Desserts

Pastina Pie

I first heard of Pastina Pie from our friend, Michael Gottuso. A Pastina Pie is a sweet ricotta custard pie with little pastina pasta. He had made one, posted a picture online, and I immediately knew it would be on our Easter Dessert Table. It was instantaneous love at first sight.

I have seriously fallen in love with different Italian foods and even working in Italian restaurants in my youth never really prepared me for the infinite number of rustic, regional - and even family - recipes out there. Victor's family has their share of family tradition recipes - he made Uncle Rudy's Easter Pie the other day and we've tried our hand at a sweet bread Easter basket called a Gadudi - although no one knows where that name came from - or even how to spell it! Different holidays, different foods... And every holiday has its required dishes.

I didn't grow up with any sort of ethnic holiday traditions. My Colorado-born grandmother and my California-born mother were already several generations removed from the old sod - where their forebearers were more than likely subsistence-farmers living on potatoes under the inhumane rule of England. They brought their love of family with them - and made due with the new foods they found here.

Not having those constraints let my mom be creative and make what she wanted. While certain things were consistent - canned ham on Easter or turkey on Christmas, the appetizers and desserts varied with her mood and the times. Her cookbooks are a testament to how varied her tastes were and how creative she was in the kitchen. And I know she would have loved this!

Michael said his Pastina Pie can be made with or without a crust - and when it was made with a crust, it was usually a Pasta Frolla - a shortcrust pastry. I went with the pastry.

Pastina Pie

Michael Guttoso

Pasta Frolla

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest

Directions

1. Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor just until combined. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, 6 to 8 times.

2. Whisk together egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and lemon zest. With processor running, add egg mixture; process just until dough begins to come together. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface; lightly knead to form a ball.

3. Divide dough into 2 pieces, and gently press into flat disks. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

Line a large tart or quiche pan with rolled-out pasta frolla.

Pastina Filling

• 1/2 cup pastina
• 7 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp anisette
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1 lb ricotta
• Cinnamon for dusting

Cook 1/2 cup pastina in boiling water until soft. Drain and set aside.

Beat 7 eggs with 1 cup sugar until well blended. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (optional).

Blend in one 15 oz container ricotta cheese. Then blend in the pastina.

Pour into the crust Bake at 375°F until golden. 45 minutes - an hour, check every now and then. Let cool completely .

Store in fridge.

by Tim Dineen

Limoncello Tiramisù

The perfect addition to an Easter Dessert Table...

We made the Limoncello and the Savioardi, but both can be easily purchased... This is based on a Lidia recipe...

Limoncello Tiramisù

• 5 large eggs
• 5 or 6 lemons
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups limoncello liqueur
• 1 cup water
• 1 pound (2 cups) Mascarpone, at room temperature
• 40 - more or less - ladyfingers

Pour just enough water in the double-boiler pan so the water level is right below the bottom of the mixing bowl when it is sitting in the pan. Separate the eggs, putting yolks into the large bowl of the double boiler and the whites into another stainless-steel bowl for whipping by hand or with an electric mixer.

Remove the zest of two or more of the lemons, using a fine grater, to get 2 tablespoons of zest. Squeeze out and strain the juice of these and the other lemons to get 3/4 cup of fresh lemon juice.

To make the base for the tiramisù, heat the water in the double boiler to a steady simmer. Off the heat, beat the egg yolks with 1/4 cup of the sugar and 1/2 cup of the limoncello until well blended. Set the bowl over the simmering water, and whisk constantly, frequently scraping the whisk around the sides and bottom of the bowl, as the egg mixture expands and heats into a frothy sponge, 5 minutes or longer. When the sponge has thickened enough to form a ribbon when it drops on the surface, take the bowl off the double-boiler pan and let it cool.

Meanwhile, pour the remaining cup of limoncello, all of the lemon juice, 1 cup water, and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and cook for 5 minutes, evaporating the alcohol. Let the syrup cool completely.

In another large bowl, stir the mascarpone with a wooden spoon to soften it, then drop in the grated lemon zest and beat until light and creamy.

Whip the egg whites with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, by hand or by machine, until it holds moderately firm peaks.

When the cooked limoncello sponge (or zabaglione) is cooled, scrape about a third of it over the mascarpone, and fold it in with a large rubber spatula. Fold in the rest of the zabaglione in two or three additions.

Now fold in the whipped egg whites in several additions, until the limoncello-mascarpone cream is light and evenly blended.

Pour some of the cooled syrup, no deeper than 1/4 inch, into the shallow-rimmed pan to moisten the ladyfingers (savoiardi).

One at a time, roll a ladyfinger in the syrup and place it in the casserole or baking dish. Wet each cookie briefly—if it soaks up too much syrup, it will fall apart. Arrange the moistened ladyfingers in neat, tight rows, filling the bottom of the pan completely. You should be able to fit about twenty ladyfingers in a single layer.

Scoop half of the limoncello-mascarpone cream onto the ladyfingers, and smooth it to fill the pan and cover them. Dip and arrange a second layer of ladyfingers in the pan, and cover it completely with the remainder of the cream.

Smooth the cream with the spatula, and seal the tiramisù airtight in plastic wrap.

