Ricotta Herb Tart with Olive oil Crust

This wasn't supposed to be a tart, really.

I bought a tub of ricotta cheese to make spinach ricotta gnocchi, based on a dish I sampled in Switzerland recently while I was staying with my friend JY, her hubby, R and their darling black lab, Umbria. R used the fresh Baerlauch (bear's garlic) we picked by the river in Cham, a small municipality in Zug for his gnocchi. It was fabulous. I'd only ever eaten gnocchi made with potato and flour and  not being a fan of potatoes, I find myself staying away from gnocchi altogether.

Since baerlauch is unavailable back home in Malaysia, JY suggested I use Spinach instead. I bought all the necessary ingredients: spinach, ricotta, flour, sage leaves and Gruyere cheese. And then I got side-tracked by another recipe for an olive oil tart crust which caught my eye. I love buttery-rich tart crusts but this one, from Chocolate & Zucchini seemed to get a lot of positive reviews. I had to try it. I just had to.

The gnocchi would have to wait till another day. Soon. Just not today.

The olive oil crust is a little simpler to put together than the classic butter shortcrust pastry crust. Because cold butter is not a pre-requisite, the dough doesn't have to be made with speed (before the fat melts as in the case of shortcrust). Also, the olive oil dough is much sturdier and as a result there is no fear that a soggy filling will in turn create a soggy tart base. There is also no need to rest the dough before rolling. If kneaded enough (just a couple of minutes should do) the dough should be pliable enough to be rolled as soon as it is mixed.

The filling is creamy and delicious, richly flavoured with the herbs. The smell from the herbs is practically intoxicating too!. The egg in the filling is optional, but it does help bind the creamy cheese together and give it a little form. An eggless filling will be a little softer (some thickened cream could thicken it a little). The nuts in the pastry and the Parmesan garnish adds texture and the garnish of red radish adds a little spiciness to the tart.

Olive Oil and Herb Crust

(Based on a recipe in Chocolate & Zucchini)

150g whole wheat flour

100g plain flour

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tbsp chopped chives 

handful of walnuts, chopped fine

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp ice cold water

Mix the flours, chives and salt together. Add the oil and the nuts and mix into the flour: it should start to clump together in bits. Add the water, gradually, until the dough comes together in a neat ball. Knead for a couple of minutes. 

The dough is now ready for rolling. 

Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin and gently roll the dough till its 1/4 cm thin and gently lift it to fit the tart pan. Trim the edges, puncture the base with a fork and blind bake (180C) for about 15 mins or till it firms up. 

Creamy Ricotta-Herb Filling
250g ricotta
2-3 tbsp chopped mixed herbs (I used chopped thyme, rosemary and parsley) - a little more to garnish, if you like.
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 egg (optional)
salt and pepper to season

Mix all the ingredients together well. Spread it into the tart case and bake for about 25-30 min or till the cheese is set and slightly golden.

Garnish
Red radish, sliced thin
1/4 cup grated Parmesan (spread the grated Parmesan thinly on a sheet of parchment-lined baking tray and bake for about 12 mins or till golden. Coll and then break it up).

 

Strawberry, Ricotta and Yoghurt Scones

Pretty? Pretty darn good is what these scones are. I got them off Smitten Kitchen -- hers were Raspberry Ricotta Scones. I used strawberries instead because frozen raspberries cost a bomb-and-a-half here (and we hardly get them fresh).

I kinda feel like a stalker though as this is the second Smitten Kitchen recipe I've tried in a week: the first was a cheese, honey and sea-salt flat bread which was really to die for. And now, this. But, really, I am no stalker though I like the blog a lot.

Let me explain. I was out shopping. I saw this carton of strawberries -- imported from Driscolls in the United States -- for just RM10. I had to get it even though I had no idea what I would do with them. Maybe jam? Anyway, I bought them. They looked lovely. So bright, so juicy. 

I went home and went on my daily blog patrol (I visit my favourite blog sites a couple of times each  week) and I saw  the raspberry scone post on SK. Sooooooo pretty. Oh my god. I had to make them. I'd use the strawberries I bought! (that was a light bulb moment, btw).

So you see. I am not a stalker. I had the strawberries already.

Scones.So quintessentially British, right? I've made scones a few times before and I have eaten them many, many times, mostly with clotted cream and strawberry jam. Am I tempting you yet? Well, with this scone, you don't need cream or jam. Just a little butter, perhaps.

Scones are quick breads. They're pretty straightforward to make, technique-wise that is unlike the French Macaron for which factors beyond your control like the temperature of your kitchen or the humidity in the air impact on the baked product. No, scones are less complicated to make. But, having said that, getting a light, fluffy and moist scone (the way I like them) isn't a sure thing. In fact, it's a lot easier to end up with a dry, heavy and flat baked piece of dough (I am unwilling to call these scones) that's more like a thick biscuit than anything. I'm not dissing; I'm sharing as I've been down that road before.

