1 vanilla bean
2 cups whole milk
1 fresh pineapple, about 2¾ pounds
3 large whole eggs
3 large egg yolks
2/3 cup vanilla sugar*
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1) Preheat oven to 450°F. Butter a straight-sided 10½-inch round glass or porcelain baking dish.
2) Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and, using a small spoon, scrape out the tiny black seeds. Combine the milk, vanilla seeds, and vanilla bean pod in a heavy saucepan. Scald over high heat. Remove from heat.
Cover and let steep for fifteen minutes. Remove just the vanilla bean pod.
3) Meanwhile, prepare the pineapple: Using a large knife, slice off the top and the bottom of the pineapple. Slice off the prickly rind, being sure to discard all the “eyes,” leaving a cylinder of pineapple. Cut the pineapple lengthwise into eighths. Remove and discard the pithy core. Cut the eighths into 1-inch wedges. (You should wind up with about 1½ pounds of pineapple wedges.)
4) Scatter the pineapple wedges in the prepared baking dish. Bake for 5 minutes. (You can actually bake the pineapple for a few minutes before adding the custard, so the juices are re-absorbed into the pineapple and don’t seep into the custard.)
5) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, vanilla sugar, flour, and heavy cream until well blended. Gradually whisk in the warm milk.
6) Pour the custard mixture over the pineapple wedges. Bake until golden, about 45 minutes. Cool on a rack. Serve at room temperature.
Anthony’s Ricotta Fritters
(Serves Four)
½ pound fresh ricotta
2 eggs
1/3 cup flour
1½ tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
Peel of one lemon, grated (without digging into the pith beneath)
Salt
Vegetable oil
Honey, of runny consistency
1) Put the ricotta in a bowl and crumble it, using two forks held in one hand.
2) Break eggs into the bowl, and mix them with the ricotta.
3) Add the flour a little at a time, working it into the ricotta and egg mixture with the two forks held in one hand, or a spatula.
4) Set the batter aside and let it rest for at least 2 hours, but no more than 3½ hours.
5) Pour enough oil into a frying pan to come ½ inch up its sides, and turn on the heat to medium high. When the oil is very hot (if a driblet of batter dropped in floats instantly to the surface, it is ready) put in the batter, a tablespoon full at a time. Push the batter off the spoon using the rounded corner of a spatula. Do not put in any more at one time than will fit loosely without crowding the pan.
6) When the fritters have become golden brown on one side, turn them. If they are not puffing up slightly into little balls, the heat is too high; turn it down a little. When the fritters are brown on both sides, transfer them with a slotted spoon or spatula to a cooling rack to drain. If there is batter left over, repeat the procedure until it is all used.
7) Put the fritters on a serving platter, dribbling honey liberally over all of them, and serve. They taste best when served hot, but are still very good even when lukewarm or room temperature.
*To make vanilla sugar, split 4 vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape the seeds out of the bean pods. Combine the bean pods, seeds, and 4 cups of sugar in a jar. Cover securely and allow to sit for several weeks until the sugar is scented and flavored by the vanilla. Use the vanilla sugar in place of regular sugar when baking desserts.
Just a Taste Page 33
