This herb and cheese pie contains a delicious creamy cheese and herb filling and a savory crust. This dish can be served as an appetizer or even as part of a main meal with a tossed green salad.
Making this pie has a few components; first you make a crust with crushed taralli and butter, and press that into a fluted tart pan. Then, you make an herb mousse by mixing the ricotta with cream cheese and a mixture of fresh herbs before making a savory frangipane that gets baked in the crust. Finally, the entire pie gets topped with the herb mousse and garnished with prosciutto for an elegant dish.
What is Herb and Cheese Pie?
This herb and cheese pie is a savory pie including a taralli crust, a savory frangipane, an herb mousse, and prosciutto. The combination of layers are savory, salty, and creamy, making the pie perfect to have as an appetizer or as part of a lunch with a salad.
Pro Tips
- Use a food processor to finely blend the taralli for your crust. However, if you don’t have a food processor, you could also place the taralli in a plastic bag and run a rolling pin over top to crush them.
- If you don’t have a fluted tart pan, you could make the tart in a springform pan or even a pie plate.
- This recipe uses a mixture of herbs like basil, mint, chives, parsley, and thyme. If you don’t have the right amount of fresh herbs for this recipe, you can use more of the other herbs you have on hand.
- Don’t overbake the frangipane. You will know it is properly baked when it is just set.
- If you don’t have a piping bag, you could place the filling in a Ziploc bag and cut the corner so you can pipe the mousse on top of the pie.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Can You Serve Herb and Cheese Pie?
Wedges of this herb and cheese pie can be served with a tossed green salad for a light lunch, or served on its own for an appetizer before the rest of the meal.
What is in the Savory Pie Filling?
The pie filling for this herb and cheese pie is a savory frangipane filling made with ground almonds, butter, eggs, parmesan, ricotta, olive oil, and basil. It sets up beautifully in the oven and is a delicious base of the herbed cheese mousse that is piped on top.
Where Can I Buy Taralli?
If you can’t find taralli in your local grocery store, you may be able to find them at an Italian grocery store or delicatessen in your town. Alternatively, you can order them online.
How to Store Herb and Cheese Pie
To store this herb and cheese pie, simply lightly cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge until you are ready to serve it. It should keep well for up to 4 to 5 days.
Ingredients
How to Make Herb and Cheese Pie
For the crust, blend the taralli in a food processor until fine. Mix the crumbs with the butter until combined.
For the crust, blend the taralli in a food processor until fine. Mix the crumbs with the butter until combined.
Press the crumb mixture in the bottom and up the sides of a tart pan. Refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.
Press the crumb mixture in the bottom and up the sides of a tart pan. Refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.
For the herb mousse, use an immersion blender to blend the ricotta with the cream cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper, mint, basil, chives, parsley, oregano, and thyme until combined. Transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a star tip.
For the herb mousse, use an immersion blender to blend the ricotta with the cream cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper, mint, basil, chives, parsley, oregano, and thyme until combined. Transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a star tip.
For the savory frangipane, in a tall container, blend the ricotta with the olive oil, salt, and basil until combined.
For the savory frangipane, in a tall container, blend the ricotta with the olive oil, salt, and basil until combined.
In a bowl, beat the butter with the parmesan cheese until combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
In a bowl, beat the butter with the parmesan cheese until combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
Beat the basil mixture and almond flour into the cheese mixture until combined.
Beat the basil mixture and almond flour into the cheese mixture until combined.
Pour the mixture into the crust, and bake it in a 356 F (180 C) oven for 45 to 50 minutes.
Pour the mixture into the crust, and bake it in a 356 F (180 C) oven for 45 to 50 minutes.
Once cooled, pipe the herb mousse on top of the tart.
Once cooled, pipe the herb mousse on top of the tart.
Make prosciutto roses.
Make prosciutto roses.
Serve the tart garnished with the prosciutto roses.
Serve the tart garnished with the prosciutto roses.
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