Check out this article in The Guardian on How To Make The Perfect Scone and you'll begin to understand the science behind this treat. And then there's this other article in the same publication about how you should eat your scones -- so you spread the jam first and only then add a dollop of cream or is it the other way around. The English do take their scones seriously.

Me, I just wanted a light, soft, fluffy and pretty scone.

Apart from swapping the raspberries for strawberries, I also made a few alterations to the original recipe from SK. I used Greek yoghurt instead of double cream and I changed the ratios between the whole wheat flour and plain flour indicated in the recipe. Minor changes and thankfully they didn't adversely affect the scone turn out. They were soft, light and the baked strawberries were jammy and nice. Perhaps, next time I will add a little more baking powder or as the Guardian article suggests, mix a little bicarbonate soda to the blend. 

Next time. For now, I will leave you with the original recipe, indicating the changes I made.

Strawberry Ricotta Yoghurt Scones 

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 cup whole wheat flour (I used 11/4 cups)

1 cup all purpose flour (I used 3/4 cup)

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup granulated sugar

85g unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

1 cup fresh strawberries, roughly chopped up

3/4 cup ricotta cheese

1/3 cup Greek yoghurt/double cream

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Whisk the flours, sugar, salt and baking powder in a bowl.  Add the butter and using your finger tips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the chopped strawberries and mix with a wooden spoon till the strawberries are well incorporated with the crumbly flour. It's fine if the strawberries get a little mushy and colour the flour. In fact, it kinda looks really pretty this way.

Add the ricotta and the yoghurt/cream and gently stir in with a spatula until the mixture comes together to form a dough. It will be a little wet and sticky, don't panic. 

Generously flour your work surface and your hands, and gently move the dough from the bowl onto your work surface. You will need to flour your hands else the dough will stick to you.

Sprinkle some dough on the dough and gently press it into a 15-20cm square that's 1-1.5 cm high. Cut into nine small and equal squares and then transfer them one by one onto a lines baking sheet. Use a floured spatula/knife to do the transfer.

Bake for about 15 mins or till the sides start to get golden. The smell of the strawberries and the butter will be irresistible but take heed of the next step. Remove and let the scones cool before you eat them. They will set as they cool. But, don't let them get cold though cos scones are best eaten warm.

Homemade cheese, louise!

My mother used to make butter and ghee and though she never said it, I could tell that it gave her great satisfaction. It wasn't a matter of economics; rather it was a desire to consumme less preservatives (yes, butter has preservatives which allows us to keep it for a long time, albeit refrigerated). At the time, I admired her for it although I don't think I fully realised the satisfaction she got from it.

Yesterday, I made my own ricotta cheese and all at once I understood.  For me, it was partly  economics that prompted me to try it (it is much cheaper to make ricotta than buy it). I also was curious. If I could make cheese at home (my next project is mascaporne), I wouldn't have to pay those exorbitant prices  for imported cheese at supermarkets. Well, at least I'd save a little.

For a RM15 block of store bought ricotta, it cost me just about RM8 to make it at home. I needed two litres of full cream milk, a cup of whipping cream, lemon juice and salt.



Homemade ricotta is probably the simplest cheese to make. Although you can use full cream milk from the carton, you will get better results from  fresh  milk -- luckily I managed to catch the man who goes around my neighbourhood (on a motocycle) delivering fresh cows milk. (I had to pre-order two litres the week before).

Apart from the milk, whipping cream, salt and lemon juice, you will need a large bowl and a muslin cloth (or a dishcloth) as well. And a stockpot to boil the milk, of course.

First step: Heat the milk and whipping cream; when it comes to a ROLLING BOIL (not just a simmer) add the lemon or lime juice and resume boiling, stirring now and then. Keep stirring until the milk mixture starts to curdle. Depending on the milk (fresh milk works faster than milk from the carton), this may take between 20 to 30 mins.

When the milk starts to curdle -- when you can see clumps amongst the slightly thickened liquid -- put off the heat and let the milk stand for about 15 mins.  If the milk isn't curdling well, add a little more lemon juice.



After 15 mins or so, you will see the curdled milk seperate from the liquid, or  whey.  Place a muslin clothe or dishcloth over a large, deep bowl and pour the curdled mixture into the cloth to physically separate the curd from the whey.

Let the muslin seive do it's work -- leave it for about 30 minutes or until almost all the liquid has dripped  into the  bowl.

Tie the edges of the muslin together to form a ball with the curd and hang it on your tap or somewhere so the remaining liquid drips out.

Once you;re satisfied that there is close to or completely no whey left, put the balled ricotta in the fridge for about 2 hours or so to set.

Click here for more resources for homemade ricotta.