Scarlett WGrilled Spiced Nectarines with Ricotta
September 6th 2006 11:30
Grilled Spiced Nectarines with Ricotta
About Grilled Spiced Nectarines with Ricotta
This dessert is good at any time of the year – use canned peach halves if fresh ones are not available.
About Star Anise / Chinese Star Anise
Star Anise is a spice that closely resembles anise in flavour, obtained from the star-shaped pericarp of Illicium verum, a small native evergreen tree of southwest China. The star shaped fruits are harvested just before ripening. It is widely used in Chinese cuisine, and to a lesser degree in South Asia and Indonesia. Star Anise is an ingredient of the traditional five-spice powder of Chinese cooking. It is also one of the ingredients used to make the broth for the Vietnamese noodle soup called pho.
Recently, star anise has come into use in the West as a less expensive substitute for anise in baking as well as in liquor production, most distinctively in the production of the liquor Galliano.
Star anise has been used in a tea as a remedy for colic and rheumatism, and the seeds are sometimes chewed after meals to aid digestion.
Star anise is the industrial source of shikimic acid, a primary ingredient used to create the anti-flu drug Tamiflu. Tamiflu is regarded as the most promising dryg to mitigate the severity of bird flu (H5N1); however, reports indicate that some forms of the virus have already adapted to Tamiflu.
About Ricotta
Ricotta is an Italian cheese made from the whey which results when making cheeses such as mozzarella or provolone. The name “ricotta” means “cooked again” in Italian, referring to the second processing of the liquid to produce the cheese. Ricotta is similar in texture to cottage cheese though considerably lighter and is a key ingredient in cheesecake, lasagna and many cannolis. It is often served mixed with sugar, cinnamon and occasionally chocolate shavings as a dessert in Italian households.
About Muscovado Sugar
Muscovado is a type of unrefined sugar with a strong molasses flavour. It is known as Barbados or moist sugar. It is very dark brown in colour, and slightly coarser and stickier than most brown sugars. Unlike most brown sugars, which are composed of refined white sugar with molasses added, muscovado takes its flavour and colour from the sugar cane juice it is made from. It offers good resistance to high temperatures and has a reasonably gooe shelf life. The unrefined sugar goes well with coffee and other beverages, and was one of the most prominent export commodities of the Philippines in 1800s.
About Fromage Frais / Fromage Blanc / Maquée
Fromage Frais is a dairy product, originating from Belgium and north of France. The name literally means ‘fresh cheese’ (with fromage blanc meaning ‘white cheese’).
It is made in a similar fashion to cheese, with rennet and a starter culture being added to milk. However, unlike cheese, the curds are not allowed to solidify, but are stirred, giving fromage frais a texture similar to that of yogurt.
Pure fromage frais is virtually fat free, but cream is frequently added to improve the flavour which also increases the content, frequently up to as high as 8%. Fromage frais can be served either as a dessert similar to yogurt, frequently with added fruit, or used in savory dishes.
Low-fat fromage frais is marketed as a dessert / snack food in Australia under the brand name Frûche. It flavours include: strawberry field, mango, lemon meringue, apricot, berry and peach, honey and apricot, Valencia orange, caramelmised pear, citrus, watermelon on passionfruit and tropical as well as a plain French vanilla version.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 4
4 ripe nectarines or peaches
15 ml / 1 tablespoon light muscovado sugar
115 gm / ½ cup ricotta cheese or low-fat fromage frais
2.5ml / ½ teaspoon ground star anise
1. Cut the nectarines in half and remove the stones.
2. Arrange the nectarines, cut-side upwards, in a wide flameproof dish or on a baking sheet.
3. Stir the sugar into the ricotta or fromage frais. Using a teaspoon, spoon the mixture into the hollow of each nectarine half.
4. Sprinkle with the star anise. Place under a moderately hot grill for 6-8 minutes, or until the nectarines are hot and bubbling. Serve warm.
**From “The Healthy Heart Cook Book” and “Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”**
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