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Brown Bread
Clare de Boer, Darina Allen, Ballymaloe House, Ireland
604 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
604
1 hour 40 minutes
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In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the corn kernels and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until corn is just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Transfer half the kernels to a food processor and purée with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Transfer the corn kernels and puréed corn to a large bowl and let cool, about 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 450 degrees. When the corn mixture has cooled, add the ricotta, heavy cream, crème fraîche, 1 cup Parmesan and the remaining 1 tablespoon salt; season to taste with more salt, if desired.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks on high speed, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir the yolks into the ricotta mixture until combined then gently fold in the whites, working delicately to avoid deflating.
Rub the sides and crannies of a 6-by-10-inch oval or 8-by-8-inch square (or similar 2-inch-deep) baking dish with a knob of butter. Add 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan, knocking it around the baking dish to coat the entire thing, then follow with a few grinds of pepper.
Pour the ricotta batter into the dish. Top with another 3 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake until the cheese has browned and the sformata has set in the center, 35 to 40 minutes.
Using a mortar and pestle, grind the basil with the lemon juice and a pinch of salt, then stir in the remaining ¼ cup oil.
Just before serving, top the warm sformata with the remaining 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan, drizzle with basil oil and serve.
Two *table*spoons of salt? Should these be teaspoons?
Rebecca, I think the emphasis should be on *FLAKY* sea salt, not the tablespoon. Not all salts are equal, and if you're using something like Maldon, which is a flaky, pyramid-shaped salt, you're not going to have the same salinity as a tablespoon of kosher or iodized due to the shape, and thus the amount of air in your measuring spoon.
This was delicious and pretty easy to make. I substituted Greek yogurt for the creme fraiche, 1/2 and 1/2 for the heavy cream. The parmesan burns pretty quickly on the top at 450 and I had to put tin foil over it while the rest of it cooked, so I would leave that out the next time or wait until 10 minutes before done and sprinkle with the Parmesan. The basil oil was delicious on it.
I wish these recipes had the gram amounts as well. I have a feeling that 2T of flaky sea salt would weigh less than 2T of table salt.
I have made this 3 times now .A couple of observations. I made the recipe as written the first time. I made my own ricotta which makes a difference (read Daniel Gritzer on serious eats). As per other reviewers definitely reduce the salt, I doubled the basil oil but most definitely do the basil and salt first then add lemon juice. I wanted something more from the flavour profile, so I added cayenne pepper and fresh chives to the corn mixture before adding eggs. It was amazing!
Very tasty, using a small portion of the salt. I thought that there must be an efficient way to remove the kernels from SIX ears, and sure enough, someone on the internet came up with the idea of positioning the tip of the cob in the center hole of a bundt pan, hold the cob up vertically and cut away, and the cutaway kernels fall into the encircling pan! Substituted a mixture of pesto and olive paste to slather on the top after came out of oven.
This is delicious. Nota bene though: you will stain your (marble) mortar when you add lemon juice to the basil. The acid destroys the stone.
This is a lot fussier than I bargained for, but that's on me. I got to "souffle that requires no technique" and I was off to the races, happy to have a new recipe for the first corn of summer. Give yourself plenty of prep time--an hour, even--and another hour to bake and cool. The end result is delicious.
I imagine the amount is due to the fact that it is "flaky" sea salt which is literally in flakes rather than grains and therefore wouldn't fill a conventional measuring spoon the way granular salt would.
Two tablespoons of flaky sea salt is not as much as it sounds, since the flakes take up a lot of space. If using regular table salt, I would definitely reduce the amount to teaspoons- and use taste as your guide.
I found that I was over the 5 cup yield after 5 ears of corn so I just stopped there. I suggest chopping the basil before starting it in the mortar and pestle just to give it a head start, also recommend grinding just the basil with the salt until a paste is formed before adding the lemon juice to make a better consistency with the sauce, mine was quite chunky and messy. I added some red pepper flakes to the sauce as well. This turned out ok but, in my opinion, was not worth the time and effort.
