To make the Minne Di Sant'Agata we can proceed in two ways:

• preparation of a shell of royal almond paste, filled with ricotta cream (sheep or cow) enriched with candied fruit and dark chocolate drops. For the base of the shell, sponge cake is prepared. Finally the cassatine are covered with a white icing and decorated with a candied cherry on top;
• preparation of a crumbly shortcrust pastry shell, filled with ricotta cream (sheep or cow) enriched with candied fruit and dark chocolate drops. Once cooked, the cassatine are covered with a candid white icing and decorated on the top with a candied cherry.

The recipe that we explain here in detail is the one made with the shell of Royal Almond Pasta, at the bottom of the recipe you will also find some tips for preparing the crumbly pastry shell.

The steps are as follows:

1. there Ricotta Cream for the stuffing;
2. the sponge cake to obtain the discs to close the royal pasta shells;
3. there royal pasta
4. there white icing for coverage
5. the Decoration

Ricotta Cream:

With the help of a narrow mesh strainer, let the ricotta drain until it has lost all the whey.

We transfer the ricotta in a bowl and add the sugar (only 100 g). We blend with an immersion mixer to obtain a very fine cream, to which we will add the chocolate chips and candied orange peel.

Put the ricotta cream in the refrigerator covered with a cling film.

Preparation of the sponge cake:

We whip with the electric whisk, the sugar (180 gr) and the eggs (6) until obtaining a foamy and very soft consistency. Add the grated orange peel to the mixture, then gradually add the sifted flour and baking powder. We mix gently, preferably with a wooden spoon, from bottom to top so as not to disassemble the mixture.

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Transfer everything to the baking tray previously lined with parchment paper. We cook in a preheated oven at 180 ° for about 10 – 15 minutes, in static mode. We test cooking using the toothpick test. Let it cool completely and then make some discs with a pastry cutter. We set aside the discs obtained for the final assembly.

Real pasta

We melt the sugar (150 g) in a thick-bottomed saucepan with water (20 ml) and honey. We mix until the sugar becomes completely liquid. At this point, add the almond flour, the coloring (optional) and the rum (20 ml), with the heat off. Mix all the ingredients well and form a compact dough. Let it cool and wrap the dough with cling film.

With the help of a rolling pin, spread the royal pasta on a surface sprinkled with corn starch to obtain a sheet of about 3 millimeters thick and obtain discs of the appropriate size to cover the mold we have available.

Glawhite ssa for the cover

We lightly whip the egg white with a small whisk thus obtaining a frothy mixture. We combine the icing sugar and, a little at a time, the lemon juice. We continue to mix until obtaining a thick and sticky consistency.

Assembly:

We line the hemispherical molds with a film or with some moistened parchment paper.

We transfer a disk of royal pasta into each mold making it adhere perfectly to the walls.

We insert the ricotta cream inside the lined mold without letting it reach the edges.

We close all the molds with a disc of sponge cake slightly wet with a mixture of sweet rum and water.

We cover with cling film for food and transfer the molds to the freezer for at least two hours so that the cake is perfectly compact.

After this time, extract the hemispheres from the molds and transfer them to a wire rack. We glaze twice, letting the glaze dry a little between one draft and the next (5/6 minutes).

Finally, place a candied cherry on the top of the hemispheres.

Transfer all the minne to the refrigerator and wait for the glaze to dry completely before serving.

Ready Minne di Sant'Agata … irresistible sweets!

As an alternative to royal almond paste, the minne shell can be made with shortcrust pastry:

Shortcrust pastry my way:

Ingredients:

• 750 gr white flour
• 250 gr Re-milled flour
• 2 eggs
• 200 gr sugar
• 150 gr honey
• 20 gr ammonia
• 250 gr lard
• Vanilla
• Milk (about 100 ml)
• Grated lemon or orange peel

We knead everything to obtain a homogeneous dough, let it rest for half an hour in the fridge.

With the help of a rolling pin, roll out the dough and line the molds. Fill the molds with ricotta and close the cassatine with a disc of shortcrust pastry. We close by gently sealing the edges. Once cooked, the cassatine are covered again with white icing and decorated on the top with a candied cherry.