Goat Ricotta Tart with Spring Flowers

Inspired by the Michel Roux ricotta tart which I have long wanted to make. It calls for the freshest most perfect ricotta and that from Mihai and Ioana Preotescu in the Spring is incredibly creamy and deserving of the term “unctuous”.  As a follow on from a feast of goats cheese with freshly made flat breads, nuts and cheese a risk of lactic over indulgence? surely not.  Superb ever trustworthy pairing of the Stirbey Tamaioasa Romaneasca Sec recommended by Richard Fox elevated the offerings.  

Ingredients

1 Blind baked pastry case 20cm made with Very Buttery Pastry 

400g ricotta – the best and freshest you have access to

edible flowers – elderflowers, honeysuckle, orange blossom

Good floral honey such as acacia or linden

MR adds pistachios and serves with wedges of lemon separately to heighten the flavour of the ricotta.  This ricotta was so full of subtle flavours and real milk flavour that I didnt want to mess with it very much. I just used honey.

How To

  • Blind bake the tart case and let cool
  • Mash the ricotta with a fork 
  • Dribble honey into the base of the tart case
  • Spoon the ricotta over the top
  • Decorate with the flowers 

Improvs

Cherries, strawberries and my favourite gooseberries lightly poached with some elderflower create a heavenly cheesecake

Lazy leftovers fruit cake…a cake for all times

A gloriously laissez faire affaire full of bonhomie and warmth. It has its roots in the frugality of Nana’s war time fruit cake when eggs, butter and sugar were scarce. This was simply what you did for the generation that believed throwing away food was “the work of the devil”. Fast forward to these food sensitive times and we have a right on “recycled vegan low GI GF  gateau” oh trendy dears. Whatever its name..it is a cake for all times in every sense – judging by the number of second helpings this Easter and enthusiasm from the marauding feline contingent too.

 

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“Urda” Gnocchi with wild garlic pesto

A long time ago I tried to make gnocchi. The plot involved an Italian boyfriend, sleep deprivation and a fabulous walnut sauce. The plot, alas, got lost: The gnocchi dissolved into something akin to prisoner of war camp potato soup or being more charitable: wallpaper paste. The fabulous sauce dried up and was never used. The boyfriend sneered. I sulked.

Fast forward a number of years, a desire to vanquish the gnocchi demon and a sneaking suspicion that some little dumplings made with “Urda” (a Romanian ricotta like cheese made from whey and very high in protein) and sexed up with a fabulous pesto would work. And work it does. 

Gnocchi work well with all manner of sauces but they seem particularly delicious with a more piquant sauce…this garlicky, lemony, almondy sauce does the trick.

These gnocchi are fast, they freeze (use direct from the freezer) and they work with many sauces. Give them a go and you will have a wonderful earthy comfort food dish mastered perhaps a bit faster than I managed.

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