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Hazelnut Cake with Pear and Ricotta

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It was a rainy Saturday and I wasn’t in the mood to clean, (who ever is?) and so often my solution is to dream up a new recipe and whisk myself away in creativity for a few hours, it definitely helps my soul and eases my guilty conscious.

On this particular day, I decided try my hand at a gluten-free dessert. There is only one problem, I LOVE cake and normally cake needs that one minor ingredient, flour and that one minor ingredient isn’t gluten-free….at least the cakes I love. Dang, maybe my dessert with be glutton-free instead since I don’t feel guilty about being a glutton……now that could be a new trend, GLUTTON-FREE DESSERTS! Brilliant!

Okay, back on focus…..so time to think of some other type of flour.  I thought about all the various kinds of nuts I love, which is all of them, but I particularly love hazelnuts, I mean I LOVE them so I decided to grind up hazelnuts for my “cake flour”. If your not as obsessed with hazelnuts, this cake would be equally amazing with ground up almonds or cashews, just fire up your imagination.

Now that I figured my cake out, I wanted to make a “filling” that would mimic something between semifreddo and gelato, how can you go wrong with that desire? I make a delicious homemade ricotta and since pears were in season  I decided to combine pears, homemade ricotta cheese, whip cream, pear brandy, and sugar together and created a creamy filling that should have been illegal! It ROCKED! Seriously, it was a miracle of flavors.

The last step that needed to happen was to take the two cake layers, gob this yummy creamy filling in between, stick it in the freezer, and cross my fingers that it “sets up”. If this worked, I was sure to eat the whole thing.

I’m not sure if that was a blessing or a curse as I really didn’t need to promise myself an entire dessert, after all I was blowing off cleaning, probably shouldn’t reward that or should I? Anyway, it worked and it worked beautifully! Good thing the bet was to myself and not someone else who would love to see me eat a whole cake into oblivion…..

So here’s a New Years cheer to indulgence, days without cleaning, and glutton-free desserts….

Hazelnut Ricotta Pear Cake
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 10
Ingredients
  • For the cake:
  • 2 Cups whole hazelnuts, finely ground
  • 6 Large eggs
  • ⅔ Cup sugar
  • 7 Tbsp butter, melted
  • For the pears:
  • 2 Bartlett or William pears, peeled, cored, and diced or thinly sliced
  • ½ Cup sugar
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 Tbsp pear brandy
  • For the syrup:
  • ⅓ Cup sugar
  • 3 Tbsp pear brandy
  • For the filling:
  • 17 oz ricotta cheese, preferably homemade
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • For the ricotta cheese:
  • 6 cups organic whole milk
  • 2 cups organic heavy cream
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 T organic white wine vinegar
  • For cranberries:
  • 1 bag cranberries
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
Instructions
  1. Make the ricotta: In a saucepan on stove over medium heat, put in the milk, cream, salt, and vinegar. Bring to a medium heat and boil where it starts to separate. Put in a mesh colander over a bowl until liquid is drained
  2. Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter two 9 ½ -inch springform pans.
  3. Grind the hazelnuts in a mini food processor until very fine.
  4. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs and sugar and beat on high speed for 15 minutes, until the mixture has quadrupled in volume. Gently fold in the hazelnuts and flour with a spatula until just combined. Then add in the butter. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until firm to the touch. Set aside.
  5. Make the pears: In a small saucepan combine the pears, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch and simmer over medium-low heat until the pears are soft. Remove from the heat, stir in the brandy, and let cool to room temperature. Set aside.
  6. Make the syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and ½ cup water and bring to a boil. Stir in brandy.
  7. Make the filling: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the ricotta, sugar, and vanilla for at least 5 minutes, until creamy.
  8. Meanwhile, beat the cream until firm peaks form. Using a spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the ricotta mixture. Fold in the cooled pear mixture.
  9. Assemble the dessert: Remove one of the cake layers from the pan and place on a serving platter large enough to hold the outer ring of the springform pan. Brush the cake with one-half of the syrup to moisten it. Pile the filling in the center of the cake and put the springform ring back over the cake.
  10. Gently spread the filling to the edges and then top with the second layer of cake. Brush the remaining syrup over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the freezer until set, about 2 hours. Remove the springform ring and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  11. For cranberry decorations:
  12. On stovetop in a saucepan, put sugar and water and heat until sugar is dissolved. Pull off and let rest 10 minutes. Put cranberries in a bowl and pour sugar/water mixture over the top. Cover and put in fridge for 2 hours. When ready to decorate, take cranberries out of mixture and roll in sugar to coat. This may take a few times and then let dry on a tray lined with parchment paper.

