Day 154.5 - Grilled Figs with Honey and Homemade Ricotta

Lately I've been seriously digging ricotta cheese.  Sweet, savory, salted, unsalted, cold, warmed - straight up outta the container, spread on toast for breakfast ... the possibilities are endless, limited only by its availability in my fridge. Enter one of my all time favorite cookbooks, Better Than Store Bought, given to me by my Mom (the OG Pioneer Woman) some twenty years ago. I took it off the shelf yesterday planning to leaf through it, but ended up reading the whole thing - cover to cover. I know, who actually reads entire cookbooks? But if you're curious, as I am, about how things are made and how those things can be recreated at home without additives, chemicals and crap, then this cookbook might be for you. The book is straight forward - no fancy photographs or illustrations - just clearly written recipes (along with a bit of kitchen science) that are easy and economical to make... and, well, better than store bought. Oh, and the cookbook also includes recipes for homemade hooch,  like Tangerine Liqueur - mos' def on my to-make-list. And, yes, alcohol is a chemical, but the good kind; like hydrogen and oxygen - we need that stuff to survive.  Now, I'm kicking myself for not finding this ricotta recipe 20 years ago - but since I have, there's no turning back. No more rubbery old ricotta for me - I have seen the cheese light and it is divine and pure.

My back yard fig tree - been waiting all summer for these to ripen up!

So, hereto with this crazy-simple recipe for homemade ricotta. Tonight I grilled up some figs, topped them with a little brown sugar and honey-sweetened ricotta, then garnished them with mint and candied lemon peel for a beautiful summer dessert. If you want to pair the figs with wine, you might try Banyuls (bah-NYUHLS), a semi-sweet, red dessert wine with aromas of plums, orange peel and dried cherries. Or, if you really want to amp up the decadent factor without breaking the bank, go for my personal favorite, prosecco. Sexy, right?

To set the mood, because I think getting in the kitchen with good music playing makes everything taste better, a little cheese song (Where'd the Cheese Go? Sans expletives), by Ween, an awesome alt band whose musicianship and smart, funny lyrics often include food of all kinds: Chocolate and Cheese, Pork Roll Egg and Cheese, White Pepper, Chocolate Town and Bananas and Blow, to name but a few. Truly, how could I not be a fan?! Check out Ween's website for their expansive and excellent discography. Mystery solved. The cheese is at my house.

P.S.*This is not an official video*

Make Ricotta the day before you plan to use it so it can set up

Choose soft, ripe figs. Slice in half, sprinkle with brown sugar and grill 

Homemade Ricotta (Adapted from Better Than Store Bought, by Helen Witty and Elizabeth Schneider Colchie)

2 quarts whole milk

3 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar or 1/4 cup strained fresh lemon juice

Sea salt, if desired

1. Pour the milk into a heavy stainless-steel or enameled sauce pan and stir in the white vinegar or lemon juice.
2. Set the pot over very low heat and bring the milk very slowly to a simmer (a reading of 200 degrees on a thermometer). There will be fine beads around the edge of the milk, which will look foamy but will not appear to be boiling.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and set it, covered, in a spot where it can remain undisturbed and where the temperature will remain fairly uniform, keeping the temperature between 80-100 degrees. (An unheated oven, without a pilot light, works well). Let the milk stand for about 6 hours, or until a solid curd floats above the liquid (the whey). More or less time may be required, depending on the temperature or the environment and the characteristics of the milk. (Mine only took 3 hours...I used ultra pasteurized organic whole milk, and it was a very warm day).
4. Line a fine sieve with doubled, dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Scoop the curds and whey into the sieve and allow the whey to drain off until the ricotta is yogurt-like. If you want firmer cheese, tie the corners of the cloth to form a bag and hang it up to drain further. If the weather is warm, let it drain in the refrigerator.
5. When the texture of the cheese is to your liking, add a little salt (1/4-1/2 tsp) if you wish. Store the cheese, covered in the refrigerator. It will be at its best after it has chilled for 24 hours, and will keep well for 4-5 days.

Grilled Figs with Honey Ricotta and Candied Lemon Peel (Adapted from of About.com)

8-10 fresh figs
2-1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
1 Tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Candied lemon peel
8-10 mint leaves for garnish

1. Pre-heat the grill.
2. Tim fig stems, if any, and cut figs in half length-wise
3. Lightly butter a shallow baking dish. Place the figs curved side down in the dish. Sprinkle each fig with a little  brown sugar.
4. Grill figs for about 4-5 minutes or until the sugar starts to bubble.
5. Meanwhile, combine ricotta, vanilla and honey in a mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth and creamy.
6. Remove figs from the grill and gently place on serving plates. 
7. Top with a dollop of honey ricotta. Garnish with candied lemon peel and mint leaves.

