After my first comment on eatstuff, Clare thought it was time to get off my lazy bum and do my first full post aswell. So here I go with a ricotta and fruit tart Clare and I made to try and recreate a summer feeling in our unheated dining room.
This recipe was really quick and easy, so even computer nerds like me can make it. You kind of need really fresh fruit and ricotta cheese, but you can use packet sweet short crust, like we did here. You really *should* make your own pastry, instead of being lazy like us; it will definately taste better. The fresher the fruit the better, and get fresh Ricotta from the deli. If you use packet Ricotta from the supermarket I will come over to your house and set fire to your kitchen, and that's AFTER you suffered the pain of eating a crappy tart.
Ricotta base for on top of pastry shell
300g *fresh* Ricotta
1 tablespoon honey
*some* orange juice and half an orange worth of rind
Just whip this lot until it looks like whipped cream, adding orange juice while you whip to control the texture you want. Smooth into a pre-baked pastry tart shell and add the fresh fruit that you like. We added Strawberries, navel Orange (nice and sweet), and pasionfruit that we got off our neighbour's overgrown vine.
So go make one now, and if you are "Up Above" enjoy fruit in your summer, while we freeze our bums off "Down Under"
34 comments:
Hey Casey,
Saw your post and thought I'd reply, so you've been finally been dragged into the kitchen, about time you got to have a go, looks good better than the lamingtons we had the other day..
If you get the chance you should do a surfers breaky.
have a good one
Chris
Posted by chris
hi casey and clare !!
wow didn't know casey could cook. you need to teach Richard some stuff :) hope you guys are doing well. we have a bag of american candy (mini butterfingers, babe ruths, almond joys etc) for you if you would be curious to try it. hope we can meet up again soon !!
sorry been too busy to blog :( take care will show you photos of our trip when we can. We got to try some awesome mexican food in New Mexico mmmm
Posted by Rachel
Hi Rachel,
yummy mexican! I am soooo jealous. Clare and I like the authentic mexican stuff. We may have to do some in our new oven, after the poll winning item of course :)
Btter not tell Clare about the candy, she'll be on a plane to get some more 5 mins after trying it. I wonder how long it will be before she notices this comment :P
Posted by casey eats
hi clare & casey, your collaborative effort looks terrific! can't wait to see what you'll get up to with the new oven in place :) cheers,j
Posted by J
Hi Casey,
I enjoyed your first post! LOL I am still laughing right now as I type. The tart looks wonderful! You both did a wonderful job on the tart. *wink* *snicker* OK hauling brain out of the gutter. The tart look so good I will have to make it soon, and thank you for the recipe!
Posted by mIlgwimper
::ahem:: I'm certainly glad all the rest of you are thrilled, but it seems to me that there was a vote taken regarding the FIRST baked item to be produced in said oven? So? Where is it my dear girl?
Mexican huh? New Mexico has awesome food. Did you get to try "Indian Fry Bread"? If you want some of my recipe... wait, you have all of my recipes huh? Never mind! ::wanders away to read the rest of the comments to see if there is any word on the vote count::
Posted by Jo
Casey,
Did you make a premade prebaked crust, or did you bake it yourself?
Jo,
If they baked the crust in the oven, but inm fact did not make the crust, then they are absolved from any crime. Because it is a premade crust it was a test run for the oven, I mean we would be horrified if the voted dessert and spinach lasagne *wink wink* burnt to a cinder right??? OK I need to take a nap and clean some house because I am babbling! Darn lawyer shows!
Posted by mIlgwimper
Hi Jo
The oven is Not in I repeat the new oven is not in yet! So there was no crime commited here :P
Hi Rachel
Ohh candy!!!!!
Hi Milly
Casey is silly lol :)
Posted by clare eats
Hi Casey! Nice to see your first post - looks tasty!
I hope Essendon does well this weekend. (Clare told me you're a fan!) I have given up on the Lions' finals hopes for this year, so no excuse for a trip to Melbourne in September :(
Posted by Kelly
hi casey and clare
the tart looks yummy. Am waiting for baklava from the new oven and yeah, stories about your trip.
Posted by boo_licious
So this was a little tease to fool us into believing the new oven was in? Just to cause an uprising??? Ha! So did baklava win????
Posted by Kirk
Hi guys,
The tart crust was a purchased sweet short crust pastry and we baked it in the tricky "oven of infinite sadness" with no thermostat. Our new oven does not go in until tommorow.... when the vote results will dictate the golden item of goodness.
