Ricotta Gnudi with Brown Butter and Burned Sage Recipe

Last week I made ricotta for the first time, and nearly fell over when I realised how simple it is! Since then I’ve been putting my homemade cheese through its paces. Eating it on pizza with caramelised onions, swirling into tomato based pasta, and making gnudi...

I first tasted gnudi in November 2011 at the Alesbury in Melbourne. Quite frankly I was taken aback. The dish brought an immediate tear to my eye, as I mentioned in a post around this time. And it wasn’t just me, Kate, a friend who was sharing the dish also shed a tear out of pure delight for the taste of this light, fluffy pillow of ricotta, enriched with parmesan and lemon and served with olive oil, ground black pepper and green beans.

I have to confess, at the time, although I wanted to run into the kitchen and kiss the chef, I hadn’t even considered that he or she also probably made the ricotta. Given making ricotta takes only a few minutes, it seems obvious now. 

Before embarking on making gnudi with my own ricotta, I did a little research. Gnudi means naked in Italian and gnudi are described by some as ravioli filling without the pasta. If you avoid carbs (I don’t) this is good news. They look like gnocchi in shape and form. But the truth is gnudi are much more than that ricotta filling or gnocchi. Done well they are cloudlike, but also rich and perfectly contained in a crisp outer shell that oozes ricotta when one bites into it. 

Gnudi were made quite famous in 2008 by the Spotted Pig in New York City, subsequently doing the round of the food blogs. It took me until 2011 to taste them and 2012 to actually make them, but the wait was worth it. Gnudi make a delightful dish, that’s sophistication belies its simplicity. They can also be made ahead, and in fact are better made three days ahead, allowing the outer “shell” to sure in the refrigerator, and allowing them to be boiled without risk of crumbling.

I followed a basic recipe by Z Tasty Lifestyle, making a few tweaks as I went. Here’s the recipe:

Recipe

500gms fresh ricotta (http://www.segur-le-chateau.blogspot.com/2012/02/homemade-ricotta-cheese-recipe.html)

1/2 cup finely grated parmegiano-reggiano

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 cups semolina flour

4 tablespoons butter

Small bunch of sage

Step One: Mix the ricotta, parmigiano and lemon juice in a bowl and season

.

Step Two: Line a plate with half of the semolina. 

Step Three: Using two teaspoons spoon out the ricotta and shape into small gnocchi shaped dumplings. Drop into the semolina flour. Once you’ve formed all of the gnudi, that is used all of the ricotta, cover the gnudi with the remaining semolina. Refrigerate for between 1 and 3 days, the longer the better.  

Step Four: Heat a pan and brown the butter. While the butter is browning, fry off the sage leaves in it and drain them on a paper towel.  

Step Five: Boil a small pot of salted water and gently drop in the gnudi. They’ll sink at first, but will float after a few minutes, indicating they are cooked. Gently remove the gnudi, drain them and place them on a plate. Top with the fried sage and finish with the browned butter. 

Et voila, enjoy!  

An invitation to Segur le Chateau.....

Through the dark French winter, two Swedish friends (Vicky and Charlie) and I have been dreaming up a sun-filled celebration to welcome summer. We’ve hatched a plan to celebrate the summer solstice in Segur le Chateau, ushering in the warmer months to come in style with a mid-summer soiree. There’ll be drinks, dancing, frivolity, wild costumes, fabulous people, incredible food, laughter and a few surprises. The best news - you are invited!

We are very lucky to have secured perhaps the most stunning home in Segur le Chateau as the venue for the event. Featured in Interiors of the World, and Le secret intérieurs du Limousin, the very private La Chedal will be opening its doors exclusively for us.

The breathtaking lush green gardens filled with contemporary sculptures, ancient trees, a fairy-tale-esque treehouse, and fabulous view of Segur le Chateau, will be the location for a cocktail reception, followed by dinner. Later into the evening the spectacular glass-sided barn will play host to live entertainment, a DJ and charity auction.   

We’re raising money for two causes, one local and one international. The first is the beautification of Segur le Chateau. As many of you know the condition of Segur is very close to my heart. Listed as one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (one of the most beautiful villages in France), Segur is also quite run-down and indeed of some investment in conservation and preservation. Beauty requires investment and a little bit of maintenance. Vicky, Charlie and I are currently discussing specifics of projects with the village officials for concrete options. The second cause is Animals Asia Foundation, a charity devoted to the welfare of wild and urban animals in Asia, as well as the conservation of endangered species.    

