I grew
up eating toast with Nutella every
morning as a kid. Nutella is for Europeans
what peanut butter is for Americans –
a staple food. The only difference is that Nutella is a chocolate-hazelnut spread. Just like with peanut butter, you can indulge
yourself in Nutella straight from the jar – a very dangerous thing to do! For that reason, I try to store my Nutella in
the very back of my pantry so that I don’t have easy access to it; otherwise, I
could devour it in one sitting, and then go to the store and buy a brand new
one.
I was
in middle school when Nutella became extremely popular in Romania. At first, my mom didn’t really understand
what all the fuss was with this new chocolate spread on bread. She thought that the two didn’t go together at
all and hoped that my fixation would just go away. It didn’t.
In fact, my love for Nutella continued throughout high school. Every morning, it was the same – toast and
Nutella with a cup of tea or cocoa. This
was my ultimate breakfast. I still love
Nutella to this day, although my breakfast choices have evolved since. However, from time to time, I still like to
make myself a nice cup of cocoa and enjoy it with toast and Nutella. It immediately brings back childhood
memories.
But
aside from eating the hazelnut spread from the jar with a spoon or on toast, I
also like to make sweet, rich, decadent treats with it. Anything tastes better with Nutella! So, when I found Giada’s recipe with Nutella
I was immediately hooked, intrigued and ready to try it. I’ve always loved calzones. I’ve had calzones before at various pizzerias,
like I imagine many of you have, but I’ve never had a dessert calzone, or
better said a Nutella calzone. Let me tell you, these ricotta and chocolate-hazelnut calzones are over the top!
Ricotta and Chocolate – Hazelnut Calzones
Adapted
slightly from Ricotta and
Chocolate-Hazelnut Calzones by Giada De Laurentiis
Serves:
6 servings
Ingredients:
·
¾
cup ricotta cheese, at room temperature
·
¼
cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
·
1
large egg yolk, at room temperature
·
2
Tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting
·
8
ounces frozen strawberries or any other berries you prefer, thawed (I used 16
ounces of frozen strawberries and it worked perfectly)
·
2
Tablespoons sugar
·
2/3
cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella), at room temperature
·
3
Tablespoons heavy cream, at room temperature
·
6
(2-ounce) pieces homemade or purchased pizza dough, cold
·
1
large egg, beaten to blend
Instructions:
Blend
the ricotta, mascarpone, egg yolk, and confectioners’ sugar in a food processor
until smooth and creamy. Transfer the
ricotta mixture to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile,
blend the strawberries and sugar in a clean food processor until smooth. Transfer the strawberry sauce to a small bowl
and set aside.
Whisk
the chocolate-hazelnut spread and cream in a medium bowl to blend.
Position
the oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450°F.
Line a
heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll out each piece of pizza dough into a 7-inch-diameter round. Spoon the ricotta mixture atop the center of
the lower half of each pizza dough.
Spoon the chocolate-hazelnut mixture atop the cheese mixture. Brush the upper edges of the dough with egg
wash. Fold the plain dough halves over
the filling, forming half circles. Pinch
the edges of dough firmly together to seal.
Using a pastry wheel, trim the edges to make them look pretty. If you don’t have a pastry wheel, don’t
worry, just use a fork and press on the edges – that’s what I did and I was
pleased with the final product. Transfer
the calzones to the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly.
Brush
the tops of the calzones with more egg wash.
Bake until the calzones puff and become golden brown, about 10
minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a
rack and cool for 15 minutes. Transfer
the calzones to plates and dust with the confectioners’ sugar. Drizzle the strawberry sauce around the
calzones and serve.
The
sweet cheese mixture is light, the chocolate is rich and creamy, and the
strawberry sauce is tart and brightens up the flavor and color of these sweet
pockets. They are unique, chocolaty,
totally different, and a definite must-try!
La NUTELLA è nata in ITALIA...che emozione!!!!!!!!!!! :D
ReplyDelete