Ricotta goes really well with peaches. The trick is to use a well-drained full-fat ricotta. If it’s too moist it can make the pastries soggy, so drain it in a muslin-lined sieve for a few hours. These little fried pastries are light and delicious, but if you prefer, serve the peaches simply with a wedge of fresh ricotta to the side.
Ingredients
Red wine-baked peaches
Method
Main
1.For red wine-baked peaches, preheat oven to 220C. Score tops of peaches and fit snugly in a ceramic baking dish. Combine wine, sugar, bay leaves and rind in a saucepan, bring to the boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar, then pour over peaches and bake, basting occasionally, until glazed and warmed through (15 minutes).
2.Meanwhile, preheat oil in a deep-fryer or deep-sided saucepan to 180C. Beat flour, egg, butter, Marsala, 1½ tbsp caster sugar, a pinch of salt and 40ml water (or enough to form a soft dough) in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle until combined and smooth (2-3 minutes), then divide into eight pieces. Roll each piece on a lightly floured surface to a 5mm-thick round, dusting with flour if dough is sticky, and set aside until required.
3.Meanwhile, combine ricotta, lemon rind and remaining caster sugar in a bowl. Place a tablespoon of ricotta mixture in centre of pastry rounds, spreading slightly. Fold pastry over to form a semicircle, pinch edges to seal. Trim excess pastry and deep-fry in batches until golden (2-3 minutes), drain on absorbent paper, dust with icing sugar and serve warm with warm red wine-baked peaches.