If you would like further information or tickets, please drop me a line at melanieinsegur@gmail.com, or post a comment below.  

We look forward to seeing some of you in Segur le Chateau.

Homemade Ricotta Cheese Recipe

Today, for the first time, I made ricotta cheese. That’s right, from scratch. Sounds a little fancy for a Wednesday afternoon activity doesn’t it? But as it turns out, making ricotta is about as simple as making porridge. It involves stirring two ingredients, followed by straining. Et voila! No more. A monkey could probably do it. 

The inspiration for making ricotta was derived from my recently purchased copy of Mark Bittman’s book How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. It’s a book I came into contact with when staying with my friend Alice in Munich. At first I was slightly disturbed – it doesn’t include any pictures. I’m a visual creature and most of my cookbooks are filled with mouth-watering images of dishes. I soon realised however that Bittman’s tome is akin to an encyclopaedia covering everything from making bread, to pasta, and (to my surprise) cheese. I bought a copy as soon as I could, and have been reading it for the last couple of weeks.    

Ricotta is a huge part of Italian cuisine, and Italian cuisine is very influential in Australia. Partly because of this, and partly because at the age of thirteen I promptly announced I was a vegetarian, spinach and ricotta cannelloni was on weekly rotation at my house. We used store bought ricotta, and until I read Bittman’s book, I had not actually considered making fresh cheese.  

Traditionally ricotta can be made with sheep, goat, cow, or buffalo milk, but most store bought varieties are made of cow’s milk. It’s also technically a curd, as opposed to a cheese, as it’s made from whey. In Segur le Chateau, our petit epcierie sells local fresh goat’s cheese, which I now realise may be made in a similar way to ricotta. I need to look into that!

Ricotta takes on the taste of the milk that it is made with, so it’s wise to source milk that is as fresh as possible. I asked Kristoph if he’d consider buying me a cow and milking it. He declined. We agreed we’d keep our ear out for fresh milk sources from nearby farms. In the meantime I settled with an organic, whole, cow’s milk.  

Here’s the very simple recipe:

Recipe:

Note – you will need some muslin or cheesecloth to use for straining.

2L whole milk

2 cups buttermilk

Sea salt

Step 1: On a medium to high setting, heat the milk in a heavy bottom pot for 10-15 minutes until the milk bubbles up the sides. Stir it occasionally to prevent the milk from scorching.  

Step 2: Add the buttermilk to the boiling milk and stir. Like magic the curds will separate from the whey. Once separated remove from the heat and stir in a pinch of sea salt.

  

Step 3: Strain the mixture through a muslin cloth over a strainer. The curds will collect at the bottom and the whey will drain off. Leave for between 30 and 60 minutes depending on how dry you would like the ricotta. The longer you leave it the drier it will become. 

Step 4: Eat right away, or scoop into a sealed container and refrigerate. Use wthin 3-4 days. 

 

So this week I am focusing on developing my ricotta making skills, and experimenting with ricotta-based recipes. In  the next couple of days I’ll be posting on my take on ricotta gnudi with sage and brown butter, and then moving on to baked ricotta.

Do you have any favourite ricotta-based dishes? If so, please do let me know in the comments box below. I’d love to read your ideas, and to try more savoury and sweet ricotta dishes.

Simple and Scrumptious Clementine Marmalade Recipe

  

Preserving has been on my “to-do” list for a while. I’ve made one or two chutneys, one of which I blogged about, but only in small batches. These were eaten fairly quickly though, with none actually preserved. I’ve yet to immerse myself in preserving techniques, like smoking, pickling, drying, sugaring. All seem intriguing, but also slightly intimidating, given I’ve never made a jam or a marmalade. What is pectin anyway?

Inspired however, by a recent post on Crackers blog, specifically by the pictures of their fabulous cellar shelves, filled with lovely looking things in an array of colours and textures, I committed to make an effort. An effort towards developing some preserving skills. And eventually to filling our cellar with homemade goodies, that we can draw upon throughout the year. Sounds appealing, right? So is the prospect of making large batches – enough to eat now, later, and to share with others, and give as gifts. 

I was thrilled when Kristoph’s mother arrived to visit us a couple of days ago, carrying under her arm a preserving pan for me. Keen to encourage my love of culinary pursuits, she declared a preserving pan is an essential tool of any cook’s trade. Lucky me!

