One of our favorite restaurants in Brooklyn is Frankies 457 in Carroll Gardens. We don't go there too often, but every meal we have had there has been incredibly flavorful, fresh and simple. And they generally have a fair number of small and large vegetarian options, which always lends itself to lots of intratable sampling which I enjoy tremendously.
Thus, when I saw the Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cookbook at the Brooklyn Public Library several months, I did not hesitate to pick it up. That being said, when I initially picked it up, I didn't exactly make that much from the book. I think I started and stopped with roasting some carrots and other vegetables using their recommended technique (but the results were amazing, despite the simplicity of preparation).
When I was thinking of trying some new dessert recipes recently, I immediately thought of this cookbook again even though I didn't give it a full run-through the first time around. I remember flipping through the pages and seeing their Ricotta Cheesecake, Tiramisu, Chocolate Tart and other delicious-sounding recipes, so decided to request it again from the library. When I finally got it from the hold queue, I settled on the Ricotta Cheesecake recipe because although ricotta pie is a favorite dessert of mine, I have never actually made it at home.
The first comment I have to make about this recipe is that it's definitely not an everyday, weeknight dessert. The cheesecake takes a LONG time to bake and cool (though a relatively short time to prepare the ingredients), and you have to pre-make the pie crust as well. I think the next important tip to pass along is that this is also not a dessert that you want to make for just two people (as I did). While the flavor and texture of this cheesecake are pretty close to perfection, it's not exactly healthy fare nor is it light enough to eat the entire cake and not feel completely disappointed with oneself.
So when I make this again, I will be making it for a crowd, which I recommend all of my readers do as well. It's definitely a strong year-round recipe that is fresh and light enough for a summer gathering, as well as creamy enough for a winter holiday event as well. And as a result of this recipe, I will definitely be buying a copy of this cookbook for my own collection!
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