Before serving, refrigerate for 6 hours (or up to 2 days), or put it in the freezer for 2 hours. To serve, cut portions of tiramisù in any size you like, and life each out of the pan and onto dessert plates.

by Tim Dineen

Savoiardi

One of the desserts we're making for Easter is a Limoncello Tiramisu. Lemon is the perfect Springtime flavor, and something a bit ooey and gooey is a nice reward for being so good the past nine months.

This is the type of dessert that really reminds me of my mother. I don't think she ever made an actual tiramisu, but she was great with puddings and contrasting textures and flavors - she just knew how to do it. And while I may not be as gifted as she was in the making of them, I definitely inherited her love of them.

A typical tiramisu is layered savioardi - lady fingers - and a mascarpone custard, with the lady fingers dipped in coffee and brandy. One can buy lady fingers at the store, but, I thought that since it's an actual holiday meal, I'd make them. I also thought that if I made them today and totally screwed them up, I'd still have time to pick them up at the grocery store. I also made pie crusts for Uncle Rudy's Easter Pie and a Pasta Frolla - a sweet Italian pastry crust - for a Pastina Pie. That recipe comes from a friend of ours, Michael Gottuso. I'll make the actual pie Thursday or Friday...

There is a method to my madness - and, fortunately, it seems that I did not screw them up!

Making them was a bit of as challenge because I didn't have a plain 1/2" icing tip, so I had to fudge things a bit. And... the batter is really loose. But... they came out!

I was even a good boy and drew my 4" lines on the parchment paper to make them reasonably even.

Savoiardi (Ladyfingers)

adapted from Easy As Apple Pie

• 3 eggs separated
• 100 grams (1/2 cup) granulated sugar divided
• a pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice divided
• the zest of 1 lemon grated
• 65 grams (1/2 cup) cake flour sifted
• 30 grams (2 tablespoons) potato starch
• powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Prepare a pastry bag fitted with a round 1/2 inch tip.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites, 50 grams (1/4 cup) of sugar and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice until stiff peaks form.

In another bowl, beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar, lemon zest, vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and salt until thick and light yellow.

Sift the flour and potato starch over the egg mixture and gently fold it in with a rubber spatula until smooth and well combined.

Gently fold in the egg whites.

Transfer half of the batter to the prepared piping bag. Pipe the batter into lines about 10 cm (4 inches) long, keeping distance between them.

Repeat with the rest of the batter.

Sprinkle the cookies lightly with icing sugar. Let them rest for about 5 minutes and sprinkle again with icing sugar.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes until lightly golden.

Let the ladyfingers cool for a few minutes then release them from the parchment paper, with a flat spatula, while they are still warm.

Serve the savoiardi immediately or store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

We already know they won't be around for two weeks...

Oh... and I'm making Lidia's Limoncello Tiramisu...

by Tim Dineen

Vanilla Cake for Two

Since I made a Chocolate Cake for Two a couple of weeks ago, I thought it time to make a Vanilla Cake for Two.

I love cake. hell - I love desserts, period. This is where I really take after my mother.  You'll note in the cook books she put together over the years that the dessert binder was twice the size of the Appetizers/Salads/Entrees/Soups/and Sides. The woman liked her desserts - and still stayed slim all of her life. That, is where I don't take after my mother. Oh, well.

Since I had lots of fresh Strawberry Jam, I spread it between the layers.

Vanilla Cake for Two

• 6 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup flour
• pinch salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• scant half-cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 6" cake pan.

Cream butter in mixer. Add sugar and cream together for about 5 minutes. Add egg and mix about 30 seconds.

Mix vanilla with buttermilk. Mix flour with salt and baking soda. Add the flour and liquid alternately, starting and finishing with the flour. Just mix well enough to get everything together.

Spread into prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes.

I made a basic cream cheese frosting - equal parts of butter and cream cheese, plus vanilla and powdered sugar. I split the layer and added some homemade strawberry jam.

Momma would be proud!

by Tim Dineen

Lemon Blackberry Pound Cake

I love it when I come home and there's a fresh dessert waiting for me!

While I usually get (take?!?) all the credit for being the baker in the family, Victor ain't no slouch - and his repertoire keeps growing!

His latest creation is a Lemon Pound Cake with Ricotta and Blackberries. It's a spin on a BH&G orange pound cake recipe from many moons ago. Some of the best recipes in the world come out of those old cookbooks and they're really easy to play with and tweak.

Lemon Blackberry Pound Cake

cake

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 4 eggs
• juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 pint blackberries

lemon glaze

• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/8 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 325º F and butter and flour a 9x5 loaf pan.

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together ricotta, lemon juice, vanilla, and zest.

Cream butter and sugar until very light and fluffy - about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time - about 20 seconds per egg.

Add the dry ingredients in three additions and the ricotta in two beginning and ending with the dry. Do not over-mix.

Pour half the batter into the prepared pan. Dot with half the blackberries, pushing them in a bit. Pour the rest of the batter in the pan and poke the remaining blackberries into the batter, making sure they are covered.

Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool.

Make glaze.

Mix lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan and cook until slightly thickened. Cool.

Poke cake with skewer and then brush glaze over cake until it's completely absorbed. Top with powdered sugar, slice, and enjoy!

It came out really lemony and the blackberries were a perfect fit.

It's so nice to have a man around the house...

by Tim Dineen