Aiming to take advantage of her skills and experience, Chris quickly popped out for clementines, and we set about making Clementine marmalade. The process was simpler than I had imagined and brought the most incredible sweet and fresh fruity fragrance to our kitchen. I’m not sure I’ll ever buy a scented candle again, the fragrance of bubbling clementines is far more appealing, and the fragrance is only a by-product. The 

Clementine marmalade is also fabulous.

I have to confess, I am very proud of my five jars of Clementine marmalade. Kristoph smeared it on toast warm and declared it to be light, refreshing, and left his mouth believing it might soon be summer (we can only hope!). It's lovely swirled into yoghurt or porridge, and also pairs excellently with ripe brie and other soft cheeses.

I used a basic Clementine and liqueur recipe from Preserves by Catherine Atkinson and Maggie Mayhew, leaving out the liqueur. Here’s the recipe.

Recipe

Although it is simple, there are few things you need to think about in advance. I now own a preserving pan, so I used this. But, you could also use a large saucepan with a heavy bottom. A sugar thermometer is also useful for checking the temperature of the marmalade, but I’ve provided an alternative method for testing this. You’ll also need five or six sterilised medium sized jars, and some muslin. You can buy it at cooks shops, or in any fabric store. You will also need wax discs to seal your jars.   

1kg clementines (washed with the tops/stalks removed)

Juice and seeds of two lemons

900 ml water

900 grams white sugar

Step One: Slice the Clementines thinly and place in the preserving pan, reserving the pips. Keep in mind the chunkier the slices, the chunkier the marmalade. Place the lemon and Clementine pips in a muslin bag, and tie it to the pan handle, dangling it into the fruit. 

 

Step Two: Add the lemon juice and water to the pan and bring it to the boil. One boiling turn the hob down so that the mixture is simmering. Simmer for between 1 and 1.5 hours, or until the rind is tender. Once it is remove the muslin bag, cool it, and then squeeze the contents into the pan. 

Step Three: Over a low heat, stir in the sugar. Once the sugar is fully disolved bring the mixture to the boil. Cook the jam to setting point. This will take between 5-10 minutes. If you have a sugar thermometer drop it in. Setting point is 105C. If you do not have a thermometer you can also determine setting point by spooning out a small amount of the marmalade and dropping it on a saucer. If you see a skin forming on the top of the marmalade, you know the setting point has been reached.  

 

Step Four: Remove the pan from the heat and cool for 5 minutes. Pour into warm steralised jars. The jars must be warm or they may crack. Seal the jars with wax discs, wax side down. Label and then store once the jars have cooled. The marmalade will keep for one year, so be sure to date the jars when you label them. 

Enjoy on toast, as we have been doing, or any way you like it!

Any preserve ideas, favorite flavour combinations? Please leave me comments, questions, and requests below, I would love to hear from you! Thanks for reading.

Chinese Jiao Zi - mushroom and tofu dumpling recipe

 
A long time ago, Confucius asked “is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters?”

For me, there are few greater delights. Sharing time, meals and adventures with friends from distant lands is always joyful. The great changes that happen in our respective lives pale in comparison to the things about us that never change. I find comfort in that.  

This is a post about one of my dear friends’ favourite foods, jiao zi (Chinese dumplings). Lao Xia is from China, and I received news recently that he is quite ill, and for the foreseeable future will be undergoing serious medical treatment. The news of his condition shocked me. Just a month before we’d spent time together in Bali, and he was fit and well, with his characteristic joie de vivre. It’s at these times the stark reality of geographical distance between friends hits one like a plank of wood to the back of a head. The news left me sad, stunned and feeling helpless.

After much pondering, I decided perhaps there was something I could do, to let Lao Xia know we are thinking of him, and hoping for his recovery. So I gathered some of his London-based friends and cooked one of his favourite meals, jiao zi. We toasted his good health with Tsing Tao, and sent him the best vibes possible for his impending surgery.

I learned to make these dumplings in 2003, when I was posted to Datong, in western China, on an environmental project. It was an isolating experience. I was one of only two expatriates in the city. My Chinese was rudimentary at best. For the first couple of months, my project was unable to convince the Chinese authorities to rent me an apartment, and as the only available alternative, I was placed with a host family. With little to do on the weekends, I embraced my Chinese family life, which meant making, and eating, jiao zi.         