Hi kelly,
Yep, it's too late for the bombers in the AFL football this year, but I still look forward to next year when new skilled young players like Andrew Lovett start to shine :)
Posted by casey eats
Great Tart!
Posted by Joe @ Culinary in the Desert
hi jo yes got to try fry bread we bought at a bake sale. We went along to my friends church in Belen, half an hour south of Albuquerque. It was really nice although we didnt have it warmed with honey which, I am told, makes it taste nicer. YES recipe please :D
Posted by rachel
OH yum Rachel! And it is SO easy...
Indian Fry Bread
ga-do di-gv-tsa-la-nv-hi a-yv-wi-ya
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add warm water in small amounts and knead dough until soft but not sticky. Adjust flour or water as needed. Cover bowl and let stand about 15 minutes.
Pull off large egg-sized balls of dough and roll out into fairly thin rounds. Fry rounds in hot oil until bubbles appear on the dough, turn over and fry on the other side until golden.
Serve hot. Try brushing on honey, or making into an Indian Taco.
You know something else this is awesome for? I substitute it for pita bread and put in scrambled meat seasoned with Persian or Greek style herbs and spices then top with a salad of cubed tomato & cucumber mixed with tzatziki (spelling?) sauce.
When you use honey, try to use a localy produced, early spring honey. The flavors are much more complimentary than a late harvest honey or store bought honey.
Posted by Jo
Rachel,
Try putting real maple syrup on the fry bread. it's better than Honey in my opnion. But it has to be grade A dark amber or grade B. I want fry bread.
Jo,
Sorry Jo, but I love it with honey too, but maple...*heavenly sigh*
Posted by mIlgwimper
Clare, amy and I have some exciting news. I't not done yet, but hmmm what is different about my name???
Posted by Cara
clare i'm using you right now to test my blog link
Posted by Cara
Hi J
That is so sweet thankyou!
Hi Boo
I know I am sorry, it is taking me ages to sort out the photos! But the post is in progress I promise
Hi Kirk
Nope it was cookies, but only by 1 vote!
Hi Joe
Thanks!!
Hi Rach and Jo
That is a nice little recipe swap you have going on there!
Hi Cara
Very exciting news! wohoo!
Posted by clare eats
Rachel, you have my official permission to use whatever you want on your fry bread! ::rolls eyes at Mills:: Meanwhile, I think I need to check on my maple syrup supply and make some fry bread for Mills. Trust me, a happy Mills is a very good thing!
Congrats Cara!
Posted by Jo
Case..dude!
Did you take the picture too? heh!
Posted by Reid
Hi Jo
You know I might have to make it too, but buy some maple syrup first!
Hi Reid
Don't get too carried away! :P
Posted by clare eats
Love the tart, and I'm enjoying reading Casey's Eat Stuff debut as well!!
Posted by Amy
lol
Pity about the cheese though ;) sigh... sorry about that!
But nice and healthy for the kiddies :)
Posted by clare eats
jo,
thanks for that super recipe as well as adding the native name ! will have to try it one weekend and thats a really good idea with the savoury usage too.
milgwimper ... hmm yet another excuse to sop up maple syrup!!! Its hard to get *real* maple syrup in oz but I was also lucky to acquire 500 mls from canada during this trip !!yahoo!! any other recipe ideas for maple syrup usage?
Posted by Rachel
YEA! Tilt head back, open mouth, pour!
Actually, I use it for carmel corn
Have a couple batches of air popped corn in a large metal bowl ready to the side. Pop the corn into one container then lift it into the metal bowl. This eliminates any unpopped kernals which could damage ones teeth.
1 stick / 1/2 cup / 1/4 lb - butter
1 cup white or brown sugar
1 to 2 cups nuts (we use pecans & it's best if they are lightly toasted)
1/2 to 3/4 cup syrup
I don't normally measure things, just throw it together.
In a heavy, medium sized pot, slowly melt butter. Add sugar and increase heat to medium and begin to stir constantly. When it's bubbling hard (about 5 minutes) add nuts. Continue stirring until a wonderful toasted nut smell is rising out of the pot. Take this smell as far as you can to just before scorching. Slowly pour in syrup being very careful because you will have a violent reaction in the pot, keep stirring to prevent boil over. Continue cooking and stirring until you are back to a normal boil and cook for another minute or 2. Pour over popcorn. With a long handled spoon stir and toss to coat and cool. I spend at least 5 minutes doing this or untill someone decides the smell makes it worth burning the daylights out of his tongue!
