Summer and cherry pie go hand-in-hand, especially for the Fourth of July holiday. This year why not switch it up and go for something a little different, such as a cherry ale ricotta crostata. Our friend Jackie Dodd, aka The Beeroness, came up with this delightfully patriotic and delicious recipe using our Barrel-aged Imperial Smoked Porter, Cherry Barrel Blossom.
The recipe features a homemade ricotta cheese filling made with beer. The ricotta takes on the beer flavors for a complex, rich and creamy filling.
Have your beer and eat it too
Crust:
• 1 ½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon (3g) salt
• 1 tablespoon (15g) sugar
• ½ cup (114g) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• ¼ cup (48g) ice-cold beer (pale ale, Saison, wheat beer)
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 teaspoon sanding sugar or granulated sugar (optional)
Ricotta:
• 3 cups (24oz) whole milk pasteurized is fine but do not use Ultra-Pasteurized, it won’t work
• ½ cup (4oz) heavy cream
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup (2oz) beer* Plus 2 tablespoons divided
• 3 tablespoons (36g) lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Cherries:
• ¾ lbs (12oz) pitted fresh dark sweet cherries (such as Bing, Jubilee, Chinook)
• 1 tablespoon (12g) lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons (38g) granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
For the full recipe, go to The Beeroness website, and get your bottle of Cherry Barrel Blossom, available for direct shipping on our website or visit one of our three California brew stores.
