Recipes
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Ricotta, Peach Tart with a Cornmeal Crust
With a half carton of ricotta left from last night's dinner I started thinking, 'Dessert!'! Here is the recipe I (Blair) came up with this afternoon (again, we are a family of 3, so this could be a smallish dessert for 6, a hearty dessert for 4, or a GENEROUS dessert for 2. We had leftovers (though the night is not over). I used an 8" tart pan with a removable bottom, but one could just as easily make this on a cookie sheet. Just roll the dough into a circle before blind-baking.
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In a medium bowl, mix above ingredients by hand or with a mixer until smooth (1-2 min). Cover and refrigerate while prepping the other ingredients. For the tart crust: (preheat oven to 400 degrees)
In a food processor (or with a pastry blender) combine ingredients until granular (12 pulses or so). Add 2 to 2 1/2 Tbsp water to hold dough together. Roll into a ball, place between two pieces of plastic wrap and flatten with rolling pin into 9" (approx) circle. Refrigerate 20 min or more. Place in tart pan (or, if on a cookie sheet, shape the dough to have a small rim), prick with a fork, and blind-bake in the lower half of a 400 degree oven 10-12 min, or until the dough looks "done" (dry and not shiny, but not browned). Allow to cool-I quick-cooled in fridge and freezer.
To assemble:
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup cornmeal
- 1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
- pinch of salt
In a food processor (or with a pastry blender) combine ingredients until granular (12 pulses or so). Add 2 to 2 1/2 Tbsp water to hold dough together. Roll into a ball, place between two pieces of plastic wrap and flatten with rolling pin into 9" (approx) circle. Refrigerate 20 min or more. Place in tart pan (or, if on a cookie sheet, shape the dough to have a small rim), prick with a fork, and blind-bake in the lower half of a 400 degree oven 10-12 min, or until the dough looks "done" (dry and not shiny, but not browned). Allow to cool-I quick-cooled in fridge and freezer.
To assemble:
- Spread ricotta mixture into cooled tart crust (the crust doesn't have to be freezing cold, just not oven-warm).
- Skin peach (blanch it, then shock it) and slice thinly, just before you are ready to serve. Arrange peach slices in concentric circle, and sprinkle with a bit of sugar (this will add shine, sweetness and preserve color).
- This is a subtly sweet dish, and could certainly be made more sweet with the addition of more sugar at any stage. Take it to another level by adding liquor to the peaches before placing on the tart (or by drizzling it on just before serving). Yum! We might just have to make this again!
Moon Hill Polenta
In a medium saucepan, bring three cups of water to a boil, add one cup dry polenta and turn heat down to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes until the water is absorbed. Turn heat to the lowest setting and stir in about 8 ounces (1/2 a carton) of Moon Hill Dairy's whole milk Ricotta, stir until the polenta is creamy and the ricotta is incorporated. Add a pinch of dry basil and salt and pepper to taste.
For the roasted cherry tomatoes, mix together 2 cartons rinsed cherry tomatoes, olive oil to cover, salt, cracked pepper and powdered garlic (fresh garlic tends to overcook in this cooking method). Place in a pre-heated 325 degree oven and roast for 45 min-or until the tomatoes start to sizzle, shrink and caramelize a bit. Stir or shake the pan twice as they roast. Another method if you haven't got much time is to roast them at a higher temp for a shorter time-keep an eye on them though; or if you've got all day, slow roast them at 275 degrees for a couple of hours (they will be like candy!).
We like to serve this as a main course (we are a family of three), topping the polenta with the tomatoes and a drizzle of olive oil, with a large arugula salad on the side, or a large side of sautéed kale. It could serve 4 - 6 as a side dish with meat or another hearty side.
In a medium saucepan, bring three cups of water to a boil, add one cup dry polenta and turn heat down to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes until the water is absorbed. Turn heat to the lowest setting and stir in about 8 ounces (1/2 a carton) of Moon Hill Dairy's whole milk Ricotta, stir until the polenta is creamy and the ricotta is incorporated. Add a pinch of dry basil and salt and pepper to taste.
For the roasted cherry tomatoes, mix together 2 cartons rinsed cherry tomatoes, olive oil to cover, salt, cracked pepper and powdered garlic (fresh garlic tends to overcook in this cooking method). Place in a pre-heated 325 degree oven and roast for 45 min-or until the tomatoes start to sizzle, shrink and caramelize a bit. Stir or shake the pan twice as they roast. Another method if you haven't got much time is to roast them at a higher temp for a shorter time-keep an eye on them though; or if you've got all day, slow roast them at 275 degrees for a couple of hours (they will be like candy!).
We like to serve this as a main course (we are a family of three), topping the polenta with the tomatoes and a drizzle of olive oil, with a large arugula salad on the side, or a large side of sautéed kale. It could serve 4 - 6 as a side dish with meat or another hearty side.
Ricotta Gnocchi
This is one of our families favorite quick and easy dinners. You can make a double or triple or batch and freeze part, for a quicker dinner down the road.
Using the best ingredients is going to yield the highest quality end product. I feel our dairy products have the highest levels of micro nutrients you will find. This is because of the high mountain runoff we irrigate with, which replenishes the soils micro-nutrients. These micro nutrients are then passed on to you through our products.
(http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/126942/ricotta-gnocchi/… )
This is one of our families favorite quick and easy dinners. You can make a double or triple or batch and freeze part, for a quicker dinner down the road.
Using the best ingredients is going to yield the highest quality end product. I feel our dairy products have the highest levels of micro nutrients you will find. This is because of the high mountain runoff we irrigate with, which replenishes the soils micro-nutrients. These micro nutrients are then passed on to you through our products.
(http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/126942/ricotta-gnocchi/… )