Frutta alla ricotta

Recipe By: Thescorre
Serving Size: 8

4 cups mixed fruit fresh
6 ounces ricotta cheese
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1 pinch cinnamon
2 tablespoons marsala wine
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Select at least 3 different seasonal fruits that you can get fresh, and that seem to go with the dish. Sweet and mellow seems to be the rule - halved grapes, melon balls, and peaches are reccomended in the original recipe. Mix the fruit with half the sugar and the lemon juice. Refrigerate for 2 hours and drain. Lightly beat the cream, just enough to make it frothy, but not enough to make whipped cream. Blend fruit, cream, ricotta, wine and remaining sugar. Sprinkle with cinnamon for color. Serve in bowls or wine glasses and garnish with mint sprigs or lemon zest.

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Notes: It has recently come to my attention that the recipe in Haemishes personal cookbook is not his own, and is in fact almost a direct copy of the Frutta alla Ricotta served by the Cauldron Bleu (Thescorre's cooks guild) at a recent Crown Tourney. The Calamare Rouge (Coppertree's cooks guild) wishes to thank our cousin to the west by restoring credit for this marvellous dish. No wonder it fit so perfectly! Anyway - the addition of marsala is an outgrowth of my quixotic desire to serve zabaglione to a huge crowd. Whipping the cream is also my touch, and comes from my experience doing this before I knew that it was an Italian dish - I find it makes a richer experience. Oh, and I cut down on the sugar just a little.

Per serving: 280 Calories; 14g Fat (44% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 36g Carbohydrate; 52mg Cholesterol; 33mg Sodium

Makes 42 cookies
1 cup unpeeled almonds
1/2 cup sugar
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1 egg
1 tablespoon liqueur ( I used Grand Marnier--might try Amaretto next)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Grind the almonds to a coarse powder in a nut grinder and pestle them with the sugar, or grind nuts with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the sugar in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the remianing sugar and process to a very fine powder. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in the lemon zest, liqueur, and egg; mix until blended. Add the spices and flour and stir until the dough is well blended. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Flour a work surface lightly and roll each piece into a log the width of a finger. Cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces and flatten them slightly. Place 1 inch apart on oiled or parchment-lined baking sheets. Baking: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake until just barely browned, 16 to 18 minutes.

Makes 30 cookies (or more if you cut them smaller, as I did)
3 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
Grated zest of 1 lemon
3/4 teaspoon lemon extract, if desired (zest may be enough flavor)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 eggs
4 tablespoons liqueur (see comments in Fave Dolci recipe)
About 2 tablespoons milk
1 egg white

In a large bowl, stir the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and lemon zest (and extract) together. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixture has the granular texture of cornmeal. Beat the whole eggs and liqueur in a measuring cup until smooth. Add enough milk to measure 1 cup. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until it coheres. Chill well. On a lightly floured work surface roll the dough out 1/8 inch thick and cut into 5 by 2 1/2 inch rectangles (or smaller if desired). Brush with egg white and prick the tops generously with the tines of a fork. Bake on greased or parchment-lined cookie sheets at 400 degrees until lightly golden, about 16 to 18 minutes. (Baking time will decrease if cookies are smaller).

Recipe By: Uno Imaturk
Serving Size: 2

3/4 cup water
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. coffee (finely ground)
1 cardamom pod

2 tbsp. heavy cream If the coffee is not finely ground, grind it until it is practically a powder, adding the cardamom as well. Combine water and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; then remove from heat and add the coffee mixture. Stir well and return to heat. When the coffee foams up, remove from heat and let it settle. Repeat this twice more. Pour into cups, and let the grounds settle before drinking.

Notes: I originally wanted to operate an espresso bar, since I have a machine capable of doing a decent job of it. Sadly, I don't think this is feasible, or that espresso machines are terribly period. Turkish Coffee, however, predates even the Turks, and lends itself well to large-scale production. If there's time for dancing, this should help you to your feet!