So I am really not the best at dessert. I don’t love sweets
and I refuse to measure for the most part which does not lend itself to success
in baking (which is essentially chemistry if you ask me). That being said, what
dinner party is complete without a sweet ending? I mean, I would normally be
fine with cheese, a piece of chocolate or a fortified wine, but convention
holds the meal should end with dessert. I recently cooked a dinner party for a
group in the host’s home. I had prepared a varied meal drawing on culinary traditions
from the Mediterranean, Middle East and North Africa, and was faced with the
challenge of preparing dessert, and somehow remaining consistent in cultural
context. I toyed with the idea of several more complicated desserts I had seen
in magazines, using pomegranates or apricots whipped with cream cheeses and the
like, but as the meal came together those ideas seemed a bit much. I decided to
keep it simple, and using the buttery and delicious phyllo dough that is common
in cuisine of those regions, I had a contextual base that would work. I found
some beautiful berries in the market and decided I would do chocolate and
ricotta stuffed phyllo pies, served them with a blackberry, pepper and red wine
reduction. The preparation was harrowing (phyllo is much more delicate and
prone to drying than I remembered) and involved a LOT of butter. There were
some tense moments during baking when I just wasn’t seeing the golden hue or
crispy ends and started to panic. In the end I took some deep breathes and like
magic it all came together. The phyllo emerged a glowing gold, with the perfect
airy crunch in perfect juxtaposition to the creamy, chocolately filling. The red-wine
berry reduction was equal parts sweet, tart, tannic and rich, and with the hint
of spice from the black pepper, an apt finishing touch. Even as someone who
does not enjoy dessert (especially making it), I have to admit they were unexpectedly
delicious. With this recipe I can confidently say I am getting (incrementally)
better and more comfortable with preparing dessert.
Ingredients:
- 1 Package Frozen Phyllo dough
- 2 Bars Baking Chocolate (I used 1 dark and 1 semi-sweet)
- 10 oz Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
- 1 Stick of Salted Butter (unsalted is fine too) - melted
- 6 oz Blackberries (1 normal grocery package)
- 1 ½ cups red wine
- ½ cup sugar (plus more to taste)
- 1 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Preparation:
Remove dough from refrigerator a few hours before you plan
to use it to allow it to defrost. You will want to keep a damp clean cloth on
hand to cover the sheets of dough you are not using so as to avoid letting them
dry out. Pre-heat oven to 400F. Lay 2-3
sheets out and fold the sides in long ways, essentially tripling the thickness
creating a long strip. Place 2 pieces of chocolate, and a large dollop of
ricotta about 1 ½ inches from the bottom corner of the strip. Fold that corner
up and across to the opposite side, so now the edge of the dough is a 45 degree
angle. Take the opposite corner up and across to the other side in the same
manner. Repeat like you are folding a flag until you have created a tri-angular
pie. Place on a baking sheet and brush both sides with the melted butter.
Repeat until you have used all your dough or all your filling, or both. Make
sure they are evening spaced on a baking sheets and well coated with butter. Bake
for 20 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Meanwhile, in a small
sauce-pan cook the blackberries, smashing with a fork, until they begin to reduce.
Add the red wine, sugar, and pepper and cook down until it is a syrupy
consistency. You can add sugar or wine as you go along according to taste.
Drizzle the sauce over the top of the pies and serve immediately while the
pie-filling is still warm.
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