I love my American desserts, but once in a while, I need to bake a dessert that is molto Italiano…very Italian! It's not just me that needs it…it's mostly my husband.
You see, he misses his mamma. And all her fabulous crostatas and tortas. So do I. I really, really DO! I charmed my husband when I met him with my pancakes! Yes, my pancakes. Every Sunday when he would call his mamma to say hello we would have just finished eating breakfast. It was usually pancakes, as it still is today. She was expecting him to say, "I just had homemade lasagne." Mamma was a little worried for her son's well being and his diet. Since then, I have progressed to making a dessert his mamma makes.
The other day I had a ginormous ricotta container of Ricotta from Costco just hanging around in my refrigerator. I was going to make a different dessert with it. My sweet hubby said, "Chiama la mia mamma." Call my mom. He wanted me to call mamma in Italy to get her ricotta filling recipe for the crostata I had made the day before. I was planning on a different filling for the crostata. But I also was feeling nostalgic for a dessert she makes us when we visit in the summer.
My husband left his mamma in Italy when he was in his 20's. My father left his mamma in Sicily when we was in his 20's. They both came here to follow the big American dream. That is one of the few things my husband and father have in common. I often think about how I admire these two men in my life for leaving their country and not knowing a word of English. How brave they were to embark on a life changing adventure.
Would I be able to do the same? I did live in different countries in my childhood and in my college years, but I knew the language. It was scary for me, but not as scary as say moving to Japan or India. I sometimes think: Could I move abroad to a country where I did not know the culture or the language? Could you? Have you? I'd love to hear about it.
We do get to visit sweet mamma every summer. I know, it's incredible. We enjoy every moment of the time together, as for the rest of the year, we are separated by a vast distance. My mother-n-law spoils us rotten with her amazing food. Teresa makes all her cheeses and salami. Her crostata alla ricotta is filled with her amazing homemade ricotta. I really like her spicy ricotta.
This dough is light and flaky. Buttery and tender when you put your fork in. The creamy ricotta filling has a lovely touch of tartness from the lemon zest and just the perfect amount of chocolate and a delicious hint of espresso! We had it for dessert. We had some more for breakfast and in the afternoon with an espresso. We shared some with our neighbors. My son declared, "I love your cheesecake mommy!" My hubby told me, "Non mi piacciono tanto i dolci con il peanut butter." He explained, he's just not that into my peanut butter desserts. But this...this makes his heart go pitter-patter.
Pasta Frolla (Sweet Pastry Dough)
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup confectioner's sugar (I use granulated sugar)
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
Put the flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse briefly to combine the ingredients. Distribute the butter around the bowl and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Add the egg and egg yolks and process until the dough just begins to come together.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gather it together. Knead it briefly and shape it into a disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1hour, until well chilled.
To make the tart shell:
Cut the dough disk into 2 portions, one slightly larger than the other. Rewrap the smaller portion and set aside. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the larger portion into a 13-inch round about ⅛-inch thick or slightly thicker. Carefully wrap the dough around the rolling pin and drape it over an 11-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Gently press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Trim the overhang to about ½ inch and fold it in, pressing it against the inside rim to reinforce the sides of the tart shell. Use the rolling pin or the flat of your hand to press around the perimeter of the pan to cut off any excess dough. Put the lined tart pan in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Roll out the remaining piece of dough to ⅛-inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out decorative shapes (stars, moons, or whatever you like) to adorn the top of the tart. Or use a sharp paring knife to cut out a lemon shape about 4 inches long and 3 inches wide, and a pair of oval leaves. Score the leaves lightly with the blade of the knife to resemble the ribs. Place the dough cut-outs on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate until the tart shell has finished baking.
Set the cut-out stars in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned.
Transfer the cut-outs to a rack to cool.
* I made instead an overlapped lattice design. It is ok if it breaks a little and your pieces are uneven when you place on the top of the ricotta filling. It will expand while it's baking and connect and you won't know the difference.
Ricotta Chocolate Chip Filling
2 lbs ricotta
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon ground espresso
zest of one lemon
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
In a large bowl, mix the ricotta with the two egg yolks and sugar. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until nice and fluffy. Fold the egg whites, espresso, lemon zest, and vanilla into the ricotta mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Poor the filling gently into the crostata. Flatten it out with a spoon or a spatula. Set the crostata in the oven and bake at 325 for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is just set. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature on a rack. Carefully
remove the fluted ring from around the crostata and transfer the crostata to a decorative serving plate. Dust the tart with confectioners' sugar. Arrange the cookie
cut-outs as you please on top of the tart and serve.
