CASSATA ALLA SICILIANA

Ingredients:

Ricotta cheese	1/2 Kg
Castor sugar	300 Gr.
Vanilla	just a hint
Maraschino liquor	just a hint
Chocolate	very little, chopped into small pieces
Candied fruit in small cubes	a few spoonfuls
Sponge Cake	150 Gr

Preparation 

Amongst the many ways in which cassata can be prepared, we have chosen the simplest: with the easiest method of preparation.

Take ½ Kg of ricotta cheese, sieve it, then add 300 Gr. of castor sugar and just a hint of vanilla . With a wooden spoon work the mixture well, so as to make it into a cream. It is advisable to add a little sweet white liquor, such as Maraschino. Once you have obtained a soft cream, add the pieces of chocolate and a few spoonfuls of candied fruit cut into small squares . Now you must take a baking tin 15 cm in diameter and line the bottom and sides with greaseproof paper. With about 150 Gr. of sponge cake cut into slices, line the bottom and, using a little of the cream you have prepared, line the sides. You will have thus obtained a sort of sponge cake box, into which you can pour the ricotta cream. Using the blade of a knife, spread out and flatten the surface of the cream, covering it with other slices of sponge cake so as to close the cake perfectly. Place the baking-tin in a cool place, so that the cream can set a little. Take a dish, place it on the baking tin, turn the baking tin upside down so that the cassata remains on the plate and remove any greaseproof paper that has remained attached to the sponge cake. Sprinkle with lots of vanilla sugar.

As we said above, we have chosen the easiest method, which, whilst remaining faithful to true Sicilian tradition, purposely avoids the procedure involving the addition of ice and plain chocolate.

The Dish

The cassata siciliana is Sicily's most famous regional dish and has very ancient origins. It is also a complex dessert, enriched with lots of strong and very sweet tastes , such as mixed candied fruit, chocolate, pistachio nuts, apricot gelatine, sultanas, orange flower water and maraschino.
Its mixture has become ever more complex in time due to the influence of different cultures, mainly oriental. Whichever mixture you choose to follow, the most import thing is the freshness of the ricotta cheese. 

This more or less "rich" sweet is to be considered a popular classic , it is served in every home on important occasions or festivities. 

The wine

A successful combination is based on balancing the tastes. Thus sweet dishes require sweet wines.
But the sweetness of the wine must not be greater than that of the dessert so as to avoid a nauseous combination that may leave a very sweet unpleasant aftertaste. 

With the cassata siciliana we advise liquor type mulled wines, obtained from white grapes , as these are generally more delicate than those obtained from red grapes .
Given their lack of structure, standard mulled wines do not always blend well with the cassata, they are too weak and delicate , so you need mulled wines with the addition of alcohol, the presence of which strongly increases the structure , scents and taste. Let us not forget that the wine must sustain a difficult confrontation , due to the presence of chocolate , candied fruit and maraschino.

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