BURRATA!

July 21, 2008 by 64 Comments

If You’re lucky enough to come across some Burrata cheese, please don’t hesitate to pick some up. Yes, it’s a little pricey, but worth every single penny! It’s a food experience you’re not likely to forget. I happen to be at the right place, at the right time, the other day when I saw a special display of Burrata set up over at Whole Foods.

Imported from Italy, this artisanal cheese has a very short shelf life of about 2 weeks because it is fresh and not aged at all. This is not something that Whole Foods has in stock all the time, they try to get it in on all the holidays though. Even they were surprised when they got this shipment in. They tell me when it does come in it sells out so fast, so that’s why I said I was there at the right time. Lucky me there was 3 left!
Don’t you just love the packaging!!

The best way to describe Burrata is think fresh mozzarella kicked up a couple hundred notches, with a luscious creamy-like center that’s filled with a mixture of heavy cream and stracciatella (little rags) or curds of mozzarella. When you burst open the center everything oozes out!
This must be eaten at room temperature for maximum flavor and creaminess.
I roasted some Campari tomatoes with olive oil and purchased some spicy olives to go along with it, and of course some warm crusty bread!

I can’t think of a better way to spend a relaxing Sunday afternoon, sipping on some cool crisp white wine to go along with our Burrata treat, al fresco style!

You can also cook with Burrata, you can put it on pizza or any number of things.
But Me… I prefer it in it’s purest form, just like this!! I urge you to seek out this cheese if you’ve never tried it, and savor every bite!!
BUON APPETITO!

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64 Comments Filed Under: Appetizers Tagged: , ,

RICOTTA FRITTERS With Grand Marnier and Mini Chocolate Chips!

July 14, 2008 by 52 Comments

I’m really not a big fan of frying, but for these I had to make the sacrifice, and I just so happen to have exactly 1 lb. of ricotta sitting in my frig. The key is make sure you’re not alone, and have company over so you can share these while they are still warm. Timing is everything so make sure you have the coffee brewing!

Surprisingly, you don’t use a lot of oil at all and because they cook up so fast, they don’t have a heavy taste at all, in fact they’re crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside.

I happen to love the flavor of chocolate and orange together, so that’s what I used, but you can get creative with the kind of liqueur flavor you want. Most recipes call for brandy and lemon zest, but you could also use rum. I didn’t measure my mini chocolate chips either, I just sprinkled some in the batter. I didn’t want to over power the ricotta.

The texture on the inside is a little like the inside of a souffle, one bite and you’ll be smitten!

The recipe makes about 35 2″ fritters.
I highly recommend you invite some friends over, you might not be able to stop at just a few!!

Here’s the recipe!
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbl. sugar
1 lb. ricotta
1 cup flour
4 tsp. baking powder
2 1/2 Tbl. Grand Marnier
Zest of 1 orange
Mini chocolate chips
Pinch of salt
Vegetable or Canola oil
Confectioners sugar
Combine eggs, sugar, ricotta, flour, baking powder, Grand Marnier, zest and salt in a medium bowl. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Pour oil into a wide but shallow saucepan, a couple inches deep, and heat over medium-high heat. Drop rounded teaspoons of batter into hot oil and fry, a few at a time, until golden, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels, dust with powdered sugar, and serve!

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52 Comments Filed Under: Desserts Tagged: , ,

PRIMAVERA PASTA PIE

July 10, 2008 by 44 Comments

Have any leftover spaghetti? Some veggies that need to be used up before they go bad? Then consider making this pasta pie. I always have a few different veggies left over that I didn’t use in other things, it could be one zucchini, or half of a red pepper, a little broccoli, whatever! It doesn’t matter what kind you have, just put them all on a roasting pan drizzle with olive oil and roast at 400 degrees.

Make sure you season and flavor your veggies good, I have a Tuscan dry seasoning I used along with some garlic, fresh basil, salt and pepper. The veggies I had on hand were, eggplant, red pepper, red onion, broccoli, and a few frozen peas I had left in a bag.

Take your leftover spaghetti, mine had a light marinara sauce already on it, but it doesn’t have to have sauce on it at all. If you don’t have leftover spaghetti you can just cook up 1/2 lb. Drain it, and while it’s still warm, add 1 beaten egg, some grated cheese, salt and pepper, then mix this up with your spaghetti. Place everything into your buttered 10″ pie plate, you might not have to use all the pasta just make sure it covers the pie plate, because that will be your “crust”.

Place your roasted veggies on top of your pasta “crust”. In a bowl whisk 3 eggs, grated Romano, and about 1/2 cup of half and half cream, and pour this all over your pie. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Uncover and sprinkle with a little more cheese, and bake for 10 minutes more.

Let it rest for at least 10 minutes before you slice it up. Cut into wedges.

All you need to top this off is a nice salad on the side and your meal is complete!
This is so good, and the best part is nothing went to waste! And in this economy, that’s a good thing!
Buon Appetito!!

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