Scott Conants Italian Cheesecake Recipes

ITALIAN ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the sugar in a food processor and process until it is finely ground. Divide the sugar in half. Combine one half with the flour, leavening agent and salt and place in a sifter.
• Combine the egg whites, 1/3 cup room temperature water, cream of tartar and vanilla. Place in the bowl of the standing mixer. Start on slow for 2 minutes, and then increase the speed to medium. Slowly add the remaining sugar to the egg whites and continue to mix.
• Once the egg whites are at medium peaks, remove the bowl from the mixer and sift over the flour mixture a little at a time as you fold it together. When completely combined, transfer to a 10-inch ungreased angel food cake pan. Transfer to the oven and bake for 35 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and invert while still in the pan. Let cool for at least an hour upside down.
• Insert a knife around the edges and remove from the pan. Serve.

PASTIERA

Steps:

• Make the crust: Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs, melted butter and milk in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer on medium speed until smooth, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Lightly butter a 10-by-15-inch baking dish. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan in an even layer; set aside.
• Make the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until combined, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ricotta, heavy cream, eggs and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Fold in the rice and orange zest with the rubber spatula.
• Pour the filling over the prepared crust. Bake until the edges are golden brown and set but the center is still slightly jiggly, 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes. Let cool before slicing.

SCOTT CONANT'S ITALIAN CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Make the crust: Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs, melted butter and milk in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer on medium speed until smooth, 4 - 5 minutes.
• Lightly butter a 10-by-15-inch baking dish. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan in an even layer; set aside.
• Make the filling: Preheat the oven to 350*. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until combined, 2-3 minutes. Add the ricotta, heavy cream, eggs and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Fold in the rice and orange zest with a rubber spatula.
• Pour the filling over the prepared crust. Bake until the edges are golden brown and set but the center is still slightly jiggly, 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes.
• Let cool before slicing into squares.

SPAGHETTI WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil with about 3 teaspoons of salt.
• Meanwhile, put the tomato sauce in a large saute pan and cook over medium heat to further concentrate the sauce's flavors.
• Cook the spaghetti until just shy of tender. Reserve some of the pasta cooking water and gently drain the spaghetti. Add the spaghetti and a little of the pasta cooking water to the pan with the sauce; the starch and salt in that water will help the sauce adhere to the pasta. Add the basil, give the pan a good shake, increase the heat to medium-high, and let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce. The sauce should coat the pasta and look cohesive, and when you shake the pan, the sauce and pasta should move together.
• Take the pan off the heat and add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and butter. Using two wooden spoons (tongs can tear the fresh pasta), toss everything together well.
• Divide the pasta among serving bowls. Finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and serve.
• To peel the tomatoes, use a paring knife to cut a small x on each tomato. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, and have ready a bowl of ice water. Boil the tomatoes for about 10 seconds, then plunge them into the ice bath. The shock of going from hot to cold should cause the skin to contract, making it easier to peel. Use your fingers or a small paring knife to pull the skin off. If the skin is stubborn, try boiling and shocking the tomato again.
• In a wide saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes; be careful, as the oil may spurt. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and, using a potato masher, smash the tomatoes, really working the masher to break them up. If the consistency is thick or if they get too dry, add the tomato boiling water or reserved tomato juice to the pan. Cook, occasionally mashing and stirring, for 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the oil from the heat and let the ingredients steep for 5 minutes.
• Strain the oil into the cooked tomatoes. Stir to combine. Remove the sauce from the heat. Taste and add additional salt, if needed. The sauce may taste spicy on its own, but it gets balanced when used with other ingredients, especially the pasta, butter, and cheese. The sauce will keep, covered and refrigerated, for 2 days. Reheat gently before serving.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the "00" flour, semolina flour, and salt on low speed. Add the egg yolks, olive oil, and up to 1 1/3 cups water, adding the water a little at a time, and continue to mix on low speed. Once the flour is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-low and mix/knead the dough for 5 minutes.
• Lightly dust a work surface with a mix of "00" flour and semolina.
• Dump the dough out onto the work surface and knead by hand for a few minutes. Shape the dough into a rectangle, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let it rest for 1 hour.
• To roll and shape the dough, set the pasta machine on its widest setting. Lightly flour a rimmed baking sheet. Cut the pasta dough into 4 pieces. Work with one piece at a time and wrap the others in plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. Very lightly flour the dough and stretch it by hand, then put it on the pasta roller. Run it through the pasta machine twice, starting at the longest setting. Fold it in half and run it through again, so the dough gets thinner each time and wipe the surface of the pasta for excess flour as you go. Run the dough through the machine a couple more times; this serves as a final kneading.
• Set the machine to the next level of thickness and run the piece of dough through again. Keep running the dough through the machine, adjusting the rollers to a thinner setting each time, until the sheet is 1/8-inch-thick; on most machines this means stopping at the 3.5 or 4 setting. Cut the sheet to lengths of about 12 inches. Then, using the linguine cutter, cut the sheet into strands. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.
• Dust the strands with a little flour (preferably a mix of the "00" and the semolina), and gather the strands into nests by wrapping them around your hand. (At the restaurant, we portion the spaghetti into 4-ounce nests.) Dust the nests with a little more flour, place on the baking sheet, and freeze until hard. (Once the spaghetti is rock-hard, it can be transferred to a freezer bag or other airtight container and kept frozen for up to 1 month.)
• You can also layer the sheets of pasta with semolina flour and cover them with plastic wrap while you get set up to cook them.

RIGATONI WITH SAUSAGE, SPINACH, AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the sausage and use a fork to crumble the sausage into the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high, and fully cook the sausage, adding some of the pasta water to deglaze the pan.
• Cook the rigatoni until just shy of al dente. Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water.
• Add the pasta to the pan with the sausage, reserving the cooking liquid, and add the parsley. Add the spinach and tomatoes and cook, tossing, until the spinach has wilted. Add some of the reserved cooking liquid, if needed. Remove from the heat. Crumble the goat cheese with a fork and add it along with the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Add a bit more of the cooking liquid if needed and serve.