I really want to try this recipe, however, between the many, "too salty" reviews, the details for weights ounces or grams & the concerns about pan size I am hesitant. I appreciate that personal taste does play a role in recipes, but I also think it is incumbent upon the creator of the original recipe to include her/his details to ensure the best possible outcome. We all come from varied skill sets & would appreciate weights, etc. Many thanks to all for the extra efforts!
I made this recipe as written. First of all, my 7 X 9 oval dish (2" deep) was filled to the brim and clearly not big enough. (Fortunately I thought to put a piece of foil on the shelf below.) The middle did not set up. And even though I used flaky sea salt, two tablespoons is clearly way too much. It was practically inedible. I tried to think of something to add to the leftovers but in the end, threw it all away. What a waste!
This interesting recipe, like all the others the Times publishes, needs to give the weights of all ingredients. Cups and tablespoons need to be accompanied by weight measures and Wirecutter could begin hawking kitchen scales.
2 tsp not 2 tbsp salt - excellent except inedible due to saltiness.
I can’t believe it took me 3 years to find this recipe. So so so good. As others stated, reduce salt to 1.5 tsp. Also, drain the ricotta if you don’t use fresh. I used an extra cup of corn kernels too.
A big thank you to everyone who shared their notes - especially on the subject of salt. In Step 1, I cut it back to 2 teaspoons of kosher salt rather than the recommended 2T of flakey salt and never added another grain from there on out. The results was a lovely balance. Also headed the tip for holding off on the parm as the dish goes into the oven and instead waited until just over halfway through. All-in-all, absolutely delicious.
Excellent direction from other comments, I reduced salt and added a Tbs of Sambal Olek for heat and flavour. This is one of the best dishes I’ve made from NYT Food.
Does this still taste good as a leftover? I’m thinking of making it and then having some for breakfast over a few days. Thanks!
I used Maldon salt, and I thought that it was, indeed, too salty. Maybe 1 1/2 tbls?
WAY TOO salty with kosher salt. Perhaps NYT should clarify this recipe and also give an equivalent with table salt for those who are not as well versed in types of salt.
Made this for dinner. We found it delicious! Had no trouble with soupiness. It cooked perfectly at 450 for 35 minutes. I drained the whole milk ricotta I bought at TJs, which might have helped with the soupiness. There was about 1/3c. liquid in the bowl over which I set the ricotta. Six ears of corn made barely 5 c. Added salt to taste before adding the eggs. Served it with a simple salad. A nice light meal. Lots of dishes to do after preparing it, though.
Need to reduce salt next time - maybe 2 tsp instead
I used a teaspoon of salt and it was perfect. This dish was fluffy and pretty tasty. The corn and basil went well together. But overall it was a slightly bland dish. Next time I may just opt for a true corn souffle as I did not feel the ricotta added much.
This interesting recipe, like all the others the Times publishes, needs to give the weights of all ingredients. Cups and tablespoons need to be accompanied by weight measures and Wirecutter could begin hawking kitchen scales.
substituted Greek yogurt for the creme fraiche, 1/2 and 1/2 for the heavy cream.
Mostly I make this recipe without the creme fraiche or sour cream. Sometimes I add yogurt and sometimes I do not. I've also made it in the winter without the fresh corn, and used frozen instead, and gotten good results .Of course it is better with fresh!
Agree that the salt is way overdone, even using flaky sea salt and cutting it in half the dish was too salty. Perhaps I am just not a fan of ricotta cheese, but I found the texture to be grainy versus smooth and overall not a lot of other flavors. I suppose I was expecting something more like a corn pudding, slightly sweet from the corn and smooth in texture.
I followed the recipe carefully and my sformato was not as fluffy as I’d hoped, but it was seriously delicious.
Really way too salty--I don't know if it's the flakes distinction, but beware. Also found it browned too much without being firm in the center, and in general was not as scrumptious as it sounded. Might try a tweaked version with Trader Joes frozen corn, less salt, lower temp...
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