Do Ahead: The pastry dough may be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated
or up to 1 month in advance and frozen. Bring the dough to room temperature or
slightly cooler before rolling it out.
Here is the dough all rolled out and ready to be put into the tarte pan.
Roll the dough over your rolling pin.
Now you carefully unroll it into the tarte pan.
Trim the excess dough. I used the dough from that to make the lattice design.
Here is the ricotta filling while I'm folding in the egg yolks.
Now the egg whites and lemon zest get folded in.
Gorgeous and ready to be poured into the crostata.
The lattice is ready to be placed on top of the filling.
Here is the bella crostata ready to be baked. Mmm!
Thank you for stopping by today! I know there are more snow storms arriving tonight. Please stay safe and warm.
I LOVE hearing from you and reading your comments. They make me SMILE!!:)
Your crostata looks amazing, I am sure your mother in-law would be more than pleased...And what a nice connection between your father and husband, or a similarity I guess 🙂 Lovely post!
What a great post! It's so sweet that the most important men in your life both have the same origin. And it's nice that you still get to spend time with the people you love AND how could you not love that picture of your father! I love when I come acrossed photos with such memories attached.
You crostata looks beautiful too!
What a great dessert!
Beautiful dessert Lora!! I absolutely love ricotta!!! I am alos jealous you get to go to Italy...I miss Italy. Fabulous!
Ooh this looks sooo good! Reminds me of a pie my grandma makes at Easter... awesome!
Lora ~ i wish i could leave something in Italian for your comment but since i cannot, i'll just say, that you make an Italian mama proud!! this is a fabulous dessert although i would eat it for breakfast as you did and for tea and everything in between . . . the filling reminds me of cannoli filling - do i have that right? some day girl, we are going to meet, chat and eat your fabulous desserts!!! xo
I have great respect also for people that come here from other countries without knowing the language. I am not sure I would be able to do that.
Your crostata sounds wonderful. It reminds me of my grandmother sweet pizza only even better with the chocolate chips and espresso. Wow...this must taste incredible. Thanks for sharing it:)
Mamma Mia I want a crostata! I laughed a lot really at your line about ginormous and Costco; just mentioned in a post recently about that being a common theme in my posts; glad I'm not alone!
Beautiful story and equally beautiful result. Wishing I had that same ginormousness here right now!
What a lovely tribute to your husband's Mamma. It sounds as though your summers visiting her are idyllic. What a gorgeous crostata this is!
That is one gorgeous crostata so delicately prepared! Love it!
I like this;alot!
I love ricotta (filled) desserts and this looks delicious. i bet it made your husband do some gyrates of joy.
i left my country too but i knew few words in English. don't know if I'd have the courage to do it again
have a wonderful day Lola
surprisingly, my friend also charmed an Italian boy with her pancakes too 🙂 know i know how to get me one. hahaha
What a lovely post. Your background makes it all the more interesting.
I definitely don't do enough cooking with ricotta. It's time to branch out.
MMM I've never ever made a crostata before but that will be one of the many new things I try this year! You've done an excellent job!
I could adapt nearly anywhere if I had to. And make the most of it as long as I have my daughter with me. Being away from my family would be nearly heartbreaking and usually I don't deal with big changes well but I would be grateful to have my girl with me and we would adapt. I would imagine we would embrace the local culinary dishes and traditions and find a way to adjust.
I really hope you are having a good week!
Ooh Lora this looks incredible! It's great to be able to bring a little culture to your cooking and baking 🙂 I would love to have a big slice of this right now!
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Mateja @Indulging Life
Oh my goodness what a sweet (literally) post. I love love love the photo of your dad as a young man in Sicily. Thank you for your kind words about my book. The crostata looks and sounds delicious. I love the chocolate chip-espresso variation. I guess there is a reason you are the Cake Duchess! Grazie, cara...
Wow this crostata looks amazing! My Nana makes something similar at Easter (her mother's recipe from Calabria). I love this, and I love aything with pasta frolla. I lived in Florence for a while, but I don't think that counts because I studied Italian in college. It was an amazing experience and it's so great that you're able to go back every summer to visit la tua famiglia!
Yum, sounds great - defnetely need to put this recipe on my "make soon" list!