Category: Desserts

Sambuca Ricotta Semolina Cake

Sambuca Ricotta Semolina Cake

I like a simple cake that I can dress-up.  This Sambuca Ricotta Semolina Cake delivers a versatile dessert without much stress. The Semolina gives cakes some more texture and adding the ricotta keeps the cake moist and velvety.  Sambuca Ricotta Semolina Cake gets its flavour from the Sambuca liqueur in the cake and the custard.

My favourite semolina memories are of nonna using it to make pasta and a savoury porridge dish.  She dressed the porridge with sauce and sautéed zucchini and then sprinkled parmesan over it.  That’s another recipe.  LOL  She also made some cookies with it.

My cake today will be great on its own, but I am adding a custard to it.  Today I dress it with custard and berries on top.  You can use your imagination to change this cake to suit your needs. Custard is a think I make often for my self and it isn’t complicated.  For every egg, I add a tablespoon of sugar.  Use whole milk or 2 % for the best texture.  Instead of vanilla extract, I add a liqueur.  My favourites are Sambuca and Baileys.

A great article on learning about cooking with semolina https://www.thespruceeats.com/easy-semolina-flour-substitute-4142772

Ingredients For Sambuca Ricotta Semolina Cake

The cake

  • 3 cups milk
  • 1/4 cup of butter
  • 1/2  of a lemon or orange juice and zest
  • 1 cup semolina
  • 2 tsp Sambuca
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 250 grams ricotta
  • 1 tsp coconut sugar
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds

The Custard

  • 3 egg yolks
  • 3 tbsp of sugar
  • 2 tbsp of cornstarch
  • two cups of milk
  • 2 tbsp Sambuca
  • zest of half a lemon
  • 1 tbsp butter

To make the custard whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch right in the pan.  When smooth add two cups of cold milk and place on medium heat.  Bring to a boil and stir until thick.  The custard should coat the back of your spoon.  Remove from heat and add the Sambuca, butter and lemon zest. Stir quickly and transfer to a glass bow.  Cover the custard right over the surface with plastic wrap to avoid a film.  Place into refrigerator until completely cooled. 

Process for the cake

Heat the milk with the orange or lemon zest and the butter.

When it comes to a boil gradually add the semolina and stir constantly.  When it thickens remove from heat and add the lemon juice and anise.  Set aside to cool. 

In a large bowl,  beat  the eggs with the sugar.Once blended, add the ricotta. 

Add the semolina to the egg mixture and beat a few minutes.  Pour into a lined springform pan.  

Sprinkle the surface with coconut sugar and bake at 350 F  oven for 50 minutes. 

When it comes out of the oven, sprinkle with a little coconut sugar.  

Cool completely.  Spread the custard over the cake and sprinkle with slivered almonds.  Always keep this uncovered in refrigerator.  

Look at the richness of this cake!!

 

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decorated and yummy

Amaretti Crunchy Cake

Amaretti Crunchy Cake

My nonna Emilia ate the little amaretti cookies.  She loved the crunch texture of them and they were a treat.  As a kid, I soaked them in milk and loved their flavour.  My Amaretti Crunchy Cake brings me back to those lazy afternoons with Emilia. In between the cooking we would giggle at the table as we dunked cookies in milk and created lasting memories that soothe me to this day.  Whenever I am in the kitchen, I hear and feel my nonna Emilia with me.

I am not a baker and when I bake it has to be easy and with ingredients that I have in my pantry.  These are ingredients that most people have.  You can substitute the amaretti cookies with biscotti.  Also, switch up the liqueurs to your taste.  Sometimes I use biscotti and Baileys. Instead of the almonds, I use broken pieces of dark chocolate.   You can also use orange zest because it goes well with chocolate.

I wanted the taste of Amaretti in a cake and I wanted the Amaretto flavour.  When I started looking for recipes there was such a variety out there.  My Amaretti Crunchy Cake takes the ingredients of a cake and adds fruit and crunchy amaretti to the batter.  I made this with peaches and oranges; therefore, you choose.  I know this will become a favourite.  Also, play with toppings and decorations.

Another one of my cakes that uses amaretto https://recipesatmytable.com/special-occasion-sponge-cake/

Ingredients for Amaretto Crunchy Cake

  • 1 cup each of flour, sugar and softened butter
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 tbsp Amaretto liqueur
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 20 amaretti cookies( save 6 for cake top)
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds
  • zest of half an orange
  • I small can of drained peaches or orange segments. ( save 6 sections for decorating the cake) 398 ml can)
  • a few more amaretti cookies for decorating the top of cake ( about 6)

Process

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line the bottom of a buttered cake tin with some parchment paper.

In a large bowl place the softened butter,flour and sugar.  Beat until smooth.

creaming butter, flour and sugar

Add the eggs, amaretto, olive il and beat until smooth.

