Cassatine
5 servings
60 minutes
Cassatine is an exquisite dessert from sunny Italy that combines the tenderness of ricotta, the sweetness of caramel, and the richness of almonds. Its roots trace back to Sicilian culinary traditions inspired by cassata but in a miniature form. Bright green almond paste envelops a delicate filling soaked in liqueur, creating an elegant contrast of flavors. A light spiciness of cinnamon and fresh citrus notes make the dessert particularly aromatic. Cassatine is served chilled, garnished with cherries for an elegant appearance. It is a true work of art that delights not only with its taste but also with its refined look, making it an ideal choice for festive treats.
1
Let's work on the almonds. Take all the almonds (150 grams + 75 grams), put them in boiling water, and boil for 1 minute. Drain the water, remove the skin from the almonds (the work is quite boring, but the skin comes off quickly). Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, spread the almonds on a baking sheet, and dry in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.
- Almond: 225 g
2
We prepare almond paste. Heat 50 grams of sugar in a pot with 1 tablespoon of water until it reaches a caramel-like state. In a blender, combine 100 grams of powdered sugar, 75 grams of prepared almonds, the zest of 0.5 orange, a pinch of salt, and blend. Then pour in the hot, liquid caramel and food coloring (optional; without it, the paste will be caramel-colored, but traditionally for cassatine, the paste is colored green). Blend again until it reaches a dough-like consistency. Refrigerate for half an hour.
- Sugar: 200 g
- Powdered sugar: 100 g
- Almond: 225 g
- Orange zest: 1 tablespoon
- Salt: pinch
- Food coloring: to taste
3
Filling! We repeat the action for obtaining caramel (150 grams of sugar with a little water in a pot). We prepare the blender with everything needed: ready almonds (150 grams), ricotta (250 grams), candied fruits (30 grams), zest of 0.5 lemon, a pinch of cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and the resulting caramel. Blend until creamy.
- Sugar: 200 g
- Almond: 225 g
- Ricotta cheese: 250 g
- Candied fruit: 30 g
- Lemon zest: 1 tablespoon
- Cinnamon: pinch
- Salt: pinch
4
We create a work of art. Take three molds of 200 ml (or 6 tartlet molds, then you will need 6 smaller diameter biscuits) — all within your imagination, line the molds with plastic wrap, spread almond paste in them to cover only the surfaces. Fill with the filling inside. Take the biscuits, soak them in liqueur (instead of aromatic Italian Alkernes, you can use Amaretto or, at worst, regular rum) and gently press them on top of the filling in the center until the filling is level with the biscuit on the sides. Refrigerate for an hour to cool. Remove, flip the molds onto plates, and take off the wrap. Decorate with a cherry in syrup on top (or whatever you like, but cherry is delicious).
- Biscuit: 3 pieces
- Liquor: 100 ml
- Red Cocktail Cherry: 9 pieces