Author Notes
Well this started out as an entry for the tart contest, but ran into a few snags along the way. In the end I have decided that this is a happy accident of my own making. Yes, I have made one gooey mess, but it is quite delicious! So instead of trying to serve this cake right side up, I took a clue from pineapple upside down cake....which wound up saving the day. Since this cake is so highly dependent on fresh ricotta as a key ingredient, what a happy coincidence that it happens to be the new theme for the the next contest. Fate can be very sweet. —Sagegreen
Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
-
1.5 ounces
unsalted butter
-
1.5 ounces
light muscovado sugar
-
1/2 teaspoon
grated fresh ginger
-
1 cup
gingersnap cookie crumbs (those used are glutenfree)
-
8 ounces
lovely fig jam
-
8
Calimyrna figs, thinly sliced
-
16 ounces
fresh whole milk ricotta, strained
-
1/3 cup
grade B maple syrup (use 1/2 cup if sweeter is desired)
-
1/3 cup
fresh Meyer lemon juice
-
4
egg yolks
-
1 teaspoon
fresh grated ginger
-
1/2 teaspoon
fresh grated nutmeg
Directions
-
Preheat oven to 400. Heat the butter and add the sugar. Stir together until the butter begins to brown lightly. Add the ginger. Pour this melted mix over the gingersnap crumbs. Mix until the crumbs soak up all the butter.
-
Spread the crumb mix on the bottom of a flan dish or pie plate. Press down with a measuring cup to cover the bottom of the plate evenly. Let the crumbs sneak up the sides just a bit. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
-
Scoop the jam onto the bottom of the hot crumbs. Layer the sliced figs on top. Pop into the oven for 5 minutes just so the jam spreads out a bit more on the bottom. Then remove from the oven and set aside.
-
In a blender scoop in your ricotta. Pour the maple syrup in over that. Pour in the lemon juice. Crack in the egg yolks one at a time. Don't forget to add the ginger and nutmeg. Whirl together until smooth. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
-
Pour this in over the fig jam and crumb bottom and cover completely. Set this pan in a larger pan. Fill that pan with enough cool water to come up midway to the flan. Bake for about an hour or 70 minutes until the ricotta begins to pull away from the edges of the flan dish. Let cool.
-
When completely cool, slice for serving. I had garnished the ricotta top with more sliced figs (first thinking this would be the top). Invert the slices for serving. Add dollops of creme fraiche or whipped cream if you want for garnish.
See what other Food52ers are saying.