Jiao zi are folded differently across China. The style I use is Shaanxi style, because that’s where I lived, and the way I was taught. But all provinces and many regions have their own individual folding styles. When I show my folding style to Chinese friends they are quick to remark that I must be from Shaanxi. Families also often have their own favourite fillings, combinations of ground meat and vegetables. The recipe below is vegetarian and is mushroom and tofu based.

Jiao zi are comfort food, peasant food, fast food, and can be eaten as part of breakfast, lunch of dinner. I like to make them a large batch, serve them for dinner, and then freeze the rest in meal sized portions. They do well being pulled from the freezer, and dropped directly into the steamer. Following the steaming you can also pay fry them for a golden, crispy edge.

Some of the ingredients may not be found in your local supermarket. If this is the case, find your closest Chinese supermarket – I have no doubt you’ll find everything you need, and some other things that are completely foreign, but look delicious enough to bring home anyway.

Here’s the recipe (makes 60 dumplings):

Recipe

60 dumpling wrappers at room temperature (shui jiao pi, ask your Chinese grocer)
 

For filling
400 grams firm tofu (cut into 0.5cm cubes)
1 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
1/2 cup dried black fungus
1 cup mung bean sprouts
5 spring onions , chopped finely
2 tea spoons ginger, minced
5 garlic cloves , minced
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
Dash of sesame oil
 

To serve
Chinese brown vinegar
Chinese chopped chilli and peanuts 

Step One:  In a saucepan of boiling water, revive the mushrooms. With the remaining water, blanch the mung beans.

Step Two: In a large bowl mix all the filling ingredients.  Mix well with a large spoon.

Step Three, the fun bit: Place a small quantity (about a tea spoon) of this mixture in each dumpling wrapper. Pinch the sides together. You will probably find the wrappers quite floury, so a glass of water to dip your fingers in helps, the wrappers stay together. Stack on a plate.

Step Four: Boil a saucepan of water and add dumplings (6 or 7 at a time), into the boiling water. When they float, they are cooked. Scoop out the cooked dumplings and add another batch. You can eat them boiled, or move on to step five below.

Step Five: In a frying pan or wok, heat some sesame oil. Once the oil is hot pan fry the dumplings on each side. When you see them turn a lovely golden brown and this indicates they are ready.

Serve with small bowls of the chilli and vinegar. Enjoy!

All photos of this meal were taken by Asheline Appleton, friend of Lao Xia’s an fabulous photographer. You can see more of her work here.

Winter Warmer – Dark hot chocolate with star anise recipe

In 1796 Geronimo Piperni  said the "chocolate is a divine, celestial drink, the sweat of the stars, the vital seed, divine nectar, the drink of the gods, panacea and universal medicine."

As I read this quote between sips of bitter hot chocolate infused with star anise, I feel strongly that I’ve never agreed with any statement more. In this frozen land of Europe, there is no drink with the power to warm me more, or to bring a broader smile to my face.

I can’t help but close my eyes with each sip, allowing the full effect of this divine nectar to pass over me, and through me. Carefully tasting it as it moves from my mouth, and then makes its way slowly, and gently into my stomach, where it sets to work on relaxing and warming my chilly body. 

The temperature here has been well below freezing for days. Inside the house we’re cosy and comfortable, but leaving for any activity requires layers and layers of insulation. Hat, scarf, mittens, coat, two pairs of socks, sheepskin lining in my boots, and finally (and ironically) sunglasses, because it is so incredibly bright at the moment. While such accoutrements were a welcome novelty a few days ago, that novelty has sadly, and fairly quickly faded. Now I find myself inside for most of the day, leaving the house only once or twice for essential missions, and ingredients.

If you, like me, are experiencing freeze fatigue, this decadent hot chocolate may just revive you – at least temporarily. Beware, it’s rich, so I serve it in very small cups. The star anise gives a wonderful aniseed infused compliment to this dark and bittersweet hot chocolate. It’s super simple and quick to make.

Here’s the recipe:

Recipe

1 Litre milk, I use semi-skim, but you can also use whole milk

150 grams chopped dark chocolate, I used Lindt 70% cocoa solids

250mL crème fraiche

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons dark muscavado sugar (or any brown sugar)

5 star anise (ground with a mortar and pestle, or a spice grinder if you have the patience) 

Step 1: Over a low heat in a saucepan, put the milk, chocolate and crème fraiche. Stir slowly with a wooden spoon, and watch as the chocolate slowly melts. 

