Gratin

August 6, 2010 by 46 Comments

Our garden is producing wonderful things and I’m inspired daily to use everything we pick. Winter comes all too soon here and it’s going to be really sad to say goodbye to all this freshness! So for now I give you my version of a gratin.

I like to make this in a wide pan, I use this paella pan that I have, I’m sure you’ve seen it in many of my posts, but I love it I can’t help it! I’m sure a cast iron pan would work as well.
First layer; Sweet Vadalia onion ring slices on a nice drizzle of olive oil ( the pan I use gets them all caramelized on the bottom)
Sliced zucchini
Handfull of romano cheese spread all over
Toasted homemade Italian bread crumbs spread about
Small cherry tomatoes placed all around
I had some cut leeks I needed to use so I threw them in, glad I did!
Drizzle with olive oil
More cheese
More breadcrumbs
Repeat!
Garnish with fresh snipped basil
Place in a hot oven at 425 till tender and crispy and the tomatoes pop and get caramelized, you could even place it under the broiler at the end to crisp up the top more, I have a convection roast feature on my stove so that always does the trick.
The imported romano cheese, the tomatoes ( you must use cherry tomatoes, please) the homemade breadcrumbs and those caramelized onions paired with the zucchini, I’m telling you I could almost become a vegetarian!
But instead I made more of that beautiful cod along side it. I saw this preparation on the cable TV show, Every Day Food, it’s so simple but BURSTING with flavor! Chop up some fresh herbs, I used basil, chives and parsley, now grate some fresh lemon zest into the mix. Salt and pepper your fish and swipe the top with Dijon mustard, now press it down into the herb mixture and of course drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 425 till translucent. This…Was…Fabulous! The fresh herbs complemented the fish so well, so light, so summer!

Now for a little palette cleanser, how about some Key Lime Pie. Sorta. You see my husband and I are crazy about key lime pie, but living here in Chicagoland key limes are not readily available so I never even thought about making this, until I saw Pioneer Woman’s post on it.
She calls it Key Lime Pie, Sorta because she uses regular limes not key limes, no problem here because I just bought 20 limes for $1.00! So I was inspired. I won’t even tell you how many times I’ve made it this summer, we crave it! I know it’s not the so called “real thing” but it’s darn close!
So before summer is over all you key lime pie lovers, you MUST make this! So here’s the recipe.
Note: From my guilt of making this so often I used reduced fat condensed milk and I even bought a reduced fat graham cracker crust and the result was just as good. I would encourage you to try her version first, but if you go past 3 pies like I did, you might want to think about switching things up! It’s so refreshing on a hot summer day.
Enjoy your weekend and Buon Appetito!
Oh, next week August 15Th is my 3 year Blogiversary I hope you can stop by for a visit, I have a nice giveaway too!
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46 Comments Filed Under: Fish, Pies, Side Dishes, Vegetables Tagged: , ,

Sweet Ricotta Pie

March 31, 2010 by 55 Comments

It isn’t Easter time without a ricotta pie! I know there are hundreds of different ways to make ricotta pie, but if you like the flavor of cannoli’s then you’re going to love this. A blend of ricotta, orange zest, candied orange peel, mini chocolate chips and a hint of cinnamon flavors this pie. You still have plenty of time to make this, but if you feel rushed and don’t have time to make the crust, go ahead and use the pre-made kind, no one’s going to call you out on it, or if you know of a good quality frozen one, you could use that too. But if you’re feeling adventurous and want to make it from scratch, you won’t regret it, the crust stays crunchy even the next day!
Recipe adapted from Scorsese Family Cookbook

Ingredients for Crust:

2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup of vegetable shortening, 1 large egg beaten slightly, 3 tablespoons of ice water.


To make the pie crust:
Into a bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the shortening and blend until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a bowl, whisk together the egg and 2 tablespoons of the ice water. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and toss to combine, adding more water, if necessary, to form a dough. Chill the dough, wrapped in plastic, until firm.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a circle 1/8-inch thick and fit it into a 9-inch pie pan. Crimp the edge, prick the bottom, and chill while making the filling.

Now for an important note: Make sure you drain your ricotta good! You don’t want it to be wet, make sure you get all the excess moisture out or else it will affect the cooking time and texture. You could drain it overnight in the fridge or a couple of hours before you put it together.
Here’s the filling: 1 1/2 lbs of ricotta, 3/4 cup sugar, 5 large eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, zest of one orange, 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips, semi sweet, and 1/2 cup of diced candied orange peel.



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the ricotta with the sugar until very smooth. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cinnamon. Stir in the candied fruit, zest of one orange and chocolate chips. Pour the filling into the pie shell. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and swirl it with the tip of a knife.
Bake the pie for 45 minutes, or until ricotta is set and toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and chill.

Make sure you chill it down in the refrigerator before you slice into it to receive the optimum full flavor.

Happy Easter!

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