Proud Italian Cook

Summer Bounty Zucchini Tart

August 11, 2012 by Marie 23 Comments

Delicate zucchini blossoms and thin ribbons of squash pressed into cheesey flavored ricotta highlight this summer bounty tart and it’s nothing short of perfection!Zucchini blossoms need to be showcased and this is the perfect canvas.

Thanks to convenient store bought puff pastry, it makes everything look so elegant when laid upon it and it tastes out of this world.
Crunchy, flaky, buttery!

Even if it sticks together because you might have left it out of the fridge too long and you couldn’t unfold it like you wanted to, ( cough cough), it still looks pretty and no one would even have a clue that you had a problem.Here’s how you make it.

RICOTTA MIXTURE

In a bowl mix 2 heaping cups of drained ricotta

1 egg

fresh snipped basil

3 different shredded cheeses, I used romano, mozzarella and an aged chedder. At least 1/4 cup each or even more to taste. My advice, taste mixture before you add the egg.

Salt and pepper

TOPPING

In a saute pan with olive oil and 1 clove of crushed garlic, saute ribbons of zucchini, yellow squash and your zucchini blossoms for a quick minute or two until slightly wilted.

PUFF PASTRY

Line a baking sheet with parchment and unfold your cold puff pastry sheet right on to it. Lightly roll it till seams are flat and sheet looks even all around. Take a pairing knife and make a 1/2 inch border all the way around being careful not to cut through. Take a fork and prick the pastry all within the border so air can get through.

Just spread the ricotta mixture, (you’ll have extra to do another one) within the border and then lay your sauteed squash on top and dot with a few cherry tomatoes and a little drizzle of olive oil.

I like to brush my edges with olive oil and a sprinkling of romano cheese.

Cook in a 350 degree oven until edges are dark golden and crispy and so is the bottom, at least 1/2 hour could be more. Ovens vary so just check it.

ENJOY!

23 Comments Filed Under: Savory Tarts, Vegetables Tagged: puff pastry, savory ricotta tart, summer bounty, zucchini blossoms, zucchini flowers, zucchini ribbons, zucchini tart

Eggplant Patties and Hot Weather Desserts

August 5, 2012 by Marie 38 Comments

The extreme heat we’ve been having here has called for lighter meals, lots of veggies, salads, and fruit desserts.
So if you’ve gathered up a few eggplant from your garden or farmers market and are still thinking about what to do with them, consider making these eggplant patties.
You can eat them like a burger with a bun or without, either way they’re chock full of flavor in every bite!

They couldn’t be easier to make all you have to do is dice up 2 or 3 eggplants and place them on a baking sheet along with 2 minced garlic cloves, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in a 425 degree oven until soft with a little color, then let it cool down.
Place in a bowl the cooled down eggplant, grated romano cheese, 1/2 diced red pepper, 1/2 diced onion, 1/2 cup of fresh or defrosted frozen corn, fresh basil, parsley, 2 eggs and a handful of breadcrumbs. My advice is to taste the mixture before adding the eggs so you can adjust all ingredients to your desired tastes, I never measure romano, I just sprinkle it in by the handfuls.

Stir everything together, form patties and place on a silpat or parchment and drizzle the top with olive oil, bake at 425 until golden, turning over once.

These are so good you’ll want to make them again and again!

As far as desserts go, we have been obsessed with this grape salad, we had it at a party and it was a big hit, people go crazy for it, it disappears before your eyes! It’s so refreshing and cold, perfect for a hot summer day.
The most time consuming thing about making this is picking the grapes off the vines.

Use a mixture of green and red seedless grapes, make sure they’re really cold, I had a bag of each. In a bowl add 1 heaping cup of full fat Greek yogurt, squirt some honey in to it and sweeten it up. Now add 1 heaping 1/4 cup of softened cream cheese with a teaspoon of vanilla and stir everything together and then fold in your cold grapes. You can make this the night before but when you’re ready to serve add a sprinkling of brown sugar and toasted walnuts for garnish.
Please make this for your next party, you’re guests will love it!

Melons, I could seriously eat everyday, so refreshing! Try making
cantaloupe ribbons they look so pretty on a platter with dollops of honey yogurt, blueberries, blackberries, sprigs of fresh mint and garnished with crunchy Marcona almonds.Cut a melon in half, scoop out the seeds, cut into wedges, trim off the rind then slice each wedge with a mandoline into ribbons. Do not use an overly ripe melon, the ribbons will be too watery, a little firmer is better.
Enjoy the last days of summer, before you know it we’ll be making big pots of hot soup!

38 Comments Filed Under: Fruit, Vegetables Tagged: cantaloupe ribbons, eggplant cakes, eggplant patties, grape salad, hot weather desserts

Windowpane Pasta for a Celebration!

July 30, 2012 by Marie 15 Comments

Today I’m doing something a little different here. I was invited along with four other bloggers to guest post over at my friend Lori Lynn’s beautiful blog in celebration of her 5th anniversary.
If you haven’t discovered Taste With The Eyes, you’re missing out on something extraordinary. Her warm and friendly blog showcases amazing food and photography beyond the norm!

Today I’m featuring on her blog the technique of making
Windowpane Pasta, sometimes referred to as Stained Glass or Silhouette, it’s a very simple way of transforming plain pasta sheets into something beautiful and very impressive!

I’m giving you the complete instructions for this technique today in my guest post, so please head over HERE.

If you’re a regular reader of mine you’ll know I don’t do anything too complicated, trust me, this is so easy to make, you’ll be amazed and impressed with yourself and so will your friends and family!

When you go over and visit I’ll also tell you two different ways that I like to serve this. So please, check out my guest post and share in celebrating my friends 5th year of Taste With The Eyes!

Speaking of 5 years, my fifth year anniversary is coming up in a couple of weeks, hard to believe, but it’s true. Time sure fly’s when you’re having fun! So stay tuned for my future celebration and a giveaway!