This has been a family favorite for a LONG time and it works with the fakey pancake syrup but real maple is SO much better! Especially when you use pecans. I like peanuts with this also, use roasted, unsalted nuts. I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of the fry bread! It really is a snap to make!
Posted by Jo
Clare this recipe was given to me by a friend, and the bars are really good. These are a little sweet, but go down well with tea or cold milk.
Frosted Maple Walnut Bars
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup pure maple syrup, preferably Grade B
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup rough chopped walnuts
1 batch Maple Walnut Icing (see below)
1. Prepare a 9- or 10-inch square or round baking pan with shortening and flour. I like to line the bottom with wax paper or parchment paper to be sure it comes out cleanly. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, mix the flour and baking soda together and set aside.
3. In your mixer bowl, beat the brown sugar and butter to form a paste, scrape the sides and then add the maple syrup, the egg and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth. This usually takes several minutes.
4. Add the dry ingredients all at once and stir in the nuts. Mix only until the flour is combined. Pour into the prepared baking pan and bake until the center tests done, this will take over 20 minutes.
Remember the time will change for different size pans, be sure that you write on your recipe what size pan you used and how long you baked it!! You can touch it, it will be firm and lightly golden brown, and the tip of a knife or a toothpick will come clean.
5. Cool about 10 minutes, then turn the whole thing out onto a cooling rack and then re-invert so the top is facing up. If you used a piece of wax/parchment paper, peel it off before re-inverting it.
6. Cool completely and then top with the icing.
Spread on the bars evenly and refrigerate the bars before cutting.
If you like, place a walnut piece on top of each piece, or sprinkle the top with finely chopped walnuts.
To cut evenly it's much easier if the icing is firm. I like to use one motion through the whole width of the bar.
I gently mark the lines to cut and then lay the knife against the mark and push through the whole bar.
It makes a nicer cut.
If the icing loosens before you are done, just pop back into the fridge to firm it up!
7. Store the bars in a air-tight container, in the refrigerator, if frosted. The yield depends on how large or small you cut the bar. I usually cut them 8x3-inches for 24 bars.
MAPLE WALNUT FROSTING:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup (maybe a little more) powdered sugar
Chopped walnuts for garnish if desired
1. In a bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
2. Add the brown sugar and maple syrup and beat until smooth. Beat about 2-3 minutes to help cream the brown sugar and remove any grittiness.
3. Slowly add the powdered sugar until thick. If it is a thin mixture, add a little more powdered sugar. Correct with more maple syrup if it becomes too thick.
4. Refrigerate frosting.
Posted by mIlgwimper
Clare,
I meant to send this via email, but made a boo boo. I was too busy talking and I pasted this here. This recipe is not mine, and I have no idea who's recipe this is.
So whomever this recipe it is, thank you, and I am so sorry if you did not want the recipe put online.
Hey Milly
those bars sound so good! We can only get "maple syrup" no grades that i know of :(
Posted by clare eats
Clare,
The grade B is just the darker maple syrup. It has a stranger taste. You can use the regular syrup that you have. The bars are really good, with tea or coffee. :D
Posted by mIlgwimper
Hi Milly
I will ust have to tell casey that I am making him pancakes ;) then make the bars... what do you think?
Posted by clare eats
wow milg those bars sound yummy. I have officially decided next weekend will be my make fry bread and maple bar weekend ..... this weekend though I will be cooking Singapore food for my friends here in the country. I will be making traditional hokkien mee, chilli seafood (adaptation of chilli crabs as there are no crabs to be found here 300 kms from the ocean in a small country town), satay chicken skewers and nasi lemak (coconut rice).So I will be pretty busy this weekend in the kitchen :) hope everyone else has a good weekend !
Posted by Rachel
Wow! Rachel
that sounds H U G E!!!!!
make sure you take lots of photos ;) how about a guest blogging spot?
hope u guys are well :)
Posted by clare eats
Previous post of mine...
Stranger = stronger
Clare,
You have a devious mind and I like you! LOL
Rachel,
*blink* *blink* You will take photo's right?! You will have to tell us about it all the singaporean food, and the fry bread and maple bars. :D
Posted by mIlgwimper
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