from foodandwine.com
I never realized how luxurious a texture and flavor pure mascarpone can be, having really only had it as part of tiramisu. It is a dessert that needs to be eaten slowly to savor every bit. As the web site where I found the recipe said, this dessert is just subtly sweet so it almost works as a cheese course. We have also tried the recipe with dried cranberries-- not as good. Any leftover mascarpone after the compote is gone can be enjoyed with cut-up strawberries or by itself on a spoon.
Shortbread:
1 C all-purpose flour
3 T sugar
1/4 t salt
rounded 1/4 teaspoon anise seeds (we skipped this)
1 stick chilled unsalted butter, diced
1 large egg yolk
Compote:
3/4 C dry red wine (Bordeaux, Meritage)
1/3 C sugar
3/4 C dried sour cherries (3 ounces)
1/3 C mascarpone, or more to taste (in addition to the plain mascarpone, we whisk in a little sugar and a drop of vanilla extract)
Preheat the oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the
sugar, salt, and anise seeds. Using a pastry cutter, cut in
the butter until it resembles coarse meal. Using a fork, blend in the
egg yolk. (At this point I have to add in a splash of ice water because the dough is too dry to gather together.) Gather the dough together and transfer it to a baking sheet.
Press it to form a 6-inch round that's 1 inch thick. Using the blunt
edge of a knife, mark 8 wedges.
Bake the shortbread for about 35 minutes, until the dough is pale brown
around the edge. While the shortbread is still warm, using a serrated
knife, cut it into 8 wedges. Let cool to room temperature.
In a small saucepan, simmer the wine with the sugar until the sugar is
dissolved. Add the dried sour cherries, cover, and simmer until they're
plump, about 4 minutes. Let cool.
We use one 8-oz. container of mascarpone to split evenly for four servings. The cherry compote makes more like 7 servings.
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