Italian ricotta cake with stawberry sauce

This ricotta cake recipe comes from Chef Paolo Labao whose cooking class I attended in September at Arte Italia in Reno. He calles it a cake, but I consider it more of a tarte. It is simple, delicately sweet and goes well at an end of a heavy meal. If you want to sample the Chef's fare for yourself, you can visit his
restaurant Farina in San Francisco.

Ricotta cake

300gr/10.5 oz OO flour

200gr/7 oz butter

1 egg

100gr/3.5 oz sugar

pinch baking powder

lemon zest from one lemon

Using two fingers, mix above ingredients together (do not over mix)

Line a spring form pan with parchment paper

Push dough into pan to form crust

320gr/11.2 oz sheep’s ricotta

120gr/4.2 oz sugar

lemon zest from one lemon

½ tsp vanilla

2 egg yolks

1 whole egg

Mix together until thoroughly blended

Pour into crust

Bake at 360º for ½ an hour

2 C sliced strawberries

1 Tbls powdered sugar

½ Tbls lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a blender

Blend on slow then high till smooth

Strain through fine sieve strainer

To plate:

Put a couple of Tbls of sauce on plate, place a slice of cake on plate, sprinkle powdered sugar over top  

Genovese-style swordfish with truffle

Saltimbocca di Pesce Spada con Speck, Salvia al Tartufo Nero

(Swordfish wrapped with sage, truffle & speck)

Once again must thank Chef Paolo Laboa and Arte Italia for these wonderful recipes.  Often called the steak of the sea, swordfish is a versatile tasty treat and when you prepare it in this classic Italian style you can’t go wrong.  Of course you will need a great dessert, so stay tuned for a post on a delicious and light ricotta cake.

Carrots

Celery

Onion

(above all large diced approx 1 ½ C of each)

1 bay leaf

1 medium sprig sage

1 Tbls chopped garlic

2 Tbls olive oil

5-6 oz piece of veal or veal bones

2 Tbls flour

1 C white wine

In an oven safe sauce pot add carrots, celery, onion, bay leaf, sage, garlic and olive oil.

Caramelize then add a piece of veal and cook for approx 10 min on medium high heat.

Stir in flour then deglaze with white wine.

Transfer to 375º oven, cook till dark in color.

Remove from oven, add water to cover then reduce down on stove top till thick and dark in color, strain set aside.

Veal piece may be reserved and used in another dish; ravioli, pasta, soups

Truffles like these can cost hundreds of dollars an ounce,
but cans of shaved truffle can be found at much lower prices.

4 to 6 oz swordfish filets

Black truffle, shaved

Sage leaves

Salt

Thin sliced speck (similar to prosciutto but smoked and herbed)

olive oil

butter

white wine

layer on fish: truffle, sage, a little salt, wrap with speck flap on bottom

Fish pieces with truffle and sage before being wrapped in speck

Heat a large sauté pan with 2 Tbls oil, 1 Tbls butter and 3 sage leaves till butter begins to brown.

Add fish with flap side down.

Once pan is warm again, deglaze with white wine.

Cook fish to medium–it cooks fast.

Boil fingerling potatoes (quantity dependent upon amount wanted) in salted water till soft or able to pierce with a fork.

Drain, add finely chopped sage, salt (to taste), olive oil (approx ½ Tbls per 1 C potatoes) and mash lightly (do not over mash).

To plate:

scoop of potatoes on plate, lay fish on top grate truffle on top of fish, drizzle veal sauce around fish