Final Assessment: Elegant, easy and not too sweet. This is my kind of dessert - and...it's absolutely beautiful on a plate - almost like a Cezanne still life...but tastier and way cheaper.


(C) 2010-2011, What's Cooking in Your World?/ Sarah Commerford/All Rights Reserved 

Day 154! San Marino - Piadina with Ricotta, Prosciutto and Arugula - Up Next,Sao Tome and Principe,

So here's another tiny country with a hugely impressive history that I'm sure I never learned about in school. How can it be that the American educational system can short change generations of school children by not teaching them about countries like San Marino? I know for sure that the way history and geography are taught today is vastly different (and better) than the way I learned it: memorize, drill and forget. And I know I could have paid more attention - but still, as awesome a country as the USA is, we have a lot of work to do when it comes to understanding the world outside our borders.

San Marino is a landlocked microstate that is completely surrounded by Italy. The country's land area is a mere 24 square miles (smaller than Martha's Vineyard), and is the third smallest, yet oldest country in Europe. With a population of roughly 30,000 (about twice the size of the small town I live in), San Marino is the oldest surviving sovereign state in the world and has the oldest constitution, which dates back to 1600. The country is said to have been founded in 301 AD by a Christian stonemason named Marinus the Dalmation who fled from anti-Christian sentiment and the Roman Emporer Dioceetian on the island of Albe. Finding refuge on San Marino, Marinus hid atop the peek of Mount Titano, an so founded an enclave for others who shared his Christian beliefs. According to the World Atlas, evidence of life in prehistoric times is likely, yet archiological proof on Mount Titano only dates back to the Middle Ages. Originally named the "Land of San Marino", then "The Community of San Marino", the country is now officially referred to as The Republic of San Marino.

Cuisine in San Marino is quite similar to Italy's and its neighboring Emilia-Romagna and March regions. Mediterranean style cooking is not unusual to find, but the country also claims its own rich and unique dishes. White beans, bacon, chickpeas, garlic, rosemary, pasta, smoked ham, beef, a wide variety of cheese and tomato sauce, rabbit and fennel are but a few regional ingredients. Pastry, sweets, tortes and biscuits often use hazelnuts, chocolate, honey, dried fruits and nuts, but to name a few.

Piadina (also called Pieda or Piedina) has its roots in both San Marino and Emilia-Romagna and is typically sold by street vendors at small food stands, where the flat bread is grilled to order. This simple fare is described as a cross between Greek Spanikopita and Middle Eastern Pita bread, except that it uses ricotta and/or mozzarella and escarole instead of spinach. This is a slightly up-dated version that uses arugula, the lovely peppery green which just happens to be plentiful at farmer's markets this time of year. Finally, my brother gave me some arugula salt from Sofra Bakery - crazy, right? - which I used to season the Narragansett Creamery fresh ricotta (available at Whole Foods) - This ricotta is so good that I ate a few spoon fulls straight out of the container.

Prepare the Piadina Filling

Arugula Salt from Sofra Bakery in Cambridge, MA (Insanely crazy-good stuff)

Fresh Renaissance Ricotta from Narragansett Creamery in Rhode Island (North of awesome!)

Prosciutto and Genoa Salami - mmm....."I could never say 'no' to you, fat" - Homer Simpson

Make the Piadina Dough

Grill the Piadina on a VERY hot griddle (if you think it's hot enough, make it hotter)

Piadina with Ricotta, Prosciutto and Arugula (Adapted from a recipe by Paul Bartolotta in Food & Wine)

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Kosher salt (I used Arugula salt)
4 ounces lard or vegetable shortening, at room temperature
3/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 1/2 cups fresh ricotta cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
4 cups fresh baby arugula
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 pound thinly sliced proscuitto, mortadella or salami
Fresh basil for garnish

1. In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, baking soda and 2 tsp. of salt. Add the lard and mix at medium-low speed until evenly combinged. Slowly add the water, mixing until the dough forms a mass around the hook. Increase the speed to medium and knead until smooth, 5 minutes. Divide the dough into 6 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Wrap the balls in plastic and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 225 F. Heat a cast iron griddle until very hot. On an unfloured work surface, roll out each ball to a 10-inch round, about 1/8-inch thick. Brush both sides of each round very lightly with oil and grill over moderate heat, turning once, until golden and cooked through, 3-4 minutes. Wrap in foil and keep the breads warm in the oven while you cook the rest.
3. In a small bowl, season the ricotta lightly with salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, toss the arugula with the 1 Tbsp. of oil and the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Arrange 3 breads on a work surface and spred with ricotta. Top with prosciutto (or mortadella or salami), followed by the arugula salad. Cover with the remaining breads, cut into quarters and serve warm.