Cut up the peaches or orange sections and add to the batter and gently fold them in.

folding in the peaches

Now add in the almonds and the broken amaretti cookies and gently fold everything in.

folding in the almonds

 

crunchy amaretti

Bake for about 50 minutes.  Check the centre.  It may need 10 to 15 minutes more depending on your oven. I have a gas range and this took 50 minutes. 

Dress the top with the reserved almonds and peach slices.  I sprinkled some icing sugar over mine.  Serve with ice cream or whipped cream or as is.  YUM!!

all dressed up cake

 

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Peach Pie: Recipes At My Table

Peach Pie

Peach  Pie

I love peaches and what better way to enjoy them than in a pie. I have some canned peaches that won’t go to waste.  Peach Pie will make a nice afternoon break from writing for the blog. For the crust I use my no fail pie crust.

As time goes by, I get more comfortable with pie dough and I experiment with different flavours and textures.  Sometimes I make and throw things out and other times I write the recipes for you because they work out.  My nonna Emilia canned peaches in the summer and we used them throughout the year.  We canned most fruits and of course anything that came out of the garden. Once we got a freezer, then we froze vegetables.

Canning was a fun process.  The women rotated from house to house and everyone helped each other. It was the Italian assembly line.  As I grew older one of my favourites was the canned cherries because they sat in liqueur.  Today we have many choices at the supermarket; however, living in the sun  parlous of Ontario I am privy to some of the best fruits and vegetables in the country.   Want to can your own peaches?  Try this:  http://pickyourown.org/peachescanning.htm

I also like to use peaches or apricots in savoury dishes and this is one of my favourites:  https://recipesatmytable.com/pork-lovers-heaven/

Ingredients

The crust

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp cold butter
  • 3 tbsp cold tender flake lard
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tbsp ice cold water
  • 1 tsp white vinegar

The filling

  • canned peaches
  • 1/2cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp cardamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 12/ tbsp vutter
  • 1 tbsp egg white( to wash pie)

Process

This pie dough comes together easily. Put the flour and salt into a food processor and pulse.  Next slice in the lard and butter and pulse until dough looks like peas.  Whisk together the egg, cold eater and white vinegar and pour into the food processor.  Pulse until dough comes together.  Gather it on your kitchen counter and slice off 1/3.

This is a beautiful silky pie dough.  No breakage here.  

 

In a large bowl, I place the canned peaches, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon and lemon juice. 

Next I stir in the flour and the vanilla extract. 

I cut the butter into small cubes and stir this all together. 

Pour it all into the pie crust. 

Peach Pie: Recipes At My Table

Roll out the other 1/3 of the dough to make the top. 

 

I fold over the edges, crimp it and then white wash it and try to get creative. LOL Place in a 420 F oven for 15 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350 F for another 40 minutes. 

Peach Pie: Recipes At My Table

All done and cooling. 

Peach Pie: Recipes At My Table

Look at how flaky and delicious it looks.  We served it with ice-cream while it was warm. 

Peach Pie: Recipes At My Table

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Fruit crumble: Recipes At My Table

Fruit crumble

Fruit crumble

Fruit crumble is always comforting anytime of the  year.  I have a lot of frozen fruit on hand.  Smoothies are my go-to before yoga.  These days I am lucky enough to do on-line yoga, but for some reason, I don’t make the smoothies.  The weather plays tricks on us, and it is back to cold;and so, I want a crumble.

Now Italians don’t make crumble and I learned from my mother-in-law Erika how to enjoy these other recipes.  She used whatever fruit was in season.  When I lived in Sault Ste. Marie, ON we had a small rhubarb patch on the property and sometimes she would make rhubarb/apple crumble.  YUM!!

Her crumble was always a little thicker because she made a little sauce with it.  This must come from our Hungarian roots and Grandma Thoma’s influence. She would make a sauce to pour over the crumble, but I thought of putting a thickener right into the dish.  I don’t have her recipe and hope I do it justice.

If you are looking for a nice collection of crumble recipes go to:  https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/crumble

Ingredients

  • 4 cups any frozen fruit
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Crumble

  • 1 cup quick oats
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup melted butter

Sauce

  • 4 tbsp sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

The Process

Begin by starting the sauce. I add the sugar and cornstarch to a small pan and whisk together as I gently pour in the water.  Add the vanilla extract and place it on the stove on medium heat and whisk.

Fruit crumble: Recipes At My Table

Mix all the crumble ingredients and put half on the bottom of your pan.  I used a deep round 8 inch pan.

Fruit crumble: Recipes At My Table

Over the crumbs place the 4/12 cups of frozen fruit.

Now pour the sauce over the fruit.

Fruit crumble: Recipes At My Table

Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Fruit crumble: Recipes At My Table

Place the remainder of the crumble over the fruit and place in a 375 F oven for 35 to 40 minutes.

Fruit crumble: Recipes At My Table

I always peek into the oven.

Fruit crumble: Recipes At My Table

It comes out, and I let it sit for a bit.

Fruit crumble: Recipes At My Table

A little whipped cream and ready to go. YUM!!

Fruit crumble: Recipes At My Table

 

 

 

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