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Beef Oxtail and Short Rib Soup with Root Vegetables and Barley

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Oh the memories are pouring in! I completely ADORE homemade beef oxtail and short rib soup. It is SUCH a soul-filled meal for me and during these cold months, I CRAVE it!!

My grandmother, Mau (that’s what we called her), ALWAYS had a pot of her oxtail soup cooking on the stove every Sunday. Back then, I didn’t understand why she started this soup at 10 am but now as I have perfected it over the years, if you plan on eating it the same day, you have to start it early……the broth needs to build for AT LEAST 5 hours and there is a great deal of time spent skimming the foam off the top to get that clear, yummy broth.

THE SMELL of that soup cooking all day is permanently LOCKED into my senses! It filled the air with all the root veggies and barley she added in. It didn’t hurt that she had a homemade loaf of bread baking at the same time…what a coincidence….oh the simple things!!!!

We went over every Sunday, about 5, and my grandpa was always lounging in his recliner chair, watching some silly TV show, I think probably Archie Bunker, but we RAN through the front door and straight to the kitchen and up to the stove where that old pot was stock full of this soup! Like a bunch of hungry cats, we pounced to the table and sat, acting so ravished as if we hadn’t eaten in 3 days….she complained how we were driving her a bit crazy but looking back, she couldn’t have gotten a better complement and she knew it, but she still had to fret.

I have a copy of her handwritten recipe but I think on purpose she left a few things off, mostly the “secret” of cooking the oxtails and short ribs for hours. There is just some scribbles about veggies and a few instructions but I treasure that recipe and have called on her to fill me with the cooking tricks only she knew. I think after several years, I got it, finally.

So here’s to you Mau, I think you would be proud.

Beef Oxtail and Short Rib Soup with Root Vegetables and Barley
 
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This is sincerely my favorite soup of ALL time! I promise it is worth the time to leave it simmer to create that delicious broth.
Author:
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: American
Serves: 8-10 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs of beef oxtails
  • 2 lbs of beef short ribs, ask butcher to cut in half
  • 2 lbs of beef stew meat
  • 1 sweet onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, diced
  • 6 carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 6 celery stocks, peeled and sliced
  • 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed, ½ inch
  • 1 celery root, peeled and cubed, ½ inch
  • 2 rutabagas, peeled and cubed, ½ inch
  • 2 turnips, peeled and cubed, ½ inch
  • 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed, ½ inch
  • 3 bay leaves
  • sea salt and freshly ground pepper
  • olive oil
Instructions
  1. In a large dutch oven over medium heat, add about 2 T olive oil. In batches sear the oxtail until browned on all sides, remove and put on plate. Repeat with short ribs. Salt and pepper during searing.
  2. Add another 2 T olive oil and add beef stew meat. Sear and season with salt and pepper, remove and put on plate.
  3. Add another 2 T olive oil and add onion, garlic, celery, and carrots, Season with salt and pepper and cook until just getting soft. Add back ALL meats and bay leaves and fill pot with water about ⅔ full. Turn up to get to a rolling boil and put on cover (but leave a crack so that water doesn't boil over). Simmer for 5-6 hours skimming top of foam frequently.
  4. About 45 minutes before wanting to eat, cook barley as per directions
  5. About 30 minutes before wanting to eat, add in all the root vegetables and simmer until just soft. Taste broth and add salt and pepper if needed.
  6. Spoon in a little barley into bottom of bowl and top with soup. Serve immediately with homemade bread!
  7. *This makes a lot of soup so can cut down recipe but we LOVE leftovers and gets better with time! Can freeze but just don't add barley to soup as it will thicken it.