Final Assessment: Have I mentioned how much I love Italian/Mediterranean cooking? This meal was easy to make and assemble and even easier to eat. The filling possibilities are endless. I made one with prosciutto, one with Genoa salami and one with both. They would be just as good without meat as well...a few slices of ripe tomato, thin slices of fresh or smoked mozzarella a few basil leaves and presto, a delicious lunch, dinner or snack. This recipe is a make-againer.

(C) 2010-2011, What's Cooking in Your World?/ Sarah Commerford/All Rights Reserved 

Day 153.5! The Shake Shack Burger Experiment

On Sunday morning I picked up the New York Times Magazine and experienced a life changing event. Simple as that - an article featuring Danny Meyers, proprietor of Shake Shack, a wildly successful burger joint that originated in NYC. The photograph alone was enough to capture my attention (even at 8:30 a.m.): a simple cardboard box, stacked full with mouth-watering cheeseburgers, tucked into wax paper bags. So I read on, knowing full well that I would have to make these to test them out on the cheeseburger-lovin' crew of dudes who live in my house. Now, I'm a Boston born-and-raised girl, and around here, the best burgers come from Mr.Bartley's Burgers in Harvard Square - in fact, I had never even heard of Shake Shack, but my sweet sister-in law who lived in NYC for years, testified that Shake Shack burgers are hands down, the best. Game on - It's a Boston-New York thing!

According to all the research I did (and who doesn't love researching a burger?), this iconic patty's properties are all about the meat and technique. Forget about packaged ground beef - if you have a food processor or meat grinder attachment on your stand mixer, sirloin steak tips and boneless short ribs are the way to go. As for handling the meat, the idea is to touch the meat as little as possible, keeping the texture intact to avoid a tough, dense patty. Interestingly, these burgers are meant to be cooked on a flat griddle or in a frying pan - not grilled. Lastly, you gotta have American cheese, special sauce and a soft bun - the finial touches that give these burgers their flavorful, juicy, chewy, tangy all-American tastiness.  Many thanks to blogs, momofukufor2.com and kimanddon.com for providing the recipes that helped me make these. Addendum: * I have just been made aware, after the fact, that Shake Shack uses YELLOW American cheese (not white as I used) and Martin's Potato Buns...and, that same reader tells me that Shake Shack also makes their burgers like hockey pucks, then smashes them down*  I don't know...I think a road trip might be in order.

Burger Sauce and Condiments

Shake Shack Cheeseburgers (Recipe Courtesy of kimanddon.com)

(Makes 4 burgers - but I doubled it)

10 ounces sirloin steak tips, cut into 1-inch chunks

6 ounces boneless beef short ribs, cut into 1-inch chunks

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

4 soft hamburger buns (don't use bulky rolls)

1/2 tsp. vegetable oil

4 slices American cheese

Thinly sliced onion

1. Place beef chunks on  baking sheet in a single layer, leaving 1/2 inch of space around each chunk. Freeze meat until very firm and starting to harden around the edges but still pliable, 15-25 minutes.
2. Place 1/2 meat in food processor and pulse until meat is coarsely ground, 10-15 pulses, stopping and redistributing meat around bowl as necessary to ensure beef is evenly ground. Transfer meat to baking sheet, overturning bowl and without directly touching meat. Repeat grinding with remaining meat. Spread meat over sheet and inspect carefully, discarding any long strands of gristle or large chunks of hard meat or fat.
3. Gently separate ground meat into 4 equal mounds. Without picking meat up, with your fingers gently shape each mound into loose patty 1/2-inch thick and 4-inches in diameter, leaving edges and surface ragged. Season top of each patty with salt and pepper. Using a spatula, flip patties and season other side. Refrigerate  while toasting buns.
4. Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter on flat griddle (or heavy-bottomed skillet) over medium heat until foaming. Add bun tops, cut-side down, and toast until light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining butter and bun bottoms. Side buns aside and while off griddle with paper towels.
5. Return griddle to high heat; add oil and heat until just smoking. Using spatula, transfer burgers to griddle and cook without moving for 3 minutes. Using spatula, flip burgers over and cook 1 minute. Top each patty with slice of cheese and continue to cook until cheese is melted, about 1 minute longer.
6. Transfer patties to bun bottoms and top with onion. Spread 2 teaspoons of burger sauce on each bun top. Cover burgers and serve immediately.

