SWEET RICOTTA CREAM

Desserts can intimidate.  Cakes take hours to bake and frost. Souffles are prone to collapse. Pies can easily burn past edibility. But, when guests come for dinner, you also don't want to serve store-bought cookies.  My solution: desserts that taste like you spent hours in the kitchen. You don't need to be a pastry chef to elicit "oohs" and "ahhs" from your guests at dessert time.

This crema will sate demanding palates and save you hours of prep time.  It's similar to the filling of cannoli: sweetened ricotta cheese with a touch of citrus or pistachio. Ricotta has a neutral, milky flavor. So, worry not, your dessert will not taste cheesy.  Whole-milk ricotta gives the dish a custard-like texture -- all without the addition of eggs or cream.

The recipe has three easy-to-execute steps: 1) put the ricotta in a bowl, 2) sweeten with confectioners' sugar, and 3) serve.  That's it.  Typically, I will also add the zest of one orange or one lemon. Citrus brightens the dessert's sweetness.  If you have limoncello or Cointreau on hand, you can mix 1-2 tablespoons of the liqueur in as well.

 

INGREDIENTS 

* 1.5 pounds (24 ounces) of whole-milk ricotta

* Zest of 1 orange or 1 lemon

* 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract 

* 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup of confectioners' sugar

* Chopped unsalted pistachios (optional) 

** Be sure to buy whole-milk ricotta.  Non-fat ricotta is fine for savory dishes, like lasagna, but it has no flavor on its own. Whole-milk ricotta, on the other hand, has a creamy and almost butter-like taste. Personally, I am a fan of Calabro's whole-milk ricotta. 

Spoon the chilled ricotta into a large mixing bowl. Grate the zest of 1 orange or 1 lemon into the bowl.  Fold the zest into the ricotta, stirring to make sure it distributes evenly.  Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and stir with your spoon.  At this point, add 1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar.  Taste it.  If it is not sweet enough, add another 1/4 cup of sugar.  If you like the sweetness, leave it as is.

Fold the sugar into the mixture until you have a smooth and wet cream. Let it sit on the counter for 5 minutes -- this will give the powdered sugar time melt into the ricotta.  Chill in the fridge until you are ready to serve. 

Before serving, I like to scoop the crema into individual "fancy" cups.  Doing so gives an restaurant-quality feel to a humble treat.  The last time I served this dish, I plated the cream in copper cocktail mugs.  If you like, you can sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of chopped pistachios on top of each cup. A drizzle of honey is also tasty.