 

Delicata Squash Boats with Pancetta, Porcini, and Fried Sage Risotto

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For me, risotto is one of those simple life pleasures. It’s a comfort food on a cold day or the perfect side dish to any grilled meat in the summer. The only trick with risotto is making sure it is “al dente” and not mushy hence the necessity to hover over the stove stirring and tasting consistently, adding liquid very slowly.

I was so lucky to learn to make risotto from my Italian aunt in the Piedmont area of Italy. I mean, that is risotto country so I better learn from the best or not carry a Northern Italian last name, simple as that, period.

We were on one of our jaunts to visit the family and I made the “casual” comment about loving risotto. Well, let me tell you, don’t ever make a “casual” comment about anything food related to an Italian relative. I had no idea what I had released.

First came the phone calls to the other family relatives “intensely” communicating something about “non hai fatto risotto per la famiglia? Mai????? Mama mia! Then the phone slams down and another call is made, same question but this time the phone slams down with “Ah Madonna!” And the list continues…..each time the same question and the ending disgust. Yikees, all I mentioned was that I liked risotto, I didn’t need any relatives killed over some cooked rice.

We sat quietly as my aunt stomped around, shooed her children to the small grocery store down the street, and mumbled obscenities to herself. At this point, I just wanted a drink.

After about 30 minutes the children arrived and my aunt gazed out into the room where I sat and said, “viene qui!” and I quickly obeyed and came into the kitchen.

What ensued next was a sheer blessing in disguise, an afternoon filled with loving determination to show me (and feed us) the perfect risotto dish. The instruction began with a description of every ingredient (the proper ones) to use to make risotto. The rice, the homemade stock, the onions, the wine, the butter, the parmigiano cheese, this is the base and from here, it’s personal choice what else one wishes to add. During our lesson, she chose veggies from her garden. I took notes like a mad woman and drank in all of her divine wisdom.

As the time progressed, I knew I was receiving something most people wished for, instruction from the true masters of Italian cuisine, the ones that hold the keys to generations before and the knowledge of all that is passed down through the kitchen and I was the lucky recipient.

I learned to use the perfect pot, to heat the stock, to sauté the onions first, (veggies here if desired), add the rice, then the wine, and then patience begins while the stock gets added, ½ cup at a time and stirred until absorbed and tasted. This continues until the perfect “bite” occurs and not a minute before. It is then pulled off the stove, butter added and then parmigiano stirred in……

The final dish is decadent, creamy and piping hot, my mouth was watering. The final demand, risotto HAS to be eaten right away, we were happy to follow command.

My aunt spooned it into a big bowl and topped with a little more parmigiano. I watched as the steam came off the rice and the cheese melted instantly. My mouth was watering. It didn’t take long to devour.

This recipe is an ode to my aunt who took that simple comment and taught me an art form. I will never forget that day and I always hear her instructions every time I recreate her masterpiece.

I decided to add porcini mushrooms, pancetta, and fried sage to her recipe and use roasted delicata squash from our garden to serve it in. It’s a 100% edible and makes for a great presentation.

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A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY NEW FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER, MY NIECE RACHEL! SHE ROCKS!!