Burger Sauce (Recipe Courtesy of momofukufor2.com)

(Makes 3/4 cup sauce)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 Tbsp. ketchup

1 Tbsp. yellow mustard

4 slices kosher dill pickle (I used relish)

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. paprika

pinch cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in blender (or bowl if using relish). Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Final Assessment: Whoa! These were insanely good. I especially loved the texture of the patty. The flavor was quite different from the usual ground chuck I use to make burgers and I really like knowing exactly what's in the ground meat I'm cooking up. The technique yielded an unusually juicy, tender patty, with lots of flavor due to the double sided (liberal) seasoning of salt and pepper. I topped mine with onion and sauce, which gave the burger a tangy, full flavor. My husband added a slice of tomato and lettuce to his, for added crunch.  Although I'm not a fan of American cheese, I can't imagine having these burgers with anything else. And yes, the squishy, soft bun is an absolute must - do not even attempt to substitute a bulky roll. While I can't say that these were definitively better than Bartley's burgers,  they're crazy-good and I'd eat one - or two - any day.

(C) 2010-2011, What's Cooking in Your World?/ Sarah Commerford/All Rights Reserved 

Day 153! Samoa - Masi Samoa - Coconut Cookies - Up Next, San Marino

The credit for today's Samoan confection goes entirely to a wonderful blog I discovered while looking for recipes to represent the island country of Samoa. As so often happens, the foodie Goddess must have been hovering over my keyboard when I clicked on Panipopos' Kitchen, a blog devoted to Samoan cooking, recipes and culture. After spending an hour scrolling through a whole range incredible recipes and videos, I settled on Masi Samoa, Coconut Cookies -- partly because I love coconut, but also because they were described as simple street fare that would make my kitchen smell like Willy Wonka's cookie factory  while baking - so how could I resist!?

Located in the South Pacific Ocean, the Independent State of Samoa is made up of two main islands, Upolu and Savai'i, plus nine smaller ones. Long before European whalers and explorers discovered the islands, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji were considered Pacific Ocean superpowers. But starting in the 1700's, an influx of explorers and traders, as well as missionaries flooded the island, exploiting Samoa's cocoa reserves as well as imposing their religious beliefs on a people who worshiped Gods of the sun, earth, heaven and the sea. Despite the indigenous peoples' best efforts to fight to keep control of their land, the islands spent centuries being ruled by Germans until New Zealand took control  in 1918.  Not until 1962 did Samoa finally gain independence when a Friendship Treaty was signed with New Zealand, making Samoa the first country in the Pacific to become independent.

Owing to it's temperate tropical climate, Samoa has large plantations of bananas, taro, coconut and tropical fruits. Fresh seafood such as crayfish, snapper, mahi-mahi, octopus and tuna are abundant. Food is not generally spicy, but great attention to detail and enjoying meals together is part of the Samoan culture. For the best possible overview of Samoan cooking traditions as well as outstanding recipes, I highly recommend visiting Panipopos's Kitchen to further explore this beautiful country's bounty.

Masi Samoa - Samoan Coconut Cookies (Recipe Courtesy of Panipopos' Kitchen)
(Makes 24 cookies)

 butter, softened
 sugar
 eggs
 can coconut milk
 vanilla
 flour
 baking powder
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Grease or line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy.
Add eggs and beat well.
Add coconut milk and vanilla and beat until well blended.
Add flour and baking powder until it forms a dough.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead lightly, then roll dough out thinly (less than 1/4-inch thick)
Cut into 3x3-inch squares.

Transfer to the cookie sheet and bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Cool on a rack.

Optional: spread with jam

Final Assessment: I love these cookies! They're easy to make, as rich as shortbread, and have a heavenly, delicate coconut flavor and scent. My kids had them for breakfast right out of the oven. I think I should have let them brown a little more, so next time I make these (and there will be a next time), I'll leave them in the oven a tad longer. And, yes, my house definitely smelled like Willy Wonka's Cookie Factory!

(C) 2010-2011, What's Cooking in Your World?/ Sarah Commerford/All Rights Reserved