Recipe: Strawberry Ricotta Focaccia
One of my favorite memes of the past few years are those side by side images of how it started and how its going. One that immediately comes to mind is two sequential photos: one is of Guy Fieri, legendary host of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, smiling in some kitchen with his classic bleached tips, and on the right is an image of a kitchen fully ablaze in fire. It doesnt need to make total sense, but its often some comedic story about a journey and getting from point A to B. Focaccia is not a meme, but its journey from pure (golden, crunchy yet soft, salty and sweet and olive oily) to variations with toppings galore (anything from tomato sauce to olives and anchovies to sweet juicy grapes) is a how it started/how its going story focused on flavor, or flavortown, as Fieri would probably say. This focaccia goes from a purists dream to one that could be dessert, an all-day snacking bread or even a fun brunch dish with something like a peppery arugula salad to round things out. So, how does it start? With a focaccia dough thats an adaptation of two recipes Ive made often over the last few years. One is the Ligurian focaccia recipe from Samin Nosrat, and the other is the no-knead focaccia from Sarah Jampel. Theyre both great recipes that I've turned into a quick, small-format version thats exactly what I love about a pure and simple focaccia. From there, I take some spring flavors, like fresh cows milk ricotta, and season it with bright lemon zest and black pepper. Theres a lot of ricotta on the market, but my preference is the full fat and almost cottage cheese-like one from Bellwether Farms. I spread that on top of the cooled bread. Strawberries are great fresh, but often, even really balanced sweet-tart ones, benefit from a little high heat and sugar. So, here I quickly roast them at a high heat until they become super jam-like. Theres a little red wine vinegar that I stir in to add punch, which contrasts the rich cheese and sweet berries. And how does it go? After the strawberries are roasted and cooled, I spoon them over the ricotta-smeared focaccia, add more olive oil and fresh herbs, which turns this into an impressive centerpiece worthy of its own meme. Strawberry and RicottaFocaccia Makes one 9-by-13-inch sheet 1 teaspoon active dry yeast 2 tablespoons honey 2 cups (312 grams) all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher or 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for seasoning 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving 8 ounces whole milk ricotta 1 tablespoon lemon zest teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (optional) 1 pound strawberries 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar Mint leaves, for serving Flake salt, for serving First, check the expiration date on your yeast to make sure its not expired. Then, in a large bowl, whisk the yeast with 1 cups lukewarm water and 2 tablespoons of honey to combine. The liquid should become a little foamy or at least creamy after a couple minutes, but if it hasnt done that at all after 5 minutes your yeast may be dead and you should try again with a new packet. Pour the flour and salt into the bowl; with a rubber spatula, fold it into the yeast water until you have a scraggly, sticky intact dough. Pour 4 tablespoons of olive oil over and around the dough. Use the spatula or your hand to lift the dough up and make sure the oil is slicked underneath. It should be fully coated in oil. Cover tightly with plastic and let sit in a warm spot for 3 to 4 hours until it has risen to about double its size. Punch down the dough to deflate, then use two forks to fold the dough in and create a rough ball. Brush 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet and transfer the dough to the pan. Let sit in a warm spot for 2 hours to rise again before baking. About an hour before baking, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, use a fork or spoon to mix the ricotta, lemon zest, black pepper (if using) and salt to taste and set aside. If the strawberries are small, cut them in half, if they are medium or large, cut them into quarters and place them in a large oven-safe skillet, toss with the sugar, vinegar and teaspoon salt. Roast in the oven, stirring once or twice until they soften, become dark red and their juices syrupy, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool. When ready, spread the focaccia dough to cover the base of the sheet pan, make several dimples in the dough with your fingers, drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle flake salt over. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool. When ready to serve, spread the ricotta over the top, spoon the strawberries and their juice over the ricotta, roughly tear and scatter the mint leaves, and sprinkle with more flake salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Cut into squares and enjoy immediately. ChristianReynoso is a freelance writer.
Friday, April 28, 2023 at 11:00 am