Delicata Squash Boats with Pancetta, Porcini, and Fried Sage Risotto
 
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This recipe is an ode to my aunt who taught me an art form. I always hear her instructions every time I recreate her masterpiece. I decided to add porcini mushrooms, pancetta, and fried sage to her recipe and use roasted delicata squash from our garden to serve it in. It’s a 100% edible and makes for a great presentation.
Author:
Recipe type: Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
  • 4 delicata squash, cut in half, seeded, and roasted, can use acorn or other squash
  • 2 cups of carnaroli rice, can use arborio rice
  • 2 shallots, diced
  • 8 slices of pancetta, diced
  • 15 porcini mushooms, sliced thin, can use shitake mushrooms
  • 15 sage leaves, fried in a little truffle oil, 5 broken into pieces and others left whole
  • 7 cups of homemade chicken stock, can use canned
  • ½ cup pinot grigio wine
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • olive oil
  • 2 T butter
  • Freshly grated parmigiano cheese
Instructions
  1. Turn oven on to 350. Place cut squash, face down and roast til soft when fork is inserted. Set aside
  2. In a pot that is wider than it is tall, turn onto medium heat.
  3. Add 2 T olive oil and heat.
  4. Add shallot and pancetta and stir with wooden spoon until shallot is translucent.
  5. Add mushroom and stir.
  6. Add a little salt and pepper.
  7. Cook until mushroom begins to soften and add broken sage pieces.
  8. Add rice and stir.
  9. Add wine and stir til dissolved.
  10. Start adding stock, ½ cup at a time and stir til dissolved. Keep tasting until rice reaches "al dente"
  11. Pull off stove and add butter, stir
  12. Add ½ cup of parmigiano
  13. Spoon into each half of squash, top with some more cheese and one piece of whole sage leaf. Repeat til all squash are filled.
  14. Serve immediately

 

Oven Roasted Lemon Potatoes

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Anytime I have something at a restaurant, someone’s home, a food truck, a festival, or wherever, I spend a RIDICULOUS amount of time working at recreating the dish…. how can I wait until the NEXT time?? Seriously? Anyone relate to this? I almost have to take a 2-week vacation JUST to perfect my newest obsession….. I mean who needs to work anyway? It’s completely overrated compared to satisfying my inner addict.

So these little gems came my way via our monthly getaways to Los Angeles back in early 2000. We used to fly out once a month for my schooling but really I think it was just an excuse to eat chicken wings in our hotel room while watching Jerry Springer, dancing till all hours of the night, shopping until we drop, giggling endlessly over great sushi, and launching out at crazy hours to find the latest “hot spots” to savor the dishes and hopefully catch a glimpse or two of a star.

Whatever it was, it didn’t matter because we had the ride of a lifetime doing adventure. We still miss it and this dish takes me back to one of the many late night launches ……

I can’t remember the name of the mom and pop Greek place where we discovered these but I do remember the food and the couple. They were great. First generation immigrants from Santorini and they shared their stories with us all the while they just brought dish after dish of their families best kept secrets.

So you ask, why lemon potatoes? Why not baklava or lamb solvalki? Or the perfect gyro? Really, lemon potatoes? It’s NOT rocket science girlfriend.

Okay, I get it BUT, mastery came into need when perfecting the marinade and the cooking, they needed to have the flavor and be able to “crisp up” just like they were cooked with more oil. I KNEW that if I ate these babies as much as I was planning, I needed to find a bit healthier balance instead of ringing myself of oil each time I finished. Don’t get me wrong, they are awesome but finding a better balance helped me be able to justify the deliciousness and still fit into my newest threads that were purchased on the same trip.

So enjoy the “skinny” lemon potatoes! Have a good time changing up the herbs to fit your style and go ahead and indulge, I promise your fashion self will thank you!

Just don’t confess to the mom and pop I got inspiration from, I’m sure I have committed a Greek sin having altered the recipe. 🙂

Oven Roasted Lemon Potatoes
 
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I have made them with various herbs, parsley, oregano, cilantro, rosemary, tarragon, and the list goes on. It could be fun to try some spices as well, cumin, smokey paprika…Just be sure to watch the potatoes as they cook so that the liquid doesn't "dry" out at the bottom, add little bit more chicken broth as needed but watch they don't get "soggy" or "too wet".
Author:
Recipe type: Side Dish
Cuisine: Greek
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 3 lbs yukon gold potatoes or 3 lbs other waxy potatoes, peeled
  • ½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • ⅛ cup olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup fresh oregano or any herb/spice of choice
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 cups chicken stock plus more if needed
Instructions
  1. Peel potatoes and cut them in half (from medium size potatoes, quarter if large).
  2. Let them stand in water while preparing sauce.
  3. Combine all other ingredients in a gallon size"zipper" bag, and shake to combine.
  4. Dry off the potatoes, and put all of them in the bag and let marinate for 2 hours.
  5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  6. Put the potatoes and marinade in a large casserole, approximately 13 x 9.
  7. Roast for 1hr 10min, turning occasionally.