Paper Chef #6 Entry

Ricotta Cheesecake with white chocolate and strawberries in a graham cracker-marzipan crust

Yes, that's a mouthful of a recipe title, a very delicious mouthful. Thanks to Biscuit Boy for taking the photo's and being the official taster.

This was actually not my first idea for a recipe. The first idea I had was for a Napoleon filled with an almond paste-ricotta filling and slices of strawberries with white chocolate drizzled across the top. But I am a better cheesecake maker than pastry chef so I made my second recipe idea. A picture of a slice of the cake follows this posting.

Here's the recipe:
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (7 oz.) tube of almond paste, grated
6 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tbsp. sugar
2 (15 oz.) containers of ricotta cheese
3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 strawberry jam

Garnish: white chocolate dipped strawberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

To make the crust: combine the first four ingredients together in a bowl, making sure the almond paste is well blended with the graham cracker crumbs. Pour into the springform pan and press on the bottom and up the sides. Set aside.

To make the filling:
In a mixer, combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt. Beat until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, jiggle it to smooth it out. Drop spoonfuls of the jam around the top. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, swirl the jam around to marblize. Place in the oven and bake for 50-6- minutes or until the center is slightly firm to the touch. Cool completely.

Serve with white chocolate dipped strawberries.

Paper Chef #5

Ok......I find a new blog, Tomatilla! and he is doing something called Paper Chef. Hmmm....sounds interesting. I read the rules and decide to give it a try. It works like this: On the first Friday of the month, four ingredients are chose (by Tomatilla). You have to use these four ingredients (and any others you like) to create a dish, write about it and submit your entry by noon the following Monday. It's then judged and the winner is award the title of "Paper Chef" for the rest of the month. You also get a nifty little icon for your blog.

The ingredients this month are prosciutto, green garlic, sherry vinegar, and goat cheese. I could immediately think of several things I could do with everything but the vinegar. I haven't used vinegar that much so it left me scratching my head for a while. Then it hit me......do something like pickle the green garlic. A little light bulb flickered on in me wee noggin.

When I told Biscuit Boy about it, he started thinking up a recipe of his own. (Don't tell him but I think I like his better than mine). Below are both are entries.

Biscuit Girl's entry:
Proscuitto and Goat Cheese Roll Up Appetizers
Take a stalk of green garlic and dice it. Mix it with half a cup of sherry vinegar and let it soak for 2 hours, then drain.
Mix the soaked garlic with 8 ounces of soft goat cheese. Spread a thin layer of the cheese mixture on a slice of prosciutto and roll up. Repeat with remaining cheese and prosciutto. Arrange rolls on a plate and garnish with freshly minced green garlic. Serve.

Here is Biscuit Boy's entry:
Goat Cheese Dip with Asparagus/Prosciutto Spears
Take 8 ounces of soft goat cheese and place it in a sauce pan with 2 ounces each of sherry vinegar and soy sauce. Melt over low heat. Once melted, set aside and keep warm.
While the cheese is melting, steam asparagus until crisp-tender. Wrap each spear with a slice of prosciutto.
Put the warm goat cheese dip in a small ramekin and set on the center of a serving platter. Arrange the wrapped spears around the ramekin and serve. To eat, dip a spear in the cheese and enjoy.