 

Step 2: Add the sugar, cocoa and star anise to the mixture saucepan, continuing to stir. Once the chocolate has melted (about 5 minutes), use a whisk to gently whisk the ingredients, ensuring there are no cocoa lumps.

Step 3:  Before serving strain through a wire strainer removing any small fragments from the star anise.   

Et voila! Ideally, serve it fireside and enjoy. If there is any remaining (unlikely in our house) it will keep in the fridge for 1-2 days. Just re-heat it on the stove when you feel the need for a pick me up.

 

Like all bloggers I love reading your comments and thrive on feedback, so please feel free to leave me messages, feedback, and tit-bits below! 

PS:  I'm taking part in the Feburary chocolatelove bloghop, details below:

Vanilla scented lemon and rosemary shortbread cookie recipe

Happy February everyone! It’s officially the last month of winter - in this northern hemisphere anyway. While I have been enjoying the crystal clear days, blue skies and frosty mornings, I’m desperate for spring. Even in my new (vintage) shearling coat I fill chilled to the bone. Added to this I’m desperate for the scent of flowers, the sight of leaves on trees, the sound of birdsong, and the taste of foraged goodies. 

Through the short days when there is barely anything to pick or forage, rosemary has been my readily available, abundant friend. Up the narrow, cobbled, medieval lane behind our house there is a rosemary bush growing innocently, and rather triumphantly, out of an old stone wall. It’s not really owned by anyone, the ancient house overhanging it is long deserted, and most of it is growing over the steep cobbled public path.   

I’ve been focused on finding new uses for rosemary all winter. A couple of weeks ago I attempted a lemon and rosemary possett, and while the fusion of lemon and rosemary was fabulous, there were some texture issues. Cream in France is dissimilar to English cream, and I’m still searching for something that will set. Nevertheless, I’ve come across several recipes for lemon and rosemary shortbread and cookies recently. And there are no cream issues with cookies! 

We’re heading to Munich tomorrow morning for a few days to visit my good friend Alice who recently gave birth to gorgeous twin daughters. They’ve been suffering a little with the long Bavarian winter. So I thought I would bake and take with me some cookies, along with a bunch of organic decaffeinated teas that Alice has been missing in Munich.    

The recipe I used is an adaptation from one I found over at Pete Bakes. I chopped and changed a couple of things, adding vanilla seeds, as opposed to vanilla essence to give the cookies a slightly more decadent edge. I also rolled the cookie dough log in chopped rosemary, vanilla sugar and finely chopped rosemary to infuse the edges with an extra zing.

The result? Perfect little cookies that travel well, flavoured with earthy rosemary, which balances beautifully with zingy lemon zest. Beware these cookies are so tasty that once you start eating them it’s really difficult to stop. So before you bake, make sure you’ve got somewhere to take them, or people to share them with.   

The recipe makes around 40 small cookies. You can also roll the dough log and leave it in the fridge for a few days, if you fancy serving the cookies hot.

Recipe

1 cup of unsalted butter (room temperature)

3/4 cup raw cane sugar

2 1/4 cups plain flour

1 egg

½ vanilla bean

1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

2 tsp grated lemon zest

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla sugar

Step one: Chop the butter into small cubes and together with the cane sugar place in a large mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to mix the sugar and the butter until the mixture is pale and light in colour.  

Step two: Then add most of the egg, vanilla seeds, salt, sifted flour, and most of the lemon zest and rosemary (hold a little back to roll the dough log through), and mix together. Once the flour is added the dough will morph into a consistency you can knead.

 

Step three: Roll the dough into a log, seal with plastic cling film and refrigerate for an hour or longer.  

 

Step four: Set the oven to 180C. Scatter the remaining lemon zest, rosemary and vanilla sugar on a clean surface. Remove the log from the fridge, unwrap it and roll through the mixture, lightly covering the outside of the log. 

Step five: Once it’s covered line a baking tray with aluminium foil, or baking paper. Cut the log into 5mm slices and place on the baking tray. Bake for 12 minutes, and then cool on a wire rack.   

What do you think? Any other cookie combinations you can recommend?  Or just leave me a comment so I know you stopped by! thanks